Milwaukee, WI

Dretzka Park - Winter

3.335(based on 21 reviews)
Filter course reviews

Filter reviews

Filter reviews

Dretzka Park - Winter reviews

Filter
8 0
Horsman
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.6 years 222 played 100 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Great Winter Alternative 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 6, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

+ Giant Parking Lot with potties near hole 1

+ Teesign designs by the great Kevin Rynders of Pandamonium Discs. I might be biased here but they are great. They give you all the info you could need on a teesign. They show you the next tee or where to find it. They are winter themed, which is awesome. Kevin built it into the signs that they can be movable and the holes can be reordered and you do not need to get all new signs.

+ Mach 3 baskets aren't always the best but these catch as they normally do.

+ 27 holes of variety. You can and should throw every disc in your bag and every shot in your arsenal. This course is on the shorter more playable side for winter golf but there are a few long holes mixed in there. The only shot you probably won't see while there is snow is a roller, unless you count throwlers.

+ Hole 8 is probably the best hole in the Milwaukee area to play and spectate. Its a giant top of the world shot thats maybe 100' wide with trees on both sides. This is usually a back up hole so a lot of times you have a good gallery to watch you shank it into the trees or come up 100' short. Its a ton of fun to watch and throw.

+ The course for the most part is a birdie fest. Its not deuce or die but almost every hole can be 2'd and the best rounds you will see out there with be 20ish under par. A perfect round could be had here.

+ This course does a good job of utilizing the trees that are there. You dont feel like you are playing a wooded course but its not an open course. Its a good mix.

Cons:

- Rubber teepads. Every round I play here I wear ice cleats to give me some sort of traction. The rubber teepads with ice and snow are slick. They are unfortunately a necessity for this course because it is only temporary and the course is on the ball golf course that is obviously closed in the winter. It would be awesome to see some concrete tees get put out here on year but I don't see that happening.

- Mach 3's could be upgraded to DISCatchers to match the rest of the Milwaukee courses and it would make the baskets easier to spot. The pop of color on the band against the snow would be some nice contrast.

Other Thoughts:

This course has gone thru many different layouts over the years. I love that this course hasn't stayed stagnant over the years. It keeps getting tweaked to be a better version of itself.

This course is not a must play based on the golf but it would be a must play if you are in the area for the winter since its just a seasonal course. I enjoy playing this course when I get the chance. I know its not going to be the best effort from myself but I will have a lot of fun.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
10 0
Kegelexercise
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 29.8 years 56 played 25 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Delightful Alternate Course to Play in the Winter 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 28, 2019 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Fun alternate layout of Dretzka Park that plays in an entirely different part of the park than the Summer course does, including 18 holes that go onto the actual golf course.

1) Scenic Beauty: The golf course section of this winter layout is especially beautiful. If you're lucky enough to have a year where MKE county installs the baskets a little early (usually happens around Thanksgiving), the course is stunning in the fall, and honestly, after a snowfall, the course is still a winter wonderland type sight to behold. With the elevation/hills you have to go up/down, it almost feels like you're on a ski hill sometimes.

2) Elevation: Unlike the summer course, the Winter course has a serious elevation element to it. Several big uphill/downhill holes add to the intrigue. Water comes into play on a few holes, but is often frozen over.

3) I'm normally not a huge fan of rubber teepads, but the ones on this course are about as good as they get. Long enough for winter play (let's face it, if there's any snow/ice present, you probably want to limit your run-up), and surprisingly grippy.

4) Baskets are the old summer course baskets, but they're still in good condition, and as of roughly a month ago, the holes all got new tee signage (they're no longer those janky wood signs!), which looks very sharp.

5) A slight re-design of a few holes for the winter of 2019 has added an extra dimension to the course. Hole 24, in particular, has evolved from a 350' or so straight shot to a 450' uphill bear of a hole where the basket is between two trees at the very top of the hill, allowing for some serious overshot potential.

Cons:

Nothing too bad, but some things limit this alternate layout from really being a top-echelon course

1) The golf course segment of this layout is where it really shines, but the "Top 9" (truly, holes 1-7 and 26/27) is significantly less intriguing. A couple of cool holes into/out of patches of forest, but the "Top 9" by itself is pretty standard park-style disc golf and would rate a 2.5 if I were scoring it as a standalone 9 hole course.

2) This is not going to come as a surprise, being predominantly on a ball golf course, but the course, as a whole, skews towards wide open. Some people love this, but there aren't too many tight technical holes.

