Many of the holes are wide open and you just throw through fields. A good test to see if you can out drive your buddies. The holes while not overly simple are easy enough to do. A small chance of losing your disc in any tall grass or trees.

It's an expensive course to play. When I first started to play it was around $3 or $4 for an all day pass. Last time I had heard it was around $8 a day. Awesome course but that is pricey. Uses the trust system to pay. If you decide not to and a park ranger catches you I'm sure that you are looking at a much steeper ticket. Your call!

Worth the price just to try out the course. This one is one of my top three favorites.

Overall, the course is in awesome shape and it's an added bonus with 9 extra holes now. The maintenance of the course is very well kept, with quality tee pads, signs, and for the most part, clean fairways. The course has a variety of shots both in the open and in the woods and there are also plenty of birdie opportunities, which makes for a fun round. The course is also noticeably less busy than Elver and Hiestand.

The $8 daily pass is quite expensive for this course, even though it is 27 holes. Blue Ribbon Pines in MN is 27 holes and only $5 to play and puts this course to absolute shame. Unlike Elver and Hiestand, this course lacks elevation change unfortunately.

I am glad to see that the fees for this course seem to be going right back into it though. It's a great change of pace from Elver and Hiestand.

Dual Tees with three pin placements that change every week.
Each pin placement has its own challenges.
Very well manicured.
Not as busy as the other Madison courses.
Lots of variety and long and shorts holes.
Great course to work on your distance.
Only $45 for the season pass and in 2013, there will be another course (Lake Farm County Park) that will use this same pass.

The only con for me is the new 9 holes have shorter tee pads. The daily pass is a con because it is $8, but because I buy the season pass for $45, it is worth it for me. It's not a con if you live in Madison, but for a traveller who may only play once or twice, it would be a con.

This is my favorite course in Madison. I usually get out and play at least 3-4 days a week when it is open and there is still daylight after work. I enjoy playing from the long tees and ripping it. This is a great course to practice distance on and won't punish you as much on errant throws. The long tees and long pin placements will challenge even the Pro players.

27 holes! The more holes on a course the better in my opinion.Two sets of huge, flared concrete tee pads on all holes. Benches and trash cans on all holes. Navigation was only a problem between 5 and 6. Just required a little extra walking but a sign would be helpful here. Very nice Mach 5 baskets. I'm a fan of the Mach baskets and these catch very well here. There are 3 sets of pin locations on all the holes as well which I don't understand why more courses don't do. Restrooms Available right next to hole 2 I believe it was. Camping on site in what appeared to be a good sized well maintained multi use park. Very large tee signs with hole #, a basic hole layout and distances and locations for all possible pin placements. The park was extremely well maintained and mowed which it should be for the price. The first 18 original holes are more fun than the newer 9. Theres more woods involved on them making it more challenging. I could see losing a disc as a possibility here but its hard for me to say since I went in October. The "island hole" on 22 is a cool idea for making a water hazard like challenge on a course with no water. The wind was a huge factor when I went, especially the last 9. Very easy to find the course, just minutes off I-94. I wouldn't think this would ever be TOO busy, there was one other car when we went at first and 3 when we left. I'd recommend giving this one a shot, I had a real nice time here.

$8 a day is very high. Highbridge is the only other that I've played thats more but that has 6 18 hole courses on site. Not the most peaceful course in that its just off of I-94 so theres the constant sound of traffic. So I personally wouldn't recommend camping here because of this. Also there must be an airport nearby as there were planes and helicopters flying all over too. The last nine newer holes were all mostly open and bland except 22's "island hole". Other than that not much. Really solid course, just not Phenomenal.

All in all i had a real fun couple rounds here. You can tell that at least your $8 is going towards the course. Elver and Hiestand in Madison are very close by as well. I've never played them but they are supposed to be outstanding courses . I have played Bird's Ruins in Marshall and would recommend that one and its only about 20 minutes east. That would make for a good day of discin'.

This course is clean, well kept and diverse. There are a good number of holes that you can really let go as well as some very technical holes. The nice thing about the rest is they truly combine distance and accuracy to avoid well placed trees.

Pay to play has apparently paid off in this park. It is by far the nicest I've been to in Wisconsin.

