Many have lauded Gateway Hills (or is it Carroll Marty?) and I shall too!
- The shot selection here is off the charts!
You throw down hill, you throw up hill. You throw right to left, you throw hyzer spikes. A few wide open shots and enough wooded fairways to keep it interesting.
- i really appreciate all stairs and bridges. Those things didn't build themselves and they make this course possible.
- The whole works plays out in a scenic valley and the surrounding trees. What's not to love?

Not a lot to report here.
Just your regular run-of-the-mill vandalization.
Lots of broken glass.
Waiting at every tee for that group of 11 to hole out.

Elevation is the primary strength of Gateway Hills, followed closely by its playful variety of holes and diversity of shots needed to score well on those holes.
This course services a college town, no easy task to be sure, and I think its wear and tear and obvious popularity are testaments to its quality and to the quality of the experience golfers are having here.

-Some nice bomb shots (such as hole 1 and hole 16.)
-Good mixture of shade and sun.
-Very small risk to lose a disc even with all of the trees and the creek.
-Good use of elevation.
-The tees are in good condition.
-The baskets are in very nice condition.
-The trees provide for a good amount of difficulty without getting out of hand.
-A few blind holes which make for a good challenge.
-Some cool walkways on the fairway on a few of the front 9 holes.
-Vending machines at the end of the course so you can get something to drink before you go frolf again!

-Lots of junk laying around near the tees and baskets.
-Rather crowded most of the time.
-The tee signs were all all messed up and tough to read.
-I wouldn't be surprised if you got lost on the course due to a somewhat poor layout and lack of directions.
-The back 9 holes are a bit repetitive.

I played this course right after I played the 13th street course. I must say that I enjoyed the other more, but this is still a very solid course and I will come back again for sure!

-Makes you use all of your discs
-All different kinds of shots
-Some very fun holes!
-Tee-pad are big and in nice shape
-Many slopes which will make for tough shots
-Very unique atmosphere being close to campus
-Cool path on the way to hole 16's Tee, made of beer bottle caps
-Close to ISU campus
-Shop at hole 1,10, and 18 with vending machines and discs
-Sand volleyball courts and tennis courts on site along with shelter and picnik accessories
-Beautiful views when sun sets
-Plenty of shade on front 9, back 9 more open
-No water hazards other than a small creek running through the middle but not much of a hassle to retrieve discs from.

-Very crowded!
-Tee Signs, baskets, and walkways are damaged due to high traffic
-Easy to get lost (can be easily fixed by asking one of the many other "Frolfers" around)
-No bathrooms on the course other than the shop
-Few holes repetitive and short (2,11,13)
-Beer bottles and trash are relevant
-No trash cans on the course other than the park at holes 1,10, and 18.

Overall a very fun and unique course. If you get lost, you can easily ask a friendly ISU local to help you find your way. Front 9 holes are more shaded and forested and Back 9 is more open and longer. I would definitely recommend this course for someone who is heading on a road trip up or down I-35. Great Course and much much fun!

This has been my home course for many years. And i love it. The front nine is pretty tech and difficult. Shorter on the front nine but in a good way. Lots of elevation changes. Back nine is a lot more open and easier. You will rack up a lot of deuces here.

Wish the holes were a little bit longer. Some ofof the Long tees could have been laid out a little better. Especially hole 5. Its just retarded.

-Great variety of shot types, distances, and elevation changes
-front 9 more wooded and technical, back 9 more open
-Great course for new players to start, but can be still challenging (especially from the long tees)
-usually nicely mowed and maintained
-pretty easy to navigate through the course even though some of the signs are missing/outdated (may be bias since I've played it so much)

-VERY CROWDED, being so close to ISU when the weather is nice during the school year it WILL almost always be busy, traffic usually starts to dies down a month or so into the summer. (late may, early june)
-Can start to get pretty easy for some advanced players from the shorts - play the long tees if your looking for a challenge and some fun drives.
-After rain it will tend to puddle up and be muddy (holes 3-7 especially)

Overall I love this course, probably the course i've played the most, since I live in ames, stable run is a great change up though

Nice baskets and tee boxes, well maintained, sweet mix of shot types, well balanced between distance and accuracy shots

VERY CROWDED, basically every hole will have a group playing it and group waiting to play it during peak times like evenings and weekends,

lots of original and unique shot types here that make for a nice break from the typical disc course

A couple of drink machines up by the office. I was told you can purchase discs when open, though I didn't have time to confirm. A few sand volleyball courts on site. Playground equipment for the young ones. Porta potty by parking lot.