3) Emerald ash borer is a huge problem in this part of the country, and this course plays through several sections of the golf course that used to be lined with ash trees, which have been removed. Holes 15/16 in particular used to be significantly more challenging and fun, but have been reduced to straight up wide open bomb runs by removal of dozens of ash trees. I'm hoping this doesn't continue to kill off too many more trees in future seasons.

Other Thoughts:

With many MKE County and other area courses pulled for the winter, the Dretzka Winter Course becomes a lifeline for area players who are willing to brave the cold, wind, and snow. I recommend playing it at least once if you're coming through the area, and to make it a regular visit if you're from the area. The golf course section of the winter layout is wonderful. If it's your first time playing, you may want to review a map of the course first - most hole to hole transitions are pretty straightforward, but Hole 7-8 (the transition to put you onto the golf course) is a bit of a hike, and is the least intuitive of them.

Be sure to pay attention to the weather - the course should be considered CLOSED any time when it's significantly above freezing, and though having a solid snow/ice cover should render the course playable in borderline 32-35 type temps, please use your best judgment when deciding on a day to play. MKE County Parks dept. has graciously offered this alternate course layout over the ball golf course for some time, but players deciding to play when it's too warm/wet/sloppy can put that in jeopardy. Please be smart.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
11 0
Badger45
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.9 years 131 played 22 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great winter course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 27, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Dretzka Winter has been a must play for me for the past few seasons and may be more enjoyable than the permanent course. It's laid out fairly well, but I'd still recommend printing or downloading a map if it's your first time out there. This year, you've got the winter course, plus the other 27 holes all available to you, which makes for a great outing.

- Rubber teepads on each hole that are laid out well and mostly level.
- Tee signs give hole info and next tee position, so if you don't have a map, navigation isn't impossible.
- The variety is nice. Long, medium, and short holes with variations in elevations and obstacles.
- Garbage cans and benches throughout help keep your bag less of a mess by the time you finish.
- Play goes back-and-forth across fairways, uses treelines for tunnel holes, and keeps changing it up to be interesting and enjoyable.
- Even though it's a seasonal course, the parks department takes good care to keep this well-maintained and empties garbage regularly.
- Parks Dept employees that we encounter are friendly and excited to see people out playing disc golf.

Cons:

These are picky, so maybe more a word of advice than a true "con" list.

- First 5 holes are very open park-style holes that are good for warming up, but not challenging. Wind plays a lot into how these go, as well.
- Walk from 7 to 8 can be confusing, if you don't have a map.
- If it's warmer, wear waterproof shoes / boots. 1-7 and 26-27 can get swampy.

Other Thoughts:

If you can play this one, go for it. Disc golf is a year-round sport and even in the Frozen Tundra people are starting to see how enjoyable winter golf can be!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
6 0
tangerinewarehouse
Experience: 9.7 years 98 played 34 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Bring your drivers 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 18, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

It's great to play a different area of Dretzka park
Scenic beauty and wonderful golf experience
Very interesting design that mixes open, tunnel shots w/ elevation
27 holes packs it in, you can play different parts for shortened play
Hole #8
some lefty friendly shots

Cons:

A lot of open shots but considering the layout it makes sense
first few holes are blah till you get to the ball course section
this course should be free to play, if you're willing to come out in winter in wisconsin and play DG it should be free

Other Thoughts:

when i play this course in the future I'm just going to start on hole 5 and maybe skip hole 27 because this course is just too darn long to be drudging through the mud and snow. i think just playing those 22 holes or so will be way more enjoyable. I think the design is enjoyable and will try to take advantage on those forty degree winter days, we had quite a few of those last winter.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
11 0
Stardoggy
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 12.7 years 1002 played 214 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Solid alternate layout 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 11, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

When the ball golf course closes at Dretzka, the disc golf course transfers over, and quite well.

Rubber tee pads, which are pretty solid. They could stand to be a touch longer, but they grip well, and are almost always cleared off. Level, and pretty darn good for being temporary on a seasonal course.

Wood signs at each hole, with distance and path. Rudimentary, but another nice touch on a seasonal course.

Distances here aren't huge, but they're just right for winter golf. Lots of elevation in play, including a nice ski hill bomber (at least for my Int arm).

For being on a ball golf course, they do a great job of incorporating trees and obstacles. Lots of tunnels and lower canopies can force your shots. The holes tend to play along the sides, or shooting across, the ball golf fairways instead of just open shots straight down them.

Cons:

Navigation can be a little wonky the first time you play it. Being seasonal, there's no permanent "next tee" type signs. Fortunately, this is a well played winter course, so there's usually some locals around to help with that aspect.

