I liked this course a lot. Each hole as a pair of concrete tees. The long layout is challenging and plays par 64. There are multiple drives across water, some major elevation changes, and heavy woods on most holes. The short is par 57, still not easy from the looks of it, but takes out the water carries and a fair amount of distance. The orange baskets are in great shape, and I liked the pin placements. You can play a nine hole loop that plays 1-5 (A-E), then 12, 14, 15 (F, G, H) and an auxiliary hole (I) after 15 that will finish near the pin for hole 3.

The first couple of holes are nothing special. Long, flat, and a few mature trees sprinkled around an expanse of grass. 3 and 4 mix in some shot shaping, working around heavy rough. It gets really good on the fifth hole. There is a nice drive across the pond on 5 if you play from the long tee, and the basket is in a great spot atop a hill amongst the trees. Six is a steep downhill run through the woods to a basket at the bottom in front of the water. A super fun putter shot even from the long tee way up top. 7 is up the hillside a bit and works in a tight line through the trees. 8 long has another elevated tee, not as much drop, but it is longer and requires some good control. Even if you get the first shot to the bottom of the hill, there is a ways to go to the basket. 9 takes a good drive from the tee to set up a fairly lengthy approach climbing up a steep slope.

Hole 10 takes a nice shot across flat wooded to get to the base of a hill, with the basket above. 11 is another water carry off the long tee, and there is a window on the other side that takes you safely to the fairway. If you land it, you're looking at the basket at the end of a short corridor through the trees. 13 is a tricky uphill hole with a lot of trees to negotiate. Multiple lines are possible, but a knock down can leave you scrambling over rough terrain to attempt the next throw. 14 is yet another drive over the pond. If you miss left there is water hazard, miss right and heavy rough can make the approach harder. 16 long is perhaps the signature hole, a very fun elevated tee that provides a nice view. The fairway crosses a creek bed and climbs the other side, with a bit of a right to left bend. There is a pond to the right, but it's pretty low risk.

It is a play to play course, but you can also check out the rest of Wildlife Prairie Park across the highway. The walk between 11 and 12 is kind of long, but I didn't have much trouble navigating. The first two holes are yawn inducing.

WPP was the third course I hit in a Peoria day trip. All were great, courses, but it had the best good holes, as well as the two most boring ones. I loved 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, and especially 16.

It was back in November so leaf litter compromised the footing at times, and led to a bit of extra disc searching once or twice. Lighter canopy may have its advantages though. I'm sure as spring kicks in the lines are getting a little tighter.

I played the long layout and only hit birdie on the third hole. I had chances on 1 and 2 but the wind was kickin in the open and I couldn't convert. I finished at 77, but it was a good hike and I would do it all over again.

Signature hole after signature hole.
Tremendous elevation gain, with several platform shots
3 300'+ water carries.
A few open bombers mixed into the heavily wooded scenery.
The course has basically every type of hole you could think of.
The park itself is beautiful, equipment is in good working order, and course maintenance is solid.

A)Pretty easy to lose discs in some places
B) Maintenance, while good, was probably not "5 stars" good
C) A lot of the signature holes aren't as spectacular from the short pads...you have to play the longs to get the full experience. And the long tees are Gold difficulty, so not everyone will be able to get maximum enjoyment of it.
D) pay to play, in an area where there are a lot of great courses that are free.

In my opinion, this is the best Peoria area course. Even the legendary Northwoods Black can't compete with the sheer number of memorable holes here.

- Fantastic and varied golf with exciting greens and fairways and just about every type of challenge the sport has to offer.

- Short and long tees at every hole allows for a great layout for all but beginners.

- Tee signs, baskets, and tee pads are all of great quality. Semi-recent stairs aid navigating the steepest areas.

- Hills and fairways can become muddy and dangerous following prolonged periods of wet weather or immediately after a rain.

- A couple locations of tricky navigation, long walk from 11 to 12.

- High cost to play relative to other area courses.

