The University Wisconsin Parkside , Parkside Course is an 18 hole course set on the school grounds just off the center of campus . The course sits to the right of a roundabout on campus . You will have to make the direct left in the roundabout , going to the back of the first building to get a parking permit ( $2 ) from Dept Of Public Safety . You can also use a parking meter . Don't chance getting a parking ticket for disc golf and ruin your day . After checking in with them , go out the other end of the roundabout ( Originally a right turn ) and you will see the tee pad for #1 on your immediate left . The parking lot is a couple of hundred yards away in the campus lot .
Equipment : Tee signs are okay but don't give information on the alternate pin placements , or the extra baskets ( from the Orchid course ) on some of the holes . The tee pads are cement and in good condition . More about some on the highlights . The basket are your basic Chainstar but are in good shape . Even the ones carted over from the defunct Orchid course .
The Landscape: other than a couple of small grades , the course is flat and easy on the legs . The course was in need of a good mowing and cutting back of brush when I was there , but it was manageable . Fairways were at least cut enough in the front of the course . A couple of items worth mentioning , but I will do it in highlights . Woods holes are intermixed with some park style holes made for variety . This entices students to relax or blow off some steam for multiple rounds when school is in session .
The highlights : There is a lot of fun factor here along with interesting holes to hold the attention of the college student and the public alike . Since there are mutiple baskets at some of the holes , you don't have to wait for the pin positions to change . You can play different baskets each round if you want . #4 Was a great basket placement . It is elevated on top of a small boulder .
#5 The tee pad is on top of what looked like an observation deck for a football field . You tee of of this to a tight door fairway ( it kind of sticks in your mind ) . You will dip into the woods for a set of holes , #7 being a nice right to left #234' out of the woods but lots of obstacles protecting the basket and in the fairway . #13 is a tight fairway woods shot .Ony 267' but not much green to work with . #15 goes from out of the woods to back in . A midrange toss but a fairway that has no margin for error .
Signature Hole : #10 . Even though the fairway trees need a good trim and the grass is high , this hole was great . The pro tee ( throw from here ) is elevated and you throw down to level ground and a tight fairway , keeping your disc slightly right , to the basket 440' . I didn't realize there was a second basket on the immediate right , after the large bush on the left at the end of the fairway .
Time : It took me over an hour to play because I was unfamiliar with the area and it's long walks . A group of 4 that know the course will take just a little over 2 hours to play here.
The course is popular with the locals . I saw dates playing , groups , twosomes , a couple of single players out on the course . And this was a Friday mid afternoon !

Safety : Some of the course is spaced pretty close together . Since there might be a blind shot to an 2nd basket , or someone looking for a disc in that spot , the potential to ruin someone else's day ( or yours ) is there with a crack on the head from someone's drive . Get a good look at the hole before you throw .
Navigation : The navigation here can be a bear in some spots . Pay attention to the map . The transition from #9's basket to the #10 tee ? You have to walk past the #11 basket and through a thin path , and the elevated tee just materializes . A Next Tee sign or 2 would help here . Not everyone plays here regularly . The transition from 11 to the long walk over the road to your right , then guessing where to duck into the openings to the woods to the #12 tee is confusing , too . Next Tee signs would help here , too . The map will get you close . The last couple of holes might find you wandering . 16-18 are not in the woods at all . #18 has you throwing over a costruction mound to a blind basket beyond bushes . After finishing 18 , you have to walk the sidewalk to immediate right and a little backwards to get to the parking area . You won't be near your car when you finish the course .
Disc Risk . There were many spots that I saw people looking for their disc . I was just off the fairway on 2 and I had to search . Trying to guess where your disc went after climbing off the tower on 5 , or the tee on 10 , will make you wonder if you saw your disc for the last time . Take turns spotting Disc Risk is higher than normal . Becauseof the overgrowth , a couple quit their round while they were ahead , after playing hole #10 and having to look for her disc .
Parking : Normally not a big deal for most courses .After looking at the signs in the lot that threaten you with Parking By Permit Only , it is best to check out Public Safety on the other side of the roundabout . I heard it's free when school isn't in session and DPS doesn't check the cars on weekends or after 6:30 , but do you want to take a chance on a ticket ? .I wasn't sure where the metered parking started Even then , it's still a good walk to hole #1
Pay to Play : on occasion . $2 while school is in session . Not a big deal , just the hassle of it . And whether it is 50 cents or $5 , cut the grass and trim the area around the course .
Long Walks : Not that it's a deal breaker , but there are some long walks between the parking lot and #1 , #11 and to the other wooded section and #12 , and from #18 back to the lot . Bring water , because after starting your round , you will never come close to your car .

As far as campus courses go , this course is better than most . The extra shorter tee areas ( grass ) the extra baskets and pin placements , the creative and fun holes . some good variety .
Colleges should use whatever they can to showcase their campus . Anytime someone comes here , you can justify the state money spent on it and you may attract a prospective student to enroll. Not because he does or does not care about disc golf , but because it shows the university accommodates the students with a variety of activities . Nice College , nice campus , nice course .
Thank You , Wisconsin Parkside for allowing me to play your Parkside course .Please don't let it suffer the same fate as the Orchid course . It's too much of a commodity , locally to let it go .

