Excellent course for long distance accurate drives. Lots of ups and downs wide open fairways. Very fun to play.

Played course on a very windy 15-25 mph and cool 52 degrees day. Still one of my favorite courses ever played.

great course in a nice big park... two pads for almost every hole. good variety of left to right uphill,and down hill shots. elevation was used to its fullest, and water holes.... good par 4 and 5 holes, i played the longs and felt this was the better layout for the overall course

not enough trashcans, the coures dint loop back to the lot til the end.

this is my top course to play when in the des moines area. great design and beauty are seen throughout the course. loved it cant wait to get back

Great risk and reward; Great selection of shots
Good mix of long and short - open and wooded - You get to shoot over water!
The layout good; there's never a walk from hole to hole that seems reeeeally too far
Signage is good - Teepads are good - Baskets are great
Fun use of elevation on many holes.

The OB and rough can be thick in places.
It was pretty wind the day I played and it made a few holes really challenging.
I didn't have to go into the water, thank God, which was very scummy.
I'm not sure of the chances of pulling a shot out of there.

I wish I would've known just how many blind shots there are here,
you really need to spot your shot carefully.
There were many times when I had no idea where I was supposed to throw.
This course plays pretty well in the fall.
I ended up in tall grass and woods plenty and found my wayward throws pretty quickly.

Having played Blue Ribbon Pines and the Highbridge Complex I can comfortably rate this course as highly as I did.
There isn't a better disc golf experience in the DSM area.

-Very long tees and good baskets
-good variety off shots (up hill and down hill)
-good variety of open and wooded holes
-long and challenging holes with a mix of easier shorter holes
-multiple tees so that it can be played by people with all skill levels
-there were some really fun holes because the layout was really well done
-score cards and maps by the hole one tee

-the holes around the pond leave the pond in play (It is a very gross looking pond and I would never want to go swimming there)
-The course was a little too long and I think that it would have benefited from having more short skill shots.
-many holes that the only obstilces are weeds which open up all sorts of opportunities to lose a disc and only make the course more frusturating

If you play from the pro tees all day then this course becomes a little long and the end starts to drag out. But overall this is a very good course.

Probably the most complete layout I've ever had the pleasure of playing. Pickard has everything. Disc golf dedicated land, multiple tees with great distance variation, a nicely jumbled mix of long and short holes, tall grass rough, dense trees, tucked pins, forced layups, several risk/reward opportunities, water hazards, unforgiving woods, uphill, downhill (sometimes in the same hole), even some ace runs from the short tees. True Par 4 and 5 holes. Terrific signage showing the hole layout at both tee boxes. Its in small town Iowa, so you can count on there not being a lot of traffic.

Probably not the best course to bring your kids or newbies to. Even the short layout here is challenging. Only a single pin position on each hole. Plenty of places to lose a disc, so I'd recommend using a spotter. Hole #1 is a tad dangerous with the parking lot in the line of fire. On the woodsier holes, the Chainstars do blend into the scenery a bit, and I wish they could be made more prominent with color or flags on top.

I thought long and hard before doling out the '5' here, my first in the 66 courses I've reviewed. I was impressed by Pickard when I played it on my recent trip, but wanted to get a couple of the gem Twin Cities courses (Bryant Lake & Blue Ribbon Pines) under my belt to test as a comparison, to see which of the three stacked up best, and while I enjoyed them all, Pickard IMO, made me think about my shot selection the best, and punished me for mistakes. I've heard the legend of this course for a number of years now, and have played the Des Moines area courses on several occasions, but due to Pickard's out of the way location, never made my way down to Indianola to play it. I'm glad I finally made the trip.

How do I begin to describe the beauty of playing disc golf in Pickard Park...Lets start by reminding folks it was designed by the Woman's World Champion Julianna Korver...Trust me when I tell you she knows how to design a top notch course...

The flow of the course is what stands out to me when I try to compare this place to other courses I've played...It starts out with an opportunity to warm up your arm with two should be birdie holes...Then the course starts stretching out, a trend you'll find on a number of holes out here...

The flow moves from short, position type shots to longer par 4's and 5's in places...this constant stretching and shrinking really keeps you on your toes and keeps you thinking about each shot...There are no real gimmies out here (hole 2 is possibly the only one)

Hole 14 stands out in my mind as the most picturesque hole on the course...looking down the fairway to a basket tucked into the woods and behind a ravine is hard to describe...but once you step up to the tee pad you'll know what I'm trying to describe...There are plenty of other places for photo ops out there but this is one hole I'll never forget...

