This gem is equal parts pleasant surroundings and memorable challenges.
+ difficult holes in mix of open and semi-wooded setting
+ strenuous elevation changes
+ pro-level challenges of length and accuracy
+ tricky shots around water
+ imposing, artificial island green
+ ongoing improvements courtesy of course's inclusion on national DG Pro Tour
+ short & long concrete tees with good signage
+ convenient rope handrails and bridges to assist climbing hills and crossing creeks

Long holes plus obscured views are mildly annoying.
- quite lengthy holes which test endurance and patience
- lots of blind shots that require scouting
- maps (and numbering) need updating for two added holes

INFO
Disc golf covers the eastern half of spacious Pickard Park. This community park also contains ball fields, covered picnic areas, playgrounds, hiking trails, restrooms and a small campground for RVs. The course, designed in part by professional disc golfer Juliana Korver, plays across sweeping, rolling hillsides of native prairie and woodlands on former farmland with a pond and creek supplying water hazards on a few holes. Though disc golf play is separated from other amenities, visitors commonly stroll or walk their dogs through trails which cross paths with the course. Additionally, cross country meets hosted at the park run through portions of the disc golf course.

EVAL
This extensive course travels a long way over continually sloping terrain which adds a good degree of difficulty along with pleasant views. Its layout ribbons clockwise around the park along mowed grass paths that duck in and out of secluded pockets of woodland. Plentiful trees mostly define fairways as vexing walls of woods to avoid off to the sides with only one hole really being entirely enclosed by trees. Water in the form of a pond and creek challenges multiple approaches to greens with potentially disastrous results. Holes vary nicely in rhythm between favoring left or right shots, being long or short in distance, going uphill or downhill and playing out in the open or near woods. One drawback to all these varied features is that several holes contain blind shots which may require scouting ahead to determine the best lines to throw.

Already a well-regarded championship-caliber course beautifully set in pastoral meadows and woods, Pickard Park continues to thrive decades later courtesy of ongoing improvements associated with its recent inclusion on the national DG Pro Tour. It's exciting to see imaginative additions to the course that add extreme features: the butt-clinching 300+ carry over Pickard Pond, the artificial island green that tees off from an elevated platform atop massive logs, the severe hillside descent through woods on the back nine, and new fairways such as the bushwhacked route through trees to reach hole #3/4 (depending on hole numbering) which I saw being cleared during my last play. These stellar features add alluring challenges to further raise the profile of this long-standing gem of a course in the greater Des Moines area.

NOTE
The land for Pickard Park, acquired from the Clarence Pickard family in 1976, became some of the first terraces and water diversion projects completed by the Soil Conservation Service in Warren County.

LAYOUT
(This follows the recreational layout of current maps with the addition of two holes not included on those maps.) The first few holes #1-3 casually loop out and back across grassland downhill from the parking lot. The next three holes prominently feature the course's pond which threatens putts, approaches and even drives - particularly the throw over the pond on a newer hole between holes #5-6. An inviting fairway on hole #6 coaxes players towards a lush green just inside woods while hole #7 beckons them back out into the open from an elevated, Paul Bunyan-inspired tee pad towards an uphill, grassland island green designated by a hexagon of timbers surrounding a masonry, pedestal basket. Hole #8 travels downward to the woods, and across the creek hole #9 abruptly climbs uphill a short distance past trees.

The back nine continues down lengthy stretches of grassy, hilly fairways defined by nearby woodlands and even occasionally ventures beneath tree cover for brief periods. For example, hole #10 contends with up and down slopes plus woods on its way to a shaded, hillside green near an old children's playground on the back side of the park. Hole #11 drops sharply downhill, leading to hole #12 which throws down a wooded corridor to a small hill-protected green. A new hole between holes #12-13 cuts a steep path downhill through trees and a double mando. A short dogleg on hole #13 precedes rather long throws through wooded fairways on holes #14-15 with #14 also crossing a low creek along the way. Two more shorter holes first drop downhill to a perilous green encircled by the creek on hole #16 and then rise slightly uphill through trees on hole #17. Final hole #18, the longest of the course, journeys uphill for repeated drives to finish with a tricky approach to a narrow green right beside the pond (in its original, recreational setting) or by returning farther out near the parking area and start of the course (in its alternate, tournament setting).

Pickard is a well-rounded course which will challenge all aspects of your game. Control, power, shot shaping, and line hitting are some of the main challenges.

Elevation is the most common and most striking feature of Pickard. Playing through the valley of 3, bombing downhill on 5, 6, 8, or 14, fighting uphill on 9, 15, 17, and 18, testing your control on 11 and 16, or fighting multiple changes on 10 and 12, the elevation is used as close to perfect as can be.

Water is another well-executed challenge. A lake sits behind the pin of 4, is the main challenge on 5, and hides close to 18's pin. A creek also sits right at maximum distance of 14, making it more about placement than outright power. The same creek runs along the whole right side of 16.

