Pros:
- Phenomenal shot variety makes for an interesting and challenging round from start to finish
- Two tee pads and two baskets on each fairway allow for great round variety and caters to multiple skill levels
- Great equipment and course maintenance
Cons:
- Thick and thorny rough off most fairways gives a high chance for lost discs and scratches
- Occasionally confusing routing, especially if playing to the short baskets
- Hilly terrain and bugs can make for a tiring and slightly irritating round
Other Thoughts:
Wilderness Disc Golf Course has been on my wish-list for years, so when my wife asked if I was up for going to nearby Green Lake for a family get together I jumped on the opportunity. A weekend with the in-laws in exchange for playing some of the best disc golf the midwest has to offer? Yes please, I'll take that trade every time. Wilderness is worthy of its destination-course level rating and I wish I had made the three hour drive to play years earlier.
The quality of the golf here is on par with just about any other top rated course I have played. The variety of fairway shapes is truly impressive: not only straight, left-to-right, and right-to-left but flexing lines, uphill, downhill, valley shots and everything in between. The only thing this course is missing is any kind of water. The lack of a creek and/or pond is all that holds this course back from the top tier of course hole variety. It is also worth noting that there aren't any open field, grip-it-and-rip-it style holes either as you play in the woods the entire time, but there are fairways long and wide enough that full power shots are certainly possible and not completely foolish to throw. The hilly terrain is definitely the star here and occasionally extreme. Just about every hole plays up, down, or both through grassy wooded fairways. There are fantastic par 3s, 4s, and 5s, with more of the latter on the White and Gold layouts.
There are two pads and two baskets on each fairway creating four distinct layouts: Red (short to short), Blue (long to short), White (short to long), and Gold (long to long). I played the White and Blue layouts during my visit and felt that they were well suited to my skill level (about 930 rated at the time of playing). I would think the Red layout suitable to Novice level players tho anyone would have fun on it, with the Gold layout really only suitable to Advanced players. I would not bring new players to this course. The various pads and baskets don't simply add distance but frequently alter the shape of the shot required significantly. My two rounds from the White and Blue layouts felt significantly different but equally fantastic. Holes 3, 7, 11, 13, and 18 are among my favorites, with 3 and 18 being signature par 4s or 5s depending on the layout. There are a couple holes that have a little of a poke-and-hope feel. I want to love hole 12 but especially from the long tee there doesn't really seem to be a clearly defined line to the basket. As others have noted, Hole 17 fails to stand up to the quality of the other holes, tho I quite like 16, especially from the long tee.
The equipment at Wilderness is top notch. The large, concrete tees grip well even when wet. My second round was the day after a series of intense storms rolled through the night before and I had no traction issues. Another thing to note is the course generally seemed to drain well and the sandy soil provided decent footing on the many hills. More clayey soil would be much slicker. The DISCatchers are in good shape and catch well. The tee signs are fantastic showing the par and distance for each of the four layouts with the two for the pad you are at shown larger, as well as a top down depiction of the fairway. There are benches at just about every tee as well and one or two porta-potties in the middle of the course. There are two practice baskets in an open field right by the parking lot. A kiosk at the lot has a course map as well as a drop box for the greens fee. I had just about no signal my entire time out and so was unable to sign-in using the QR code, but simply dropped my $6 into the box (a bargain). The staff seem to take excellent care of the course. The fairways were mowed and the morning after the storms someone had already driven the course and cleared it of any major fallen limbs as he was leaving the course when I arrived shortly after 8am. The only thing I can offer criticism for on the equipment side of things is that a few next-tee signs would go a long way. Routing can be occasionally confusing, especially if you are playing to the short tees. I would definitely recommend taking a picture of the course map at the kiosk before heading out.
My biggest issue with the course is the rough, which is easily among the worst I've experienced. The fairways are all decently wide and fair, but you will certainly find yourself off of them eventually. Not only is the rough tall and thick, but also largely comprised of various thorny bushes and nettles. I feel like I am generally quite good at finding my discs that go off the fairway, but I was actively dissuaded from performing as thorough a search as I would like at times, and lost a disc during each of my rounds. The thorny rough is so prevalent that I altered my play style (to be more conservative) more significantly than I would otherwise on a wooded course. I still loved my rounds, but I definitely would have enjoyed them more If I wasn't so worried about having to deal with waist high thorns after ending up three feet off the fairway. The rough is probably less of an issue mid fall to mid spring, but I have to imagine it is similar to what I experienced for most of the playing season. If you can, wear long pants and use spotters especially on the blind holes. Not every hole has thick, thorny rough, but enough do to make it a significant con in my book.
Wilderness is a truly epic course and definitely deserves its spot up among the best in Wisconsin. I still prefer Rollin Ridge, but it is a very close thing. If you are in the midwest this is definitely a course worth traveling to. The multiple layouts at Wilderness and the nearby Zobel Park in Green Lake were more than worth the 3+ hour drive and weekend trip. Note that this is a challenging course to play both mentally and physically. I would not recommend taking a cart here due to the extreme elevation you frequently need to traverse, tho it would be manageable. You do not loop back to the parking lot at any time, so pack plenty of water and whatever snacks you may need. It took me about an hour and a half to play solo at a decent rate with no one in front of me on the course. I loved my time here and finished my rounds exhausted and exhilarated.