I will start with a disclaimer that all my rounds at this course have been during the Ledgestone Insurance Open, with the exception of the first that was 5 years ago before the re-routing and general clean-up of much of the course. As a result, I have recently played this course only at its best, and this review will reflect that. I can't speak to the conditions at other times, though my first round in 2016 does give me an idea of what it can be like when not maintained.

Wildlife Prairie Park boasts some of the best and most varied disc golf in the Peoria area. Just about every type of design element is used here, usually to great effect. There are long, mostly open holes that require you to deal with the wind and really let the disc fly. There are multiple water carries that force risk/reward decisions. Uphill and downhill shots abound, some with very significant elevation gain/loss. Left, right, and straight finishing fairways of varying levels of wooded-ness are present, many with rollaway potential on the greens. This is a course that demands multiple types of shots, and distance and accuracy are required to shoot well from the gold tees, where even par is nearly 1000 rated golf.

There are some truly impressive holes here, and none that I feel to be truly weak or fillers. Holes 5, 7, and 9 from the gold tees are some of my favorites in the state, multi-shot par 4s with significant elevation. The white tees dial back the difficulty enough that lower rated players can still enjoy their rounds, and most skill levels can mix and match tees to find a layout that is challenging but not oppressive. However, this is not a course I would bring newer players to. After the first two holes, and especially once you get into the woods for real, missing your line can be severely punished, and the rough is unforgiving in many places. Most of the stinging nettle that filled the fairways back in 2016 has been beaten back, but there is still plenty out there, so be careful when leaving the fairways or wear pants. The many hills to traverse do make for a tiring round, and potentially slippery and dangerous when wet, but my most recent round was two days after a storm rolled through, and it was definitely navigable and didn't affect my round. Even with the new(ish) stairs added to the steepest locations, I can see this course being problematic after prolonged periods of rain.

The course equipment is great. There is a check-in kiosk near Hole 1 with a course map and other information where you sign in and pay ($9/day for adults, $6 for children). The tee signs are great, colorful with nice overhead views that show both tee positions and their distances. The other tee location and distance are faded out, adding clarity to where you are throwing from and where the other tee is. Each hole also has a name which is fun. The large, concrete tee pads are nice, and the Chainstar Pro baskets are among my favorite and catch very well. Benches and garbage cans are sparse or non-existent, however. There are a few locations of tricky navigation, though nothing too bad, and a very long walk from 11's basket to 12's tee. Downloading the map before your first round is a good idea.

Wildlife Prairie will test your mental and physical endurance over the course of your round, but will leave you with a great sense of accomplishment if you make it through without letting the hills, ponds, tight fairways and challenging rough beat you down. There are a plethora of exciting tee shots and the quality of the golf matches or exceeds anything else in the area. The cost to play can seem steep with most of the other options in the area being free but if you are traveling to the area, it is well worth it, and for locals there is a yearly pass that makes frequent visits much more cost effective. Peoria has become one of the better disc golf destinations in the country considering the number of quality courses in the area, and Wildlife Prairie is right near the top of that impressive list.

This course was excellent. I have only been playing disc golf in the central Illinois area for 3 years now. I've enjoyed all of the courses in the immediate Peoria area but played this course for the first time this weekend.

I would say I'm at the Intermediate level and could have played from the golds making it across the water with no problem.

I had my sons with me and one of their friends who was a beginner. In fact, other than playing casually once before this was his first time playing a real course.

Using the short tees was no problem for him. Even with such interesting and unique holes as described by other reviewers, it was really fun. We all had a great time.

I was amazed at how such a large space was so well kept. Whoever maintains this course does a great job as far as I can tell.

It was definitely a hike and good workout. I would also suggest wearing pants if tend to throw in the woods off the fairway often.

I didn't really have any. It's pay to play, but also if you camp it's free and that is what we did. But I understand how such a vast space can cost money to maintain and I'm sure that money also goes into the park entirely so I don't mind supporting that.

Definitely check this place out if you haven't played it yet.

Where to begin with this course!