Some of the course can start to feel a bit wide open. It's not all open, but if there's no wind (there usually is), and your drives are on, you can score well here.

Other Thoughts:

I really like this course. In fact, I'd say it's right on par with the summer course. If I lived closer, I'd play this bad boy all winter long. Well designed, not a beat down....all good things when you're trudging through snow and bone chilling temps.

Plenty of parking, and never too full.

Definitely worth checking out!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
10 0
Moose33
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.2 years 203 played 201 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Winter Course? Well it's fun! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 24, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

I was previously unaware that such a thing as a specific Winter Course existed but was glad to pull up to Dretzka and not only find a nicely playable course, but a completely different one than I had ever played.

It was a very enjoyable experience.

The pads were large rubber mats that had been kept clear of snow and ice by some surely sainted individual. Very easy to throw from. Don't break out you 360 here but it's for plenty of room for anything else.

Baskets are the normal DGA baskets from the course so very nice and catching very well.

The holes are mostly 350 or less with several under 200, but no mistake in the cold that is plenty long.

And the variety is great, tons of trees, small openings off the tee and some awesome risk/reward shots.

I also liked the fact that they had little wooden signs at each tee showing the placement/distance/direction of the next pad.

It's also very long and plays to the full 27 hole potential.

Awesome course, in some ways better than the normal one as far as layout goes.

Cons:

The signs could be more clear on a few, and on the map I didn't see all of the holes.

I missed a few because I either or lost or found the wrong pad.

Partially user error here though.

I'd have liked to see one or two a bit longer but that's not a big deal.

Other Thoughts:

Overall this was really fun to play and I'd play it a lot if I lived near.

Very weird thing; do your discs tend to fly less HSS in the cold? Seemed like I was flipping everything every snow round I've played this year.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
12 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.9 years 970 played 542 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Awesome winter only course near Brew town 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 9, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

I'm rating this course as a winter course ONLY because that is exactly what it is. And with that said it's a very nice one. There are standard concrete tee pad sized rubber mats on every hole. Depending on the location of the tee some stay drier than others. These are regularly shoveled off and since it's a well played course the tees stay pretty clear of snow/ice build up. The fairways and route from the basket to the next hole are very easy to figure out. There are very basic hole signs at every hole with the distance and direction of pin hand drawn on. They also have the hole # and an arrow directing you to the next hole which was extremely helpful as a first time visitor here. There is a bit of elevation, both up and down hill here, with a decent amount trees mixed throughout. Not too many trees but a good enough amount for a winter round. The real challenge here would seem to be the wind and disc skippage. That and again obviously the winter conditions of cold hands, iced over basket areas, finding discs in the snow, etc. This to me is not a con at all. It makes you plan your shots more than you normally would in the other seasons and really makes for a challenging round. They have Mach 3 baskets here. These are the same ones I'm assuming they use on the standard course but just move for the winter layout. These are all in fine shape. They're broken in well with the year round play on them. They caught great when we went even with the cold chains which were all rust free. It's set up nicely too so that you can play either 9 holes (1-7 and 26 & 27) or the full 27 holes. It's free. The local club/s around here do a fantastic job keeping this playable and enjoyable. I will note that there is a (frozen) water hazard here in a creek that runs through the golf course section. This can still technically be a water hazard but for most of the time this set up is in it's frozen over. BUT they do list it on the signs which is good to know. There are multiple trash cans throughout the course too. There's a nice satellite map of the course layout by hole 1 which helps for newbies.

Cons:

AGAIN this is a winter only course. So besides the obvious negatives that come with playing in cold weather I'm only going to list cons based on a winter course. With that said the walk from 7 to 8 is a little tricky for first time players. The baskets for the most part seem to be just straight ahead of the tees. There's more distance variation here than the other reviews led me to believe but most are in the 200 to 300 foot range. This is misleading though because in the winter and in this set up makes scoring well here still not super easy. The bugs can get really bad....oh wait, it's winter.

Other Thoughts:

Me and my wife had a blast playing here. Again the locals keep this in excellent shape. I'll play here anytime I'm coming through the area, summer course too. Dretzka's my favorite course in the Milwaukee area, and I've played all the bigger ones and over 100 total, and the winter set up lives up to the summer version very favorably. Highly recommend if you're in the in the area and love discing in all seasons.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
2 13
CConnors3
Experience: 19.8 years 197 played 17 reviews
5.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 25, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I play this course on average about 3x/week because it's the best course in the Greater Milwaukee area during the winter season. They've mixed it up compared to the past few years' layouts with new holes, pin locations and tee pads. Great usage of the terrain and elevation changes throughout the course. Having a course on a closed down golf course is always nice to play on with the good grounds keeping.