The only con I could come up with is that the short holes are kind of bunched together, but that is such a small issue it almost doesn't matter.

I have no issue with paying to play especially when the park is kept in such stellar condition. I hope more parks/municipalities/counties follow suit with some of the better courses to keep them at a higher level and to deter less than respectful/responsible players.

The land is rather flat with a mix of open, to scattered trees, to tunnels. The turf is regulary mowed. There is a very nice kiosk near hole #1.

Huge concrete tee pads. 2 per hole. Shorts/Longs. Some benches.

Multiple pin positions. 3 per hole.

Between the 2 tee pads and 3 pin positions there is a ton of variety on the course. You'll throw pretty much every shot on this course if you play both sets of tees. Even with these it's easy to navigate.

The tee signs are very nice! They still look brand new.

Awesome DGA Mach 5 baskets.

This is one of the most well kept courses that I have played.

The course has recently been expanded to 27 holes. The more golf the better!

I don't mind pay to play but if you are only playing 1 round for $8.00 it's rather expensive.

This course is very flat and rather open in places. It lacks that extra elevation or water to get the next half disc bump in rating from me.

The course has recently been expanded to 27 holes.

This is my personal taste. I actually think Heistand & Elver are both considerably better courses than Token due to the type of land. If they were maintained as much as this course the reviews would reflect it. I love going to Madison. I usually hit all 3 in one day.

Well cared for, easily navigated course. Original teepads are excellent.

The "new nine" teepads are shorter than the original. Would have liked to see them be the same size.

The pin placements do change the course quite a bit, but I would like to see some added challenge on some of the holes for the blue placements.

- Super well manicured!
- Am and Pro Level Cement Teepads
- Multiple Pin Placements
- Very aesthetically pleasing
- Some well guarded greens
- Benches on almost every hole
- Easy to navigate
- Pro pads have lots of blind holes
- Wind plays a big factor
- Lots of places to open up and crank out a long drive
- Very easy to navigate, little need to walk fairways to find pin
- Good tee signs

- FLAT
- Kind of repetitive
- Basic Shots are all that are required for good scores. Flat hyzers and slight turnovers dominate the tee shots.
- $8 to play the 3rd best course in the area. $10 additional for your dog (Not holding the latter against the course but the park policies).
- Watch your disc when it heads for the long grass and pine trees
- The wooded holes were cleared out too much making them easy to hit your line.

This course is a bit of a let down when compared to the other two 18 hole courses. Being that its pay to play i expected it to be really amazing. But its flat and doesn't require you to be very skilled.
The shorts are more of a REC level layout. Most of the holes are reachable for deuce opportunities. I am not calling this a pitch-n-putt in anyway. Your deuces have got to be earned but their there. Developing INT players will also find reward in playing the shorts.
The longs are more for INT and ADV players. The lines are similar to the shorts but several holes become blind. The real challenge here is the length and being decently accurate in your placement.
I would give this course a 3.25 if I could. The shorts are 3.0 and the longs are a 3.5. Although the amenities are nice I just dont think its that great of a pay-to-play compared to others. If it were free I would probably give it a solid 3.5. Of all the pay-to-plays I've played I would rate this last. It doesn't leave me with an urge to play it again and definitely not worth $8.

- Course is set in a big, semi-forested park that is pretty much devoted to disc golf. There are a bunch of other park users, but it seems well separated.
- There are holes that have a good amount of trees to contend with, in a few different ways. There are some tighter ones that require good line shaping, some with large patches of jail to avoid, and others that involve going around on the open side. Highlights here include a shot around a large patch of forest, either way, on #7, and a long shot to get around jail on #10. A few tighter ones that are RHFH friendly as well.
- The majority of the course is set up in more open areas, that use denser rough, tall grass, and the occasional tree to get in the way. Some of these are a lot of fun, like a long zig-zagging, multi-shot hole, or an uphill that has three rock gardens for the multiple pin placements. A couple obvious RHBH annys too, as well as some hyzers, both with blind baskets.
- Some decent elevation changes here. Nothing too extreme at all, though it is noticeable on a few holes.
- A few tricky pin positions, depending on where they are at. Really changes up the holes in some cases. A couple rock ledge greens add serious rollaway potential.
- Good variety in distances, from both tees. Some longer holes have some character, like the long zig-zagging one, and the one with the grove to go around (450' from the blue).
- Great teepads, signage, and baskets. Navigation can be a little tricky the first time through, with a few different paths after some holes.