The land is isolated and amazing. There are open holes, wooded holes, flat holes, holes with 100 ft elevation changes, water holes, dry holes, and so much more. The variety on this course is off the charts. If you do not have a variety of shots in your bag (including backhand, hyzer flips, sidearms, huge hyzer, etc), then you can easily find yourself in trouble. To me, this is the mark of a fantastic course. You will use every disc in your bag.

There are at least 4 or 5 iconic holes on this course, and the course changes drastically from short to long tees. You can even mix and match and play some shorts/longs to cater to almost any skill level.

Short Tees:

Holes 1 and 2 lull you into a false sense of security.

Hole 1 is a wide open shot with some bushes and shrubs on each side. At ~360 ft, there isn't a ton of trouble unless you venture way off to either side. UPDATE: The shrubbery on the left has been cut down, so there isn't much danger left now.

Hole 2 is also fairly wide open back past 1's tee. The only real trouble are a few guardian trees all withing 40 ft of the pin

Hole 3 is a big RHBH hyzer shot into a narrow opening. You do NOT want to go short and left as it is thick, thick woods. UPDATE: Some of the left side thick bushes have been cleared out to about 25 ft in, making it a little less dangerous.

Hole 4 is a blind 200 ft shot where you will want to walk up the fairway to see the pin. A small ravine lies down in the opening and just in front of the pin. The left foliage is thick, while the right is manageable. So do not miss short and left.

The first 4 holes are good, but nothing too memorable. Hole 5 is where things change.

Hole 5 throws RHBH around heavy woods on the left into a wide open field. A pond on the right should not come into play from the short tees. Even a good drive will then leave you with a precise 2nd shot to a pin perched up at the top of a small hill. Go left or right and you are in some bushes. Short and you are putting uphill 15 ft. Go long and you are in serious trouble. UPDATE: The main pin location has been moved down into the open field to avoid the bike trails. This makes the second shot much easier, and bigger arms will be aiming for a birdie 2.

Hole 6 is the first iconic tee shot. You are throwing downhill with about 50-75 ft of elevation change to a pin protected by multiple smaller trees. Go short and you will have a tough layup. Gun it long and you will fly right into a creek that is about 60 feet past the pin. A jump putt type throw will work for many on this hole. Take a picture while you are there! UPDATE: The park has added a net behind the pin to catch errant long shots. It only spans 50 ft or so at the bottom, so going wide left or right long still lands yuo

Hole 7 is a blind tee shot over an angled hill on the left. The pin is accessible off the tee, but requires a good shot hung out to the right. But go too far right and there is a large foot drop-off with rollaway potential. This is another hole where you will want to walk ahead to see the pin.

Hole 8 is one of the tougher holes on the front 9 and another beautiful hole. You throw down a tight fairway and try to position yourself on the middle/right side of the fairway. Your second shot is a RHBH hyzer shot to a pin tucked back and up to the left. Poor shots will leave you hiding behind trees or rolling down to a small dry creek bed about 30 feet from the pin. Watch for rollaways on your approach and putt.

Hole 9 is the second truly iconic hole. Only big arms will have a shot at 2 on this one. Mere mortals must play a placement shot to the base of a hill with a sidearm working well, then throw an approach shot up a hill with 50+ feet of elevation change. Drives short, long, or right will leave almost no angle to get up the hill.

Hole 10 is a gettable 2, but you must avoid some small fairway trees. The pin sits 15 feet up on top of a small plateau with a drop-off behind. Many good shots will still leave you with a challenging putt, usually uphill.

Hole 11 is one of the two easiest holes from the shorts and a must get if you are bleeding strokes from holes 7-9. Avoid hard right shots as a pond could come into play on an errant shot. Also, be careful not to go long left as there is a drop-off that makes disc retrieval very challenging. Other than that, its <200 and straight ahead.

