Cyclone Disc Golf II - Cy's Boogaloo
13 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: -Multiple Concrete Pads on every hole
-Multiple decent baskets on every hole
-A good mix of open/wooded, long/short
-Excellent signage
-Many stumps set at tee pads for a seat, good # of trashcans
-Area is 100% disc golf, upkeep is good
-9 Hole loops, good flow
Cons: -Only a port-o-potty for facilities
-Can get very buggy at times
-Can get flooded in the right conditions (right near creek)
-Very sandy
Other Thoughts: Stable Run DGC is located just off 13th street and just north of the main campus of Iowa State University in Ames, IA. The course is set with 2 tees and 2 baskets at each hole (red and gold for each) giving many looks for variety in course play. (IE: we played the "red" tees (short) to the "yellow" baskets (long)). This adds to a good mixture of long/short. The front 9 does play shorter and more technical. #3 is a favorite with a set of 30 steps or so down from your tee shot. Back 9 opens up for longer arms. A good mix of lines on many holes. Signage is excellent with all 4 possibilities listed (Red->Red, Red->Yellow, Yellow->Red, Yellow->Yellow). While there is not much elevation to work (other than #2 and #3), there is a fair amount of trees to work around. Hole #12's yellow basket is a nice "stuck in an old tree stump." #18 will test your arm to finish as it is the longest of the holes. The variability gives this one an edge over Carroll Marty for me, also less elevation. Better facilities might add here, but would be tough to do. The other knock is the sandiness/flood ability, but that is the spot of land this is on. I've really enjoyed my round here and will play again.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.
Nice Summer Outing
2 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: The course is in behind a parking lot by the river and only has disc golf, so you won't be running into non golfers.
Every tee had a decent sign and good pads. There are two pads and baskets at for every hole, the shorter pad will have a bench and trash can for the most part. The majority of the course is throwing through woods. For being located right next to ISU the course was very clean, which was a nice surprise.
Signs were good and you can understand where the pins are compared to the pad and are a different take to most signs I've seen. It looks like the college used a wood burner to make the signs which was very cool.
The open holes had a nice variety of challenges from long bombs, elevation changes, great pin placements.
A couple of the staple holes were #1, #7 and #13.
- 13 (long): Elevated basket in the middle of an old stump
- 14: Two options to take where you can do a short layup or really push your luck and try to make a very tight line
Cons: Could use a bit more mowing. I'm not surprised because I assume college kids take care of the course and being summer break, the school probably doesn't keep the course clear. The rough is rough and has very high weeds in places. I would suggest playing with a buddy for a spotter.
Signage when pulling into the course says permit parking and doesn't indicate anything about the DG course until you are there and there aren't a lot of spots.
Other Thoughts: I played this course during the summer and it was fantastic. I would be weary of playing it during the school year, because of the dorms across the street and I assume the course is flooded with college students.
Of the two courses in Ames I would say this is the much more challenging course over all. There are tight lines and really forces you to play a technical game and wants you to push your luck. I will definitely be back to both courses!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
AKA 13th Street
4 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Two Baskets on every hole each painted Red, the new (as of October 2017) Mach X baskets are the long position on the tee signs, the short placements are scheduled to be replace in 2018.
Two nice tee pads on each hole.
Flows well, no holes seem like filler holes to bridge a gap and there are no long walks between holes. Loops back to the start after 9.
Good number of trash cans through out
Course is dedicated to disc golf (no playgrounds, ball courts, etc...).
Metal signs added spring of 2019 with color give a good description of how the hole plays. With two pads and baskets on each hole there is a lot of ways to play the course with out it getting stale.
Cons: No benches or amenities outside of the seasonal Port-o-john and trash cans.
Stinging Nettles, poison ivy and mosquitoes all tend to be abundant from May-September (or whenever the first hard frost comes).
Course is closed from dusk til dawn, so glow rounds are not allowed.
Some of the new signs seem to have some incorrect distances, nothing to egregious and a definite improvement over the old wooden signs.
Other Thoughts: First timers might have a hard time locating the entrance, there is a large parking lot with a chain link fence around most of its perimeter on the north side of 13th Street just before Stange Road if you are coming from I-35 (West bound on 13th street), turn in is by a pedestrian crossing on 13th then head to the far East side of the parking lot and you will see signage for Disc Golf parking (parking lot 114 according to google maps). First Tee is down the hill just east from where you park.
There isn't a lot of wow factor to this course, very little elevation though the little that is available is well incorporated. The course makes up for the lack of signature holes with consistently challenging fairways from the Long tees with well placed guardian trees to test your accuracy and make you think twice about pulling out your higher speed drivers. In combination with Carrol Marty (the other course in Ames) it makes for a decent day of disc golf though neither is worth traveling to on their own. If you're tooling up or down I-35 this would be my recommendation in Ames (from September through May and during peak hours ~4PM to 8PM M-F).