- My biggest gripe with this course is the large amount of holes that are fairly wide open. Almost the entire back nine are just mowed fairways, with some rough on the sides and a tree here or there. Practically no thought is required here, all ya gotta do it throw it far and land in the fairway. Really left a bad taste to finish like that.
- Terrain here is pretty flat, for the most part. Only a couple of shots that really are influenced by sloping fairways. No water either, the only hazards are thick rough and the road in one spot.
- Tee signs don't state the current pin position, which leaves a lot of guessing. Normally I wouldn't care so much, but some are right next to each other, and it's really a guessing game of how how far it is.

- This course starts off OK, then gets good, then gets really good, and then craps out and leaves you with driving practice all the way back to the car. Maybe I had very high expectations after the front nine, but it really got bland. Still, the front nine offers a lot of variety and some challenge, and the back nine is a good place to grip and rip some different lines. Better suited to beginners and intermediate players.
- Eight dollars, jeez.

Multiple Cement Pads:
Both Pro and Am tees are large and flared to give you all the room you need (some of the nicest I've ever seen)

Multiple Pin Placements:
3 to be exact, red. white and blue. The baskets are moved weekly and routinely, meaning if hole 1 is in "white" they will all be in white, thus eliminating need for markers at each tee.

Great Signage:
Beautiful simple and accurate signs with all 3 labeled pin placements and relative distances are at both teepads.

Immaculate Up-keep:
I try to play this course once a week in the summer and have NEVER seen liter, un-mowed grass, dead/fallen trees in the fairways or anything that needs work. In fact I almost always run into a worker weed whacking, mulching or doing something to keep this course in the pristine condition that it remains.

Fairways:
So many courses I see seem to just "tack" on pro tees at a later time and put them in places where you don't even have a real shot or lane to throw. At Token there are always 1 or more lanes to the basket (or safe landing zone for longer holes) and if you execute and throw a good shot you'll be in the fairway.

Distance:
In championship layout (Pro tees to blue basket position) this course is at its finest. So many other courses I go to I think I could empty my bag of everything but a putter, Roc and Gator and be completely fine. Maybe I'd need a teebird for one or two holes, but rarely do I need to make a shot over 400 ft. Championship layout Token Creek is one of the only courses I've played where I get to throw a high-speed driver (usually a Boss) 50% of the time. I believe only 4 of the holes are under 300 ft. #6, #7, #12 and #17. 6 plays 291' up a slight hill to a basket perched on a cobble-stone retaining wall (quite pretty). 7 is only 275' but with a large couple of trees in the center that block the basket and force you to the left or right. 12, is the only hole I tee with a putter. A 264' anhyzer (or roller) to a basket set amongst several guarding trees and a bush. 17 is a tricky 280' down a fairly narrow straight lane and then breaking to the right at the very end tucked behind a very distinctive "V" tree. (Fun to try to park it right by the tree and then put through the "V").

In short, the shorter holes have a lot of character and interest to make up for the lack of distance.

All the rest of the holes are 320 ft or further (many of them being over 400 ft.)

If you're a player who throws over 400 ft consistency and accurately you will LOVE this course. In fact I would go as far as to say that it will become one of your instant favorites (as it has for me). There's a good reason why Avery Jenkins and Barry Schultz have this course listed in there favorites, if you're a driving machine this course (especially in championship layout) is a MUST PLAY!! There's nothing as exciting as ripping a 400-475 ft drive for a chance at birdie!

Bugs:
As with most mid-west courses in the summer if you play at the end of the day, or soon after a rain the bugs will nearly end you! I have had times when I almost quit because the bugs were so bad, then I discover 100% deet. Now I'm not sure if this stuff is recommended by dermatologists, but it does the job! It is now as much of a mainstay as my Roc and Aviar!

