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Rodeo Park - Frontier reviews
10
0
grayZlefty
Experience:
11.9 years
66 played
6 reviews
Frontier ups the Rodeo challenge
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Feb 26, 2023
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
I rated Frontier a 3, barely, despite some glaring outages. I'll start with cons, since these might be a disappointment for some making the drive to, or through, southeast Iowa. This unmarked course has NO signage, distances, or pars posted. The slightly undersized cement teepads are often flush to the grass and hard to spot until nearly upon them. The back nine has some severe slopes, isn't cart friendly, and is even tougher when muddy. There are typically plenty of walkers on trails throughout the course. I noticed no benches. It is not a pro course.
For the rest of us, read on! Rodeo Park has three separate layouts, Frontier(red), Scenic(green), and Pioneer(yellow) all nicely depicted on a huge park map mounted in the gravel lot on the left, after the play area, entering on Airport Road. Take a picture to help you navigate the unsigned Frontier course with RED baskets. Park here to play Frontier. The first and tenth tees are about 60feet from the park map.
The nice Discatcher baskets are helpfully numbered. Frontier has lush, well-mown grass, plentiful mature trees, a few steep elevation changes, open and wooded holes, fairway bordering brush and downslopes, path OB's, and tests a variety of shots. Frontier is longer and several shots harder than Scenic. The map indicates two possible basket locations for each hole, and I spotted a few of them.
These are the estimated distances I stepped off the Frontier(red) front nine this day: 252, 402, 510, 216, 350, 342, 201, 332, 450 = 3055. I played holes 3 and 9 as par 4's. Number 3,5, and 9 should satisfy big arms wanting to launch open tee shots.
Hole 1 is short and easy-looking, passing a lone fairway pine, but going long quickly drops down a brushy slope. Flat, narrow number 2 plays along Scenic Drive. Long #3 has several path risks and a thick drop-off close behind the basket.
Beautiful, short #4 has an impressive, wide, long-limbed oak tree blocking a slightly uphill fairway and a subsequent blindly-dropping downhill slope through several low-clearance pines to the basket. I couldn't run the 60 feet uphill fast enough to see my disc land. Re-trace back up the hill for flat #5 and avoid more paths. Cross over Scenic Drive to Frontier 6 tee (about 60feet right/north of the signed, Scenic #6 tee). Good luck getting drives past, over, or around, a collection of low, wide, fairway pines. Short #7 is a birdie chance with a left-to-right shot, but the left fairway edge and downward is jail. Also, a troublesome, legacy cement block is in the fairway within 30feet of the basket?
Hole 8 has some stout fairway blockers about 200 feet off the tee, and ends with a low ground wall, mound-mounted basket location. Avoid the left on #9, which is thick and blocks the first 370feet. It curls left after this, with a gnarly tree fronting the basket. It might be OB past the wooden posts behind the basket?
I typically drive about 230feet, and the front was the easier, shorter nine for me. From the #9 basket, walk around 400 yards back to the parking/map area for tee 10.
These are the distances I stepped for the back nine: 273, 297, 446, 216, 196, 423, 454, 398, and 575 = 3278. I played 16, 17, and 18 as par 4's. Holes 10, 11, 12, and 15 are open-driving opportunities.
Tee 10 is maybe one mower-width angled left from tee 1, straight and entirely open to the basket and has more room long than #1. Walk left following the gulley edge to tee 11. The entire right-side border is brushy trouble, heads downward, and is eventually blocked by a big tree at the right dogleg corner. The right-basket area is a small table-top to hold putts or approaches.
For hole 12, proceed east towards the play area, turn right at the shelter, and then uphill about 90feet to the tee. The hole has a handful of fairway trees, but is generally flat and generally open the final 125feet.
Finally, an ace run? Not so fast. Hole 13 is steeply downhill, with a deep creekbed surrounding the minimal basket area left, right, and behind. Use the helpful steps behind to venture into the creek area. On this recently-wet day, it was muddy and assorted rocks helped me get to my errant disc. A previous December visit was drier and barely a trickle was visible. After putting, look uphill to maybe spot the #14 basket. Cross the creek and take the steps leading upward to 14 tee.
