Grandview Through and Through
10 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: I got in a morning round at Grandview while in town for 80-35 music festival, and I'm glad I finally made it out there. It's a good park for disc golf. Grassy hills with a fair amount of mature trees and some rough patches to keep it interesting. The tees are concrete and have ok signage. The red DISCatcher baskets did what they're supposed to.
Only 1 par 4, but some of the par 3 holes can be on the long side. The elevation changes can be big, but leans toward moderate with a hole or two that is relatively flat. It is a fun layout, offering a good mix of birdie shots and still provides some challenge of skills.
3 really nice downhill drives, one with a tough Mando on 18 to send you home smiling. That last one was my favorite hole. 1 is no slouch either. A 500'ish par 3 (according to the sign, maybe I played the short pin) with several tall trees to navigate. I flexed a great shot off the tee and avoided them all somehow. It felt great, but I missed the 40 footer for birdie. 13 is another drop off the tee, but short enough to reach with a putter. Just avoid the trees and brush to the right side. Hole 6 is a kind of cool tunnel shot.
Cons: Layout crossed over the street multiple times, and is a bit tough to follow. Having a map will make life easier for first time visitors. Luckily I caught up to a local at hole 6 and he guided me around.
Other Thoughts: I can see why this is a popular course. Fun but not as tough as Walnut Ridge or Ewing. It isn't my top of the list in the Des Moines area, but it's worth a visit for sure.
First time out I was 1 over par. 3 bogies 2 birdies and even on the rest. Will likely return to try again.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Grand, Indeed
3 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros:
- Absolutely beautiful, old park. This could be the best in the area.
- Convenient location in metro.
- Very entertaining for all skill levels, lots of variety, but not too difficult.
- Easy to follow course design. The layout flows really well hole to hole.
Cons:
- Majestic trees = hitting trees. :-)
- Tournaments that close the course. Discovering a closed course after making plans and traveling is very disappointing. :-( If it weren't for this, I'd give it one full higher rating.
- It never has felt unsafe at all, but can be randomly sketchy. Examples: Dirtbikes/ATV's on the course a few times, a few disturbed people, etc.
Other Thoughts: You should visit if you're in the area!
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
The busy jewel in the DSM crown
14 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: -Good baskets
-Dual Tees on most holes, all concrete
-Good tee signage
-Multiple pin locations for most holes
-Good use of area / flow is decent
-Multiple lines for many holes - good mix up/down long/short
-Area mostly for disc golf
-Titan Disc Golf shop just a few blocks away
Cons: -Map is off (including the one at #1 tee), see Wall for change notes
-Can get busy, many tournaments/league nights here
-While the road is really only in play on #2, you cross it many times
-Facilities are minimal, few benches/trashcans, one bathroom
-No longer a 9 loop, 18 basket to parking is a bit of a walk
Other Thoughts: Grandview DGC is located in Grandview Park on the east side of Des Moines, IA. The park shares a small amount of boundary with the Grandview Golf Course and has a shelter and playground that stay mostly out of play. This is typically the busiest of the the "crown jewels" of the Des Moines disc golf scene (Grandview / Ewing / Big Creek / Walnut Ridge). This wonderful course, was re-worked slightly a couple of years ago, #6 and #7 changed, #9-16 became #8-15 (all moved down a #), and #16 was added. While all the tee signage has been updated, none of the maps have been updated, including the one at #1 tee. Big old growth trees force some good shot shaping from dual tees and multiple pin locations. There is quite a bit of elevation change for you as well. #12 has a wonderful elevated tee. The map issue, course crowding, and long walk from 18 back to parking take this rating down a notch for me. Still one of the best in the Des Moines area, I will play here again.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.
My favorite Des Moines course (so far)
10 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Condition of Baskets/Tees 10/10. Concrete tee pads for long and short tees, baskets are disccatchers in good condition
Use of Obstacles 10/10. This is a great park for disc golf with lots of mature trees and a wooded area surrounding the park, which are used well in conjunction with each other. The course is pretty compact but does not feel cramped, it's a great use of space.
Decisionmaking 10/10. Many holes have multiple possible routes to the basket and it really makes you think about what shot to throw and which gap to go for.
Course Maintenance 10/10. This course has been in great shape both times I've played it. Well mowed, restrooms, running water, trash cans, benches etc.
Disc findability 9/10. You shouldn't have a problem finding discs here unless you really shank one into the woods
Comfort while playing 9/10. In addition to what I have under course maintenance, there is a lot of shade. My one nitpick is there were tons of mosquitoes the second time I played it, but that was with recent rains and I don't remember it being a problem when I played before
Variety of distances 9/10. This course has a great variety of distances from each set of tee pads. Could maybe benefit from having one more bomber hole.
Elevation 9/10. Course plays mostly through large rolling hills. There aren't a lot of severe changes but there is good variety.
Challenging all levels 8/10. The short tees are great for beginners, and the long tees are great for everyone else. My second round here I played with a first timer and he had a blast. Advanced players may find the middle section a tad on the easy side and it certainly won't present the same challenge as some of the other courses in the Des Moines area.
Navigation 8/10. Very helpful map at the first tee. There are a couple long walks between holes that could be tricky. Tee signs are okay and there are only a few blind shots so you can usually see the basket from the tee. Would help to have an indicator of which position the basket is in for the blind holes at least.
Cons: Variety of openness 4/10. Most holes have a moderate amount of trees and a few others are more open. This course is lacking a couple holes on the more technical side.
Quality of Alternate Basket positions 4/10. Most holes have one alternate position and a couple don't have any. A few of the alternates don't seem to change the holes a whole lot.
