Pros:
Basics:
- Mach X baskets are decent and fairly visible
- decent concrete tees showing their age but serviceable
- full color tee signs with current pin position marked
- well maintained area with no notable trash/unkempt grounds
Amenities/Extras:
- garbage cans and benches at every hole
- most holes have 2 tees and 3 pin positions
- tee signs show elevation change
- tee signs have QR codes for hole fly-throughs
- brooms for tee pads
- a few nice built-in staircases
- built in barrier to protect hole 16 tee pad
Course Design/General Thoughts:
- significant elevation change incorporated throughout
- tees are flat even on uneven sections of course
- straightforward navigation
- fairways well separated for safety
- good mix of hole lengths
- overall a fairly long course
- holes do not feel repetitive and course offers significant variety
Difficulty/Uniqueness:
- pin positions offer major differences in hole lengh for different experiences
- fair course that isn't punishing but with a fair level of challenge
- course plays technical enough to force lines and shot selection
- hole 21 has vibes of Blue Ribbon Pines #4
- incorporates virtually every element of an excellent disc golf course
Cons:
- camping area is closed in offseason - long walk to course
- parking is very limited in offseason
- some moderate rough and dry leaves can swallow discs
- could be nice if 2 baskets were populated per hole at all times for different skill levels
- limited water inclusion
Other Thoughts:
Sometimes when I wait a long time to play a course, I overhype it in my head. I kind of felt like that would be the case with Wildcat Bluff - after all, how good could the elevation change really be in Central Iowa? Well, as I've learned in other flat states (Nebraska, Kansas, etc.) there are pockets of magic if you know where to look. Wildcat Bluff is a phenomenal course that is well worth a trip out of your way. It didn't earn one of my elusive 5s, but is very close and I really don't have any major cons to note.
Wildcat Bluff is one of those courses that does everything right. It has built in stairs and barricades as needed, but its well laid out to avoid interference between holes so there aren't many instances of this. The equipment is all good to great, with the tee signs being some of the best I've ever seen, showing current pin position, alternate pin positions, alternate tees, elevation change and profile of the entire hole, plus full color and distance/par on the maps. All courses should emulate these.
Elevation change was intense and significant, but the comparison I saw to Hummel Park is laughable. Play both and see what you think - both fantastic courses, but Hummel is in a different echelon of brutal uphill hiking. Wildcat Bluff has a lot of up and down activity but didn't feel quite as strenuous as courses like Hummel or Justin Trails - Big Brother.
The course is technical and wooded but doesn't have incredibly tight, punishing fairways. Usually you need to hit your line but you aren't relying on luck. With that said, some fairways do have plenty of tree obstacles so this course can teach you a few lessons about precision. Shot variety is excellent, with uphill and downhill shots as well as flat ones. Overall, the course is pretty long but there is good hole variety and options with 2 tees. Technically, there is water on this course but it's not really incorporated and is one of the main downsides to the design.
I could see the benefit of populating 2 baskets so there was always a shorter option for newer players, as the pin positions make a huge difference in overall course length. Note that in the winter the camping area closes, and this means you are locked out of the main parking lot. Several holes are added in the camping area but I can't imagine these are that exciting, as this area is largely open and flat. I managed to show up the day before they opened the gate to the camping/parking area, but all the winter holes had been removed, so I had the honor of hiking across the whole camping area from the offseason parking to the start of the course - not my favorite, but it's a small thing. Navigation felt straightforward here; hole 21 ends very close to hole 1 near the in-season parking area, and while I probably consulted the map a few times, the flow of the course is pretty logical.
I saw no evidence of muddy areas or standing water and the course was in immaculate condition. There were no insect issues either, which is always a plus on a course this wooded. While it wasn't especially crowded, in mid-April on a Saturday at midday there were probably 5-10 groups playing through this course. It is a large enough course you don't always encounter a ton of other people.
There were a few holes I found notable. Hole 11 is a huge ravine shot where you want to end up high on the other side - who doesn't love these? This is followed by hole 12 which is a steep downhill shot where you break out of the woods right at the end to the basket out in the open before you cut across the park to the 2nd half of the course. Hole 19 has an elevated basket, which I usually find gimmicky. However, I think this is one of the few good ones. The elevation means it can be seen from the tee despite being mounted on the downhill side of a little hill. It also means if you miss your shot, you are headed downhill and kind of screwed. I like the challenge this shot creates. Hole 21 is a cool shot down a straightaway through huge pine trees which reminded me of Blue Ribbon Pines - thankfully over the years I've improved and did much better here than the 11 I scored on the similar hole at BRP. These aren't quite as towering as the pines at BRP, but this is one of those holes where ability to throw a straight, precision drive trumps distance.
Overall, Wildcat Bluff was well worth the time off the interstate to get to and was an amazing disc golf experience I'd encourage everyone to seek out. I can't imagine many players scoring this course below a 4.5 and the 5s it has certainly seem warranted depending on your perspective. This is one of the gems of the midwest and shouldn't be missed.