Every hole besides #17 has an alternate tee (18 has three tees) that will bring down the distance but doesn't eliminate too much of the challenge brought by the landscape. All are full-size concrete tees. Each tee has a sign, which are all in great condition with a good hole map, all distances, and directions to the next tee making navigation a breeze.

Some standout holes:
-12, a par 4 with a 15ft wide gap to hit about 200ft off the tee, then the basket is hidden behind a rise making the upshot tough if you don't get far enough to see the pin.
-14, another par 4 with a big drop into a creek if your drive goes too far. The play is a left-finishing tee shot that goes about 350, then a midrange across to a green which has a few tricky trees hiding around.
-18, Two distance driver shots (which contend with trees) to get you into position to approach a really small green, encroached by bushes on one side and the lake on the other. It's a very solid par 5, sitting at 958ft

Some extra holes are added if you want to avoid the rather bland front two. A raised turf pad between holes 5 and 6 plays across the water to the basket of 18. Another added hole between 12 and 13 is a medium length downhill par 3, which doesn't look too challenging except for the fairly small double mando taking out the big hyzer play. Both extra holes add some spice if you're looking for a more difficult 18-hole round.

The first two holes are... very poor. No trees on 2 and 1 has just one tree to beat. 1 also plays fairly close to the parking lot and right alongside of hole 3. Hopefully this one eventually gets removed and 12A becomes a permanent hole because these do not fit at all with the rest of the course. While we're at it, hole 13 is a fairly flat, dull, 290ft chip shot that finishes right. Not a "bad" hole, but just doesn't match the difficulty of the rest of the course.

Walking back up the entire fairway of 4 to get to the tee of 5 was a little offputting.

Hole 10. It's a great hole except that it encourages a long downhill bomb to get on the green that could easily fly out onto the fairly busy road. The creek being right at the dogleg also tempts that extra bit of power to be sure you cross, which might be enough to turn over and clear the fence. It seems like a glaring oversight to cut the hole all the way out to the fence line instead of shifting the whole thing in just 5 or 6 feet. Hole 8 also has a road all down the left side, but you aren't shooting straight at it.

The parking lot is shared with Indianola's baseball complex. If the fields are busy parking could become a little tough.

The green of 14 and all of 15 were extremely muddy. This wasn't an issue for the other low points of the course (8 to 9, 16 to 17) so it was a little surprising.

Pickard is a challenge no matter how you play it. Having the short tees option is nice if you want a good round but not a marathon. Stepping up to a big downhill crush or one that needs some control, no two holes are even remotely the same and not very many are gimme birdies. In the end, Pickard is definitely a must play if you're in the Des Moines area. It's a well-rounded course that's well worth your time.

I played Pickard Park with 4 inches of snow on the ground, in 25 degree cold, and still loved it. It has a superb landscape for disc golfing. Large hills covered with grass (and occasionally snow) with plenty of large trees. Woods get heavy in places, and there is water in play also.

There are multiple tees on every hole except 17. Most are long/short, but 18 also has an extra long insani-tee. The boxes are concrete, with nice signs at all of them. The baskets were all in great shape.

The layout does an excellent job of maximizing the fun and challenge. Tees and pin placement utilize the trees and hills well to create a lot of shot shapes. There are many long holes, but the fairways leave good lines and par is set accordingly.

There are several great holes, and the rest are good. No filler. Hole 14, the signature downhill bridge hole has a great approach. As you near the creek at the bottom of the hill, the woods funnel you to the line over the bridge. After crossing you must climb a bit on the other side to the pin. I got my second shot across the bridge and a good way up the other side. Felt great to make the par putt on that one.

The back nine the longer half, bookended with par 5's. These holes got the best of me, with a quadruple bogey 9 on hole 10 and an ugly snowman 8 on hole 18. I did make par on 11-17 though.

I also liked the shorter holes. 11 is only 240', downhill. The hill keeps going behind the pin for a long way. If you overshoot or get a bad roll it may be a really long comeback. 17 is not long either, but the fairway is the most densely wooded on the course. Could be a birdie or a bogey.

Very little that I could find wrong. I had to double check my map and look around for hole 13 after finishing 12.

Wind wasn't a big factor when I visited, but could make things difficult when it is really blowing. Beginners may find this course frustrating.

Pickard Park really is a marvelous course. I would definitely play this one again. If in or near the area, you will want to check this one out. I will make an attempt to get out and see it in fairer weather if at all possible.

This was the first time I ever played with fairly deep snow on the ground. The only other tracks came from a person with a sled and a dog, and a cross country skier. The only fall came on my drive at hole 3. Lost my feet and ate it. I didn't lose any discs, but I came close on 14. The ski tracks made it hard to tell where my second shot landed. There is probably still visual evidence of my round until the snow falls again, or melts.

I really enjoyed it, to be honest. Throw a hand warmer in the pocket of your hoody and put on the wool cap and stockings. Give it a try!

I shot a 74, (+11). Most of that came on the two par 5 holes, where I was +7. I got a bogey on hole 1, and double bogeys on holes 3 and 8. Did nail the birdie 3 on hole 6. Felt good about this score considering the conditions.

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.

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!

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.

- 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.

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.