Variety of shot paths 5/10. Decent, but there are significantly more holes that are right to left than there are left to right, and with the exception of 18 and 3 short there aren't many sharp doglegs.
Other Thoughts: Challenge 7/10
A couple years ago I made a trip up from KC to Des Moines primarily to play disc golf and played here, ewing, walnut ridge, and Big Creek (arm was too dead to play Pickard after those 4), and personally this was the course I enjoyed the most of those. Last week I was back in the area for work and I had a chance to play it again and it was just as enjoyable. There are no major negatives here and I would definitely recommend it to anyone passing through the area.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.
A must-play in the DSM area
0 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: + Stately park setting, plenty of huge, old-growth trees.
+ Good signage, decent tee pads.
+ Felt like a perfect mix of long and short holes, BH and FH friendly holes.
Cons: - Very popular course, so wait times are common.
- Plenty of pedestrians around
- A couple holes get a bit tight to play areas, so probably best to play conservatively on those (put that spike hyzer away on those shots or risk winging a kid, I guess!).
Other Thoughts: Played this as the 4th course of the day, so arms and shoulders were a bit tired and frankly didn't notice until the end - the course was that much fun to play. Good round, not terribly slow, nice layout - KUDOS to Des Moines for maintaining a nice course with an urban area and encouraging more people to play disc golf.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
One of my favorite in Des Moines area
1 Helpful / 1 Not
Pros: Well maintained course, that usually doesn't get muddy when it rains. It's very wide open and is hard to lose a disc; I don't think I ever lost one on this course. Has signs on each hole showing distances and pin locations. They also move the pins around through out the year to change up the holes. Has amateur and pro tees. Good course for beginners to well experienced players, may be easy for professionals.
Cons: Can get very busy in summer times and may have to wait play and some nights league plays there and once they start playing they don't allow others to play.
Other Thoughts: This is my go to course when ever I go out and play with my buddies. In my opinion one of the better courses in Des Moines area and would recommend playing at least one time.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Favorite Course it the DM Area
8 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: -Beautiful city park especially in the fall months with the changing leaves
-Good mix of hole types (backhand and forehand shots)
-Great tee signs and multiple pin locations on each hole
-Good use of the elevation that the park has to offer
-Mix of short holes and longer holes that are not to challenging for the average disc golfer.
-Short tee's on almost every hole for beginners or rec players
-Other things to do at this park besides disc golf
-Hole 13 is a throw every disc in your bag kind of hole
-Hole 1 and hole 9 start and end at the parking lot if you want to play a quick 9 holes.
-Nice concrete tee pads with places to sit
-Each hole is different and has its own distinct features.
-Enough trees and elevation to make this course a sweet challenge
-Fun and entertaining course for all ages!
Cons: -This is the most populated course in DM and you might have a wait on some holes
-Not many trash cans around the course, so you do see some beer cans laying around here and there.
-Arrows on the tee signs pointing to the next hole would be helpful
Other Thoughts: This is a must play course if you are in the DM area! I would say that this is my favorite course, with Big Creek State Park coming in at a close 2nd.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
Great Place to Play!
0 Helpful / 4 Not
Pros: Easy to navigate, great shot variety, overall a very good course.
Cons: The only con to this course is that a lot of people play it, so speed of play can be slow.
Other Thoughts: I'd play here before Pickard or Ewing...it may not be quite the challenge but it is a better disc golf experience.
0 of 4 people found this review helpful.
Heart of Des Moines
8 Helpful / 0 Not
Pros: Good pads, baskets; great signs.
There's some garbage cans (but not enough, apparently).
Really nice course map at Tee one.
Multiple pin placements keep it fresh.
Improvements! Many of the teepads have been extensively repaired as of late. Some anti-erosion measures are also being taken this year (2015) to try to regrow some grass in high traffic areas and around some pin placements and in chronically soggy areas.
Cons: Traffic. Sometimes you wait.
Empties. Sometimes there's garbage.
There's a couple treks between holes/parking lot.
Other Thoughts: Grandview fills a very important niche for the disc golf community of central Iowa:
A high quality, centrally located and accessible disc golf experience.
Grandview serves the masses.
Its fun for intermediate players and won't leave beginners wishing they had stayed home instead.
Grandview is the teacher.
Grandview is where you play while Pickard and Ewing are a bit out of reach for you.
Its Grandview's welcoming promise of a good time and alluring challenge to try to shoot just one stroke better than last time that keeps me coming back.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
Muddy mess
1 Helpful / 13 Not
Pros: 18 holes with chain baskets, it is in a local park in the city of Des Moines, about a mile off of the interstate. Great location. I would imagine it is in the winter layout currently. Decent distance shots and elevation changes.
Cons: This course was pure mud between holes 6-11 and partial mud everywhere else. Repetitive shots, overly crowded course during the summertime I have been told by locals. For the most part the shot was the same every single time for a rhbh player, a hyzer. The ice bowl just happened last weekend and the course is a mess of mud currently so walk carefully, maybe even create alternate teepads because the normal ones are mostly muddy.
Other Thoughts: I recommend passing this one and taking a look at big creek or Ewing insteadad. After getting blasted via pm I will explain why I rated this course why I did, 1,5 says passable on it, to me this course is not a must play when you are in Des moines, ia. Play pickard, Ewing, big creek, walnut ridge or even some of the great courses just to the east of Des moines. If you have time and are in the neighborhood, feel free to play it but don't be surprised if it's crowded and slow.
1 of 14 people found this review helpful.
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5+ 
8/31/2021 
12/31/2021
Review By: JackFlack 
This review was updated on 1/18/2022
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