- 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.

- 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.

You should visit if you're in the area!

-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

-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

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.

Easy to navigate, great shot variety, overall a very good course.

The only con to this course is that a lot of people play it, so speed of play can be slow.

I'd play here before Pickard or Ewing...it may not be quite the challenge but it is a better disc golf experience.

- Very nice feel to the course, in a nice large park setting.
- Relatively easy to get to, and to find the first tee.
- Plenty of parking, as well as other activities and facilities on site.
- Obviously played a lot, and for good reason. It's a very nice, approachable course for newer players, with plenty of challenge, length, and interest for more experienced players. Sometimes the 'fun factor' of courses is really underrated, and this course scores high.
- Mostly good navigation, save for the trek from 5 to 6. I imagine like most first time players, I could only see one tee, so I went to it, only to find it was the 6 short. Otherwise not too bad.
- Two nine-hole loops, which is always nice.
- Good elevation on the course, and used well. Some very interesting shots.
- Nice pads, two for nearly all holes, except where not really practical. For the most part, the short pads just reduce length, and don't often give a wholly different look at the pin. It's obvious that the long tees get extensive play.
- Two pin placements for most holes. These DO seem to offer different looks and lines for each hole. Very nice. Older, 'well loved' baskets on the course, but I had no issues.
- Fantastic signs at each pad (except 5, 7, and 16 which were missing)
- Plenty of benches along the course (also a con in places).
- #6 - A fun, long hole skirting some timber. Definitely a little different from most of the rest of the course, even though it's relatively open. Roll-away potential here, into a more tightly-wooded area.
- #7 - I really liked this for some reason, even though it's quite simple and relatively easy. It was tightest hole up to that point, so it was a nice change of pace.
- #12 is a long hole from the far tee, over some undulating terrain. Blind basket over the top of the next hill - pretty cool.
- #13 tee box is well constructed and maintained. Shoots from one hillside to the other, and becomes longer than it's listed if your drive is short and you leave yourself a decent uphill approach.
- #14 is a fun, downhill par 3 that plays like a puzzle. What line will I use to get close at the pin? Tucked very nicely behind some mature trees that make you pick a line and try to skip one in there.

- Missing signs at a few tee pads.
- Unfortunately some baskets are very much blind, and it's difficult to know which placement is current. FWIW, occasionally even when you see where the basket is, it's sometimes difficult to tell if that was the A or B placement from the sign.
- Benches and picnic tables are littered throughout the course, sometimes in or near throwing lanes. For as much as the park is used for disc golf, I find it hard to think that these get much use in their current positions.
- Missing some signature holes. There are quite a few memorable ones, but nothing that absolutely stands out. #13 is probably as close as it gets.
- Not many penalties for bad lines here, other than loss of distance or hitting a mature tree. Most bad shots are recoverable. Another reason why it's great for newer players, however. Chances of losing discs = near zero.
- #2 is a pretty open, straight downhill, without a lot going for it.
- #15 also just feels a little pedestrian after the run of 12, 13, and 14. Wide open, uphill, guarded basket.

- I had a very fun round here, which I'm sure will bring me back. The course obviously gets a lot of play for that reason.
- Played just before a league night, which of course is also good to see.
- For a local comparison, this course reminds me of Maytag Park in Newton, IA. Fewer wide open holes though. For a less local comparison, it's much like Chautauqua Park in Fairfield, IA, but with considerably more distance.

Great holes, easy with a hint of challenge for a new player, Trees made it a little technical to play, No water

With 2 tees and 2 baskets, things got a little confusing occasionally. A busy course for a beginner.

If I get back to Des Moines, I will play this course again!

The course plays through a nicely groomed city park. A few spots play near woods and brush, adding some occasional opportunities for punishment on errant shots. Elevation comes into play on much of the course, with rolling hills throughout and a couple steeper shots. The hills are used well to add challenge and variety, especially on the last several holes.

Mature trees provide the main obstacles here, with a scattering throughout the park. There are enough that several holes force left and right turning shots. The grass was mowed short when I played and some holes have low ceilings, so rollers can come in handy here.

