Ottumwa, IA

Wildwood Park

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3.545(based on 13 reviews)
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14 0
knobby325
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 8.7 years 323 played 248 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Old School - Revamped and Beloved

Reviewed: Played on:May 20, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Good size concrete pads
-Baskets OK
-Great mix of open / technical, long / short
-Multiple tees / pins
-Beautiful Park, lots of elevation to work with
-Couple of cool water carries (#17 and #18)

Cons:

-Moderate elevation can wind the old, out of shape guy (*raises hand*)
-Road in play on several holes
-Could add a bench or trash can or two
-Transition from #14 to #15 needs a guide or a map

Other Thoughts:

Wildwood Park is host to the 3rd oldest Iowa DGC in the southwest part of Ottumwa, IA. A large park, the course takes up much of the western half of the park and keeps mostly to itself. The original course was designed as an object course in the 70s, upgraded to baskets around 1980, and re-done in 2020 with one of the original designers and others adding the additional tee pads and basket locations. I was lucky enough to enjoy my round with this designer (Bob Kramer) from both iterations. You could tell it meant a lot to him. He pointed out many of the nuances (other basket locations, tee pads, etc.). The course was a joy to play with a good mixture of open / technical (especially 17 and 18) and long / short with holes from 138' to 540'. #17 was a favorite with a carry over a stream (OB, especially for the longs with a drop tee) and a basket back by the stream tuck back and to the right a little. #18 was a wonderful finish with the back tee carrying the stream twice and the short tee once to a bit of a guarded basket. The course is really accessible for most skill levels. There are tournaments here (my guide won a state tourney on the 2nd playoff hole back when it was still an object course) yet the novice here would do fine. The park road comes into play on several holes (#1, #2, #3, #4, #5 Long, #7 Long, #8 Long, #14, #15, #16) The hills are a bit much at times for those out of shape, but a lovely piece of land and an excellent course. A couple of new foot bridges help the creek crossings on the last 4 holes. I really enjoyed my round here, especially with Bob. Will definitely play again when in the area.
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5 0
JakeTheWrestler
Experience: 10.9 years 40 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fast and Fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 19, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

- The course was obviously very well thought out. The placement of the tees and baskets created clear lines for multiple shot types that were fun to play and gave you chances for a really good score. The course also flowed pretty well and navigation was easy.
-Excellent variety in the holes. Every hole was unique, using elevation, trees, and tee/basket placement to create a completely new hole every time you stepped onto a tee.
- The park was very well maintained. The grass was mowed, trees were trimmed, and
- The signage issues raised in previous reviews have been addressed. There is a course map at the first tee, and excellent signs next to each concrete teepad with distance and where to look for the basket. Hole #11 was the only sign that was incorrectly marked. Additional signs were also placed on the course to direct you to the next tee where needed.

Cons:

-Some of the holes play pretty close together. You can see more than one basket from the teepad on several holes, although the signs and hole numbers on the top of the baskets solve this issue in most cases. Some fairways are also nearly on top of others, so an errant shot on a busy day may lead to throwing into other players.
-There are back tees on this course, marked on the course map, but they are simply bricks in the ground and an engraved plank, and nearly completely overgrown on the 3 holes that I managed to find one.
-The front tees were clearly marked concrete pads, but they were shorter than typical pads (~7') and did not provide the best traction.

Other Thoughts:

-This is a great course for any player. Every hole is really a par 3, some more difficult than others, but advanced players can find very rewarding scores by playing the holes well, and newer players will never be too seriously punished for deviating from the intended lines. I think every player can get better from this challenging but relaxed course.
-This is really a fun place place to golf. There are some longer downhill throws, ace runs, bridge shots, and holes of every type, and altogether they make for a very well-rounded course that every player can enjoy.

Overall, I wish this was a local course for me. It would be a great place to practice a lot of shots, without ever being too overbearing. It only took a couple of hours for my group of 6 to play through, and we all would have loved to do it again. I wouldn't call it a destination course by any means, but if you're in Ottumwa and looking for a quick round of golf, I would definitely recommend this course.
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2 1
brittizmehehe
Experience: 10.9 years 20 played 1 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 27, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Short and long holes. Innova baskets used for most holes and holes allowed for different shots

Cons:

No signs... Practice basket stolen and had to use basket 8 for hole 4 which made this very confusing for someone who has not played. Some baskets overlap
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3 1
nummy
Experience: 11.9 years 4 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 8, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great variety of holes
Nice park
Nice map at start of course
Easy to navigate

Cons:

Some of the holes were pretty easy, but I'm not sure that's a con.
Wasn't quite sure which basket was for hole #5?
Some of the baskets could use some updated numbers. I think we figured all of them out though.