Lack of Elevation Change:
While this course utilizes its surroundings to the max, there is very little elevation change on this course. With the exception of #6, #8 and #10 this course is almost completely flat. To make up for this several of the holes have built up cobblestone retaining walls near the basket to add sudden drops in front or behind them.

Pricey for visitors:
With my season membership and the fact that the course is 10 minutes away from where I work I play more than enough to make up the $45. However, if you're just passing through the $7 day pass is probably the highest I've ever seen. The $ is obviously put to good use at this course, but it does seem a bit pricey for this generally cheap/free sport.

Not for beginners or "low-power" throwers.
Don't waste the $7 bringing someone here for their first round ever. Bring them to a shorter, easier, free course. Also, if you don't throw over 300 ft (for the Am's) or 400' for the Pro tee's you won't appreciate this course to it's fullest. If you generally play the Am tees at a course or throw 300-330... try Elver or Hiestand park. They will probably be more fun for you.

Red Pins:
While blue is my obvious favorite, white is quite good as well, however I'm always disappointed when the baskets are in the red position because it removes to many of the obstacles and too much of the length from the course.... though I suppose it is probably more fun for beginners.

My biggest question for this course is What is par? Like many other courses the written par (66) is far to high. However playing all par 3's (54) especially in blue layout, seems a bit too low. Looking over my last 4 scorecards from playing in championship layout I have had Deuces on 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 17, and 18. The easiest of these being 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14 and 17. 1, 10, 16 and 18 are only doable for BIG arms (all over 400 ft) #8 is just dang tricky to find a lane without meeting a tree or brush first and 2, 5, 11, 13 and 15 are nearly impossible deuces short of two AMAZING shots.

In my opinion holes 2, 5 and 15 should be Par 4's. 5 is pretty much already there, 2 and 15 could use a little more basket protection to make the 4 a little harder to work for. 11 and 13 could go either way... either leave them as is... a long, but fairly open par 3. Or they could add a little more in the way of obstacles (maybe some O.B.? A drop zone?) and try to make them hard enough to be considered Par 4's. This would bring the course to either a Par 57 or Par 59 and bring it to a 5 out of 5 in my mind.

Vallarta-Ast aka Token Creek is and will likely always be in my top 5 favorites. If you're getting tired of those "putt-putt" courses and are ready for a championship caliber course, come join me for a round at Vallarta-Ast, one of Wisconsin's finest.

Manicured and in a park perfect for the family outings. Challenging long distances and multiple tees.

Pay to play. Worth it though.

A real pretty course in Madison. Although I prefer to play Heistand when in the middle part of the state.

This is another great addition to the Madison disc golf scene, and adds it's own totally different flavor to the variety of courses here. The pay to play fee is clearly used at least in part for course upkeep, as it is beautifully manicured and kept up and really has the feel of a ball golf course. A lot of work has gone into this course with large dual concrete tees, nice signs with hole layouts and distances to all three pin positions at both tees, and lots of landscaping. It doesn't appear to get as crowded as the other Madison courses, which is one more benefit of the play fee.

With the multiple pin positions, there is a decent variety of shot shapes required to score well here, with a pretty balanced mix of left and right turning shots. There are a few shots that have more of a wooded feel to break up the more open prairie type shots with only a couple trees for obstacles. There is a pretty good variety of distances here, with some shorter ace runs and some longer air it out type holes, and the dual tees add more variety with the longs often adding a good amount of distance and a slightly different shot.

Normally I don't even mention pay to play as a con, it doesn't bother me to pay a few bucks to play a private course or to contribute to keeping up a fantastic course. Here though, $7 for 18 holes seems very steep. The maintenance is impeccable, but the course itself is just not quite challenging or interesting enough to be worth that. There are too many open holes with prairie rough that don't challenge you to make a good drive, you can easily get back to the hole for a 3 once you find your disc in the long grass.

With such nice signs and multiple pin placements, I was quite surprised to not see any marking for what position was currently in use. I'm not a fan of having to guess or walk up the fairway to know where the pin is, and it's not that hard to do something simple to mark the current pin set up. The course plays very close to park roads several times, which takes away from the feel of the course, as does the highway noise on the first few holes.

