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Bloomfield, IA

Pioneer Ridge

Permanent course
2.635(based on 4 reviews)
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8 0
RussMB
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.6 years 131 played 110 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Disc Golf, Fishing and Trails 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 22, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

• Beautiful Conservative Park, very well taken care of.
• Tee signs, with map, par & distance. (Maps are faded)
• Florescent Orange baskets, which comes in handy since some are hidden behind brush
• The terrain and ecology is beautiful, and is a really enjoyable walk.
• Perfect for beginners and non-players
• Bathrooms near #7 basket
• Scorecards with Maps on the wall of the conservation center.
FWIW
• This place has some awesome walking & Nature trails. Very awesome in the fall
• Fishing, Horse trails, and nature center. Pioneer ridge is a very nice place

Cons:

• Course plays close to the common areas. If this place were to be busy, playing here could be a challenge. You could find people enjoying the park right in the middle of your fairway. You'll need to look out for people as well as parked cars.
• There is a mixed feel to the course, The 700ft shot, though it's a really fun challenge, seems out of place for this course. It's already 10 holes, 8 could be broken up easily into 2 holes. Plus, this could eliminate any risk from hitting people that may having a party in that barn. (I came upon a group of people in the barn on 8)
• Plays near to many parking lots and the horse unloading trailer. On #2, I had to play conservatively, because a car was parked pin high 10ft from the basket. On #5 I had a horse trailer parked right behind the basket. This is a 200ft fairway, that can be easily over shot.
• The 10th hole plays along the sidewalk, between the parking lot, the building and the entrance to some trails. I would really just eliminate this hole for safety sake. Although, its' short, people could walk up out of nowhere.

Other Thoughts:

Here is how I'll categorize this course. It's more of a novelty course that is available to guests of Pioneer Ridge. It's not a destination course. I wouldn't drive out of my way to play here. Now, let me flip this, Pioneer Ridge is a wonderful place to go for outdoor and nature activities. I WOULD drive out of my way for the other things here. (e.g. the trails are excellent) I would just bring my discs to play the course while I was out here. Now, if I lived in Ottumwa or Bloomfield, I would come out every so often. It does have a decent fun factor. It's simple, a little challenging, and you can bring your tackle box as well.
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8 0
scarpfish
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.9 years 360 played 100 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Watch where you park your car. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 18, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Okay beginner to intermediate length course. Beautiful secluded countryside views at a nature park south of Ottumwa. Bright orange DGA baskets make for easy viewing. Some holes have some decent hazards if you can get pas the fact these hazards might be more hazardous to non-DG crowd using the facility (see cons section).

Cons:

If there's a major, almost unforgivable problem with this course, its how a great deal of the holes cut over roads and parking lots. People here can easily park their car in the line of fire without realizing that their parking space is in the middle of the fairway. Holes 2 & 10 cut over parking lots with 10 cutting dastardly close to the nature center building. Hole 6 goes right over the front park road where I can assure at a busy time many folks will be driving or parking.

All but two holes here are under 300', which brings me to Hole 8. A very challenging 712' which shoots up a hill, around a building, and then you can go over or around a pond. In a more appropriate setting, this would be an awesome hole. Here amongst holes that primarily pitch and putt, it looks entirely out of place and looks like an excuse to extend the course's length. If you're gonna build a pitch and putt, just stick to the program.

I might also point out Hole #1 which has flower beds for OB. Umm, just my two cents but if you want to keep the flower beds looking like flower beds, this is kind of ill advised. Pretty flora and disc golf do not mix.

Other Thoughts:

Supposedly this property has a lot more land and there are plans to put in more holes. I'd highly suggest that they re-examine the ones they already have. I wouldn't say keep on driving as this park is conveniently located right off Highway 63, and is a good place to stop, stretch and get a few holes in but in all honestly, any of the in-town Ottumwa courses are better than this.
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