-
Discover new ways to elevate your game with the updated DGCourseReview app!
It's entirely free and enhanced with features shaped by user feedback to ensure your best experience on the course. (App Store or Google Play)
Wilson Park reviews
13
1
A Fun Recreational Course That Provides A Fun Quick Round To All Skill Levels
Reviewed:
Played on:Jun 20, 2022
Played the course:once
Pros:
Wilson Park is a fresh, new-for-2022 recreational 18-hole course that navigates around a well utilized city park. Providing a mix of distances among the mature trees of the park, this course is one that players of all skills levels can enjoy.
Location of Wilson Park is in the heart of Granite City, a small town just on the Illinois side of the Mississippi. Geographically, this spot was probably one of the larger areas without a course in the area besides the middle strip of the city and west county areas to the west of St. Louis. This park is relatively easy to get to whether you're approaching from I-55/70 from the south or I-270 from the north. There are plenty of gas stations and food joints close by for any gas or food needs; if you're coming from Missouri and need gas, get it before crossing into Illinois. The course starts along the north edge of the park, and you can park in the lot next to the digital park sign and the ice rink (the building with the huge roof). From there, walk west around the picnic shelter to find the first tee by the administration building.
Park Amenities are plentiful in this 74-acre park, and you'll see just about all of them during your round. Other than disc golf, you will find pickleball courts, a basketball court, baseball and softball diamonds, an ice rink, tennis courts, a skate park, and a swimming pool. There are also multiple playground areas and rentable picnic shelters, as well as bathrooms and water fountains throughout the park. Outside of those uses, there are plenty of nice garden areas, paths, and picnic tables that you will likely see plenty of folks utilizing.
Course Equipment is limited as this course is still being polished. The baskets are the main thing in place, and they are brand new DISCatchers that are very easy to spot among the greenery around the park. For now, there are bricks and small wood posts signifying tee areas; while the tees are natural, all the tee areas are flat and smooth with very few exceptions.
Course Design at Wilson primarily centers around shorter fairways that are squeezed between the collection of tall mature trees in the park. With only five holes over 300 feet and one over 400, the layout is set up in a way that it will be welcoming to newer players while still providing tight enough gaps to provide some fun lines for more experienced players.
Shot Shaping is present at Wilson, with many holes providing multiple options. While there are certainly holes that play straight, there are others where you can pick your line. Multiple holes play with more obvious rhbh hyzer lines along with more difficult straight or flex lines also being an option for you. There are also holes with rhfh options present, especially hole 16. For being such a short course navigating other park uses, the amount of options for tee shots is nice to see.
Use of Land is really maximized, as a lot of the land not dedicated to specific uses are now fairways for the disc golf course. Some fairways are open, while many others snake between paths and ball courts. When looking at this park online after first hearing this course was being worked on, I assumed it would be a 9-hole. Getting 18 holes in this park of this quality was a nice surprise to see.
Difficulty is at a nice level at Wilson. As stated previously, this course is short and open enough to be accessible to locals new to the sport that want to give it a try. Hole 7 is the first hole in the course that is farther than 250 feet, providing a round that lets you warm up on the first few holes before opening up with longer holes in the middle of the round. Many holes have multiple options for lines, allowing you to either go with the line you're more comfortable with or trying something different for a challenge. Holes 8 and 18 come to mind as examples of this. Wide hyzers look to be the intended lines on these holes, with tighter straight or flex lines present. As an intermediate player that DGCR believes should be 920 rated (you don't have to lie on my behalf, DGCR), this course was easy to shoot a -7 at on the first go, but there were plenty of times I was tempted to try some fun lines that would have likely put me closer to par. Overall, this is a great course for newer players to practice different lines on, which is just the type of course a park like this can really use.
Location of Wilson Park is in the heart of Granite City, a small town just on the Illinois side of the Mississippi. Geographically, this spot was probably one of the larger areas without a course in the area besides the middle strip of the city and west county areas to the west of St. Louis. This park is relatively easy to get to whether you're approaching from I-55/70 from the south or I-270 from the north. There are plenty of gas stations and food joints close by for any gas or food needs; if you're coming from Missouri and need gas, get it before crossing into Illinois. The course starts along the north edge of the park, and you can park in the lot next to the digital park sign and the ice rink (the building with the huge roof). From there, walk west around the picnic shelter to find the first tee by the administration building.
