UPDATE: I was just informed that the back 9 is now playable again. I'm really looking forward to the day that I can play here again. I'm going to leave my review the way it is until I can play here again, and update it thoroughly!

I played here in September 2010. The back 9 had some very rough flood damage, making 14-16 unplayable. This may have been repaired since I played here last. Please feel free to let me know if these holes have been repaired.
-This is a winding wooded course, that requires a variety of throws and strategic placements. Accuracy is key here at Peninsula Park.
-Located on the edge of a well maintained park
-Multiple Teepads, Multiple Pin placements
-Very woodsy course, but not overly tight. The trees are spaced apart enough to allow for a variety of lines to throw. (This is not to say it's not challenging, it's just not dense and thick)
-1 ,17&18 are open field straightaway shots
-Easy to navigate, but a map can still be helpful.
-Has a variety of shots, requiring accurate placements. It constantly turns throughout the woods with doglegs, bends, and enough trees to require one to use different shots on each hole.
-For being a wooded course, there are a few 400ft, 500ft, and 600ft shots. Being able to carry a long drive in the woods will be an asset for players. It will test the accuracy of your long distance drives.
-Although the terrain was fairly flat, there are plenty of dips, banks, and creek beds to keep things interesting.
-Excellent pin placement, and the course is laid out nicely. It flows nicely through the woods.
-Though I didn't notice it favoring right handed or left handed targets. The pin placements seemed very direct, with enough space to allow for lines of either preference.
-Front 9 plays to a stopping point near the starting point near the parking lot. This would allow for a quick play on either the Front or Back 9. (provided the back 9 gets repaired from the flood damage)
-Shelter and practice basket at the start
-Tee Signs with maps to target.
-Playing in the dry creek beds was a blast, and really added to the Fun Factor here.
FWIW: This course is located right next to a dog park. In fact, the course is at the end of the Dog park parking lot.

-Course can be subject to flood issues
-Since it's located on the river, bugs, ticks and mosquitoes could be a serious factor. Bring repellent (I always recommend Avon's Skin so soft. It works nicely when I'm playing the swamp courses here in South Carolina)
-Wear pants, I don't know what the plant was, but it made our legs itch like crazy! It wasn't poison Ivy, but I'm sure that's a factor here as well. So be mindful, and dress accordingly.
-Looks like this course could get sloppy in certain areas if it rained.

UPDATED 3/18:The following notes are posted to inform you of the conditions of the course the day I played here. I have been told that these conditions have since been improved and are now playable.
-14-16 were destroyed by flooding. (Which I hate because 14 looked like such a nice scenic hole located along the riverbank.)
-11 was an overgrown jungle of grass and weeds. We played it anyways, but it was a "throw your drive and immediately go after your disc" type drive. If you took your eye off it for a second, you would lose it in the grass. We walked away with all our discs!

If you like strategic courses that wind through the woods, than this course is worth checking out. It has a plethora of different holes. Not only will you be working different doglegs, but you will also have a variety of lines as you throw through the gaps in the trees. The trees are space enough apart to allow this to type of shot to take place. This course had a good fun factor for me.

Until further notice though, you may only want to opt for 9 holes, since it may not be that easy to navigate back from anything beyond 10. Since you will only be able to play up to 13, before you will be forced to cut across the remnants of 15 and 16. 17 and 18 will take you back near the start of the course. Just due to the overgrowth in the woods, I would recommend pants and covered shoes. One person in our group was hating life after wearing shorts.

My hopes are that they get the back 9 operational again. I would love to play a full 18 here one day. This is definitely a challenging, yet fun, course. It just helps to know what lies beyond 10, should you opt for an 18 hole round. But, even playing 9 holes here is well worth your time to stop. Especially if you enjoy being in the woods!

Layout, proximity to Iowa City, no waiting for tee boxes.

Weeds, bugs, more bugs, and susceptibility to flooding.

The Good:
1. As a previous reviewer pointed out, the layout of this course is excellent. The first hole is wide open, as are several holes on the back 9. About half of the holes are heavily wooded, but there are clear lanes for your drives. Multiple basket positions make for a great variety of left and right turning fairways, short, medium, and long holes. If not for the flooding, the weeds, and the bugs, this could easily be the best course in the area.
2. The course is the closest course to Iowa City. From downtown Iowa City, the drive to the park is less than 10 minutes.
3. Because the course is so buggy and weedy during the summer (see below for more details) there are very few people who play at this course. I have never had to wait for the people in front of me at this course.

The Bad:
1. Because of its proximity to the Iowa River, about half of the back 9 is sometimes flooded. Since the flood a few years ago, I have not played holes 11-16 with any real consistency.
2. The weeds can get really, really bad at times. Of course, lots of courses have weeds. Searching for a disc that you shanked into the weeds is commonplace at a lot of courses. The difference at Penisula Park is this: A lot of the weeds are poison ivy and/or stinging nettles. So, if you have to wade through the weeds for too long, your legs are going to burning and itching for a while. Wear pants to prevent the itching.
3. The mosquitos are BRUTAL after prolonged rains. Once you get into the woods (which start at hole 2) you will be completely assaulted by the bugs. Will bug spray work? Maybe. Best plan of action is too simply resolve yourself to being eaten alive out there.