Main course kiosk by hole one, includes map and local tourney and league info. Two nice practice baskets to warm up on. Nice covered picnic table to help rest out of the sun or rain. A trash can or two up there also.

Dual tees for all but hole 4. Tee's were large concrete pads, with a nice brushed texture. This course really was completely different playing from the pro tees. Though some weren't much farther in distance, the looks were completely different. Play was much harder from the pro tees.

Several nice bridges over the creek, multiple stairs to assist in traversing the hills, both were greatly appreciated.

Generous amount of elevation used on the majority of the holes. Lots of shots down to the pin, and several shooting up, nice mix there. I found that the course also had a nice mix of left to right and right to left shots, so the course didn't favor either right or left hand players, regardless of throwing style.

Course was separated into two different loops. Hole 9 and 18 end near the parking lot. This was nice on a super hot day so you could grab more water. Also nice if you don't have enough time to play a full 18.

First 9 holes are mostly wooded, last 9 are mostly open, with one or two of each to mix it up. Several blind pins throughout. Creek came into play on a few holes, but never caused any problems.

Unfortunately, due to the heavy play on the course, there has been vandalism, and most of the tee signs are missing, written on, or just in disarray. Also from what I could tell from what signs were there, if you were playing pro, you had to walk up to the am tee to figure out what distance you were throwing.

I don't recall seeing any trashcans or benches throughout course other than at the start - end of the course.

Though the course seemed to be maintained really well, I do think that it could used a little love. The areas around the bridges and stairs could use a little trimming or attention, as the stairs had weeds growing up through them, not a big deal, just worth noting.

Only a few of the pins were numbered. I wouldn't have noted it, but some were and some weren't.

A couple of holes that I really enjoyed: Hole 1 was a great way to start the course, shooting on an elevated tee down to the pin at the bottom with the pin hidden to the right. Great roller hole too. Hole 12 (pro tee) starts within the woods, throws into the open, then the hole tightens up and the pin sits with a creek bed just behind it (hole 8 is similar, without the creek behind pin).

I think this is a good course to help develop a well rounded game, as this course has many features that cause you to have multiple throws and approaches in your bag. Overall, a really good and fair course to play. I enjoyed the elevation, enough that I would like to someday come back and play again.

Good intermediate to novice level course that more advanced players won't get bored by. Good logical flow. Dual tees on every hole give players more adaptability in picking how much challenge they want. Good mix of open and wooded. Open area holes fairways are defined by a thin line of tall grass between holes (you can make going outside of these OB to add challenge). My favorite holes on this course were 8 and 12 which you shoot from one wooded area, out into the open, across to another wooded area.

If you like some long bomb holes, well, this ain't the course for you, as it is relatively short. The longest shot in the park is a 425' downhill tunnel hole. Course can be a mud pit in spots after a hard rain. The wooded section on 3-7 is particularly bad (definitely use the stairs provided). Very popular and gets crowded in the afternoons by mostly rec players, so expect some wait time. Pretty as it is, doesn't really have that wow factor. Hole signs are deteriorating.

A lot of places would be happy to have a course like Carol Marty in town. Due to its length and being in the vicinity of much longer, more challenging courses to the south probably doesn't get the cred it deserves. I wouldn't go to Ames just to play this, but I'd definitely play it again if I were passing through Ames. A good choice if you're in central Iowa and find the monster Des Moines courses a bit overwhelming.

Has a wide variety of tee shots. Has a good amount of tight holes, also has some open holes that challenge players focus. Easy enough to always have a fun round. Easy to find course.

Too many short holes. Really no hole where you can let loose your longest drives. Course not updated enough. High concentration of bad players/hooligans. Often able to get near -10 under par on my own.

Overall I enjoy playing this course. While it is very easy and often crowded, it is still fun to play and satisfaction is easy to attain for players of all levels.

Good variation of good technical holes where you are weaving between trees and then some very open holes with that are moderately long. Tee boxes are cement and most holes have an advanced tee box placement for a pretty good challenge. All holes can be played as par 3's. Several holes are great potential aces (especially 10). Good elevation change and no hole is terrible to play. Baskets in pretty good condition and you go past a drinking fountain twice during the round. Good practice pin to warm up at.

Signs aren't in the best condition and it can get very very busy during nice days. All of the hole are concentrated in one area in the middle. Because of all the people playing a lot of trash accumulates. All the holes are good, but they aren't mindblowingly memorable.

Hole 16 is a very awesome hole to play, very scenic and nice looking hole.

