Pros:
-Very nice & Scenic park, nestled between 2 hills.
-Concrete Tee's, Alt Pins, Tee signs with distance.
-Strong Challenge here, Beginners could be intimidated. (Not a negative, since there are beginner friendly courses in Ottumwa)
-Excellent Pin Placements.
-Requires accuracy and control at long distances.
-The front 9 has a rolling hill layout, where if you fall short of the basket, you'll find yourself playing up a steep hill. The slopes and hills make their own risk/reward. The Back 9, has you playing along side a fairly daunting and steep treeline.
-The park is very well maintained!
-Great use of terrain. The rolling hills increase the level of difficulty here. A good shot with a bad landing, can cost strokes quickly
-19 is a cool down hill "Let'r Fly" shot
-Multiple Risk/Reward shots.
-Multiple tee's (They'll use other tee's to make a longer shot (i.e. #6 Tee doubles as the "Extreme tee" for #1)
-Plays in,around and over the woods. (Be mindful of Poison Ivy, Sumac, Oak, etc...)
-The Penn & Jeff HyVee Drug and the BP, just down the street, Both sell Discs. As well as food and drinks (Less than a mile from the course)
-Multiple Starting locations at various points in the park. (Jefferson St entrance for #1, Tennis Courts for #'s 11-13, Water Tower for #14, Cabin park for #17,)
FWIW
-Playground near the water tower
-Mountain Bike Trail in the Park
Cons:
-Plays around a playground (but it's spaced out enough where interactions shouldn't be a problem, but never the less... Look before you drive)
-(Nit pick con) On some holes, it would be nice if they listed the pin position. Some baskets are hard to see if you don't know where they are.
-A Busy Road comes into play 3 times on the front 9 and once on the back.
-Avoid going into the rough near 7,8, and 9. The trees are just far enough apart to let it go in, and the brush inside the tree lin is tall enough to hide a disc.
-Could use a Course Map at hole 1, (However, it's easier to navigate the back 9 with the addition of more teepads and signs)
-Long walk Back to up a steep hill to the Parking lot from 19's basket.
-Once you finish 17, you walk back up the hill towards the cabin, then throw down the hill to 18's basket near the bank of the pond, walk back up the hill again, to 19 teepad (Near 17 basket, and throw down the hill to 19's pin placement requires you to walk down a steep hill, then walk back up the hill in order to play 19.
-Mountain Bike course has been installed. They claim it won't interfere, but the paths do cross a few times
-Deer Hunting is allowed in this park, so it might behoove one to invest in that Hunter Safety Orange vest. ...I'm just sayin! ; )
Other Thoughts:
It's great to see a park from my childhood install a great Disc Golf course. I enjoy this course, and it's always a blast to traverse my old stomping grounds. Bring your energy, because you will be playing up, down, and along the sides of hills. You WILL get a work out! For the most part, this course is in a "less populated" part of the park, so interactions should be minimal. (Exception: The 3 holes that play around the outer perimeter of the playground.14-16) Whether you are throwing across the pond, or driving up an angled hill, you will be challenged. Every hole at Memorial park comes with its own challenge. Memorial Park challenges players of all abilities. You will need a strategy from drive to approach for each hole.
It's a physically demanding course, that will have you trekking up and down steep hill sides. You will want your stamina! The Pond, 2 Busy Roads, and a tree line that hides some steep ravines, are all factors that will require accuracy at long distances. One bad lie could drastically affect your score! This is a constant throughout the whole course. Don't get cocky, because your luck could change over the course of one hole here.
I enjoy this course, but she can frustrate the crap out of you at the same time. There are a lot of places for a disc to hide here. This is a must play course in Ottumwa. Now that all tees and signs are in, this course is worth a stop!