Dual concrete tees on most holes offer a good tee surface. The tee signs are solid, with signs at both holes with length and hole layout. The flow of the course is pretty easy to follow, and there's a map posted at the kiosk. Dual pin positions add some extra variety.

I always like to see dual pin placements, especially when they add variety of lines like many here do. It is frustrating to have to guess what pin position is in use though, this area doesn't seem to have any way of indicating that at the tee sign or the course kiosk. There are some safety issues, with the park road and picnic areas in play on some holes.

The course can feel a bit repetitive at times, with similar terrain and foliage throughout the course and only limited punishment for missing your line. Despite good use of the hills and trees, you can get away with a lot of hyzers here.

Beginners will find this course challenging but approachable, especially from the short tees. There is some length, but nothing ridiculous, and lost discs are not an issue here. More experienced players will find some fun shots, but not too tough a test. This is a nice place for a low stress casual round in a pretty park.

Design - The course is designed pretty well and uses most of the land available in the park. It caters mostly to the beginner/intermediate golfer as most holes, even from the long tees. The course flows well and it is generally pretty easy to find your way around. The design uses the elevation in the park pretty well.

Infrastructure - Two concrete tees for every hole and very nice, descriptive tee signs for each pad. Bathrooms were located in the park along with picnic tables and park benches. The park is very clean.

Location - Grandview is located in the middle of Des Moines and is close to hotels, food, shopping, etc. It is pretty close to the interstate as well and easy to find.

Challenge - Most golfers will find Grandview to be fun, but most pros and some advanced level golfers may find it to be a bit easy as there aren't many long holes. Bad shots aren't really punished in most cases. Even with a bad drive off the tee, most holes are pretty par-able.

If you are in the area, Grandview is worth a few hours of your time. The mix of elevation and trees, along with the clean tee boxes and signs make it a fun round. It is your standard park style golf with above average elevation. Definitely worth a try!

-Multiple concrete tees for each hole
-looping 9 design
-logical flow
-lots of shade

-a busy park with many conflicts
-#12 is fairly easy to put a drive across the road into someone's front yard or, better yet, into a car's windshield.

On the east side of Des Moines, this was the first course installed in the city proper and by far the most-played course in the metro. The course winds its way through rolling hills and mature trees. Predominantly par 3 holes, most can be reached by those who can throw 350'. #6 and #12 can be considered par 4s if thrown from long tee to long basket. Well balanced in hole lengths and shot shapes required. Some decision-making as some have more than one desirable route to the basket.

For the most part, the course keeps to itself, traveling along the outside edge of the park, but mid-way through the round will play close to some swings, a ball field and a large picnic shelter. On a busy summer weekend, you are likely to wait for kids to cross fairways from the shelter to the swings, or have to avoid throwing into a pickup game on the ball field.

Tees feature substantial concrete pads, 2 to a hole and nice, descriptive signs. Needs a system for indicating what position the basket is in as some are blind from the tee.

Overall, an enjoyable course to play. It is showing some wear and tear from constant foot traffic and some safety issues.

Multiple tees and pins for most (if not all) holes.
The layout is pretty straight forward, as long as you remember to cross the road for a couple on the back nine. One person had played the course once before, and the only time our group was unsure where to go a man watching some kids playing softball directed us to the next hole.
The course is well maintained, with mostly grass around the holes and large mature trees creating challenges instead of saplings.
The holes themselves, while not the most difficult in the area, are not overly simple either. Most holes will provide a respectable challenge for novice/intermediate players, but advanced players should be able to par the course comfortably.
The small hills throughout the park were utilized very well in it's construction, especially on the back nine.
There are plenty of restrooms around the course, as well as a park shelter.

The difficulty will be an issue for people looking for a real challenge. Its a fun course, but advanced players will most likely be able to par it without too much trouble on their first attempt.
I can see how non-disc golfers could be an issue. It wasn't very bad the day I went, but there were some kids playing pretty close to a couple holes. If it was any busier (and I get the impression it gets that way from time to time) it could slow play down quite a bit.

Its a well maintained course that should be fun for novice and intermediate players. Advanced players won't find the course difficult, but if you feel like a relaxing, enjoyable 18, this would be a great course for it.