Amenities are top notch
Huge course with variety of shots
Gorgeous Iowa prairie and rolling hills
Never very busy as its about 25 minutes from Des Moines

NONE WHATSOEVER
(no smoking in the park but that's only a con if you smoke)

Play it if your ever in the area...you will not regret the decision...and bring plenty of water in the summertime...I think there may be a spigot or two out there but water will keep you moving up and down the hills

A quick search of the courses in Iowa gave me several options for "best course in the country" types. I don't have time to try them all, at least not any time soon, so I just picked one blindly that was mostly on my way to New Orleans. Pickard Park had favorable reviews, sounded challenging, and overall fit what I was looking for. I wasn't disappointed, it was definitely a challenge, the course started quite easy, with the first 11 holes or so being wide open and straight forward with the only obstacle being an occasional tree and a pond. The last 7 holes kicked my ass, but for the most part, it was awesome.

Pros:
Sports Complex. I call this a pro because the facilities at the beginning are top notch, plenty of parking, even with a softball game going on, bathrooms, a picnic pavilion, dumpster, everything you might expect from a top notch city park sports complex. Though there was people all over the place, none of them really came across the disc golf course, and the occasional cheering was a seemingly invisible crowd watching me sink that birdie putt on 5.

Starting Kiosk. To start off there's a beautiful map (I might suggest taking a cell phone picture of it to help along the way), score cards (at least a mailbox to store score cards in, it was empty when I was there) a practice basket is tucked away behind the pavilion.

Signage. Every hole has a sign at each tee box, with yardage, a map of the hole, and an arrow to the next tee.

Tees. Beautiful cement tee pads on each hole, most have a long and a short tee, one hole has only one tee, and hole 18 has three to choose from. Some of the tee pads are cracked or at a slight angle, but mostly I can't complain one bit about them.

Variety of Holes. In reading reviews regarding this course, I had expected to be entirely wooded after the first 3 holes, this was not the case. About the first 11 holes are mostly wide open, water comes into play, and some of the baskets are tucked into the trees to create slight doglegs. Most of the holes are LONG, I have a big arm and didn't have trouble reaching most of the baskets in 2, but some of the holes are completely ridiculous, hole 18 was a b*tch and a half, it would have been perfect at about half as long. So, in all I appreciated the variety and challenge the holes offered, in my opinion the length could be cut down on a couple holes.

Garbage Cans Every other hole or so had a garbage can, litter was basically nonexistent, and a full dumpster is located in the parking lot.

Lack of People. Are you serious? A beautiful course like this and I am the only person on the course, on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon! I'll take it, but really there should be more people out enjoying this place.

Length. I suppose I can't really complain, I could have played the short tees. But I have big arm and I found some of the holes completely ridiculous, If I can't reach the basket in two, I can only imagine what it would be like to have a short arm and be playing here.

Beware of Quicksand. Yeah, quicksand, I've come across it in the desert before, I didn't expect to see it in southern Iowa, but there it was. I lost my second throw (hole 11 I think) in the creek, eventually I did find it, had a heck of a time getting to it in - ended up stepping on what looked like a solid sandy/gravel bar in the stream, wasn't solid, ended up ankle deep in sandy muddy crap that flowed into my shoe and made the rest of the holes slightly miserable.

Lost Discs I'm lucky to have the best disc locater money can buy (my dog Forest), he never lets a disc escape. So I didn't lose any, but on nearly every hole I was struggling to find my disc in the long grass, or it disappeared into the trees. Keep an eye on those discs - if I played here more often I'm sure I'd lose several, either in the pond, long grass, or in the woods.

A great course, a great challenge. It chewed me up, digested me a bit, vomited a little in its mouth, and then spit me back out in several pieces, I found myself swearing on several holes, and jumping in victory on many others as my risk/reward chance payed off brilliantly. I would suggest going out of your way for this one, it's definitely worth a play. I'm not so sure I'd want to play twice in one day though, I was worked after one round. Check it out if you're in the area!

Favorite hole:

Today, I'll go with the signature number 5. After getting slapped in the face by hole 4 (my Katana sailed about 150 feet too far, way past the basket - was worried I'd kissed it goodbye, but no, I was in the fairway for hole 5, across the pond from the basket), my heart was pumping when I approached the tee for hole 5. It's a beautiful hole, with an incredible view from the tee, and a 400 some foot bomb over the pond to the basket behind a small inlet. So the question is, do I lay up, do I keep it left, or do I go for the hero shot, I chose the hero shot - a 400 some foot rip out over the pond, a beautiful S-curve, swings and dives about 20 feet from the basket - Thank you Wraith! I was nervous for a moment, but it was a wonderful birdie.

