West Des Moines, IA

Southwoods Park - Old Layout

2.755(based on 20 reviews)
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1 0
djvolqu
Experience: 3 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

In progress 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 25, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well marked pins and tees.
Good info given to players on the sign posts for each hole.

Cons:

This is still a work in progress. Quite rough, but fun. Many areas are still wet and muddy. The holes are all relatively newly cut out of the woods and should be walked with caution.

Other Thoughts:

Very fun course, definitely want to come back when they finish the course!

Check for ticks after you play! This is probably an obvious thought. But my wife and I found one after we played and weren't really expecting it.
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3 0
knobby325
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 8.7 years 323 played 248 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Hilly, but not too bad. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 19, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Multiple Tees for all but one hole
-Nice concrete tee pads
-Par is very generous

Cons:

-Needs more trash cans and some benches
-Signage is missing on several tees including #1
-You have a choice of long paths between #4 and #5

Other Thoughts:

Not as bad a some of the other reviewers thought, though I played early in the season and was not punished by rough. The amateur tees play pretty short and it was a fairly quick round. I layed up on #6 to have a better shot over the gorge. It IS a hilly course, so be prepared. There was only 1 tight tunnel shot (#4), the rest were OK. I would play again. Note that the first tee is at the top of the hill under the power lines to the right from the parking lot (with the AM tee down the hill a bit on the left.)
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2 1
Bondobates
Experience: 8.8 years 77 played 10 reviews
2.50 star(s)

A nice varied course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 17, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

It has downhill shots, uphill shots, through the trees, over water, blind baskets. Long and short shots. 8 of the tees are multiple. Fairways have always been mowed.

Cons:

No signage at the beginning. Holes 1,3,6,8 and are missing signs on the long tees. 4 and 7 missing all signs. When there is a lot of water running through the creek, moving to hole 2 can be impossible. No signs to point to next hole.

Other Thoughts:

Take the left trail from hole 4 to the street then to 5. There are a few trails that meander through the woods to 5.
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3 2
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
2.00 star(s)

No Thank You! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 11, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

I think the Perfect Storm happened the afternoon I attempted to play Southwoods. The events were:
It was my sixth course of the day and I was exhausted.
It had been raining all day and all that thick rough was now soaking wet.
A summer lightning storm was all around me.
It was dinner time and I needed nutrition not aggravation.

In spite of these events, Southwoods is a lost disc waiting to happen. # 1 plays 471' down the fairly narrow power lines. A perfectly straight drive down the middle could easily land in three feet high grass never to be found or requiring a full scale grid search. A not so good drive sails into deep, ugly rough on either side.

The next two holes play up the same the power line hills and the deep grass is still a major inconvenience. Then # 4 was once a pretty cool, little technical throw in the woods. Now it's overgrown almost to the point of being unplayable.

Then # 6 is a ridiculous hole to have on a rec course like this. It's 543' from the longer tee. You have to hit a miniscule window which is directly above an ugly gorge, with nasty standing water. I would be OK with this hole in a Pro level tournament but on this course, it's just a complete waste of the player's time. Welcome to the bottom of the gorge, boys!

Cons:

Way overgrown. Too much time searching for discs in the rough OR losing discs.

# 9 hole plays down a slight hill and then requires a walk back up to the parking lot. Poor design.

Missing signs. Navigation is shaky anyway. An on-line map would help.

Other Thoughts:

This is one of those courses you play and think, I'm so glad I don't to come back and endure this agony/aggravation again. Apparently, some players enjoy this course. I doubt hey'll encounter many other players here too often.
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3 0
FredHJ12
Experience: 12.6 years 18 played 18 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Decent, but better courses around 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 4, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Tee pads are in solid shape, and multiple tees for most holes
-Baskets caught well
-Nice elevation changes
-Nice variety of shots, can use many of the discs in your bag
-Some very nice distance shots for a 9 hole course
-Pretty quick round
-Tee signs are helpful and in reasonable shape

Cons:

-Rough is very bad in some spots. Poison ivy and such. Might have to go looking for a disc a few times each round
-Not sure how much better the course can be maintained, but just sort of an awkward area to put a course at. Not exactly sure how to describe it, but just a bit too naturey for my taste
-Navigation is a bit tricky. Mostly flows logically but it might take a bit of wandering for a first-timer
-Pars are a bit forgiving

Other Thoughts:

There are a lot of positive things that this course does that many others don't, including elevation changes, multiple tees, and a wide variety of shots. With that said, I feel that the negatives outweigh the positives in this case. The weeds and rough really hurt this course in my opinion, and that really took some of the fun away from me. I would recommend stopping if you are a course bagger, but otherwise you are better off going to a course like Ewing or Grandview which have more holes and are better overall.
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2 1
seadog19
Experience: 16 years 10 played 5 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Southwoods Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 4, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Challenging course.
Short play time if your looking to be there and back quickly.

Cons:

Front 5 are not maintained at all.
Discs can be easily lost.
First hole fairway is not mowed at all and is a pain to find discs.
Not for beginners.

Other Thoughts:

The back 4 holes were fun and more open but I was just not a fan of this course at all. I was playing with beginners and we spent most of the time looking in the very dense woods for discs.
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1 2
LoewDog
Experience: 12 played 12 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Love this 9! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 6, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is a fantastic course if you are looking to get nine in.

Clean (thanks to the folks I have seen coming out with multiple bags of trash)

Easy to navigate, good signage.

Good elevation and shot lines...long, short, tight, bombers...everything in just nine holes!

Cons:

Late spring to early fall...the rough is ROUGH.

Discs get lost.

Lots of thorny plants that tear you up. Poison Ivy also.

Pars on the signs seem a little generous, so we play everything as a par 3 except 6 and 8...for a par 29.

Other Thoughts:

Hey...don't hit the rough :)

I love this course!
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1 3
Dsjoats
Experience: 9.8 years 315 played 15 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Great variety of lengths.
Pro and Am tees.
Challenging course.
Easy to find.
Nice views.
Really liked the drive over the creek on #6.

Cons:

The rough is rough.
Tough to navigate the 1st time. Spent a lot of time looking for the next tee. Could not find #7 w/ out help. (straight across the street from #6, look for a path up on the left)

Other Thoughts:

Fun course and worth the drive over. Wear hiking shoes and bug spray. Don't hesitate to play the AM tees the first few times to learn the lay of the land as the rough can be brutal.
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3 0
JmanJoshua
Experience: 24.9 years 97 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

9 holes that feel like 12 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 15, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I cut my teeth on this course, back in the day and it has gone through some changes and improvements. It is a surprisingly difficult 9 hole course. My friend and I use to drive over here after school almost every day and play the course a few times. It was nice to come back and see they seem to be keeping up on the course.The first hole starts up to the right of the parking lot and shoot way down to the bottom of the hill. When you first look at the fairway it looks huge, but it is easy to have your disc turn into the thick woods which border both sides of the fairway. ( I have found a lot of discs in these woods over the years withouth names. Please write your name and number on your discs people! A lot of people will call you back to give it to you.)This fairway in the middle of the trees continues for the next two holes and you make your way back up the other side of the decently steep hills. The next hole is in the woods back down the hill and take a left after the huge bushes that guard the path to hole 3 on the right side. Hole #4 is a shock after the first three holes with a tight fairway to the basket. It is easy to get nocked off the fairway and into the woods. This hole makes you practice throwing your disc verticle to get out of trouble. Hole five contines up and to the left of the basket almost to the road. #5 is merely a warm up for my favorite hole, #6, but it is a fun one to have in the mix. If you play late int he day you migth see a lot of bats here. This is a long one and you have to place your drive carefully to avoid the nasty water hazzard. It is a wonderful view from up on top. Hole #7 is a flat smaller version of hole #1 and continues to add a nice variety to the holes. #8 is a dog leg right 3/4ths of the way down the fairway with tall grass along the fairways, and some trees guardign a shortcut to the basket. Hole #9 is a short hole with ace potential, but probably just a nice birdie, as long as you hit your line. Overall a very nice course, one of the best 9 hole courses I have ever played. There are also shorter pads to throw from on each hole if you don't have a big arm

Cons:

If you have not played here before the next hole can occationally be hard to find. Years ago, after #3 I tried to keep going up the hill through the small path and couldn't find hole #4. Once you know the layout or read other reviews telling you where they are, it is not a problem.

