-Large Concrete tee pads
-Decent signage (see cons)
-Baskets OK
-Good mix of open / technical, flat / elevation
-Quiet park, plays away from other activities
-Short, only 2 holes over 300'
-#14 over the gully is a gem

-Signs missing on #16, #17, Sign for #6 needs re-attached
-Pars a little generous
-Short, only 2 holes over 300'

Chautauqua City Parks hosts a very good DGC on the east edge of Fairfield, IA. Re-designed in 2010, the course utilizes the SW half of the park that includes walking trails, shelters, playgrounds, and is home to the local parks department. The course does a good job of working around most of it with the road in play on #4, #5 and #8. #5 being the only one you throw over the road. Some good elevation as well as many old growth trees make you work for some of the lines. A few guarded baskets (#3, #7 come to mind) and a steep uphill on #9. The gem of the course is #14. Short (at 198'), but over a gully with a fairly tight window and a nice pedestrian bridge. Pars are generous, although some appear to play the course as all par 3s. This will boost confidence in the novice or noodle arms. At just over 4500', it's a little on the short side, but I think that opens it up to more skill levels. Advanced players will find it a little pedestrian. Replacing the 2 missing signs and fixing #6 would help. Alternate basket placements would also raise the rating for me. I have enjoyed my rounds very much here and would play again if in the area.

- Extremely gorgeous, old community park with lots to do. Connected bike trails, playground equipment, shelters, etc. Lots of little tucked away, secluded areas. A surprising amount of elevation for a park like this.
- The Houck-designed maps are fantastic. Kiosk right at #1 with a big map of the whole course and park.
- The original 9 of this course (1,2, 12-18) is definitely old school. I mean, those holes have been around for a long time in the same layout. When the course was expanded, they used what they had, and kept a very similar feel. I'll bet some people don't notice it wasn't all installed at the same time.
- Equipment is in decent shape. Teepads and baskets on the original 9 holes have been well loved, but function just fine. Original 9 baskets are single chain.
- Plenty of shot shaping to be had on this course. Some holes are very open, but in general each hole has 'something.' Lots of L to R holes where a RHBH flick is really useful and really the best play - a good amount for a park course like this, to be honest. (4, 15, 17)
- #9 - You just don't see holes like this very often. It's short...but 20 foot of elevation straight uphill. Don't hit a tree and roll away!
- #12 - Longest hole at 379, slowly downhill on top of a ridge, with plenty of lines to choose from. Biggest risk is all of the timber on either side, particularly as the fairway narrows down to the pin.
- #14 - While short, this is the most memorable hole on the course to me. Drive over a walking bridge spanning a decently deep gully, to a pin that's kind of obscured. Plenty to think about, and not quite the ace run you would expect from a hole this short.

- Really, the biggest knock on this course is its length. Average hole length of 250 ft, and just 2 over 300 ft. That said, they're not super easy and open short holes - it's just a 1980s-era length course.
- There are a handful of safety concerns. The park gets a fair amount of use from non-disc golfers, and there's a fair amount of potential for issues with benches and picnic tables. Also, the road comes into play in a good handful of places, and is literally in play on #5. Also, some fairway/tee overlap, which is obvious on the map.
- Saw a good handful of drink cans on the course, which looked likely be from one inconsiderate pairing. A 6 pack of tallboys each is impressive though. But, it DID highlight the lack of trash cans on the course. The park has plenty, but none are purposefully near teepads.
- Underbrush along the edges of this course is a bit thick. Some poison ivy. And, from past experience, the edges of this course can eat discs in the fall. Lots of big mature trees here, and all of the leaves get blown or raked to the edges of the woods.
- Obvious recreational pars on this course. Probably correct for beginners, but nothing on this course that isn't a par 3, in reality.

- Fun park history note: the trail by basket #8 and the connecting, northernmost road of the park, is actually a very old railroad bed from the 1870s. Makes complete sense once you're looking at it.
- I mentioned the continuity of this course as a pro - the course really does feel like one continuous thought. But, there definitely is room for expansion and added length here, if you wished. Some longer blue tees could be installed on a handful of holes to add length, and there's lots of potential for alternate pins to be tucked away in currently unused timber and gully areas.
- In the end, it's just a fun play. Even if it's easy for more talented players, this is just a fun play, with holes that make you pick a line and execute. Fun factor and approachableness for many skill levels gets a 4.5/5 on this course. True MidwestZest rating = extremely solid 3.5.

• Moderately wooded course, that plays along the outer perimeter of Chautauqua Park
• Chautauqua is a very nice and scenic park! It is well maintained and offers a lot of activities
• Kiosk with map at the 1st Tee. Fairly Easy to navigate and the course flows nicely throughout the park
• Great use of varying terrain. Plenty of hills to throw up, down and over.
• Wooded tree line backdrops most of the fairways. (Can be dense)
• Most Fairways offer multiple lines and has a nice balance for RH/LH throwers
• Good Fun factor
• Beginner Friendly, yet still fun and challenging for advanced players
• Most of the holes range between 200-300ft, with a couple ace runs.
• Most of the Fairways have lines that you must weave through trees. Though its shorter, doesn't mean it's less of a challenge
FWIW
• Nice Walking Trails
• Play Equipment
• Shelter Houses
• Pop Machine between the 1st basket and the 2nd tee

• A very busy Multi-use park, it's not uncommon to see pedestrians and children on the fairways
• Plays near, but not into, play areas and shelter houses, so be mindful while throwing!
• Two fairways (7&8) criss-cross. (Although it is easy to spot the other tee, just be sure to look first)
• A park road comes into play on 2 holes, it can be hard to see down the hill you are throwing next to

Chautauqua has always been a course I've enjoyed playing! I looked forward to a round whenever I would travel home. Now that I am living back in Iowa, I still enjoy driving over and playing. It has a charm and a tranquility with in the park itself. It may not be the most difficult course out there, but there is a reason people still come here to play. It is an old school course that was upgraded to an 18 hole course. You'll see a lot of straight forward shots, but you'll need to be able to finesse your way through the standing trees that fill the fairways. You'll want to stay out of the tree line, due to the dense nature of the brush. There can also be steep ravines just beyond those tree lines as well

Chautauqua is a fun course and has always been among my favorites! It's definitely worth a 30 minute drive from the surrounding areas. It also makes a great addition if you are road tripping across southeastern Iowa. No special footwear is needed here; however it is highly probable that you will be doing some hill climbing and walking in the woods. Your call! Just try to play here at an off-peak time of day. A Saturday afternoon in the summertime will be a busy time.

A great mix of shots, lots of trees without feeling like you are on the way to grandma's house. The addition takes off after existing hole 2 and returns obviously to the original 3rd hole. It flows very well and plays rather quickly as all the holes are relatively short. It is fairly technical with lots of mature trees throughout and a steep uphill at hole 9. The only confusion (as signs on the new part are not up yet) was going from hole 6 to 7. Cross the road! The closest tee is for 9 (look behind up the hill). The tee just across the road is for 7 and the basket is northeast from it. The rest of the course was pretty easy to navigate. There is some good use of available elevation, but no real mondo downhills or any chance to really let one rip for that matter (hole 12 is it) but overall a great new 18 hole course for SE Iowa. Fun with very little disc loss potential and some fairly challenging holes. Good for beginners, but still fun for more advanced players.

Lots of leaves in the fall could make it tough to find your disc.
Holes 7 & 8 criss cross, can be quite busy at times causing a bottleneck here.
Short course.
Needs signs on the new 9 which I'm sure are coming.