Cons:

The rubber pads tend to get a little slippery if the snow is melting or it's warm outside so make sure you where some boots with good tread.

Other Thoughts:

It'd be interesting to see a tournament where you would play the 27 holes at the winter course and the regular 18 and alternate 9 holes at the regular course.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
2 2
BRW33114
Experience: 17.5 years 85 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Changes? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 5, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I've been a huge fan of Dretzka Winter much more then the summer course due to the elevation changes, variety of shots, distance the course offered, and the scenic factor. Many deuces available to build your confidence and potential aces.

Cons:

Since changing holes this year the challenging holes have been eliminated by shortening and over grooming in some cases. For competitive play the course got a lot easier then past years. A few if the teepads in addition to being slick because of rubber were also on somewhat bumpy and uneven ground making it challenging to get good footing.

Other Thoughts:

Dretzka Winter is still a very worthy course to play and very scenic. Usually very well maintained and my only concern would be the shortening that occurred.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
3 1
steven2361
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.9 years 286 played 53 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Birdie Time 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 31, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The rubber tees can get very slippery. The homemade wooden signs are awesome. Nothing much interesting happens until hole 8 on this course. Hole 8 is a signature hole, a 450 foot steep downhill throw. You must land in the fairway to have a birdie look as there is thick rough to the right and pine trees to the left. Hole 13 is a fun little flex line hole. 15 is a good, tight wooded hole if I remember correctly. 16 is a very tough birdie to get on its long, slightly downhill, tight fairway.

Cons:

This course is very open and does not offer a lot of challenge. The first 7 holes are pretty boring: open and flat. Throw a hyzer the first three holes and then an open 400 footer. Hole 5 is a less then 200 feet little woods shot. Hole 6 is a straight forward midrange shot, slightly downhill. Hole 7 is a short chip hyzer.
Hole 9 is another wide open 400 footer. The rest of the holes I have not mentioned are mostly short birdie holes that don't offer many interesting features.

Other Thoughts:

It's nice they keep a course in in the winter.

This is deuce or die golf.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 2
discgolfinskwrl
Experience: 15.7 years 10 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

wish it was open during summer 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 26, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

There's something for every one, good elevation change, with various distances to add a different element every hole... The back 15 has much less wind..... Tee pads are usually shoveled..... Can be broken up if yr on a time crunch....

Cons:

The 10 holes by the parking lot are heavily affected by the elements because they are so wide open.... Can be hard to navigate... Be careful not to miss hole 16 and 17.... It's easy to accidentally skip them.

Other Thoughts:

Fun course, wish it was open year round.... Definitely a must play though because it isn't permanent...
Was this review helpful? Yes No
0 4
Doucette
Experience: 17.1 years 6 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 18, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

One of the only winter courses in the area
Played on a real golf course
Not crowded
If you really wanted to you could play the winter course and then just hit the white poles on the regular course and play 51 holes.

Cons:

Easy to loose discs
Hands get cold
Only up for the winter

Other Thoughts:

Real fun, but they take down half the course when the regular golf course opens. So take advantage when its up
Was this review helpful? Yes No
6 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Great winter option 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 13, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

If you have to lose a good course like Dretzka for the winter, having an option like this is pretty awesome. There are nice rubber pads, and good permanent baskets for the winter layout. The signs are basic and hand-drawn, but show the layout, distance, and direction to the next hole. The course uses the terrain available quite well to make things interesting.

Despite being pretty open, there are some different lines to hit. There's as much variety in hole shape as could be expected. There are some nice elevation shots, including two memorable downhill shots from the tops of sledding hills. Some other holes play up or across hills to add some challenges. A creek comes into play as well, adding some risk.

Cons:

The biggest issue is how wide open the course is overall. There are several holes with no trees in play, and several more with only a few scattered trees that still allow just about any line you want to the hole. It can get a little repetitive without defined lines to hit. There are some long walks between holes, not a big deal as they're easy to follow (especially when there are already footprints in the snow). The tees are rubber, and aren't laid permanently so many were lumpy and uneven when I played.