Other Thoughts:

I thought this was a great course that had a lot of variety. Some very cool holes. It's a course that seems to have something for everyone. There were a lot of people out playing disc golf, which was great to see. I'll definitely be playing this course again!
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5 0
BreuerKyle
Experience: 16.9 years 52 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Wildwood Park - Ace on #7 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 17, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

To start out, there is a practice basket and an open field to practice some drives on before you even start your round.

Secondly, the course has both long and short holes. Each hole also allows players to think about various shots and what works best.

Good for all ages. Especially because of the short holes.

Signs make it easy to follow the course.

Cons:

Even though, the signs make the course easy to follow, some holes force you to walk quite a ways until you get to the next tee, such as from hole 9 to hole 10, or from hole 14 to hole 15.

Few trashcans, not a bathroom close to the course, and a couple holes were a bit too short, straight, and well, easy.

Other Thoughts:

It's definitely a great course, and a lot of fun to play. I really enjoyed it. And it seems to be a favorite of the people in the area as there were quite a few families and people playing the course this afternoon.

There were definitely some memorable holes too! Such as Hole #17 and #18. And I really like how the course starts out with Hole #1.

This course will definitely help you work on different shots and will give players a couple of chances for ace runs. This was my first time playing the course, and I hit an ace on Hole #7.

Great course, so go out and play it!
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4 0
bengal4life11
Experience: 15.1 years 20 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Wildwood Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 19, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Baskets are easy to locate for each hole, well marked. Variety of shots needed to obtain good scores. Good elevation on some holes. Some holes have pretty decent length to them, others are fairly short but overall there is a good blend of distances.
Concrete tees on all 18 holes, signs with distance marked on all 18 holes.

Cons:

No bathrooms, limited trash cans. Often has tire tracks throughout the park due to immature residents 4-wheeling up and down the hills during snowy weather.
Trees can play a major factor with some shots, especially on windy days.
Poorly placed parking along hole 16 causes problems when the adjacent neighbors have company.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, Wildwood is the course I play the most often and is my favorite course. If you are planning on playing in Ottumwa, I would definitely recommend Wildwood Park.
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3 3
RockStarValkyrie
Experience: 25.8 years 16 played 16 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Best course in Ottumwa 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 15, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Good baskets and tee pads, nice layout, good information and course map at hole 1, good mix of shot types,

Cons:

no bathrooms but plenty of trees :)

Other Thoughts:

The best course in the Ottumwa area in my opinion, a few really fun holes that are original and creative
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2 0
bengalsfan11
Experience: 16 years 3 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 10, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Good cardiac workout due to multiple hills to climb. Well maintained park. Course map at tee #1 on large sign. A couple of long downhill shots. Fair mix of shots that accommodate both forehand and backhand throwers. Great course for beginners to learn on.

Cons:

Trees can come into play on most of the holes. Steps leading down to bridge crossing the creek from hole 14 to 15 are getting hard to cross and could be dangerous. Very popular course leads to sometimes longer wait to play if in the afternoon.

Other Thoughts:

Overall this is my favorite course in Ottumwa and one of the best I've played.
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7 0
Berryiowa
Experience: 14 years 14 played 9 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Wildwood Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 19, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

*Concrete Teepads
*Sighns on all holes
*forces you to use all types of shots
*Great use of Elavation
*Well Maintained park
*Bathrooms (a short wal form 6 basket)
*Sighn with course map at 1's tee pad
* 2 tee pads (Pro not concrete and can be hard to find)
*Water shots on 17 and 18 (With little chance of loosing a disc
*hole 6 is a long down hill shot where you can let it fly and drive for distance
*course flows Nicely and ends a short distance from the start
* practice basket for Put and approch shots
*Practice basket can be used as a 19th hole useing 3's tee pad or throwing from grass above 18

Cons:

*Sighns do not show direction to next hole (not a big problem as next tee pad is close to basket except 10 and 15 and they do have sighns to tell you where to go
*this is a popular park for all typse of use so at times it can be very busy and you may have to watch for park users.
*15 has a gravle parking area that may come into play at times
*there are leagues that play on Sundays so there can be long waits if you get caught behind them.
*Pro tees are wooden markers with stone corners in the ground making it hard for players that dont know where they are.
*The road through the park can come into play on 6,7, 15and 16 if you make a bad throw.

Other Thoughts:

This is a great park for New and advanced players. The course flows nicely through the park and is easy to follow. There is a bridge to cross after a steep stairway from 14 to 15 but the bridge on 18 has been washed out. There are plans to replace it next year.

