Urbandale, IA

Interstate Battery DGC

2.715(based on 12 reviews)
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7 0
knobby325
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 8.7 years 323 played 248 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Tough on Par - Nice for the area 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 13, 2020 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Concrete Tees
-Decent Baskets
-Quick Play
-Some benches / trashcans
-Good Map
-Area is kept up well

Cons:

-Par 2s for 7 holes
-Favors a RHFH or LHBH on at least 3 holes (tough to get Par otherwise)
-Can get busy (has been at least twice when I played)
-Lines for 4 and 7 cross and throw at each other
-Was more open area to use

Other Thoughts:

Interstate Battery DGC is located in the green space west of the Interstate Battery warehouse in Urbandale, IA. A short course of all less than 275' with 3 less than 200'. Most of these are just out of "pitch n putt" range with either the distance or the weaving around trees. Holes 1 and 2 really demand a right fade to even have a chance at making par. The lines for #4 and 7 cross and throw at each other and with 4 staring across the road and 7 being down about 10 feet, there is a danger of cross traffic. Very errant shots behind #3, right of #4 and up and behind #7 may end up on a busy street (industrial area). Baskets have been updated and painted (in an Interstate Battery paint scheme) recently. The area does seem to be mowed regularly, but with a higher cut, you will get little to no bounce in the grass here. There is a lot of space that could be used for some wider open and longer shots, seems like a bit of a miss on design. The design, pars and potential traffic keep this down for me. That being said, working on your short game or looking for a quick round, this is a nice course to do that at. I have enjoyed my rounds here and will probably play again, probably in conjunction with other area courses.
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4 0
roksax
Experience: 20.9 years 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Quick, Easy, and Fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 13, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Course is very well maintained.
Great use of what would be empty green space.
Great place to play and practice on lunch break.
Plenty of birdie and ace opportunities.
Great for beginners.
Field next to course is great for practice as well.

Cons:

Course may be too easy for seasoned players, but would be a fine place to practice some approach shots & putting.
Concrete pads are a little small.
Longest hole is a bit under 300 feet.

Other Thoughts:

This is what more businesses should do with their green space! It's really awesome that this course exists, and it's been a great place to practice during lunch breaks. I play this course nearly every weekday.
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1 1
mj4cy
Experience: 8.8 years 12 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great Practice Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 30, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

You can play a round in 20 minutes.

Easy to navigate.

Well maintained. Concrete tee-boxes. Nice cages.

Cons:

Holes are pretty short.

Concrete pads are too small if you like to have a running drive approach.

Little variety in the holes.

Other Thoughts:

Can't complain about this nice little course. Not worth driving from out of town but if you're in the area it's a GREAT course to play over your lunch break.
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3 0
dutchrunningriot
Experience: 35 played 8 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Solid Short Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 18, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The course is in great shape, and is well taken care of. Cement pads (on the small side) and good baskets. I suggest this course to those who want to work on their midrange/putts or if you don't have much to travel. I was able to get in four rounds in about a hour very easily.

Cons:

There isn't a lot of variety or challenging shots. There is a few trees scattered throughout, but I'd say only the first two holes do you even need to worry about working around a few trees. Otherwise it is just firing away at the baskets.

Other Thoughts:

If it is your first time at the course, I suggest taking a picture of the initial course map on your phone. The baskets have their numbers on top, but the pads don't have numbers.
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0 1
Dsjoats
Experience: 9.8 years 315 played 15 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Looking good 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 30, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

The signs, tees, and baskets are in great shape. (newly painted)
Very easy to navigate.
Entire course is grassy and wide open, no need for hiking boots. You could probably play barefooted.

Cons:

Not a ton of variety of shots required.

Other Thoughts:

I played early in the morning and had the area to myself. Very peaceful and quite. I enjoyed the course, but probably would play elsewhere if I had the time. This is a well maintained, nice course, but nothing special or challenging.
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0 1
ryanwilli7
Experience: 13 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great Midrange and Putter Work 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 29, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Course is very well maintained. Great course if you want to work on your midrange game and putting. Offers a variety of shots even though it is a short course. The course is never crowded, and I can usually get 3-4 rounds in an hour.