Other Thoughts:

I had a good time playing here, and will definitely be back next winter. It's a shame that the bottom 15 holes get taken out early, leaving a pretty mediocre 9 hole course until the summer course is back in. Beginners might find a little much length, but there isn't too much punishment for errant shots. More experienced players will find it pretty open and a little repetitive, though for a winter course it's a lot of fun and worth playing.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
9 0
superberry
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 25.9 years 336 played 95 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Winter seasonal, what can you really say 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 2, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

For a seasonal, winter only course, it is a very good offering. While being mostly open, you do get a good variety. There are wide open long ripper holes, fairly tight tree lined holes (no pine tree tunnels necessarily), long and short wooded holes, uphill, downhill, across water, along water, and great left/right/straight balance.
While I don't remember the actual hole numbers because I played a while ago and we didn't start on #1 either, I'll try to describe some of the more unique holes. One hole you throw from up on a ridge under a canopy of pines and out through a tunnel of pines to a pin straight ahead below. I liked throwing this hole twice. Great straight ace run with a buzzz or putter. There is a somewhat long downhill bomber hole on one of the sledding hills. It could be quite a bit longer and really be spectacular, but it was good anyway. The next hole after that is across the creek so you do get some puckering going on, especially in the winter with bad footing and thin ice.
The balance and variety is really what pumps up the appeal of this course. You get to play up and down the sledding hills, along and across the creek, through and into/out of some gatherings of trees, and across the mainly flat parking lot areas with decently designed holes with a handful of trees that do some shot shaping. For a winter course, you're still forced to throw some 400'+ holes, and one of those is through a fair number of trees (I think it was over 400').
There are more than 18 holes.

Cons:

The course is mostly open.
Only one set of tees.
Not really any risky pin placements, or greens to think of.
Being a winter seasonal course, wind is a con. Because this course is wide open, winter wind is awful, and leads to looking for wind blasted shanked drives as well as cold bodies. I prefer closed up, tightly wooded winter time play, where the blanket of snow and tree blocked breezes provide an eerily silent and peaceful round.
I think the sleeves are permanent, and since most of this course plays across the ball golf course, the design does suffer a bit. What I mean is that I'm sure the parks department doesn't want a pin sleeve or ruts from a rubber mat tee area in the middle of a ball golf fairway, green, or tee box come summer. So the disc golf tees and pins are all located off the defined ball golf hole components. This holds back the design potential because some ball golf greens and tees would also make excellent disc golf tees and greens!

Other Thoughts:

The course has many components that really give a course the extra points in my course ratings - elevation, water hazards, balance, unique terrain, and more than 18 holes. But I don't think I can rate it any higher. It's only seasonal! It is also mostly open. I did enjoy playing, and given all the other course closures in the area I would play again next winter.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
7 0
Scott Van Dyke
Experience: 29.8 years 36 played 18 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Best temporary course I know of 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 15, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-24 holes!
-Only a temporary course, so it's nice to play when you've not seen it for a good six months.
-Lots of majestic pine trees.
-Wonderful change in elevation.
-Beauty of a ball golf course.
-Course is installed when the normal 27 holes are pulled for the Winter and Spring. Nice amenity!
-Good solid permanently anchored baskets.

Cons:

-Temporary course means temporary tee pads. Pads are black rubber mats. Not my favorite.
-Course can be tricky to navigate the first time around. The map that was uploaded here is poor.

Other Thoughts:

Dretzka offers a fresh 24 holes of Winter golf when the normal 27 are pulled. The first 7 play around the three sides of the parking lot, while the next 15 play on the ball golf course.

These 15 are "extra" temporary, but that just means they are pulled earlier than 1-7, 23 & 24, as the grounds crew ready's the ball golf course every April.

When you climb the hill between 7 and 8, and look down the old ski hill and spot the basket for #8... know that you are in for a treat. This course makes you feel you are alone out here, and it's in Milwaukee!

One last note: When the 15 holes on the ball golf are closed in late Spring, you can still do 8-9 holes of this course until the regular "Summer 27" are back in the ground. 8-9 holes include 1, 2, 3, possibly 4, 5, 6, 7, 23, and 24. Hole 4 may close, as it goes across a Rugby field which is utilized by late April.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 0
bschommer
Experience: 19.9 years 50 played 8 reviews
4.00 star(s)

fantastic winter course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 16, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

For a winter course it is fantastic. holes 7-22 are on the ball course. these are the holes you really want to play. elevation is used quite well. good mix of short holes and long holes. long holes arent much over 400' but in winter it is hard to throw any way.

The course is by far the best in the area in winter (and summer)

Cons:

Holes 1-7 and 23-24 can be played as the front 9 and are, in general, lame holes in a field, with minor trees in spots. these holes are flat except for hole 23 which is a tee on the top of a wooded slope shooting down into a grove of trees.