Beautiful Course.
Very long course, yet most holes provide good risk/reward scenarios (Not a grip 'n' rip course).
From the short tees the course becomes accessible to beginners and "smaller" arms.
Restrooms/Water at the beginning.
Good course map at the beginning.
Easily navigated.
Phenomenal use of land, elevation, water, etc.
Holds a secluded feel for most of the course.

Parking lot is very close to the first hole's fairway (I've seen cars hit before).
The pond looks fairly nasty from time to time (usually near hole 18, not hole 5).

If you are in the area, I highly recommend this course (more so than Ewing or Walnut Ridge). It is long, and you should count on it being that way when you get there. This course is huge, but there are more than enough technical shots to balance it out. The quality of this course outshines any of the cons.

Get a map from the Links/Files section, just in case.

Pickard is an exceptional DGC layout that is very enjoyable to play and in very good condition. (A green John Deere's hats off to the park maintenance folks for the acres and acres of mowing!) It is only after playing it that I read it was a featured course during the 2004 PDGA Worlds -- and I can definitely see why. Overall, the course design and flow of holes is excellent and on an individual, hole-by-hole analysis, I would rate only four of the holes in the mediocre-to-average range (the slow "starters," #1 through #3, and the rather unremarkable, uphill #7). The remaining 14 holes are well above average to phenomenal in design quality, beauty and tournament-level challenge. A 14-out-of-18 ratio is very, very good when you consider comparable courses rated highly on DGCR.

Any good course requires you to carry an array of plastic to give you the best chance of scoring well. Pickard is the epitome of this. While, yes, as pointed out by a previous reviewer, there are a fair number of holes that are rather open off the tee -- allowing you to throw unimpeded and straight for the first two to three hundred feet -- to have a great score, you still need to skirt many well-placed (and huge) hardwood trees and the ever present prairie grass to the left and right on many of the holes. In addition, you'll want to fade your flight path with a varying degree of left and right action at the tail end to position yourself for the best approach and putting angles.

The clear separation of holes, starting with #4, gives you the sense of enjoying the course on your own or within your own group.

Diversity of hole shapes is very good: There are ups, downs (including some "Whoopee!" bombs-away throws), and side-hill fairways. I counted an equal number of predominantly right (4) and left (4) oriented holes, and the marathon-lengthed #18 hole, while straight for much of the way, requires a bit of an S-shape in the last three, four hundred feet if you are on the right half-side of the fairway. As noted above, there are plenty of obstacles on many of the straight-away holes.

Two cement tee pads on every hole; three on #18. There'll all in great condition.

Water always scenic and challenge value to a course, as it does at Pickard. A small pond comes into play on #4, #5 and #18 and, if you throw from the back tee of #5, you also need to clear some marshland (with a strong throw over 300 feet, I think) that extends to the north from the pond. A creek meanders into play to the backside of #8 and #16, making for challenging and eye-pleasing basket locations on these two holes. On #10 and the gorgeous #14 your disc needs to clear that same creek.

Classic Iowa beauty is on display, with the mix of woodlands, humongous trees on some otherwise open holes, water and prairie fields. While it is not fun to look for stray discs in the hip- to shoulder-length grass that run along the sides of many holes, I wouldn't want it any other way. The golden prairie grass adds definition to the fairways and, especially when the sun strikes it at a low angle in the late afternoon or early morning, it is what makes the course especially scenic.

Overall, there is not much room for improvement in terms of the course layout except for the opening holes. As mentioned above, the first three holes are rather ho-hum in open parkland space. I would rate these three, as well as #7, around a 2.5 or 3 on a 5-point scale. (The rest of the course is mainly filled with holes that I would rate on a 5-point scale as 4, 4.5 or 5 "pointers.")
At most any other course, 1 through 3 would be fine, I suppose. It's just that they stick out for being "lesser" in relation to the rest of the holes.

On the upside: If you dash out on to the course without much warm-up, these starting holes are forgiving so they allow you to prime your throwing length and accuracy by the time you get to the more demanding holes 4 and 5.

Amenities, such as restrooms, covered picnic areas, course bulletin board, etc. are more than adequate, but ready access to them is limited to the first three holes. I didn't see any other pit-stop locations along the way, but perhaps there is something I missed by the playground located near hole #11. I'm being a bit nit-picky and a spoiled country club elitist when I say this, I suppose, but it would be nice (dream on!) if there were a drinking fountain and/or bathroom at the top of the hill to go along with that nice, #10 tee bench that marks the end of the first 9. In any case, no worries: as long as you bring along liquids for the long 18-hole trek (90 minutes to two hours) and use a restroom before the round, you'll be fine.