Cons:

Its short. If you want to bust out your distance driver this is not the course for you.

Other Thoughts:

If you need to get some quick rounds in this is a fun and easy course. This would also be a great course to bring someone who is just getting into the game, it is pretty forgiving.
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3 1
D2Maniac2782
Experience: 19.8 years 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice place to play over lunch 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 13, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

UPDATE:

This course is owned my Interstate Battery and not by Lennox. They have added a sign with a map, hole distance, and rules for the course. Please keep it clean and picked up so we can continue to enjoy this course.

I found this course on this website and it is right by my work. I decided to go play it and was surprised how nice it was. They have added brand new baskets and poured concrete tee boxes. Some of the shots require a nice shape to them to get close. You can defiantly play 2 or 3 rounds during an hour lunch. I would recommend this course.

Cons:

There are no signs to show the holes. After you play the course 1-2 times you dont need a sign but for new comers it would be nice.

Other Thoughts:

Great little course, close to work played 2 rounds my first time out during lunch.
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2 1
jbyrum
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Updated course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 11, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

All new baskets, updated (minor) course. Short course, easily completed twice over a lunch hour. All holes now have concrete tee boxes, benches and garbage cans placed along course.

Cons:

This course is privately owned but they allow public access. The day I was there I spoke to the maintenance person who mentioned all the garbage and beer cans that they pick up daily. They've considered closing it to the public. Pick up after yourselves!!!

Other Thoughts:

Although this is a short course, there are some challenges and it's very well kept. They've put a lot of money into it within the past 2 weeks so let's do our part to keep it open and clean.
Oh, be sure to smile for the security cameras when you pee by the tree or dump your beer cans.
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2 1
JakeTheWrestler
Experience: 10.9 years 40 played 2 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Quick but enjoyable 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 22, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Very quick rounds. It takes about 20-30 minutes to play through, and I usually will play two or three rounds in less time than it takes me to play any of the area's 18-holers.
-Good use of the available space. While the course is for the most part an open piece of land, their are a good number of trees planted for aesthetics around the business, and the course makes very good use of them. There is also some slight elevation around the water drainages and shape of the land parcel that the course incorporates nicely.
-Decent approach practice. I would rate it a step up the average pitch and putt, as nearly every hole is deuce-able, but they all offer a little bit of challenge to get it done, and there's only one or two real gimmie birdies.
-Not busy. While I have seen more people on this course lately, I have still never encountered more than two or three groups playing at the same time, and I have never waited on a pad for another group to finish a hole.
-Course updates. Someone must care a little bit about this course, because at some point in the last few years concrete teepads were added to all the holes, and better baskets were installed. Overall, that made the difference between there barely being a course here and now being one that is very playable, if nothing overly spectacular.
-Amenities. There are nice benches and trashcans installed next to about every third teepad. Not that they're overly necessary for such a short course, but they are nice to have nonetheless. Again, it seems that someone cares about the course. I would also mention that while the course doesn't use it at all, there is a very large, flat field between the building and where the course plays along the road. It is more than big enough for some field work, although I doubt this feature is by design.
-Fun ace runs. While every hole on this course can be made in two throws, and it's not difficult to take a three, I would also say every hole is ace-able. Some would be quite difficult, while a couple are just asking for it, but its possible on all them.
-Well maintained. The course is placed on the green space around the driveway into the Interstate Battery offices, so its always sure to be well mowed and very presentable.