This is a nice course, and worth a round if you're playing the Madison area, but I personally put it behind both Hiestand and Elver for fun factor, especially when you throw in the high fee here. It's got some challenges, but not enough variety, elevation or punishing obstacles to make it really feel worth the fee.

Two sets of cement tees; offering two distinct courses for play.
Multiple pin placements.
As all reviewers note; course maintenance here is superb. Not only on a daily basis; i.e. trash removed, fairways mowed; tee areas beautiful and unworn as maintenance can keep things; but,
in addition to the wonderful job done on these daily maintenance issues; there is outstanding rock wall landscaping which makes for beautifully kept pin placements (hole #6 has three different pin placements located on the side of a hill; all are surrounded by raised pin with rock wall supporting basket area. You can be within a couple of feet of basket and still have an over your head putt). From the long tee on #6, an o.b. road also comes into play; short of basket locations.
Hole # 7 forces a choice around a forested area to a raised pin/ with a rock wall fall off behind; which again, may mean that you're a few feet from bucket; but putting over your head....also could mean you're level with basket; but forced to attempt a dangerous putt; that, if missed, will put you well below ground level; off the back side of green)....should be noted that while many courses do these types of green areas now; Token was an early innovator for this type of green.
Hole #5 is a signature hole for par 3 design.
Long tees really do make this course near a must play for blue level and below players. Definitely long enough to require good placement on drives; followed by a full round of quality upshots; to keep yourself in position to use any birdy chances for an under par round.
Good length from long tees.
Camping just off course at both group site, and individual sites. Bathrooms near group site and can be found along course. Showers available in park.
Rumors on the Madison board that this course may be expanding to 27 or even 36 holes in the near future.
Token Creek has been pay to play since it's inception; in 2001. Madison is perhaps the heaviest played area in Wisconsin (IMHO Fox Cites area not far behind; and Milwaukee not far behind that...I would not be surprised if these three areas are right up there with the most heavily played areas in the country). Pay to play here has made this course a must pay choice for locals not wanting to wait every hole to tee. Hiestand and Elver are both quality courses; worth playing; but they are both more crowded than here; due to pay to play; and enforcement (someone will very likely check at Token, to make sure you have paid your green's fees; heavy fine involved if you have not).

Course is fairly plain; especially short tee rounds. Primarily a flat course.
Yearly pass a good bargain for locals (@$50 for the year). For visitors; $7 per round is a bit steep; especially if you're using the group camp site and staying for two or three days....you end up spending $21 for three days; which is nearly half the yearly fee. IMHO; if you pay camping fees; greens fees should be included at a discount rate.

This course was somewhat ahead of it's time; but, just barely. The landscaped greens are a very nice touch; but many other courses began doing this about the same time as implementation here.
Hole length, from long tees, also still forces good decisions in regards to lay up areas and approaches to pin. Players under gold level skill sets; will need to figure what route they want to get to pin. But, not in a wooded hole way; more so, an open field way; around a certain tree; with a direct line to basket. However, higher speed plastic and overall increase in player abilities have made this less than a championship layout (read 4 or above rating). Short tees; while a very nice alternative; and worth bonus points for lesser level players; will be considered relatively deuce or die for blue and above level players. Big arms (who throw @350 ft. on a regular basis) will find long tees to be largely a deuce or die course. Pins are decently placed; but nothing too technical for anyone that can reach them.
Vallarta-Ast is a "ball golf" look course; with somewhat rolling, grassy fairways. This course is perhaps the best loved in the Madison area; partially because of this "look," and partially because the pay to play cuts down on the pure playing numbers. Myself, and others, prefer Hiestand for it's elevation and larger number of risk/reward shots. I, personally, am also very fond of Madison's first course in Elver Park....more elevation than Token; and a number of pine forest shots as well. Hiestand and Elver are extemely crowded though. For a more relaxed feel at what is still a 3.5 level course; head here.

This course is really taken care of well. The trash is removed very often. The grass is mowed regularly and is beautiful. You can drink on the course, glass is allowed. There are multiple pin locations and they are changed often. The different pin locations really change how u will throw on several holes. There are lots of woods but you aren't playing through tunnels.

There are little to no elevation changes, mostly flat. There can be considerable air tarffic overhead. You can really hear the highway on the first seveal holes.