The walk to hole 12 is a bit long and confusing. Behind 11's pin you will see two paths. Follow the right path along the pond, around the bend, then down a small hill until you reach a wide trail T. Hang a right and walk down a path that is wide enough for a car until you reach hole 12. Keep walking, I promise the tee is there. Hole 12 is one of the easiest holes along with hole 11. Several guardian trees protect the pin, but are inside 30 feet so even hitting them will still give you a reasonable putt. A short sidearm shot or simple turnover putter works well here.

Hole 13 is also a hole that can be birdied, but has the potential for disaster that is not present on holes 11 and 12. A short sidearm up the left path or a big hyzer shot both work here. The pin sits on a small hill, so even good shots can leave you with a challenging uphill or straddle putt around trees. Hit any early tree and you could end up in a big ravine to the right that separates the tee and pin.

Hole 14 is yet another iconic hole. The pin sits just out over a large pond that you must carry. Since the hole is only in the 260 range, it is very reachable. But the pond will mess with your head. The pin sits dangerously close to the pond, with a drop-off a mere 20 feet away. Safe players can throw a bailout shot out to the right and/or long, an easy layup, and run away with a 3. Riskier shots can yield a great birdie or much, much worse. UPDATE: A drop zone has been added along the right side path from the tee to the pin.

Hole 15 is a very straightforward, reasonable tunnel shot. Although the gap is air, any misses in the left rough can be brutal, with the right not being as bad now that some of the shrubs has been removed. Keep it straight, putt for birdie, but don't stray too far left or right. A good sidearm shot works well here and plays away from the trouble on the left. Pay close attention along the right side of the fairway as you walk up. A sign and path to 16 should be visible.

The walk to hole 16 can also be a bit confusing. There is a path that runs along a hillside directly to 16's tee. The access to the path is on the right side of 15's fairway about 100 ft short of the basket. Just backtrack there after finishing 15 and if will take you right to 16. The tee for 16 long is surrounded by a retaining wall. UPDATE: The newly added short tee is accessed by following the winding path down and to the left of the long tee. Multiple trees have been cleared, but the shot is still a challenging uphill hyzer with a dangerous dropoff to the right.

After hole 16, there is a short hike along a path, up a small hill, across a bed of big rocks, up another small hill, along a car path about 300 feet, and up a path to the right to a slightly elevated hole 17 tee. This is also a blind shot with a low ceiling, although the opening has been cleared a bit. There are trees on both the left and right, and a pin that is perched on a hill with a 15 ft drop-off in front/right of it. Good shots here are hard to come by since the window is so small, but it is still very deuceable. Be wary of roll-aways on your putts and don't be overly upset with a par.

Hole 18 is the last of the iconic holes. The tee shot seems harmless, but danger lurks. The rough road to the right is sometimes played as OB, so you must watch shots too far right. Also to the right is some grass that can get waist high or taller during the summer months. But if leave your drive too far left you will have no angle into the protected pin tucked back in the woods to the left. The opening is very reasonable, but placement off the tee is key if you want to attack the pin. A birdie 3 is a great score here, but staying inbounds and taking a 4 is not bad either. If the road does not play as OB, feel free to let loose over the road. Follow the road a few hundred feet back up to the parking area and near hole 1's tee.

Take a rest, you earned it.

The long tees are an entirely different animal. Here's a brief summary of the best holes from the longs:

Hole 3 is a great placement par 4, with a long drive and good approach into a protected green needed for a birdie 3.

Hole 5 is arguably the best hole at Wildlife from either tee. A 380-400 ft shot over a pond is required or a bailout drive to the left. A 3 from the longs is an amazing score, although much more manageable now that the pin has been moved down into the field.

Hole 6 is fantastic. Its the same downhill shot as from the shorts, but with the tee up another 20-30 ft and tucked further right requiring a tricky, blind turnover line that makes birdie very challenging. You also have to give it a bit more power, which brings the creek behind into play if you push too hard and somehow clear the maze of trees. The net behind the pin will really help here if you crank on it too hard.

Hole 7 is a legit par 4, but not long. 30-40 ft elevation change on your drive up and right around a corner. Great shots still leave you with a hard 2nd. Very challenging par 4 even though it only measures around 470 ft.

