My weekend in Des Moines
The ‘Five Vibe’ at hole 5, Pickard Park
Moving to the Midwest in 2016 was, for me, the best move ever. Sure, I came here for work, but it is also where I discovered disc golf. I often equate the Midwest to Europe in that there is always an adventure just a few hours’ drive in any direction. In the time I’ve been here my wife and I have been all over the Midwest, and every trip has been a unique and memorable experience. Last week we discovered our work schedules gave us both a four-day weekend, and we were watching the live DGN coverage at the time, and realized that the Des Moines Challenge was coming up, so we jumped on a chance for another spontaneous adventure.
We passed through Des Moines earlier this year on our way to the Dynamic Discs Open in Emporia, KS. Then we played one course, Grandview Park, and then got on the road. This time we had four days to explore, and we took full advantage. We knew that several of the courses would be closed for the event, but that didn’t stop us from finding some amazing, and not so amazing golf.
On trips that take four or more hours, we like to drive halfway, stop, and play a course, then complete the journey. For this trip, we chose to stop near Davenport and check out Sunrise DGC in Bettendorf. I chose the course because it was close to our route and had a good rating on Udisc. I didn’t realize that it was pay to play and situated on a ball golf course. $5 per person seemed more than reasonable, and we were pleasantly surprised by this track. First, it was very long, with several holes over 500 feet, and two holes over 700 feet. And the property was just gorgeous. One of the benefits of playing on a ball golf course is the grounds are kept immaculate. Add to that the undulating hills and perfectly placed baskets and well-designed layout that avoided most of the ball golf course, and we found ourselves really enjoying the late morning round. If you are in the area, you must experience this course for yourself.
After some food and drinks from Granite City, we completed our day’s journey with a check in to the hotel. The next day we chose to head north to Big Creek State Park in Polk City. With a 4.2 rating on Udisc, this wooded track seemed like a perfect fit. We love wooded golf, and we were not disappointed here. This course is true woods golf and challenged us in every way. And it was in a State Park! We saw wildlife everywhere, and Big Creek was amazing. Several holes took us right to the shores of the river where we experienced the most picturesque scenery. Another thing we love about disc golf is the way it synergizes with nature; you can have a pristine 18-hole course smack in the middle of the forest with minimal impact to the environment. It felt like that place hadn’t changed in a thousand years, and we were blessed to find ourselves on those shores.
Up next was Heritage Park in Ankeny, a 21-hole track more in line with what you’d expect at a city park style course. While this course was fun to play, the layout was a bit confusing, and you could see how there would be danger on a busy day, as many of the tee pads were very close to flight lines for other holes. Lucky for us there was only one other group out there, and we managed to play without incident. Fun for sure, just make sure you’re ready to yell ‘fore!’ if it’s busy.
On Sunday we were running out places to explore as the DMC was still ongoing. There were several nine-hole courses in the area, but we wanted to stick to the 18 or more options. That led us to Becky Zallek DGC at Prospect Park. This course was our least favorite during this trip. The course had lots of potential, weaving in and out of the woods and using the elongated park property to create some fun and challenging holes. But there was trash everywhere, no public bathrooms, and a few holes that were right next to pavilions where large groups were gathered for their Sunday Funday. That made it a bit awkward in spots, and ultimately, we only played 11 holes before deciding to leave. Perhaps with some love and attention this course can reach its true potential.
We then heading to an amazing toco joint, the COA Cantina. There was a live DJ, amazing atmosphere, great tacos and even better margheritas. I discovered a new genre of music that day called ‘margherita jazz’. Look it up, you’ll love it.
Sunday evening, we found ourselves back in our hotel room watching one of the most exciting sudden death finishes in recent history as Simon Lizotte was able to wrest the victory from a relatively unknown Robert Burridge. Kudos to both for putting on such a display of talent and skill. I expect we’ll hear more from Robert in the coming years. But as we were watching the final round, we both thought, “Let’s go play Pickard Park in the morning!”. We were up bright and early and got to the course at around 8:30am. The place was still buzzing with staff and players packing up and getting ready to move on to Worlds.
We chose to play the FPO layout as it seemed a bit more ‘reasonable’ for our skill set. I won’t get into the details of this course; we all saw how awesome it was on the coverage. But I will say that playing a pro tour track really gave me perspective on just how talented the pros are. I also got a sense of the scale of these events. The signage, the railing for spectators, the seating, the painted lines, the attention to details, all of it was just an eye opener as to the magnitude of effort that goes into hosting and executing these events. Disc golf has come a long way, and I am happy to be part of it.
Overall, it was an amazing adventure with my love, and I am happy that I can share that with you here this week. I challenge each of you to go out and have an adventure of your own, who knows what exciting experiences you’ll find out there!