BEAUTIFULLY maintained. The course is right off the highway, and very easy to get to. Two sets of great concrete teepads and multiple pin positions add a lot of variety in the length, layout, and challenge. Lots of different lines through manicured fairways. Holes average between 250-550' or so, and in the longest layout, is definitely a play-for-par type of course.

Playing here definitely feels more like a ball-golf round, due to the overall groomed feel, and beautiful landscaping.

The layout is very easy to follow, and offers good deuce opportunities, and rewarding par holes (#5 is the standout). The rough is pretty light, but the woods will definitely take away an easy shot if you stray out of the fairway.

Pay-to-play. This is the direction our sport should go in, and when the money goes towards keeping the course in this condition, it's well worth the price.

Mostly open, with very little elevation change. Some of the holes are similar at the 260-300' range. The course could use a few more good par 4 holes or doglegs.
Watch out for bugs in the summer, and bring some Off.

Definitely worth checking out, and worth paying for! There are park people walking the course backwards on most days to check for the payment, to keep people honest!

Edit(6/5/12): The new back 9 holes are amazing. They offer a very different playing field than anything else on the course, or even compared to all the Madison courses. Very open, which is something I'm not used to so it was very fun to play those for the first time.

Great course. Fairways and even the rough prairie area gets mowed. Three pin placements on most if not all holes. Definitely worth going to even for the money. I wouldn't spend the daily fee if I planned to go there a bunch though. It does have some elevation change, but not much. The fairways are still nicely plotted which does make up some for the mainly flat land. It's a pretty tough course, though not bad. The holes offer a good amount of variation for different throwing styles. Also from what I've seen, the pro tees look pretty challenging. It also seems that most of the times discs are easier to find than at Hiestand park.

With the $8 day pass you're best off buying a season pass. The Glide disc golf pro shop next to Hiestand park usually has season passes for sale, otherwise they can be found online or purchased through the regular day pass sheet/envelope. Bugs can also be an issue, but that's part of being in Wisconsin.

The nine extra holes should be finished some time in 2012, which I believe is the reason for recent price increases for day passes. I do agree that the fee is an alright thing since I hate seeing things like beer cans and bottles littered all over Hiestand. I still personally like Hiestand park better, but Vallarta-Ast is still a great course, I just like the variety and topography that Hiestand offers. I still plan to visit token creek a lot, and can't wait to see the new holes.

Good open fairways, kept up by the county parks dept. Some tight fairways.

Minimal elevation changes. Loud Interstate 90 noise.

Nice to play when Heistand is busy like during Tuesday league. Nice nature conservation area.

Immaculately manicured and upkept. Gorgeous park setting for a country-club like atmosphere. You will be impressed when you play here. There are elevated tee areas, terraced greens, and well kept up and wide fairwways. The rough is also nice and rough, enough to severely punish a bad shot. The concrete tees (both sets) are nice and large and not too badly eroded around the edges. 3 pin placements are a nice option, but a con is that they are not identified on the tee sign.

Pay to play is always a con, especially at a location with only 18 holes (private course aside). Plus pay to play brings an expectation that the course will have great amenities and grooming attention to detail. There is very little elevation here beside a few minor ridges around the property in front near the road. There are no good really wooded holes under a canopy (a tomahawk will get you past most trees in play here). There is no water hazard here at all and very little OB. One problem with the hugely manicured fairways is that you can be off course on your drive but still have a decent approach due to lack of obstacles. This reduces the 'necessary skill shot' factor.
Hole 3 has quite a bit of traffic noise from the interstate.

The country club look of this course just begs and screams for a higher rating, but I simply cannot. Don't let the 3.5 rating fool you, you will love this course and thoroughly enjoy your time spent playing. Plus, in conjuction with Elver and Heistand, you get huge bang for your buck in the Madison area. The country club setting does NOT get the extra points in this case becuase the course is pay to play - so I EXPECT IT! At Token, you don't get the elevation or really tight wooded tunnel holes you get at the other two Madison courses. Since Token is pay to play, and the other Madison courses are not, I rate the other two higher because I'd RATHER play them. While they are not nearly as nicely manicured as Token, sometimes manicured isn't always the best and big bush rules. But since the other courses are so nice, and Token is pay to play, and I rate courses relative to one another and how likely I am to play one over another, I have to rate Token just a bit lower than Elver or Heistand. But also by comparison to my other reviews, Token is probably the best of all the courses I rated 3.5 (3.75 would be ideal in my list of reviews).