Cons:

-A couple of holes play pretty close to a fairly busy road, so an errant throw might result in risk to you or your plastic.
-The baskets seem to have been second hand when they got put in on this course, and aren't perfect. They work well for the most part, but am-side chain hits rarely end up in the basket.
-The concrete tee pads, while very nice to have, are smaller than average. It's not a huge deal for shorter holes where a big run-up shouldn't be necessary, but it can be uncomfortable at first. Further, the wood frame on some doesn't sit flush with the surface, and can be a tripping hazard.
-Holes 4, 5, and 7 play through the low-lying drainage area, and after any rain can be pretty wet and swampy. The worst of it can be avoided without having to adjust your play too much, but its also pretty easy to end up in the mess.

Other Thoughts:

The last thing I would mention is the sort of manufactured challenge on the course by way of demanding pars. While not PDGA-approved, this course posts a par 2 on seven of the holes. Playing for that standard adds a lot of the difficulty to the course, and it seems from the Udisc leaderboards, that it rarely gets met.

Overall, for a simple course thrown together on the available green space at an employee request, it can be a fun round. The updates made in the last few years have really turned it into a very playable course. If you're looking for a smaller course to play a casual round, or a more experienced player looking to challenge their mid-range game, this course is an entertaining one to play if you're in the area.
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3 0
Wood Chuk
Experience: 43.9 years 372 played 34 reviews
2.00 star(s)

a little love 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 29, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

-I liked the shots on #2 & 3 - the topography made them unique.
- the course map makes play much easier.
- this type of industrial landscape exists on countless acres and the course seems compatible with the landscape.needs
- clean
- abundant parking
- very open, the wind will be part of your game


Cons:

- baskets and tees are in poor repair
- #4 & 5 have potential for throwing into busy road
- #4 tee appears to be missing
- chains catch OK, but baskets will allow discs to fall through
- very open, the wind is a factor

Other Thoughts:

This course really needs some love. The needed repairs could be performed fairly easily and inexpensively. Some of the tee boards need replacement, all could use bright paint. Pliers and some S-hooks should fix the chains, the baskets just need some wire and they will hold discs. Being from out of town, I found this course easy to find and fun to play. It was single digit temps and a moderate wind when I played and I really enjoyed throwing here.
I thought the course was especially cool because of the location in an industrial setting. This isn't a championship course, but it is a unique opportunity to play in a landscape that you have probably never considered as recreational.
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5 0
rhettro
Experience: 22.9 years 37 played 17 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Easy and unnavigable 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Fairly quiet course, good chance you will be the only one there.

-convenient parking

-well mowed and maintained

Cons:

- tee markers are simply boards, most missing their metal numbers, and all extremely hard to locate. Since they are dug into the ground they do not protrude past the well mowed grass.

- The baskets are in very poor shape, rusted and poor craftsmanship. The bottom of the basket allows all standard discs to slip through the gaps, and the top of the chains are attached by hooks on the inside of the upper rim, this setup allows for the chains to easily fall out of place, and dangle.

- Most of the holes are fairly uncreative and either to short or a bore to play.



Other Thoughts:

This course has good intentions and I tip my hat to the people that made it happen. With a few minor cosmetic changes (better tee posts and securing basket chains) I would award another 1/2 disc to the rating.

This course seems to be simply outdated however it may be useful to practice shorter approach shots and putting amongst smaller trees and bushes. You do not have to worry about walking through tall weeds and eaten alive by bugs.

I am in the process of creating a short course map with the tees and baskets I was able to locate while playing. Please look for that, as it may make this course a bit more enjoyable if you are not forced to search for the hidden tees as I was, although it may be even better if you create your own tees to add a bit of challenge.
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1 1
DRuMiNFiNN15
Experience: 15.8 years 10 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Easy/Practice 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 25, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Short - helps work on those long approach type shots
-Convenient location
-Nice big open field to work on drives
-Not too busy

Cons:

-Basket chains don't like to stay hooked up
-Tee pads (wood planks on the ground mark) are difficult to find
-Roads can come into play on a couple of holes
-One hole crosses a driveway entrance into the business
-Roads have drains near the fairway path (don't miss)

Other Thoughts:

Not necessarily a course that will challenge you, but is a good place to go work on your short game. Not worth driving in from out of town.
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