Make sure you check out the detailed information contained in the links and attachments to this DGCR site. Unfortunately, I did not notice this wealth of data and perspective provided about the course until after I had played. The playdg.com "Course Waltkthrough" is particularly useful and very well designed.

Here are some jottings about my favorite Pickard holes:

#5 - What a hole! From the back tee, this is a signature hole view -- but there are others that vie for the title as well. At this length, don't attempt to clear the marsh and the corner of the pond without a big arm. If it is windy from behind, as it was when I played, it will fool you into adding distance to your drive, but it can also force your disc downward into all that muck and disc-sucking marshland that exists between the pad and the clearing.
#8 -Whooopee! Throw from atop the hill down a wide fairway; be wary of any cross wind from the right, as it will take a RHBH hyzer all the way to the dusty road (OB) to your left. There is a great mix of trees down at the bottom of the hill, including a huge willow that draws your eye, that protects the hole from in front. A creek will come into play on any significant over-throws.
#10 - Enjoy the bench under the shade of a huge tree before starting the second 9. It's time to relax a bit and take in a beautiful vista of the Iowa fields. The short tee is at the far end of a batch of trees; if you can get your drive from the back pad to at least this distance or beyond, you'll get to toss a long down-hiller to a very tight basket location surrounded by trees on three sides and a creek in front
#14 -What a view of the hole from the bench! Another signature layout. Get onto the tee and you lose sight of the pin, so do take some time to rest... Big arms may have a shot at clearing the creek on their downhill drive (?), but for me it was the second throw where it came into play. The bridge that crosses the creek can give the impression (a wrong one) that your disc needs to go beyond it to clear water. No worries, unless there is a lot flooding, you only need to air it past the first third of the bridge.
#15 - This is an uphill, dogleg left, but don't RHBH hyzer it too much as it will land your disc in very thick brush. Err towards not cutting off the corner too much as being close to or in the foliage ruins your chance at getting it close on your second throw.
#16 - This is a great little downhill RHBH hyzer through plenty of trees. If you overthrow, you'll be in a creek that is behind and to the right of the hole.
#17 - After the relatively open Pickard layout, I absolutely loved this short hole as it the only one of it's kind on the course. It measures barely over 200 feet uphill, but it is pinball alley with a only a partial view of the basket through the trees.
#18 - Holy smokes! 958 feet from the back cement tee pad. There are mid tees (793 feet) and, at the hillcrest, front tees (602 feet). From the tips, it's uphill for the first half, the straw that does you in if you're out of shape. To top it off, the basket is in a small pocket of a clearing just to the left of the fishing pond, so it forces cautious players to be tentative on the approach and thus leaving it short. Great finishing hole!

This town is not real close to any major towns. However, this course is just what the doctor ordered. This course has long, short, left, right, some elevation, variance in distance, water, some light woods, OB, and a few good pin placements. The risk/reward holes were a real challenge. The par settings are not too bad at this course. Some were really long, but they tried to build some balance. There is a good Message Board, great tee signs, concrete tee pads, bathrooms, trashcans, drinking fountain, and parking lot.

I despise 3 to 5 feet tall grass rough, because it slows play down with little challenge added. This course has quite a bit of this. The early holes were a little boring and missing the long tee pads, but you could find the location intended. There does seem to be many straight shot driving holes. There is some variety here, but you could feel the "throw straight" feel here.

The fun factor here was average for me. It seemed a bit like continuous long bombs for the most part. I will say this was a good course for the area. So if you are close by, I would stop here for sure.

The course is an absolute beauty to say the least. I can see why a couple of reviewers give it a 5, but I will have to disagree (see cons). Not big items, but enough to keep it from the best of the best. My review is based primarily on playing from the long tees.

- Absolutely GREAT hole type variety with 7 straight / 1 straight with water / 4 right / 4 left / 1 left with water / 1 "S" shape.
- Incredible hole length variety with 5<300 / 5 f/ 300-500 / 6 f/ 500-700 / 2>700.
- Also incredible hole type variety with an appropriate mix of open fairway holes to tightly wooded holes with narrow corridors. The variety will test ALL skill levels regardless of the tee you play from, a true sign of an exceptional course. There are a couple of corridor and wooded holes to test your accuracy along with a hole or two out of a wooded surrounded tee box. Hole 9 comes to mind ( dense tree coverage with a 12' corridor to climb 15 feet in elevation just to get off the tee box - the wimps can opt for the shorter tee box and skip the experience, but I don't know why you would!)
- nice concrete tee pads.
- nice course sign at first tee.
- Great tee/hole signage.
- 16 of 18 holes were easy to navigate without a map for a first timer.
- fairways were immacualtely mowed with the excpetion of 1 (not sure why?)
- Alternate tee pad locations still give the beginner or shorter arm thrower the same experience as the long tees (maybe i should have played the shorter ones to improve my score )
- Once you get past hole 3, the sports complex becomes non-existant with the exception of a cheer every so often, but maybe that was for me.....ahhh - anyhow - you feel secluded in the wilderness of the course.
- I was the only one playing the course..... are you kidding me? A course at this level should be packed, but it wasn't. That's a huge bonus!!!