Hole 8. Almost 1000 ft long. Drive down a tight window to a landing area 400 ft ahead and 50-70 ft below the tee, with lots of trees left and stinging nettles everywhere. Then another 450+ up a tight tunnel with trees everywhere. Then, still another 50+ around small trees to the pin. Wow.

Hole 11 is a 360 ft shot over another large pond. Attack at your own risk, but you can deuce it with a huge power hyzer that fights through the trees protecting the green. Short shots can hit the hillside and easily roll into the mucky water.

Hole 14 is ANOTHER pond shot. 300+ ft is needed to carry the pond. The right bailout available from the short tees is harder to access and is very narrow, with bushes and trees if you go too far right. There are no easy plays on this hole.

Hole 16 is probably the course's signature hole from the long tee and requires more than just a brief description!

You throw from an elevated tee, down a big ravine, over a shallow creek, then back up a small hill that slopes to the right. This is truly a placement shot and very difficult due to the low ceiling. Do not go too long or you will be in a world of hurt! The bushes are thick and getting up anywhere near the pin is very difficult.

Even great drives will leave you with a difficult 2nd shot with awkward footing. This is due to the fact you are going back up a short hill, but also the hill fades down to the right. You will have to make a standstill blind shot to a pin perched on a narrow path which loves to create rollways. No description can do this hole justice and you will play it 20 times and still not know exactly where to place your drive.

Hole 18. 30 ft downhill shot out into an open field. A drive over and past the short tees is very good. Even a great drive will leave a challenging 2nd shot. Only the biggest arms have a shot at 3.

The cost can be somewhat prohibitive, with $9 for daily access to the entire park. As of now, there is no disc golf only pass or fee. Keep in mind it is a pay-to-play course. Having a family membership at the main park, I can play for free. Try playing with someone who has a membership as they have guest passes that can be used. If you play the long tees, it is well worth the price of admission.

The course is rough for carts. There are hills with over 70 ft of elevation change and narrow paths, so switch to backpacks if you have that option.

Avoid this course if it has rained. As mentioned above, the course has huge hills up and down, and it can become downright treacherous in rainy and muddy conditions.

The course uses so much of the park, but if you do not have a course map or play with someone who knows the layout, it is easy to get lost. This is especially true after the first 5 holes.

The hole numbers can also be very confusing. There is the original layout which was good up until 2016. The course was renumbered and modified, adding 4 new holes and adjusting the numbers of existing ones. There is the old layout, the new layout, and a modified Ledgestone layout that adds two temp holes that are less treacherous and easier to access. As of 2019, they also added an Executive 9 that skips many of the challenging lower holes (6-11). This can be very challenging to follow if you are not familiar with the layouts.

Stinging nettles, poison ivy, and hitchhikers are aplenty throughout the course. It is highly advised that you wear long pants, even in warmer weather.

This is a very rural course, so some of the fairways can get a little overgrown during the summer months. When you see where the holes are located, such as down a 75 foot hill and along a creek, you will see why it is not mowed as often as public parks. This is one of the main reasons you should not play solo. If you can play it later in the summer before any major tournaments when it is mowed and heavily manicured, you can't help but be impressed with this beast of a course.

You will need to bring your A game and hiking shoes for this course. But, the difficulty level can cater to a variety of players depending on the tees you play. The short tees are very reasonable and good players can shoot in the 40s.

The long tees are arguably the hardest course in the area, leaving you exasperated and elated at the same time. I highly recommend checking this course out if you have not done so. But NEVER play this course solo, especially if you are playing the longs or have never played it before. All eyes are needed.

Also, keep in mind that even from the shorts this is a challenging course. If you are a beginner/novice player, you might want to steer clear of this course. Even from the shorts there are some challenging shots with the possibility of lost plastic.

This should be on everyone's bucket list! This is a course you will definitely remember!

With the right attitude, good shot selection, larger groups for eyes, and great putting, this will be a course that puts your game to the test.