Hole 17 all trees have been removed makeing this a much easyer hole but did take some of the fun factor out for more advanced players. Also they have added rock dams to the creek to help with erosion so there is now a waist deep pool on hole 18 you must throw across and you walk across the rock dam so watch your step.
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13 0
RussMB
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.4 years 131 played 110 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Old School Disc Golf Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 14, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Concrete Tee's, Good signs,
-Baskets have been updated
-Varying terrain, good up and down hill shots
-Course flows nicely up and down the Hill, eventually crossing the creek and winding up back, close to the start.
-Great course for beginners, yet challenging enough for advanced players to enjoy.
-Has a couple of great down hill holes. Open up and let'm fly
-Multiple Tee's, (The long tees are not a full concrete teebox but, according to a friend of mine, there are markers.)
-Good pin placement and good course design
-Wildwood Park is a fun course to play, and is a landmark course in Southeastern Iowa.
-Is a good course for casual play, as well as being a good course for introducing friends to the sport of Disc Golf.
-Is challenging enough, that many PDGA tournaments have been held at this park
-Course Map at Hole One (See Links/Files Tab for picture)
-Practice Basket Near hole one, across the road. You'll pass the basket on the left, before you get to hole one which will be on the right.
-No hiking shoes are needed for this course, but they could be handy for walking up and down the hills.

Cons:

-Although there are no convenient bathrooms on the course, there are a couple of bathrooms in the park. If you entered the park off Shaul, then the first playground on the right has bathrooms.
- Wildwood is a popular course and can get busy.
-I wished there were more shots in the wooded area along the creek.
-I'm just throwing it out there, Poison Ivy & Sumac could be a problem for some players.
-Navigation could be a little tricky for first timers. I didn't have too much of problem, of course I took a picture of the course map with my phone. This could be easily remedied by adding an arrow that shows the location of the the next teepad on the Tee signs. Once you've played the course, navigation is easy to remember.
-pedestrian traffic could be an issue, more so between 15-18. Shelter house sits in the middle of 17.
-The loss of the tunnel shot on 17. It had to be landscaped, it looks nicer but it used to be my favorite tunnel shot.

Other Thoughts:

Wildwood Park is a landmark Disc Golf Course. It was built in 1980, and was the 6th course built in Iowa. Many a tournament has been played here, and is synonymous with the City of Ottumwa. Even though it's not the most challenging course, It is still a fun course to play, and have a good time playing with friends. The PDGA frequently hosts tournaments at Wildwood park. There are 2 other courses nearby(Indian Hills and Memorial Park), which can make a trip to Ottumwa a worthwhile venture. Now that I work in Ottumwa, I play here quite a bit.

For your GPS: According to Google Maps the approximate address is:
110 Shaul Ave.
Ottumwa, Iowa 52501

The Big Lutheran Church that looks like Noah's ark at the top of the hill is
295 Shaul Ave
Ottumwa, IA 52501
The Church is on top of the same hill as the park. If you find the church, you've found the park.
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5 0
Gflap
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.6 years 423 played 33 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Take a walk on the Wildwood side 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 21, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

In a park mostly dedicated to disc golf. Some walking paths around the perimeter. 5 x 10 concrete tee pads. Good elevation changes on the 1st 14 holes as the course is on the side of a hill. #6 is a fun downhill drive of over 400 feet. The final 4 holes are along a deep ravine with a creek. Holes 17 and 18 have fun shots over the creek with bridges that are almost like obstacles.

Cons:

As mentioned before, no bathrooms. Difficult to follow in between a few holes. Bring a map. Only saw about 2 trash cans.

Other Thoughts:

Overall this course provides a good experience with different shots needed to score well. Wildwood park is about 3 to 4 miles from Hwy 34.
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6 0
Donovan
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 37 years 298 played 187 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Sunny Hill-Side Up 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 23, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has some decent length to it. It uses elevation and the contour of the land in great way. Although most shots are fairly straight, there are a few skill shots and unique drives needed to play this course well. The par settings for each hole on this course are not too bad. There are a few picturesque and fun to play holes. There are a couple risk/reward holes with a creek that is about 15 feet down to the water. The park has plenty of other places for people that this part of the park seems to be dedicated for disc golf. It seems to be well maintained and fairly clean. The cement tee pads and signs were pretty good.

Cons:

I did not see any bathrooms to really speak of. #11 has the tee pad angled wrong. The basket is actually off to the right past # 10 basket. Some of the hole signs are missing. You might need a map as some of the navigation was a bit difficult, like finding the path to cross the creek, but it is not too bad.

Other Thoughts:

Most of the holes are in the open sunlight, so a hot sunny day can be a bit warm here. The fun factor for this course is not bad. I enjoyed it enough to play it again. The 18th hole was a fun shot over a bridge and the big downhill hole was fun to tee off from.
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4 0
CwAlbino
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.8 years 76 played 23 reviews
3.50 star(s)

A course to play a few times 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 16, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is very open and allows you to let rip on quite a few holes. However there are a few good skill shots in and around some massive trees that get thicker towards the back 9. Overall a very good course, just be careful where you throw on the back 4! You may just end up in a huge ravine with a shallow creek.

signs and directions are very nice, with people's names and dates of their aces on the back of the metal signs.

Cons:

-not a whole lot of skill shots like you get in highly wooded courses. But if that's not your cup of tea, then this course is for you.
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