Nice mix of open, semi-open, and wooded holes, with a suprising amount of elevation involved.

Plenty of different looks involved, and no bad holes.

Probably best suited for average players like myself; not terribly challenging for top players.

A pretty and scenic course.

None to speak of. Doesn't have great holes to lift it's rating any higher, but all fun.

I played on a summer weekday and had the course pretty much to myself, so not sure about the crowding issues others raised.

This course offers a variety of challenging shots with fairways cutting from right to left and vice versa. An interesting note is that there is a ton of elevation changes throughout the course. Both #1 and #18 have large amounts of elevation change. Holes play both out in the open and back through the woods.

The course seemed to be marked somewhat poorley. For my first time playing it, some tees were confusing to try to find. There is also a stream that runs behind and next to a few of the holes making for a muddy trip if you go down in the water. Also it seemed very busy which made the pace a little slower having to wait on other groups on every single hole.

Two tees from all but three of the holes. The shorter tees offer a pretty relaxing and enjoyable round, while the long tees present a good challenge.

A great use of the existing elevation, mostly for some great downhill drives, but a few good uphill ones as well.

Unless it has rained a lot recently, the water hazards (a creek running through the course) is usually low enough that you won't loose your disc.

A pretty good mix of shots, though mostly open with only a couple technical, wooded shots.

There are trash cans every couple holes or so.
There are a couple of drink vending machines and a portable toilet here.

The course isn't overly challenging after a few plays for more advanced players, though the long tees will keep it pretty interesting for awhile.

Litter has become more of a problem recently as more ISU students take up disc golfing. Even though there are trash cans people still throw cans on the ground and hang them in trees. Broken bottles also show up frequently.

With the increased popularity the course is also crowded on nice, sunny afternoons by fair-weather-golfers. If you make it out before noon you shouldn't have too much trouble, but waiting at tees is common in the afternoon, especially while ISU is in session.

I consider this my home course and I tried to be fairly objective in my description of it. I would have rated it a 4 if not for the crowding and quality of courses around the Des Moines area.

Nice changes in elevation
Some open holes and some with lots of trees, great variety
Multiple paths for many holes
Amature tees are relatively easy (I have birdied all but 9)
Pro tees add a nice challenging element, still very fun to play

Unless you know where some of the holes are, its tough to know where to go (particularly from 3 to 4)
Not all holes are labeled.
Lots of traffic, usually have a long wait during the school year (I've never played during the summer when school is out)

This is an amazing course. Great range of shots can be used. Some good distance shots as well as multiple technical shots that weave through trees. I have only played 4 courses but this one is by far the best and I have talked to other people who have played all over the state and feel the same way. Great for all skill levels

Lots of elevation. Water in play on several holes. Multiple concrete tees. Good balance of uphill, downhill, L/R, R/L and straight holes. Solid Mach III baskets. *Two* practice baskets.

A bit on the short side as all holes are reachable, even from the long tees. Litter tends to be a problem, especially when ISU is in session. While there are many holes with alternate pins, they are not moved because the sleeves are bent, locks jammed, etc...

This is easily the busiest course in the area. A nice Spring Saturday afternoon will force a minimum 20 minute wait at the tee. Large groups are the norm.

- Great land use
- Fun technical shots
- Good mix of open and wooded holes
- Although there is alot of traffic it moves relatively fast
- Easy to follow
- Stairs on the steep hills was a nice addition
- Creek was well used. only punishes really bad shots
- Tee signs nice and informative
- Rough isnt too bad

- Pro tees for the most part were kinda lame. Either they were just longer or the gave you a shot with a bunch of trees immediately.
- More trash cans would be nice
- Only a few benches here and there

This course is in a steep creek valley with a large mature forest. Although the holes are on the shorter side they are technical and fun. Shot placement is a necessity, the steep hills can be punishing and cause roll-aways. Many of the baskets are nicely tucked into protective spots. The rough is not too bad and you can easily find your arrant shots.
Stable Run is just down the road, both courses are a must play in m book. I played the two of them religiously when I went to ISU and never got tired of them.

Favorite hole #12 - A straight 250'ish shot at a basket that is sitting only 10-15' before the creek. The first 90% of the fairway is wide open, after that it quickly narrows down to a 15' wide gap between several skinny trees. To the left there is several other much smaller gaps and the right is well guarded be a bush. The bank drops about 5' immediately after the gap openning down to the basket. The creek flows behind it and all around the leftside there are guarding/backstop trees. The ideal throw is dead straight shot that goes just over the top of the bank. Something not too fast so it comes to rest quickly.