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
1 Helpful / 4 Not
Pros: - Two concrete teepads and baskets per hole
- Fairly easy to navigate and fairly well laid out. To that end the front nine and back nine can be played separately or out of order easily.
- Overall fairly clean of litter
Cons: - Poor signage for the hole info
Other Thoughts: I personally found this course to be rather repetitive. It location and layout gear it more towards the technically minded player. Flags for the baskets with the number of the hole on them would be a good addition.
1 of 5 people found this review helpful.
Stable Run
2 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: -Long and short tees AND pins
-Usually quiet, can get busy when the university is in session though
-Plenty of variety for shots
-Good mix of technical and open holes
-Well maintained, you can tell a lot of work goes into the course
-Friendly locals
-Most of it is tucked away in the woods so the wind isn't a big factor
-Hard to get lost, everything flows smoothly
-Hole 9 ends by the entrance so you can bail after 9
Cons: -The rough is ROUGH
-When it rains, this course will be really muddy and damp for a few days. I've seen pins completely submerged when the river floods (rare but it happens).
-Vandalism and trash. Some days are better than others
-They've been working on adding a second pin to hole 2 for what seems like several years.
-Parking lot has broken bottles in it constantly.
-Mosquitos are awful, bring bug spray
Other Thoughts: Definitely one of my favorite courses. I've done this course close to 100 times and I always play it if I'm ever passing through town. It gets better each time but it's best in the summer when the college kids are gone.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Pretty good course for Lames, IA - Go Hawks
2 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: Good sized parking lot. Walk down a short concrete hill into a park dedicated to disc golfers!
- A long tee and short tee on each hole
- Also a short/easier pin (Red) and a longer/difficult pin (Yellow) per hole
- Can play up to 4 different layouts - Short to red, Long to red, Short to yellow, Long to Yellow (I played long pad to yellow pin)
- Great mixture of different shot types throughout the round. You will use most of the discs in your bag.
- Shorter/technical wooded front 9 with a longer/let it rip back 9.
- I noticed that hole 1 tees,hole 9 pins, hole 10 tees, and hole 18 pins all start and end in the same area in case you only have time for 9 holes it makes it easier to decide which set of 9 holes you would like to play.
- Trash cans on almost every tee.
- Some holes run along a big creek with some decent views.
- Multiple lines per hole, choose your line and stick with it.
- Pretty good signage.
- Hole 12 has an elevated basket on a tree stump that has stairs you must climb to retrieve your disc from the basket.
- A couple long par 4's over 600ft each. Hole 16 and 18, makes for some tough holes coming down the stretch.
Cons: - Some signs are too close to the back right corner of the tee pad making a run up to the tee pad impossible - but I hear they are working on fixing this issue.
- Only one hole (hole 3) has any sort of elevation, mostly flat course.
- Lacking benches at teepads.
- Some areas a little overgrown but not bad.
Other Thoughts: Overall this was a very fun course and I will continue to come back. If i had to make a choice between playing this course and Carrol Marty in Ames, I would choose this one. I would have rated this course a 4.5, but it is lacking elevation. If you live in Des Moines you need to make the drive up to Ames to play this beauty of a course.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful.
The better of two courses in Ames
1 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: All holes have two baskets and two (concrete) pads.
Baskets were recently repainted and are nice and bright.
Recent work has cleared out some hanging branches and shrubbery, as well as created more defined fairways.
Some beautifully manicured fairways on the back 9.
Many holes force you to play a certain shot without being too narrow.
Doesn't get a lot of traffic (a plus in my book).
Cons: No water source. You need to bring it with you.
Many tee signs are literally an inch away from the pad. I have no idea who put them there because it makes no sense and can be pretty annoying.
Some sand from past flooding on 6 & 7.
Rough can get pretty bad in some spots. (To be fair, the recent uptick in course maintenance has taken care of most of this.)
Some of the new baskets have fewer chains and will punch out on a hard putt, but this is really nitpicking.
There isn't a very good "staging area". Most courses have a large area near the first pad for tournament central with benches and open areas. This course doesn't have a good area for when you're at the couse, but not playing. (Again, this is pretty nitpicky)
Other Thoughts: Short and technical front nine then you get to stretch it out on the back.
Hole 18 is 700 ft!
Is now handsdown, the better course in Ames.
IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED HERE IN THE PAST YEAR OR SO THEN YOU NEED TO COME BACK.