Driving severely uphill, blind #14 requires 100feet to pass the first tall, middle tree and see the basket. There are many skinnies left and right on the way up, and no gap looks appetizing. A doinked tee shot might stand-up and roll back to the pad, or even to the creek behind? The steps and slope going up the fairway is challenging and needs some improvement.
Hole 15 is open and flat, heading east toward the county road. RV's might park behind that basket.
Hole 16 was my favorite, and likely the riskiest hole, heading back subtly downhill to the eventual deep ravine creekbed. Beginning about 150feet off the tee (and ANOTHER old cement block dead center), the fairway begins a gradual narrowing, becomes hogbacked, and slopes downward left and right. A sturdy, multi-armed tree on the right edge blocks drives and upshots at about 250feet. The fairway continues to pinch to a peninsula, with unpleasant, brushy slopes and the creekbed left, right, and behind.
Walk a short, steep downhill dirt, or mud, path to 17 tee and decide from several unappealing, narrow gap choices for the blind, steeply-uphill drive. It is about 160 tough feet to clear the middle tree, and there is a fairway crossing path out about 260 with possible walkers. A spotter would help here. Approaches to the long, right basket are blocked from the right by tall, mature trees. Blocker posts behind the basket might be OB? The shorter left basket might be perilously close to the left ravine?
Cross the bridge and proceed up the path to 18 tee. Throw a precise drive over a brushy gulley, under restricting canopy and various saplings to carry at least 125feet to the open fairway. Probably OB right from here onward, and the left is blocked until about 300feet off the tee. New fairway plantings will cause much flight-path despair in about 10 years. More mature trees block right-to-left shots to the left location and left-to-right shots to the right location.
For the rest of us, read on! Rodeo Park has three separate layouts, Frontier(red), Scenic(green), and Pioneer(yellow) all nicely depicted on a huge park map mounted in the gravel lot on the left, after the play area, entering on Airport Road. Take a picture to help you navigate the unsigned Frontier course with RED baskets. Park here to play Frontier. The first and tenth tees are about 60feet from the park map.
The nice Discatcher baskets are helpfully numbered. Frontier has lush, well-mown grass, plentiful mature trees, a few steep elevation changes, open and wooded holes, fairway bordering brush and downslopes, path OB's, and tests a variety of shots. Frontier is longer and several shots harder than Scenic. The map indicates two possible basket locations for each hole, and I spotted a few of them.
These are the estimated distances I stepped off the Frontier(red) front nine this day: 252, 402, 510, 216, 350, 342, 201, 332, 450 = 3055. I played holes 3 and 9 as par 4's. Number 3,5, and 9 should satisfy big arms wanting to launch open tee shots.
Hole 1 is short and easy-looking, passing a lone fairway pine, but going long quickly drops down a brushy slope. Flat, narrow number 2 plays along Scenic Drive. Long #3 has several path risks and a thick drop-off close behind the basket.
Beautiful, short #4 has an impressive, wide, long-limbed oak tree blocking a slightly uphill fairway and a subsequent blindly-dropping downhill slope through several low-clearance pines to the basket. I couldn't run the 60 feet uphill fast enough to see my disc land. Re-trace back up the hill for flat #5 and avoid more paths. Cross over Scenic Drive to Frontier 6 tee (about 60feet right/north of the signed, Scenic #6 tee). Good luck getting drives past, over, or around, a collection of low, wide, fairway pines. Short #7 is a birdie chance with a left-to-right shot, but the left fairway edge and downward is jail. Also, a troublesome, legacy cement block is in the fairway within 30feet of the basket?
Hole 8 has some stout fairway blockers about 200 feet off the tee, and ends with a low ground wall, mound-mounted basket location. Avoid the left on #9, which is thick and blocks the first 370feet. It curls left after this, with a gnarly tree fronting the basket. It might be OB past the wooden posts behind the basket?
I typically drive about 230feet, and the front was the easier, shorter nine for me. From the #9 basket, walk around 400 yards back to the parking/map area for tee 10.