Other Thoughts:

Enjoy the course and leave it cleaner than when you arrived. Also, there path between hole #1 & #9 which leads back int he woods and you can go hiking and crossing the river a couple times. It is a fun place to hike and full of hills.
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2 0
rhettro
Experience: 22.9 years 37 played 17 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Surprising 9 hole 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 21, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Convenient location for golfers in the west des moines/urbandale area.

- Surprisingly long for a 9 hole course

- holes are creative and have a fine mix of ruffage/openness/trees.

- Great use of landscape and elevation, really adds character and challenge.

- Fairways are tight but well groomed.

Cons:

- Ruff areas have quite a bit of heavy ground coverage and tall weeds. A wild disc may take a while to find.

- Right behind a police department but that is only on 2 holes, so not a problem for the majority of the course.

- a few of the hole's connecting paths through wooded areas are a bit overgrown and hard to find for the first timer.

Other Thoughts:

I thoguht this course did a wonderful job on the 9 holes it has. They could have easily added a few holes on the land, but it seems like they really put thought into the course rather then overloading it with short holes. This is a course that will also test a great deal of your different techniques. A few downhill shots and a few killer uphill shots, not to mention tightly wooded fairways and one very small, but vicious water hazard. Took me and a friend just under an hour to get through it on our first time.
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2 3
asjzn6
Experience: 18.6 years 136 played 59 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Play if you must 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Another course on my list, some good elevation use great elevation use. the par 4s were a lot of fun, multiple teepads on a couple holes.

Cons:

Teepads inconsistent. Right next to the copshop.

Other Thoughts:

I enjoyed this course enough i thought the elevation was a sweet challenge
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2 1
RockStarValkyrie
Experience: 25.8 years 16 played 16 reviews
3.00 star(s)

It will grow on you if you let it 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 23, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Mix of shot variations from wide open to tunnel shots in the woods, good exercise because it is pretty hilly overall, not usually crowded,

Cons:

Starts out well maintained in the spring but the prairie grasses start to get a little out of control by fall so easy to lose a disc, Not all pads have signs so can be hard to figure out the layout the first time through

Other Thoughts:

I used to hate this course but because it's like 5 minutes from my house and only 9 holes I tend to play it a lot when I don't have a big block of time to drive somewhere else. It will grow on you, my biggest gripe was not knowing the layout, but once you're familiar with that its not really that bad of a course, plus they just put in two new pads which shows the parks department is interested in improvements and maintenance.
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1 2
Shine11
Experience: 11 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Very fun for only 9 holes! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 1, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The first hole is breath taking view. hole 6 is long with a creek to cross in the middle. all around very fun course

Cons:

Big park, wish they could have done 18 holes. Need to be able to throw straight or u could have a troubling day
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1 2
strippr
Experience: 2 played 1 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Tough course, better courses in DSM area 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Wooded and hilly, it definitely gives you a run for your money and tests all of your best throws. Challenging for sure. No wait on tees, not many people playing it.

Cons:

Very challenging. Throw accurately or you'll lose your disc. Only the paths are mowed...not any of the nearby (two-foot-tall) grasses, weeds, and ivies. Many woods; discs easy to get stuck in low trees. Not recommended for a hot day...the grade on the hills is deathly in the heat/humidity. Seems like mud might be a problem, too, but it was dry when I played. There's no map of the course, and the tees/baskets can be difficult to find. I said too often, "Uhh..where next?"

Other Thoughts:

Easy to find in West Des Moines. Right across from a middle school and next door to the police station. A cop was even 'nice' enough to circle us as we pulled into the parking lot and wait for us to leave [/sarcasm].

The cons outweigh the pros. I'd say go somewhere else unless you have a disc-spotting/retrieving dog to find your lost discs.
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2 2
neocenturion
Experience: 3 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Not a bad 9-hole course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 13, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Variety of open and wooded holes. Excellent use of elevation change. Several holes (4 for example) really make you work for it. 6 of the holes, especially #6, are fantastic!