Other Thoughts:

Best course around for winter disc golf. Not sure why people have been rating this so low especially since this is a winter course
Was this review helpful? Yes No
11 11
Dave242
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 29.8 years 393 played 271 reviews
1.00 star(s)

C- = below average playing experience 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 2, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

I am struggling big time giving this course only a 1 disc rating. I loved playing the course for the first time yesterday and can clearly see the intent of the design in making a fun and non-demanding winter time experience. Like is said in a previous review, dealing with snow is enough - there is no fun in having to deal with the schule too.

The problem is, I do not have a separate scale for winter courses. So, I am rating/ranking this course like all others (for comparison's sake I gave Abendshein & Wales a 1 disc rating so I think I am being consistent).....but for the beauty factor I have to rate winter beauty only since I will never see it in the summer (and i am sure it is spectacular then!).

Huge thanks to the Great Lakes DG Club for all the work in setting this up every year and providing a great wintertime experience! ......and sorry for the inadvertent slam my rating seems to give your efforts to give us a fun place to play in the winter.

Cons:

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. == D
(Only 5-6 holes have enough trees to even start forcing you to throw a particular shot, but even those holes do not punish a really bad shot any worse than a mediocre shot. Hole 16 is the lone exception since on this hole there are enough trees and distance to add an stroke for a bad tee shot. I know, because I lived it!)

2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I'm a Blue level player (950ish skill) who throws 300' accurately, 360' max. == C-
(There seems to be an inordinate amount of holes that are just out of my range (which is shortened by not being able to have a full run-up and follow-through). This makes for the same level of intrigue as throwing on a football field. I also think a lot of the published lengths are shorter than the real lengths - I paced a few of them off to verify.)

3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == C-
(Again, this course is almost completely wide open. One thing that boosts things up for me in the fun factor is the long downhill bomber hole (8) - it is all I have to reach the basket.....and it is a blast to see the disc sail that far down a hill!)

4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == B+
(This would probably be an A in the summer.....if we could play the course in the summer. The first 6 and last 2 holes are in the parking lot area (but it is only DG in that area in the winter), but the remaining 16 holes are very secluded. You feel very alone in nature out there - a great place to just walk around and unwind! I especially love the beauty and seclusion of holes 12-17.)

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

Other Thoughts:

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 this course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. See my profile for specifics on my rating philosophy.

I fancy myself as a connoisseur of good course design and I am a competitive Blue level (950-ish rated) with mid-level power (accurate to 300' with max D of 360'). Since I have played a decent number of courses (150+ 18-hole, 90+ 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.....and that's the fun of things here.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
15 0
tallpaul
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 35.8 years 934 played 133 reviews
3.00 star(s)

see some more of the park 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 16, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

24 hole winter course....with more and more Wis. courses pulling their buckets for the winter; it is quite a testament to the Dretzka crew that they have found a way to cooperate with the the bolf course and put this course in place for winter play.
Perfectly cleared and installed rubber tees.
Nice course with 3 rated types of throws; asking for variety of blue level skills.
Opportunity to see some of the bolf course area that will not more than likely be seen in the summer if one is a discer. Some of the groves one plays into or through are very scenic little pieces of forest.
Basic tee signs of every hole; showing the layout. The basket can be found straight ahead on nearly every hole; and can be seen. No real blind shots here. Shot options may include right or left lines; but pin finishes dead ahead on nearly every hole.
Locals can choose a number of options for number of holes played; based on time available. Parking lot and hole layout offer options for skipping sections, if daylight or schedule doesn't allow for full course play.
Course well played; and so navigation issues are mostly taken care of; by simply following paths from one hole to next.
This is primarily a blue level course; however, there are a couple of near gold level holes that will give you some "wow" factor. One; a nice 400 foot downhiller; another, with a shot requiring 290 to clear a creek; plus another 50 foot to basket; and a third, very nice hole with an uphill finish; fairly narrow fairway with some of the biggest trouble on the course to either side; that's quite visually pleasing in the "winter moonscape" view. This course has a nice "moonscape" type of feel throughout. The locals have been working with; and tweaking the layout for a few years now; changeing @3 holes up this year; for the better.
Trash cans and benches in abundance. They have taken care of many of the little things at this temp layout.

