A true Labor of Love. A great staging ground for large groups and events. Tough lines and pin placements. Nice 'woodsy but fairly near town' location. Solid Prodigy baskets and turf tees. Mulch paths and signage make for easy nav. The camp setting FEATURES Disc Golf but also has lots to do. Awesome mid-course restrooms. Benches on every hole. Lots of upgrades, such as carved wooden mandos, mulched greens, rock and tree limb bordering ....like I say, a labor of love.

Nearly dead flat. The raised 18th tee, emphasizing the headwind, and the gentle slope up to the 16th green are the only exceptions. Nearly all heavily wooded. Again, 16 and 18 let you air it out. The rest is tight to very tight. No water or terrain features beyond trees and more trees. Hole 17 is too gimmicky. Some holes, especially 6, are 'Poke and Hope'. (But more tight lines are still being cut).

I just played Wilderness Ranch about 6 times total for the Arizona State Championships. There was adequate parking and facilities for over 75 vehicles. The course held up as a tough, if somewhat repetitive, test of skill. If you can hit a LOT of tight lines, have a wide variety of scrambling skills, and can make an obstructed putt or two, this relatively short course will reward you with lots of birdies. But there were pro players taking triples and even a few snowmen.
The setting is not quite wilderness, more like a 'Gentlemen Ranch'. But it's only about 10 to 25 minutes from most of the Pinetop-Lakeside-Showlow area.
The woods are nearly all pine with a mid level of canopy rewarding low, accurate shooters. Since that describes ALL of the first fifteen holes I have to emphasize that the shot quality is high but the variety is a bit repetitive. And some of the holes have denser 'shrub blinds' or 'jails': throw a bad drive in and you can really test your scrambling and 'yoga' skills.
I would have liked to see more use made of the huge open field and gentle upslope on the last 3 holes. As it is, there is one uphill putt. There are no downhill shots or putts. Depending on how you play 18, there are only 3 or 4 open shots on the whole course. I also thought 17 was gimmicky. It's the most spiky left to right shot you can imagine, and even if you hit it, you can easily cut roll back out of bounds.
Overall, I would give this course about a 4.1. I think it could round up to a 4.5 some day as they are still cutting lines and adding improvements. And remembering that casual play isn't about keeping score, the short tees especially are a very nice family outing and highly recommended. It's cart friendly, kid friendly and 'A Wonderful, Woodsy, Walk'.

+Trees. The Show Low area has numerous courses with a similar feel, but if you are coming from the Phoenix area this course will feel like another planet. Tight gaps through mature pines and various shot shapes make for a difficult track that will challenge every aspect of your game. A couple holes toward the end utilize a large field but trees guard baskets on the tail ends of most holes. +Long and short pads. Turf tees on every hole provide different feeling shots warranting a second round from the opposite pad. +Prodigy T2 baskets. Professional target, very consistent. +Some elevated baskets using stumps and mounds. Increases challenge and provides picturesque greens. +Length. While trees are the major challenge, the course includes several long holes from 400-600 feet. Getable par 3s and tough par 4s provide a fun mix. +Options. Most holes have multiple options off the tee. If and when you miss a line, scrambling is an option as the foliage is mostly mature trees. +Upkeep. Course is pay to play on land housing an RV park. Tees and baskets were in good shape. Fairways clean and paths marked with rocks to most tee pads. Easy to navigate and course is mapped on various phone apps. Benches, garbage cans and water spouts.

-Flat and dry. Course lacks elevation and water carries. Nature of the terrain, even with a mountain address. -Basket caveat. The Prodigy baskets have some bolts that stick out a couple inches near the rings of the chains. Most/all of the baskets at Wilderness Ranch have the rings above these bolts causing the chains to hang a little bit. Did not affect the performance of baskets but something I noticed and had never seen with these baskets.

The most difficult course I played on a Phoenix/Show Low AZ trip. In context of the courses available in those locations, this course is probably in the 4-4.5 disc range, leaning more toward 4. If you come from Phoenix or southern west coast golf, this course will challenge parts of your game you may be wholly unfamiliar with. If you are native to woods golf, this course will hit the sweet spot that you know and love. The love and care put into the course shows and makes you feel good about putting 5 bucks down to play. Challenging and fun track that allows for creative and variable shots off of two sets of tee pads. Will stand up to professional arms and devastate many amateurs. Call property owners or check website to see about course availability/conditions. Pete Ulibarri, the course designer, was easy to contact and very helpful with all aspects of the visit. Snow will likely be present in winter months.

By FAR one of the most difficult courses I've ever played. Beautifully groomed, artfully designed, and extremely challenging. Think you have an accurate drive? This course will definitely prove you wrong. Pinpoint accuracy is an absolute must! Yet even the most perfect drive can leave ZERO approach. I thought I was a shot shaping fool until I took this one on! Color me humbled... Bring a fresh arm considering the last 5 holes are brutally long (sans 17 which is a short manual turnover) and the course builds like a crescendo as it finishes, getting longer but much more "open" just as fatigue starts to really impact your distance. I'm still trying to figure out if Pete U. is an evil genius or a total masochist or maybe a little of both? I had the pleasure of meeting Pete as I was finishing and he is truly passionate about this course - and it shows! The folks at WR are just wonderful as well. Very kind and accommodating. Without their diligent work and perfect piece of property, none of this would be possible! Clearly a labor of love.

My ONLY comment (which I shared with Pete) was the PAR for holes 6 and 13. Given the 400+ distance and the sheer difficulty of each, I felt that these factors warranted a 4. I would have said the same for 16, but as Pete described, 80% of the time there's a substantial tailwind. I of course had a headwind...

If you're ready to test your metal as a disc golfer, this is the course! Do not expect to make PAR and be prepared for a possible "snowman" on #6 (think more pinball than disc golf) yet still a total blast to play. Highly recommended. I can't wait to go back for more punishment!

Turf teepads for both the short and long tees.
Rock lined paths leading from each basket to the next tee.
Benches at every tee.
Water spigots near several holes for fresh well water.

You will need a fine tooth comb to find a con.

This course has grown the last two years to become Arizona's #1 must play course. This is a wonderful course on a Beautiful property where tons of love has been poured into making the visit enjoyable and Welcoming. The course very challenging from the long tees, but very fair. The short tees offer similar challenges but without the distance the longs require. Turf tees on both the short and long tees, with rock lined paths leading from each basket to the next tee, with benches at every tee. The owners are kind and welcoming, and most of the time you have this piece of heaven to yourself and nature. On an open calendar weekend you may even make this a destination course and camp with a tent or Rv. The course is pay to play, and worth far more that the $5 donation. Don't miss this one!