- long tees on first 3 holes were spray paint on grass. My guess is future tees are forthcoming.
- some trash on a couple of holes (more trash cans would alleviate this since the course is so awesome!)
- course would benefit from bag hangers or a bench at each hole. Minor item, but I think one that alleviates you setting you bag on the tee or in the wet grass after a rain.
- no course maps at start.
- Holes 10 an 18 in my opinion are just too long. @ 825 and 958 they only favor big arm throwers. Both holes are beauiful, but it just felt like I was playing 2 holes in one.
- A small but minor opinion of mine, is that you need a practice putting area at the start for a perfect course. It should also have markers for distance so that you can warm up prior to a round. I did not see a practice basket when I played.

- Bugs were a nightmare! bring bug spray in summer months.
- A good pair of hiking books is recommended as well. The terrain is a beautifully manicured hike!
- Some may not appreciate the 4.5 rating, but I guess I will still reserve that for the day I play the perfect course. Pickard is without question a gem of a course!!! it is very comparable to Water Works in Kansas City, MO.
- If you have an opportunity to get this direction, this course will NOT let you down. One of the interesting things to me was the desire to get "in-the-woods". I kept playing the first several holes asking myself "when does this bad boy dive into the woods?" I was not let down when it finally did, and it will test your technical game.
- A MUST PLAY IF YOU'RE WITHIN 50 MILES OF THIS ONE.

See my detailed course review for more hole-by-hole information.

This course has everything.
- Cement tee pads
- Multiple tee pads
- Restrooms
- Drinking fountains
- Short holes
- Long holes
- Par 3's, 4's & 5's
- Water holes
- OB
- Elevation

Nothing takes away from this course. Definitely a must play course in Iowa

After my first time playing this course, I couldn't wait to play it again. It is truly a tester of a course.

- Bathrooms, fountains, and a solid Bulletin Board.
- Well designed, course flows so that you never doubt where you're going next.
- Map box that offers maps (nothing in it when I played).
- Great signs that indicate where the next tee is... it's hard to believe how often this tiny detail is overlooked.
- Well maintained and yet rugged at the same time. The front nine is mostly open whereas the back nine offers more in the way of elevation to deal with.
- Water comes into play on four holes.

- Construction of a parking lot was an issue when I played. It appears that the longer tee pad no longer exists for the first two or three holes.
- The lake was nasty looking. Not the kind of water I'd want to go after a disc in.
- Personal preference here, but I'm not a big fan of monster 18th holes that test you to see if you have anything left. The pro teepad here is just unreal.

- The parking lot is under construction so I parked across the street at the church. The locals I played with informed me that there's a backdoor to the park somewhere around the 11th hole.
- After being slightly disappointed with my first two selections in Iowa (Walnut Ridge and Grandview) this course showed me what's possible in terms of solid Iowa disc golf. Unlike those other two, this is a must play course if you're driving through.

One of the best, premier courses in the world. Featuring many types of holes and terrain, including water, hills, tight woods, prairie, open grassy areas and more. Many distinct par 4's and 2 legitimate par 5's. Some holes so unique and interesting they cannot be compared to anything else in existence. Well maintained, clean, safe area, good tee pads and signs. Ample parking, free. Dual tees (supposedly- I don't remember? they may be new). Has an 800' hole through some trees up and then down a hill to a narrowing gap to hit at the end, with a fence on the left and woods on the right. A big over-water shot with a safe alt. route. Finishes with a challenging, uphill 900' hole with woods on the right, some trees in the fairway, and the basket on a thin strip of grass between some bushes on the left and water on the right!

I didn't find any. Maybe that there's not much else to do in Iowa? Does that count?

This course should be on everyone's list to play.

well groomed course. variety of distances. some holes have few hazards if you stay straight and others have only a narrow lane to throw down. two concrete launching pads on 17 holes and three for the super long 18th hole allow a variety of skill levels to play together at the same time.

with how nice the course is I would have expected more people to be playing the course.

I played this while visiting a friend so I don't know who takes care of the course, but it is an exceptionally well thought out course and extremely well maintained. Can't wait to play it again.