Cons:

Rubber mat tees; while nice; are quite short. Basically, the entire course must be played with no more than a two or three, little step run up. As of 1-16-2010, mats are surrounded by sheer ice on all sides and in both front and back. Therefore, you can not begin your run up off the back of short mats; nor can you really finish your follow through off the front end; as most players do. One of our playing mates took a full body spill on hole #1; pointing out to our crew from the outset; the dangers of these issues. This is not really anyone's fault; winter play in these conditions: is.....what it is. But, be prepared to practice getting driving power with one step and a release.
Yardage on most holes; is fairly short; though, this is no pitch and putt; by any means. The two step run up can be successfully used, for most holes, if you have mastered the needed skills.
Note Texconsonite and Harr's directional notes. There are a few places here with a bit of a non intuitive walk between pin and next tee. I did not see any next tee signs; but we had the advantage of playing with a regular; and so, was not an issue. And, as I mentioned, walking path traffic is more than enough to lead you in the correct direction. Again though, I would suggest taking note of their directional help if playing for the first time.

Other Thoughts:

This is a winter play course. I can not imagine that; short of a ton of snow; that conditions could be much worse than at present. Lots of ice all around tees and even on the course at present. We have had nearly a week of 30+ temps. This has allowed just enough snow melt; followed by night refreeze; to make things pretty treacherous. Tees are perfectly cleared; but surrounded by scary footing. In spite of all of this; our round was pretty enjoyable.
Benefit tourney 1-23-2010 and Ice Bowl event on 1-30-2010. The strong presence that is the Dredzka scene; continues during the winter; and this course is worth a visit; simply due to the fact that these guys are making the worthwhile effort to put a good quality, winter only, layout in for your enjoyment.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
5 1
smyith
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.5 years 211 played 68 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 27, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

**Original Layout**
The teepads are actually kept cleaned off by the locals. Challenging course for winter play. Lots of elevation change. Good mix of long and short holes. Large mature trees with little to no random low hanging branches.

Cons:

**Original Layout**
Although there are alot of trees, they do not come into play on the majority of holes. Though, the holes they are on make it incredibly challenging (a good thing).
Not available for play during summer :.(

Other Thoughts:

**Original Layout**
Come play The Big Freeze tournament at the end of January each year. It helps to have someone with you who has played the course before since it can be hard to follow.
**New Layout 2012-13**
The bottom side of the Original Layout remains essentially the same, very minor if any tweaking.
The top side has completely changed. A few holes have remained tho, Hole 2(Was 5), Hole 7(was 6), Hole 26 (was 23), and Hole 27 (was 24). The holes by the rugby field are gone :'(. And it has become a deuce-fest. The new 5 & 6 are really fun holes though, and a great addition. The 3 completely new holes are alot of fun. They are deuce holes, but require well placed shots to do so. I would have like to see these 3 holes added without changing the topside.
Overall, I am really not happy with the new layout. 8 through 19 are still essentially the same and I could play those over and over. The top side well thats a different story, 20-27 are still fun but not very challenging overall. 1 through 7 are a let down and just unappealling.
I am not changing my rating cause overall it is still better than a 3. I seriously considered originally giving it a 4 but now it is at definite best a 3.5.
I still suggest playing the course cause it has alot of FUN holes and ace runs are a plenty.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
17 0
Texconsinite
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.2 years 138 played 77 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Impressive for a Seasonal Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 5, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Just the idea of setting up a whole new, more open course for the winter is pretty sweet, since looking through snow for your discs is already hard enough without having shule to deal with as well. I've never heard of another course doing this, and I'd say that's one big pro that makes Dretzka unique.

The rubber tee pads were all in great shape, and are solidly set in place. A really great feature, doesnt get icy like concrete can in winter, much better grip for snow boots.

The course map and Winter Tee signs are really nice as well: A chunk of board screwed to a tree next to each pad has the hole map & length drawn in sharpie, as well as the direction to the next tee. Function over form, I love it! Very easy to read. I think it is a testament to the local club that their temporary winter course has better pads and especially better signage than many top-notch year round courses do in places where it doesnt snow. They even have signs to tell you where the next tee is in places where its not obvious.

The course itself is a very nice mix of fairly technical and fairly open holes, none of which feel like pointless filled holes. With a few notable exceptions, the flow is very easy and obvious, making this a pretty FTF course.

The course starts out by the parking lot and football field, with some shorter holes weaving through the trees. Definitely forces you to shape some shots around trees. Even on the more open holes like 4, which tees off under a football goalpost, the basket is protected in some trees for a nice combo of open drive and careful approach/putt. Minor terrain in play.

After #7, the course switches styles and scenery, when it moves away from the road and through a line of evergreens onto the ball golf course and old ski hill. #8 starts you off with a 450' drive down a wide tree-lined ski run, that plays about 100' shorter due to the elevation. Its the kind of hole that makes you want to empty your bag (twice). #9 also plays along what seems like old ski runs at the bottom of the hill with some terrain.