The amount of work recently put in really shows. Once word gets out about the recent coursework, it will become an actual draw from the Des Moines area.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Stable Run
7 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: The ISU Course, also known as Stable Run, is secluded on a plot of land surrounded by water on three sides that offers a wide variety of hole types. The front 9 is on the shorter, more technical side, while the back 9 opens up a bit more. The majority of holes have 2 concrete tees with 2 baskets and signage for both, all of which are very good. Playing short to short is very good for beginners or for ace runs and long to long is still challenging for all but the best players out there. The course flow is pretty good, the only issue I've had is going from some of the long baskets on the back 9 to the long tee for the next hole. The usage of the available land is fantastic and the only place off the top of my head that be use a little more is to the left of #4's basket to incorporate an alternate pin and possibly and longer tee, too. 16 and 18 are great true par 4's. 18 is a fantastic finishing hole where you need to bomb it through the first bunch of trees and then thread it back into the narrow clearing where the long basket is. It is usually less crowded than Carroll Marty, which is south of campus. Good parking, restrooms and trash cans are all present.
Cons: The long teepad on 8 is facing directly behind a large tree. I don't know what the designer was thinking, but there is a fair, but challenging window to the right that goes right over the short pad. The rough at time can get pretty nasty in the summer, especially on the holes closest to the creek. The sand that was brought in from the flood in 2010 is still mostly there and is a bit of a turn off for me. I am not sure how much can be done to get some dirt back in, but that would be an improvement. There is also a majority of holes that favors LHBH and RHFH. The location of the practice basket is not the greatest as most people do not see it until they finish 18. It's about the best spot available, so maybe some signage to point players in the right direction.
Other Thoughts: Stable Run is a great complement to the shorter, more elevated Carroll Marty that is on the other side of campus. SR requires your A game if you want to score well playing long to long. The tough pin locations, tight lines and varying lengths all present a great challenge that can be rather frustrating, but rewarding. If you've got the time, make sure to make the drive south to Des Moines to hit up their plethora of great courses too.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Great Course on ISU campus
6 Helpful / 3 Not
Pros: -Great location for course off of 13th Street near ISU campus
-Great variety of shots to test all of your discs from your bag
-I like the choice you have for each hole, 2 tee pads and 2 pins each. Which makes for 4 different shot options
-Trash cans located everywhere, very green course.
-Clean and mowed every time i've visited
-Good course for new or experienced players.
-Restroom at start of course
-Signs show where next hole begins and is very first-timer friendly
-Great course to grab yourself an ace on!
-Locals are very friendly and if you need to ask a question, don't hesitate!
-Hole 10 starts at the gate with end of 18 and beginning of 1 for easy access to front and back 9.
Cons: -Some holes have horrible lines which make for impossible shots (i.e. hole 4) which has no open room in between trees for a good line.
-No drinking fountains or vending machines on course or at start
-Quite easy to lose a disc, recommend only throwing 1 or 2 per hole
-Some beginner pins can be in your line to the advanced pin which can affect your shot mentally and possibly physically
-Kind of hard to find the course behind the gates and junk in the parking lot
Other Thoughts: Great course for having a quick round on one of the beginner routes or a fun round on the long advanced holes. Watch out on hole 15 for the tree in the middle of the fairway. It has a giant knot-hole in it that I got my Nuke SS stuck in. (: Thanks to a couple buddies, I got it back. HA. Anyways, Definitely a must do course if you are dropping by in Ames.
6 of 9 people found this review helpful.
Best in Ames!
3 Helpful / 2 Not
Pros: -In a big wooded area with a lot of trees. Great Challenge!
-Nice tees and fairly nice baskets.
-The tee signs were very helpful and always showed distance and where you are throwing at.
-There are 2 tees and 2 baskets on each hole.
-A few good holes to ace!
-A couple of big time bomb shots.. let your driver do the talking!
-Not as crowded as Carroll Marty.
-Shaded so it is nice and cool during the summer.
-Very little trash littered on the course.
Cons: -Very easy to lose your disc.
-Some of the holes were a little on the short side.
-There is poison ivy on the course and quite a few bugs.
-Not always clear where the next tee is, so rather easy to get lost for a minute or 2.
-Lack of garbage cans, benches, and vending machines.
Other Thoughts: I enjoyed this course very much! I prefer this course to Carroll Marty. Bring as many discs as you can because you might lose one, but if you're careful and conservative you more than likely won't have any trouble. If you happen to be in Ames, come here for sure!
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Hole #15 (Taken 4/2016) 
3 / 185ft. 
5+ 
10/29/2017 
1/11/2017
Review By: mittbull 
This review was updated on 4/19/2019
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