Des Moines trip, limited time solo

[alcstradamus]

I will be in Des Moines on Saturday while my wife takes an 8 hour exam. I would like to get some disc golf in during this time, I will probably have a total of 5-6 hours to play depending on a few variables. I would like to get 2-3 rounds in.

Looking for advice on what to play. Keep in mind I will be playing solo so courses where I may have a tough time finding discs might not be the best option.

Generally, I prefer technical holes over length. I love elevation changes and woods shots more than anything. I would prefer to avoid disc-eating hazards since these are just leisure rounds. I do enjoy challenging holes, but am not against playing rec courses as long as there is fun and variety.

FYI...if anyone from the area wants to show me around I am open to that too :hfive:

 

[bergdawg]

Ewing/Grandview would be a good bet. They're not too far from each other and are two good courses. I'm not sure, but I think Ewing may be closed.

 

[ZMan44]

I was also going to suggest Ewing. Sounds exactly like what you are looking for. Sucks if it's closed though.

 

[Martin Dewgarita]

With 5-6 hours I'd choose either walnut or pickard (if you're willing to do a little bit of driving), if I had to choose I'd put walnut ahead of pickard, though they're both great courses, do your research and choose which one suits your wants. Supplement either with ewing or grandview, depending on how fast and ambitious you are you might fit another.

 

[Cgkdisc]

Hard to lose a disc at Grandview and it's closer to town center than the other name courses. If Ewing is closed then Walnut Ridge (a little wilder rough and longer but usually well groomed) would be my suggested alternate if you didn't want to play Grandview 2-3 times.

 

[bergdawg]

If you're going to play Pickard/Walnut/Big Creek you'd probably just want to play two rounds there and skip a second course. Walnut is a beast, Pickard and Big Creek aren't in DM.

 

[Martin Dewgarita]

If you're going to play Pickard/Walnut/Big Creek you'd probably just want to play two rounds there and skip a second course. Walnut is a beast, Pickard and Big Creek aren't in DM.

F that, if it were me, I'd get at least 3 courses in.

 

[alcstradamus]

Ewing was the main one I had in my head based on reviews I had read a while ago. Hope its not closed, will definitely have to research that.

 

[bergdawg]

F that, if it were me, I'd get at least 3 courses in.

Lol, good luck getting three rounds in in five hours at different courses. Unless, you're counting Pete Crivaro as one of them. :|

 

[Martin Dewgarita]

Have you seen me play?

 

[bergdawg]

Have you seen traffic on SE 14th during the weekend?

 

[MN_DiscGolfer]

I did a weekend trip down there last spring and Grandview was the only course we got to play in Des Moines since we got there after dark due to playing our way down from Mankato, MN and then we played there and headed out to play our way back up on another route the next day. I really liked the course, nice elevation changes and a fair amount of trees with a good variety of distances. It would be decently hard to lose a disc on the course too which is a plus when you have time constraints. (Unless you're one of my friends who happened to just leave/forget a disc I had just dyed for him prior to the trip somewhere on the course -_- ) Grandview was also the only course we all ended up liking from the trip, partially because the other courses were either sloppy from the weather or had some bad lost disc moments for my two friends lol.

On a complete sidenote, if you needed to eat somewhere I HIGHLY recommend Fong's Pizza, since having it I have thought of making the 4 hour drive down just to eat there again on multiple occasions because I know it'd be worth it.

Hope your trip works out!

 

[Martin Dewgarita]

Have you seen traffic on SE 14th during the weekend?

Have you seen traffic on SE 14th during the weekend?

Traffic? In Iowa? Pshhht right.

Not convinced, OP - play 4 courses just to prove him wrong :hfive:

 

[bergdawg]

On a complete sidenote, if you needed to eat somewhere I HIGHLY recommend Fong's Pizza, since having it I have thought of making the 4 hour drive down just to eat there again on multiple occasions because I know it'd be worth it.

Crab Rangoon Pizza FTW! :hfive:

 

[alcstradamus]

Crab Rangoon Pizza FTW! :hfive:

You have got to be kidding me. Two of my top 5 favorite foods rolled into one? This is a dream come true. I will definitely be checking out this pizza place!!

 

[MN_DiscGolfer]

We went with Fongolian Beef pizza the first night, then the Iowan pizza the next day for lunch but im sure everything from there is delicious!

 

[grodney]

Grandview -- Nearly impossible to lose a disc, but just a standard city park course among mature well-spaced trees with groomed grass. I've heard Grandview can get really busy, though.

Ewing -- Also nearly impossible to lose a disc, but a much better city park course, with the woods being slightly more dense on the front, and less dense on the back.

That's not a horrible pair given your situation. I would highly recommend Tasty Taco near Grandview. Get a soft taco. Or 6.

If your location dictates otherwise:
Walnut on the far north is an awesome course. You can definitely lose a disc if you're just bombing and you don't keep it in the fairway, but it's not THAT bad. Lots of non-woods area, with woods on the edges. It is proximate to Big Creek, which can be a lost disc nightmare. They're a great pair of courses, but don't sound ideal to your situation.

Pickard on the far south is a great course, but on the wider-openish side. Can pair this with Ewing if the sound of Grandview doesn't really trip your trigger.

 

[pspunch]

grodney did a good job summerizing the courses. Ewing is still open, it's going to be closing soon, so if you want to hit it now's the time.

Walnut/Big Creek are within 10 minutes of each other, but aren't for the faint of heart. Big Creek is a bit of a disc eater too. Walnut isn't as bad but there's still plenty of opportunities to lose some plastic.

you can't go wrong with any of those 4. Pickard is awesome, but it's out of town a little ways and takes a while to play. you are going to pushing it to get more than 2 rounds in anywere but Grandview.

 

[scarpfish]

Can anyone tell me why Ewing would be closing? Is this something temporary or seasonal?

Grandview would have to be part of this mix. I would suggest playing it first because it gets the most rec player traffic. If you are pushed for time, there are some okay 9-12 courses in the area.

 

[bergdawg]

I read on Iowadg.com that it was closing until 2015 or something. I think there's construction going on. I'm not sure, though. Plus, I don't live in Iowa anymore.