Once you cross the frozen river into the woods on #10, the course moves to the somewhat flatter area of the ball golf course. Many of the holes weave through mazes of scattered trees on the sides of the BG holes. Some cut back and forth across the frozen creek that bisects the course, and let you air it out a bit on the long open avenues. Usually even then, the basket is in some kind of tree cover trees. Requires a lot of different shots, curves left and right, with several lines to choose from on many holes. Several baskets on downhill greens by the riverside make for risk of rollaways on putts. The trees in particular make for many interesting holes that are each a bit different in the scope of their challenges. Overall, still not too tightly wooded

On holes 18-22, the course hits the slopes again for a variety of fairly challenging elevation shots, before returning you to the parking lot area on the last two holes. 18 shoots up through an area of tiny pine trees (marked with orange flags DO NOT step on them) that will make this hole even better in the next few years as they grow up.

22 plays along the top of the hill, and is one of my favorite holes on the course. The drive is mostly open for the first 200', but the basket is guarded by two giant pine trees that force you to shoot between them. On top of this, about at the twin pines the fairway starts to slope slightly downhill to the trees past the basket. This makes it a challenging shot to gauge, since if you thread the twin pines, its hard to get the disc to stop with overshooting the basket.

It doesn't seem very technical at first glance, but its harder than it looks in several subtle ways, which pretty much defines this entire course. In addition to the many good-sized trees that you have to bend around, wind can also be a factor on just about every hole on this course. The holes face all different directions, so its tough to know which way its going to come from. Not really strong winds, like those at Hiestand, but just enough to mess with your lines a bit and make the trees loom larger.

The course also has a very nice mix of distances on it. It has both short ace runs (like #5), and a few shots close to 400' up a ski slope that will really push you, (like #22). It manages to not favor big arms too much, despite being mostly on a ski hill and ball golf course. Its not very tight and technical either, though it gives opportunity for a good variety of shots.

Cons:

SIGNAGE: Initially, it was hard to find the first hole, since this course evidently starts in a different spot than the regular course (Updated directions since then).

Also, the transition from 7 to 8 was a bit confusing. From basket 7, walk past the building through the opening in the trees. you'll see a sign that says to go 315' for hole 8. Keep going straight to the ski hill. you should be able to see tee 8 a ways further off.

Hole 23 shoots out of the trees into the same area as # 7. Its tee sign says 8 instead of 23. This is wrong, and two seconds of sharpie work would fix it, and seems like a pretty obvious mistake on a course otherwise so well marked. Also, coming the other direction from 22, you cant see 23's tee tucked back in the woods, so remember where it is after you play 7.

Sometimes the directions to the next tee on the signs were a bit misleading.

1) On some holes it shows an arrow pointing to the direction to the next tee.
2)On others it has a square with an arrow coming out from it.
In the latter case, the square is the next tee location, and the arrow is the direction that next hole actually plays. Sometimes it seems like these two are mixed up, and the arrows are very general. They are good guidelines, just not very specific. Fortunately the flow is pretty good with mostly short walks between holes, so just follow the footprints and you shouldn't get lost.

Other than these few small issues, the signage overall was fantastic and really improved the experience.

COURSE: The middle section of the course seemed mostly flat, but the many trees help compensate for this. The ski hill holes are mostly open but again, the elevation helps compensate for it. Thus, this course gives a nice variety of elevation and fairly wooded holes, but rarely much of both at the same time. This is really the only mark I can find against the course itself. Overall its a well-balanced mix of distances, on fun holes that all have something to offer, though few are truly memorable or challenging holes with that "wow" factor that makes a course a 4 or above. What it really comes down to is that it has elevation and some trees, but it could use more of both, mixed together on the same holes. However, it manages to avoid being repetitive or boring over the course of 24 holes, which is not an easy thing. It is a very enjoyable, well-done winter course that's harder than it looks.

Other Thoughts:

I played at 7am when it was as many degrees outside before the wind chill, and had to throw with gloves on. This course really kicked my butt, especially in putting. I must say, though, I've seldom had as much fun playing so poorly. Since wind is a factor, come ready to feel 10 degrees colder than the weatherman says, and you'll be fine. Some spots are a bit icy.

Again, I've gotta commend the area Disc Golf Club for putting together a separate 24 hole winter course, and doing such a good job at it to boot. Great idea, great pads and signage, can't wait to play the summer course.

Was this review helpful? Yes No
Top