1. Variety. Plenty of semi-open holes with pin placements strategically tucked away, making some easy-looking holes play a lot tougher. Gentle elevation, but even this comes into play with these strategic placements (drop-offs immediately after basket, rock ledges). Lots of lefty holes.
2. Maintenance. Your $5 (UPDATE: $8) quite obviously goes into the upkeep out here, with beautifully manicured fairways and great-looking tee signs.
3. Concrete tees.
4. Dual tees.
5. Signature holes. I think the back-to-back scenery on Hole #5 and #6 really adds a lot to this course, but it lacks any holes where you step up to the tee and say, "Wow" and pull out the camera.
6. Trash cans everywhere. It's obvious that the Mad Town DG community respects their courses, as litter was scarce to nonexistent (save for the inevitable cigarette butts...lazy asses can't field strip 'em and put 'em in their pockets, I guess).

1. From the long tees, you're looking at a lot of length, and several of the longs don't add to or change the feel of a hole; they simply add distance (one-half to three-quarters of a drive in my case).
2. No water hazards. Even a little man-made pond or two would add a LOT of challenge if done properly. Hole #1 would benefit immensely by putting one just left of the tree. Maybe some big landscaping boulders?
3. Mostly flat, but like I mentioned above, even the slight elevation is utilized to its fullest potential.
4. Slight navigation issues as to which path (sometimes there are several) to take after completing a hole. Fortunately, if you grab a scorecard/map from the permit area, you should be able to figure out the flow without too many problems.

I wish I'd had more time to play another round while out here. This was only my second time at Vallarta-Ast, and the first time was during the 2007 Mad City Open, which really took away from the enjoyment I get from a recreational round. This is a beautiful course overall, and most players should appreciate the surrounding beauty and upkeep. Really friendly locals. Make sure you pay your $5--not just to support the course, but because you run the risk of something like a $150 fine if you're caught without a permit, and you more than likely won't be able to finish up your round.

UPDATE: The pay-to-play fee is now up to $8. While $5 was "reasonable," this new fee, even though only a few bucks more, just isn't justified by the type of course this is compared to the other courses in the area. If paying results in this kind of impeccable upkeep, I'd get 100% behind ALL Mad Town courses going pay-to-play in order to transform the eroded and litter-prone Elver and Hiestand into lush green space like this. I have to adjust my rating here slightly in view of the other courses I've played since originally rating this, and the fact that the Parks Department keeps raising the fees, which is only going to drive down traffic if that continues.

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

1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == B- (The fairways are very wide and other than 2-3 holes it is hard not to recover for par after a mistake. With the fairways so wide, there is not a lot of decision making needed)

2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I throw 300' accurately, 360' max. == B- (Almost all the long tees are too long for me to get a birdie and are too short for pars to feel rewarding. The shorts are mostly too short for me to not expect a park job all the time.)

3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == B (There is good variety and balance. Problem is, with the wide fairways the course gives you too much latitude on how exactly you need to shape your shots.)

4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == A+ (This is the aspect that boosts things way up. Even though my technical and competitive needs are not met by this course, I can not help but feel ecstatic and pampered playing here. The beauty, the maintenance and the amenities/small touches are amazing! Kudos to the designers and caretakers! Thank you for showing us how disc golf can be in this department!)

5) Bonus points for multi-shot holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == C+ (There are 3 holes from the longs that I consider real multi throw holes. Hole 5 requires decent distance and good placement on the drive to be a good shape to park an upshot especially when the basket is in the longest position. Great hole! Holes 2 & 15 are both 530' and as such are unreachable by mortals, but are nothing too exciting requiring only a 300' drive and a 230' approach. IMO, 50' more and they would be much better holes.....but, I am always way thankful to see several multi-shot holes of any type on any course!)

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 (125 18-hole, 64 9-hole as of mid 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.