- large concrete tees
- nice visible red-banded Innova DISCatchers
- some dips incorporated here and there
- some water potentially in play though creek was dry in April
- plays in and out of woods and incorporates obstacles
- respectable length with most holes in 200-350 ft range
- navigation is mostly straightforward
- area of park is mostly isolated for disc golf
- mix of open and more wooded holes
- well maintained and clean park
- ample parking
- bathrooms

- tee signs are very basic; no maps, could be much better
- mostly flat
- hole 7 plays too near baseball fields
- lots of road noise from I-80
- hole 9 ends incredibly far from parking lot - poor design choice
- not recommended for Saturday mornings

Lew Clarkson Park is nice 9 hole course pretty close to the better-known Walnut Ridge. The equipment here is pretty good, although the tee signs are pretty mediocre considering how nice the baskets and tees are. The arrows on the tee signs indicating the general direction of the hole are weird - the entire sign is one big arrow. I've never seen this before and really, I hope I don't again. There's so many tee sign approaches out there; this was one of the worst besides a plain post with a number. This park is clearly well kept and most of the disc golf is in its own area - though it does get near the baseball fields at one point.

The challenge here is moderate or a bit lower. Beginners certainly could come here, but there's enough going on with some wooded holes and nothing completely wide open to keep more intermediate players entertained. Hole distances are pretty average/typical, and while there isn't much elevation change, the course does throw over a creek bed multiple times and incorporate some dips.

I mostly enjoyed this course; it would have been nice to incorporate the larger river beyond holes 8 and 9 for some big challenge, but the park district may not own this land - plus, you'd never get most discs out of the water. The navigation and flow here were straightforward until the end, when the course ended at about the farthest point it could have in the park from the parking lot. Admittedly, I'm not sure how much the course designers could do about this given how much of the park is taken up by baseball fields and other sports, but it was frustrating.

On the plus side, the restrooms here are very nice, and the course is a quick play if you are already stopping off at Walnut Ridge. It is close to I-80, so not out of the way, but not necessarily worth a trip all on its own. Don't expect too much nature immersion here with the noise from the interstate. I got here just in time - as I was leaving around 9:15 AM the baseball players were pouring in. If you are going to play on Saturday morning, I recommend getting here very early or the parking lot will be swamped.

Overall, this was a well-designed course except for the end location with decent flow and challenge. It was a fun enough round and probably didn't take over 30 minutes solo.

Johnston tends to do things right, and this is a great example. This course fills a niche for those that want a quick game. The location is convenient for a lot of areas. It's a mostly wooded course that could be completed over a lunch hour with a friend in about forty minutes. (Try that at Walnut Woods or a trip to the East Side.)

The tees, holes, and signage are all nice. The combination of woods, stream, and Beaver Creek are all scenic. There's some challenging shots too.

Mud in the spring. Given the new course construction, wooded area, and grasses not established yet, consider wearing old shoes if there has been recent rains.

Number seven is right behind the ball field fences, so you may want to keep an eye out for home runs over the fence. Also, spectators walk and even sit on hole seven.

Hole nine is trickier than it seems. You will have to go around the obstacle of trees in the middle of the fairway. If you go right, the edge of the creek is closer than it seems, which sends even experienced players into the water.

You may not know where you are after completing hole nine the first time. Just keep going straight on the walk in between the ball fields on the sidewalk, and you'll end up at the parking lot again. (Signage here would help.) This area is circus of activity if a game is going on.

It's a great, nine hole course in a convenient location.

-Concrete tees
-Decent baskets
-Mix of technical / open
-Quick round

-Basic signage (hole, distance, odd arrow of line...sort of)
-Can get busy
-#7 works along the back of 2 softball fields
-Long walk back from #9 to where you parked near #1

Lew Clarkson Park hosts a good DGC in the southern part of Johnston, IA. The majority of this park is 4 softball fields, but the course winds through some woods and behind a couple of these fields. There is a small stream to work around (sometimes dry) on #1, #2 and #6. #3 and #4 are more open. #5 is a sharp right turn just before the basket (although going through the trees before the leaves have filled in works, too). There have been issues with #7 as it works along the back of two of the softball fields. I haven't had problems, but there are already stories of parents using the #7 tee pad to set up their camping chairs to watch games. A little courtesy goes both ways on that one. #8 finishes back in trees and #9 is along a larger stream, so stay left, but there is a decent fairway to accomplish that. There are many courses in the Des Moines area, but really, not many 9ers. This fills a bit of a hole in that stance. It's not overly taxing on length (at just under 2300') and playable for many skill levels. There is quite a walk back to the parking near #1. I have heard rumblings about filling this up to 18, not sure that's needed here. If you're there on a weekend, especially with games going on, you'll probably have to deal with #7 or skip it altogether. Other than that, it's a great 9er to get in a quick round in an evening. I'll definitely be playing again.