Park Amenities are plentiful in this 74-acre park, and you'll see just about all of them during your round. Other than disc golf, you will find pickleball courts, a basketball court, baseball and softball diamonds, an ice rink, tennis courts, a skate park, and a swimming pool. There are also multiple playground areas and rentable picnic shelters, as well as bathrooms and water fountains throughout the park. Outside of those uses, there are plenty of nice garden areas, paths, and picnic tables that you will likely see plenty of folks utilizing.
Course Equipment is limited as this course is still being polished. The baskets are the main thing in place, and they are brand new DISCatchers that are very easy to spot among the greenery around the park. For now, there are bricks and small wood posts signifying tee areas; while the tees are natural, all the tee areas are flat and smooth with very few exceptions.
Course Design at Wilson primarily centers around shorter fairways that are squeezed between the collection of tall mature trees in the park. With only five holes over 300 feet and one over 400, the layout is set up in a way that it will be welcoming to newer players while still providing tight enough gaps to provide some fun lines for more experienced players.
Shot Shaping is present at Wilson, with many holes providing multiple options. While there are certainly holes that play straight, there are others where you can pick your line. Multiple holes play with more obvious rhbh hyzer lines along with more difficult straight or flex lines also being an option for you. There are also holes with rhfh options present, especially hole 16. For being such a short course navigating other park uses, the amount of options for tee shots is nice to see.
Use of Land is really maximized, as a lot of the land not dedicated to specific uses are now fairways for the disc golf course. Some fairways are open, while many others snake between paths and ball courts. When looking at this park online after first hearing this course was being worked on, I assumed it would be a 9-hole. Getting 18 holes in this park of this quality was a nice surprise to see.
Difficulty is at a nice level at Wilson. As stated previously, this course is short and open enough to be accessible to locals new to the sport that want to give it a try. Hole 7 is the first hole in the course that is farther than 250 feet, providing a round that lets you warm up on the first few holes before opening up with longer holes in the middle of the round. Many holes have multiple options for lines, allowing you to either go with the line you're more comfortable with or trying something different for a challenge. Holes 8 and 18 come to mind as examples of this. Wide hyzers look to be the intended lines on these holes, with tighter straight or flex lines present. As an intermediate player that DGCR believes should be 920 rated (you don't have to lie on my behalf, DGCR), this course was easy to shoot a -7 at on the first go, but there were plenty of times I was tempted to try some fun lines that would have likely put me closer to par. Overall, this is a great course for newer players to practice different lines on, which is just the type of course a park like this can really use.
Cons:
In-Progress - This course is about a week old as of the writing of this review, so some of the equipment that will likely be present is not here yet, most notably the tee signs and tee pads. UDisc is updated with the layout, so if you have that app, then navigation should be a breeze. Even without UDisc, navigation isn't too bad, with only a few spots where the yellow bricks and stakes might not stand out to you from the previous pin. Just looking around the park, you can tell the park department is top notch, and all of the disc golfers on the local pages have nothing but great things to say about said department. Between the local Parks and Rec and local disc golfers helping with the course, I'm sure additional equipment will be added before long and will be top notch.
Hazards in relation to other park uses aren't too bad at Wilson, but a couple of spots might make folks feel uneasy. Holes 7 and 8 play close to a path depending on what line you take on hole 8. Holes 10 and 15 play over pathways, though you can see pedestrians from the tee before throwing. There are also a couple holes with paths, parking, or streets behind holes, most notably holes 5, 15, and 18. If you're jut mindful of the distance and don't disc up too much, these shouldn't be big issues.
Course Design really makes the most of the land available in the park here, but there are a couple spots that might make you scratch you head a bit. Holes 15 and 16 cross fairways, which doesn't seem like an idea option. A local that was also on the course said he thought this might be an error, and that the baskets need to be switched, which would make the two holes play parallel. While this set up would come with some issues of their own (most notably hole 16 playing by the street), this would at least get rid of the crossed fairways that could be an issue on a busier day. Hole 17 also feels like an awkward walk, as you must walk the length of the fairway to the tee. This was likely done to avoid throwing towards the ball field by the tee, but it seems like an unnecessary walk when compared to the rest of the course layout. It would be nice is 18 ended closer to the parking lot and not in the middle of the park, but I think it's an understandable choice, as it would probably be hard to cram two general hole paths to and from the parking lot area, and the east side of the park is mostly ball fields. After hole 18, follow the path to the left to the parking lot.
