This is by far my favorite course out of the four Madison area courses being a local. This course isn't far off from a "Championship" level course. Token Creek was the final round course for the 2016 Am Worlds when the tournament was in Madison. This course has a good mixture of long holes and shorts holes. Token Creek also has a good mixture of wooded holes and open holes. Token Creek is 27 holes with a great layout that brings hole 18 right back to the parking lot with hole 19 also being right next to hole 1. So if you only want to play 1-18 you can and if you only want to play the last 9, hole 19 - 27, you can, Each hole has a short and long tee pad. Also each hole has three different pin positions except hole 22 which is an island hole. The pin positions rotate weekly. The fairways and entire course are always very well maintained by the county.

The only "Con" Token Creek has is that it doesn't have much elevation change at all as almost every hole is pretty much flat. Also it can get slightly busy here in the summer on Saturday mornings Token Creek has a random draw doubles league at 10 am. Other than that, it can get a little busy during the week after 4 pm each day but nothing terrible.

This is by far the best course in the Madison area in my opinion. If you only have time to play one course in the Madison area, play this course, you will not regret it. Lastly, call it Token Creek. Its real name is "Vallarta - Ast" but none of us locals even know how to properly say it. The course is on the "Token Creek County Park" so every just calls the course Token Creek.

-A beautiful 27 hole course- definitely worth the season pass for residents as well as the day pass for visitors. It is a must-play in the Madison area!

-The holes vary widely in composition, technicality, and distance. There are short holes, long holes, holes through the woods, holes in the open, and lots of changes in elevation. There are a lot of very, very interesting holes that require technical prowess to par or bogie, but are still not punishing for beginners. The best part of this course, in my opinion, is that each hole has its own character, and no one feels like the play of another (on the first 18).

-Two tee positions and three pin positions.

-Intuitive layout.

-Beautiful signage.

-The last nine holes (excluding the island hole) are a little repetitive, and at this point the players with less endurance feel like dipping out. But, on the bright side, the front 18 end at the parking lot and it is easy to leave without playing the full 27 if you feel so inclined.

-No water hazards, if you're into that sort of thing.

This course is a lot of fun for people of all experience levels and I adore going here.

I'm relatively new to the game, and I like that the short tees on the course give me a fair opportunity at making par with the occasional birdie, and that when I want to stretch myself, I've got the back tees available to make the course even longer. I'm sure people with real monster arms would like those back tees even further back - in many cases, they're only adding 50-75' to the holes.

Maintenance of the course is great, as you'd hope to find on a pay-to-play - all holes are well signed, and the path to the next hole was obvious, even the 1st time I played the course. Most holes even offer separate paths leading to the long and short tees.

There's a decent mix of holes on the course - none of them are so obscenely tight that there's really only one way to play the hole. The pin locations are pretty thoughtfully done - even on the new 9 where trees are fewer and farther between, switching tees completely changes how you approach the hole in some cases.

If you're not local enough to play this course and Capital Springs (the other local course operated by Dane County), the $8 fee is a little steep. 6 rounds in a year is the break-even for the annual pass. Dane County passes aren't valid at Madison courses (Elver and Hiestand) or vice versa. They need a revenue-sharing agreement.

Since I live real close by and have a pass, I'll sometimes swing by just to play a quick 9 after work. If you want to just do the front or middle 9, you have to cut through a few paths to make your way back from the 9th basket or to get to the 10th tee. The new 19-27 starts and ends at the parking lot.

A few of the holes are pretty close to I-39/90/94, so a few holes have a fair amount of highway noise - mostly on the new 9 as well as #2 and #3. If the wind is wrong, it's in the background elsewhere, but not objectionable.

The lack of trees on the first few holes as well as the new 9 can make for some windy conditions, too. Prevailing winds in the area tend to blow from the west/southwest in the summer.

Dane County ought to offer an option somewhere in between the $8 day pass and the $48 annual pass. Punch card good for 4 rounds for $20 or something along those lines.

I was. very impressed with this course. The thing I noticed before long while playing this course was the open it was, then how much green, mowed grass there was, then I started to notice how the trees were trimmed up - all much different than what I am used to playing on around Iowa City. I like my local courses, but the groomed, well maintained nature of this course was a nice change of pace, a change that frankly I prefer. I thought I had it well with Sugar Bottom, Turkey Creek, and Shaver Park, but I think what Vallarta/Token Creek has to offer plays better to my style and what I want from a course.

And very little poison ivy!

Very few cons to say about this course. Maybe more signage leading you to the course once inside the park.

About all that could improve what I saw (and I did not see holes 19+) might be some beverage cart girls!

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.

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.

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.

I loved the fact that there were alternate tees.
I loved the fact that there was so much variety to the course.
I loved that I did not see one piece of garbage.
I loved how well manicured the course was.

The baskets were cheap/small.
Some of the fairways were a little close together.
Five dollars a day seems a little steep.

I loved this course! Lots of diversity and beautiful atmosphere. I loved the fact that you can camp so close to the course.