The Ugly:
Ticks. Yes. Ticks. I have never had a problem with ticks at a disc golf course before, but the disc golf area of Peninsula Park simply seems too rugged to get special treatment in terms of city pest control. If you don't normally use bug spray, I recommend at least putting some on your shoes and ankles to keep the ticks at bay. And don't forget to check for ticks afterwards.

OVERALL: If you can deal with the weeds and bugs, this is a great course. I would give a 5 because the layout is terrific, but the weeds, bugs, ticks, and occasional flooding cause my rating to decrease.

Great layout, dual cement tees on all holes, wonderful signs though some have been damaged, multiple pin locations, requires well-thought-out shots on every hole. An absolute beauty of scenery as well as serenity. Course is never packed, and you rarely see more than 3-4 groups playing. Provides a great mix of challenging wooded holes as well as open long shots. Makes you play your best or suffer the consequences.

Bugs and nettle can be a problem after mid-April until fall kicks in. Depending on when the course gets worked on, can run into some thick brush if you miss your shot.

(Course was mowed and weed-wacked May 3rd) This is still among the best courses I've played. It really makes me sad that the usuals I play with don't appreciate it and have little patience with the bugs and weeds. Still, I manage to get out there once a week for at least 9 holes just to enjoy the beauty that one can enjoy while disc golfing. If you are in the area during early-spring or fall, or just are patient and have some long pants and bug spray, this is a must play course. I would even suggest making a trip to this area, as there are also 2 other wonderful course nearby, Turkey Creek, and Sugar Bottom, though these are typically much busier and while great, not quite up to the scale of Peninsula Park.

Blaze orange baskets, teepads are nice for the most part. Good mixture of open and wooded holes. Practice basket. Well signed. Multiple pin and pad locations.

Well. This course was flood damaged. So the fact that you couldn't play half the back 9 has no reason why it is rated at a 2.5

The overgrowth is horrible in this course. Full of nettles and all sorts of other wonderful plants to make looking for a disc a nightmare. Also it is by far the buggiest course I have ever played. I was doused in bug spray and throwing was still effected by all the bugs. Some of the wooded holes need some trees removed. I mean when you look at a wall of trees with maybe a foot in between the saplings it makes it pretty much a throw and pray situation. Some long walks in between holes. Missing some signs which could be due to flooding.

If you play this course wear long pants and bring bug spray and pray that is good enough. I am not local to this course. I have no plans on ever playing it again.

The park is very scenic, great place for a disc golf course. Multiple tee pad options is a plus.

The front nine is heavily wooded which makes it rather difficult and I can see how in the summer the bugs and weeds would be a huge problem.

Definitely play this course!

Lots of stuff to list: Great signs on every hole with all the info you need, some of the best ones in the area. Excellent well placed dual teepads on all the holes, with some of the longer tees adding a great deal of challenge. Mach III baskets are in awesome shape and love the orange color that stands out in the woods. Fair mix of short/long holes. About a third of the course is fairly open with the rest going through heavily wooded sections with large trees. Tests all skills in disc golf. Bring your big arm on some of the holes. The front 9 is very difficult due to the multitude of trees. Not beginner friendly. The back 9 opens up a bit more but more distance is added to the holes.

In summer months can have tons of mosquitos and the stinging nettle and weeds will drive you nuts if you lose your disc in the weeds. Bring bug sray and long pants and you are good. This course suffers greatly from flooding that takes place on a regualr basis. This course seems to always need repair/work do to this fact. Unfortunately that is what you get when it is placed so close to the river. Some elevation changes, but not as much as others in the area.

One of the best courses in eastern Iowa. Have played this course on multiple occasions and every month of the year. I love the challenge and fun this course has to offer. I no longer live in Iowa and miss this course! This course needs to be played and reviewed on! This course does need frequent repiar due to the flooding issues. When the course is in great shape it is awesome, but unfortunately that is hit or miss depending on the season. Late fall is when it is at it's best.

The course is new with multiple tee boxes and baskets for all varying degrees for variability or different skills. It has great signs, tees, facilities. I feel its hole layout would be great in a few years. (See my Cons.)

I will not play this course again in its current condition. After the first few holes, you enter the woods. The woods' foliage was out of control, requiring spotters to see and mark where your companions' discs landed. Worse, the foliage was full of poison ivy and stinging nettles, which added to the aggravation of my group. The back nine was opening up again, however found it to be a tick-infested field. Due to nature, this is not a fun course to play.

I don't know the condition of the course post-2008 flood. I want to give it a higher score due to the layout, however I will never play this course again until foliage is improved, so rating it low.