Crowdedness around the park will likely be a factor for you during your round, as this park is highly utilized by the community. Plenty of folks were either walking around the paths or using the open areas in the park. I had a few moments where I either had to wait for folks walking the paths in the park, and there was a guy practicing football in the fairway of hole 11 (like Uncle Rico, but probably better). He was very understanding when I asked to throw real quick, and even with the other small delays, I finished 18 holes in 52 minutes. Keep in mind this is a popular park and that folks are getting used to disc golfers chucking plastic around; asking politely to throw and waiting an extra minute here and there didn't detract from a fun evening round for me. Just keep in mind you will likely have to do the same playing here.
Hazards in relation to other park uses aren't too bad at Wilson, but a couple of spots might make folks feel uneasy. Holes 7 and 8 play close to a path depending on what line you take on hole 8. Holes 10 and 15 play over pathways, though you can see pedestrians from the tee before throwing. There are also a couple holes with paths, parking, or streets behind holes, most notably holes 5, 15, and 18. If you're jut mindful of the distance and don't disc up too much, these shouldn't be big issues.
Course Design really makes the most of the land available in the park here, but there are a couple spots that might make you scratch you head a bit. Holes 15 and 16 cross fairways, which doesn't seem like an idea option. A local that was also on the course said he thought this might be an error, and that the baskets need to be switched, which would make the two holes play parallel. While this set up would come with some issues of their own (most notably hole 16 playing by the street), this would at least get rid of the crossed fairways that could be an issue on a busier day. Hole 17 also feels like an awkward walk, as you must walk the length of the fairway to the tee. This was likely done to avoid throwing towards the ball field by the tee, but it seems like an unnecessary walk when compared to the rest of the course layout. It would be nice is 18 ended closer to the parking lot and not in the middle of the park, but I think it's an understandable choice, as it would probably be hard to cram two general hole paths to and from the parking lot area, and the east side of the park is mostly ball fields. After hole 18, follow the path to the left to the parking lot.
Crowdedness around the park will likely be a factor for you during your round, as this park is highly utilized by the community. Plenty of folks were either walking around the paths or using the open areas in the park. I had a few moments where I either had to wait for folks walking the paths in the park, and there was a guy practicing football in the fairway of hole 11 (like Uncle Rico, but probably better). He was very understanding when I asked to throw real quick, and even with the other small delays, I finished 18 holes in 52 minutes. Keep in mind this is a popular park and that folks are getting used to disc golfers chucking plastic around; asking politely to throw and waiting an extra minute here and there didn't detract from a fun evening round for me. Just keep in mind you will likely have to do the same playing here.
Other Thoughts:
Overall, Wilson Park's disc golf is a great addition to this community, and to the St. Louis area disc golf scene as a whole. With the nearest quality courses being about 20 minutes away (sorry SIUE), it's nice to have this town covered now. The course joins a slew of other great park amenities, and will provide a fun round to just about everyone that plays here. While there are minor things here and there with the design and interactions with other park uses, the course really makes the most of the land available to provide some fun shots and opportunities for new players to learn the game.
This course is a little out of the way if you're passing through town on any of the nearby interstates, but if you're a course bagger looking to try a chill but fun rec course, this one is worth a quick round at. I highly recommend that local give this course a look to, as I think it's a great recreation level addition to the already great collection of courses in the St. Louis area. With age and additional equipment, I could easily see this course earning at least a 3.5 rating in my opinion. With the support I have seen online and from what I've heard about for the park from the locals, this course is certainly in good hands.
Granite City is not a place I've found myself going to for any reason as a local who lives on the other side of St. Louis, but after playing a round at Wilson Park, I may have to change that.
This course is a little out of the way if you're passing through town on any of the nearby interstates, but if you're a course bagger looking to try a chill but fun rec course, this one is worth a quick round at. I highly recommend that local give this course a look to, as I think it's a great recreation level addition to the already great collection of courses in the St. Louis area. With age and additional equipment, I could easily see this course earning at least a 3.5 rating in my opinion. With the support I have seen online and from what I've heard about for the park from the locals, this course is certainly in good hands.
Granite City is not a place I've found myself going to for any reason as a local who lives on the other side of St. Louis, but after playing a round at Wilson Park, I may have to change that.