My Recommendation : A superb course for the students looking to get out of the dorms or after class . Good for newbies ( watch your drives carefully ) fun for the locals , enthusiasts , travelers and Course Collectors . Might even be a fun break for the local ams and pros . . Don't go way out of your way for the course , but if close to Kenosha at all , Play It !!!

Good use of the wooded / natural areas of campus.

Nice variety of holes and having two tee pads and two baskets.

Nicely maintained course

Bit of a hike from parking lot to tee #1.

Could use direction arrows to next tee, especially from #11 basket to #12 tee pad.

Seems course holds a lot of water after a rainstorm, should wait a day or two after a storm to go out and play.

Challenging for the beginner player.

Tee pads and baskets should be color coated so one can know which one to aim for or teeing off from. I had to use the closer tee pad because the furthest one was under water.

- Some open shots over grassland that lets you actually use some of your fairway or distance drivers
- Some tight wooded holes that require finesse and touch
- Elevated tee pads and baskets add a little more difficulty but makes it more challenging for some players
- Well manicured course and good signage
- Course designed for all types of throws from the tee pads which plays for a versatile round

- Shorter holes may discourage those looking to dig a little deeper in their bag for distance throws
- Some holes are pretty muddy and have potential for bad mosquitoes once the spring/summer roll around
- Some of the signs appear to be inaccurate in their distance readings
- No mando's- some holes you could enforce them to make it a little bit harder

Loved the Prairie Open '12 on March 31st and April 1st this year- great sponsors and coordinators for the event. Both days had a great turn out including many Women and Junior Division players! Some holes had out of bounds but no mando's. I had a great time and look forward to playing this course when I'm in the area!

Hole #4 pin placement quite nice. Raised bucket surrounded by large boulders makes for nice aesthetic and interesting putt. Nice stairs up one side of this placement.
Hole #5 tee off raised deck. 10' walk up stairs and throw from deck. Also forces high release because of railing you must release over...interesting....
Hole #16 is 277 ft. Interesting thing, is early in the hole you go through a cut out portion of bushes/viney growth. This has been trimmed nicely each and every time I've been here. Makes for another quite unique view.
First four or so holes are somewhat prairie feel. After that, this becomes a fun, technical woods layout.
Two sets of tees.
Two pin placements.
39 holes total between the two courses here!
Good signage.
Concrete tees.
I am a tomahawk thrower; and this layout does offer opportunities to put this into practice for good result....especially short pins.

I end up wandering around to find hole #1 every time i come here. Stupid old hippy! But, it is a pain in the a$$.
In the short pin placements, this course borders on a deuce or die track. (Should be noted that the newer Orchid course has attempted to balance this).
As with the Orchid course, the prairie holes here; have the long grass to deal with. Even some of the more wooded portion, forces some play in this type of rough; as some pins end up just outside woods.

Paid the $2 parking fee for the first time; this trip. Didn't get a ticket the other times; but, probably a good idea to pay. Then, you don't have to worry.
I have played the original five times now; over a span of years. It's been raining a couple of times; and, even on this journey; it was overcast and pretty windy. So, perhaps this is part of my experience here. Mostly....
I JUST HAVE A HARD TIME BEING VERY EXCITED HERE.
Both courses seem somewhat repetitious to me. I really should enjoy the wooded section of the original. It fits a style I usually like, and the different pin placement possibilities offer a nice challenge. But, I always leave here wondering what I'm not getting; that others seem to enjoy?
The wandering around looking for #1 (though my own fault) bugs the crap out of me.
The shots are pretty interesting; but, if you don't tear it up, score wise, you end up feeling like you left too many shots on the course. A lot of tweener holes I guess. Narrow lanes are difficult on many of them; so, they're not easy; but, at the same time, you feel let down if you don't hit a bunch of them.
There are three unique areas of disc here; from prairie, to wooded, to manicured campus finish; but none are all that spectacular.
There are the three unique holes; and two of these three, I have not seen anywhere else. But, they aren't THAT special.
......I keep trying; but, can't convince myself that UW Parkside original deserves more than a 3 rating.

I am only reviewing the 18 main holes since IMO, the new 9 holes are a completely different course (and are not developed to a point to really be playable).

What I personally like and how this course stacks up in my list of 18 (and more) hole courses:

1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == B
(Over half the holes will dole out punishment enough where recovery for par after an errant drive is a real challenge.)

2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I throw 300' accurately, 360' max. == B-
(Most of the holes are too short to be rewarding. Almost all of the long tees that are over 300' are pushed back to outside of my max D. This makes them not even worth playing as all I can possibly get is a par 3.....or downside bogeys. No added fun or challenge added for me on those.)

3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == A-
(Several of the new holes are tight wooded holes....but are too short. There seems to be a good balance of right and left turns a few of which are pretty severe turns that push the limits of disc flight....in a good way!)

4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == B
(There is a nice mix of prairie feel, wooded feel and the last 3 holes even offer a manicured campus lawn and tree fairways. Only one or two beautiful spots.....and the rest is just ho-hum in the beauty department. Seclusion is surprisingly good for a course on campus. Around 2/3's of the course does allow you to feel like you are getting away from it all for a bit.)

5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == N/A

It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well the course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. Since I have played a decent number of courses (149 18-hole, 91 9-hole as of late 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.

I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me....that's the fun of things here. See my profile for my rating philosophy.

Was a good course. Looks like they are building over hole one. Hope to see it back up soon.

It is closed!