These are the distances I stepped for the back nine: 273, 297, 446, 216, 196, 423, 454, 398, and 575 = 3278. I played 16, 17, and 18 as par 4's. Holes 10, 11, 12, and 15 are open-driving opportunities.
Tee 10 is maybe one mower-width angled left from tee 1, straight and entirely open to the basket and has more room long than #1. Walk left following the gulley edge to tee 11. The entire right-side border is brushy trouble, heads downward, and is eventually blocked by a big tree at the right dogleg corner. The right-basket area is a small table-top to hold putts or approaches.
For hole 12, proceed east towards the play area, turn right at the shelter, and then uphill about 90feet to the tee. The hole has a handful of fairway trees, but is generally flat and generally open the final 125feet.
Finally, an ace run? Not so fast. Hole 13 is steeply downhill, with a deep creekbed surrounding the minimal basket area left, right, and behind. Use the helpful steps behind to venture into the creek area. On this recently-wet day, it was muddy and assorted rocks helped me get to my errant disc. A previous December visit was drier and barely a trickle was visible. After putting, look uphill to maybe spot the #14 basket. Cross the creek and take the steps leading upward to 14 tee.
Driving severely uphill, blind #14 requires 100feet to pass the first tall, middle tree and see the basket. There are many skinnies left and right on the way up, and no gap looks appetizing. A doinked tee shot might stand-up and roll back to the pad, or even to the creek behind? The steps and slope going up the fairway is challenging and needs some improvement.
Hole 15 is open and flat, heading east toward the county road. RV's might park behind that basket.
Hole 16 was my favorite, and likely the riskiest hole, heading back subtly downhill to the eventual deep ravine creekbed. Beginning about 150feet off the tee (and ANOTHER old cement block dead center), the fairway begins a gradual narrowing, becomes hogbacked, and slopes downward left and right. A sturdy, multi-armed tree on the right edge blocks drives and upshots at about 250feet. The fairway continues to pinch to a peninsula, with unpleasant, brushy slopes and the creekbed left, right, and behind.
Walk a short, steep downhill dirt, or mud, path to 17 tee and decide from several unappealing, narrow gap choices for the blind, steeply-uphill drive. It is about 160 tough feet to clear the middle tree, and there is a fairway crossing path out about 260 with possible walkers. A spotter would help here. Approaches to the long, right basket are blocked from the right by tall, mature trees. Blocker posts behind the basket might be OB? The shorter left basket might be perilously close to the left ravine?
Cross the bridge and proceed up the path to 18 tee. Throw a precise drive over a brushy gulley, under restricting canopy and various saplings to carry at least 125feet to the open fairway. Probably OB right from here onward, and the left is blocked until about 300feet off the tee. New fairway plantings will cause much flight-path despair in about 10 years. More mature trees block right-to-left shots to the left location and left-to-right shots to the right location.
Cons:
No signs, distances, or pars posted.
Other Thoughts:
Frontier won't yield as many birdies as the Scenic course. It is easy to play both as a block of 36, playing Frontier 1-5, Scenic 6-18, and 1-5, then back to Frontier 6-18. The Scenic Drive gate might be locked during winter, but it was open this beautiful day.
There is a permanent, seasonal restroom on Scenic Drive near tee 6.
I enjoy Scenic more, for the birdies, but Frontier will make you a better player. It is one of the few 36-hole venues in Iowa. I like getting to Fort Madison about four to six times a year.
With signage, and steps improved at #14, I would raise Frontier to a 3.25.
There is a permanent, seasonal restroom on Scenic Drive near tee 6.
I enjoy Scenic more, for the birdies, but Frontier will make you a better player. It is one of the few 36-hole venues in Iowa. I like getting to Fort Madison about four to six times a year.
With signage, and steps improved at #14, I would raise Frontier to a 3.25.
2
0
sndmn762
Experience:
11.9 years
9 played
9 reviews
2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Aug 4, 2019
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
nice mixture of wooded,open holes, multi pin placements,new baskets
Cons:
no tee signs, baskets dont move placements much
Other Thoughts:
this course would get a 5 star rating if it had tee signs, i have played it enough to know where everything is but if i just started i would be lost after the first hole
