Pros:
• Beautiful Conservative Park, very well taken care of.
• Tee signs, with map, par & distance. (Maps are faded)
• Florescent Orange baskets, which comes in handy since some are hidden behind brush
• The terrain and ecology is beautiful, and is a really enjoyable walk.
• Perfect for beginners and non-players
• Bathrooms near #7 basket
• Scorecards with Maps on the wall of the conservation center.
FWIW
• This place has some awesome walking & Nature trails. Very awesome in the fall
• Fishing, Horse trails, and nature center. Pioneer ridge is a very nice place
Cons:
• Course plays close to the common areas. If this place were to be busy, playing here could be a challenge. You could find people enjoying the park right in the middle of your fairway. You'll need to look out for people as well as parked cars.
• There is a mixed feel to the course, The 700ft shot, though it's a really fun challenge, seems out of place for this course. It's already 10 holes, 8 could be broken up easily into 2 holes. Plus, this could eliminate any risk from hitting people that may having a party in that barn. (I came upon a group of people in the barn on 8)
• Plays near to many parking lots and the horse unloading trailer. On #2, I had to play conservatively, because a car was parked pin high 10ft from the basket. On #5 I had a horse trailer parked right behind the basket. This is a 200ft fairway, that can be easily over shot.
• The 10th hole plays along the sidewalk, between the parking lot, the building and the entrance to some trails. I would really just eliminate this hole for safety sake. Although, its' short, people could walk up out of nowhere.
Other Thoughts:
Here is how I'll categorize this course. It's more of a novelty course that is available to guests of Pioneer Ridge. It's not a destination course. I wouldn't drive out of my way to play here. Now, let me flip this, Pioneer Ridge is a wonderful place to go for outdoor and nature activities. I WOULD drive out of my way for the other things here. (e.g. the trails are excellent) I would just bring my discs to play the course while I was out here. Now, if I lived in Ottumwa or Bloomfield, I would come out every so often. It does have a decent fun factor. It's simple, a little challenging, and you can bring your tackle box as well.