Cons:

Don't play it after a rain. Very difficult terrain to negotiate when its muddy. As others have said, make sure you stay on the fairways! The woods are almost guaranteed to eat your discs! Three holes are incredibly difficult. This would be a 'pro' to some, but to a beginner or someone in the process of tweaking this for, those three holes can be rough!

Other Thoughts:

This is a very interesting course. The variety of holes is excellent and it is a pretty course. The use of terrain is as good as any course you will find in this area!
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1 1
hogleggbob
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.7 years 217 played 47 reviews
3.00 star(s)

snow play 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 25, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

i used to live in west des moines, and this was a cool park back in the day. good to see a disc golf course here. i played here while visiting over christmas...needless to say its IOWA and there was about a foot of snow on the ground. my first snow round, first throw...lost disc.

Cons:

there was so much snow on the ground i couldnt find actual tee pads except for a few holes, so i played from the signs. pretty steep hills and i had no snow shoes

Other Thoughts:

cant wait to play this when the weather is better. i met someone walking their dog, and they looked at me like i was crazy for playing in the snow, but i couldnt pass up getting out from the in laws house to play. i went back the next day when the snow was melting and found my disc, so it was worth the expierence.
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3 1
Swisher Streets
Experience: 19.9 years 85 played 6 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Southwoods 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 10, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Variety of Holes (Short, Long, Uphill, Downhill, Left, Right, etc.)
-Few Long bombs
-Hole 6 is always fun
-Start with 1 disc and leave with 10 after looking on holes.
-Usually never a wait

Cons:

-Nearly impossible to find shots thrown in the woods in the heart of summer
-Poison Ivy
-Trash pretty much everywhere
-Lose a disc there and youll never get it back. Common spot for high schoolers at the nearby Valley High School

Other Thoughts:

Worth a play every now and again, much better courses in the area though.
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6 0
jdggna
Experience: 18.1 years 23 played 13 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Stay on the Fairway... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 26, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The course makes great use of the elevation and space that was available.
The shots are varied, but nothing too challenging.
Two concrete tees on most of the holes. The pro tee for hole 7 is from the bike path.

Cons:

Litter can be a problem, though the last time I played it wasn't. I believe it had been cleaned for a small event that day though.
Poison ivy is a concern if you're off the fairway and in the trees.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the undergrowth off the fairway yet. It is some of the thickest I've seen on a course. Its not uncommon to loose multiple discs if you struggle with keeping them on the fairway.

Other Thoughts:

The sketchy bridge isn't an issue anymore. It was removed and replaced with a gravel path over a drain pipe this spring.
It should be noted that you'll probably find several discs if you toss yours in the woods here and are persistent in finding yours.

This course is acceptable if you need a short round, but if you have time for 18 I would advise playing one of the other metro courses (Ewing, Pickard, Grandview, or Walnut Ridge).

EDIT: Played it again today after writing my review hoping to find some discs...ended up spending an hour and a half looking for my own. Probably won't be coming back for at least the rest of the summer.
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3 1
SpikeHyzer
Experience: 21.1 years 110 played 33 reviews
3.50 star(s)

One of the best 9 holers out there 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 15, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is great for a 9 hole course. It has multiple tee pads on 8 out of the 9 holes. Has one hole that might be one of the toughest 150 ft. It is a fair hole to play, but I have seen scores vary from 2-5.

Cons:

The course is right next to a middle school, so trash is definitely a problem. Vandalism is also a problem. Most of the players there are rec players and damage the signage a great deal. I don't know how many signs are left out there.

Other Thoughts:

This is my home course, so I am a bit biased about it. I do believe though if you get past the trash and vandalism, that this is one of the best 9 hole courses in the US. And others have made the same comment.
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4 1
cydisc
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 27.9 years 257 played 84 reviews
2.50 star(s)

A good course once you get past its condition 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 15, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Lots of interesting elevation. Good balance. Flows fairly well. Multiple concrete tees on each hole.

Cons:

Litter is often a problem. The bridge from #2 to #3 is collapsed and unsafe to cross. Many missing signs. Forced to walk back along the final fairway to get back to parking lot.

Other Thoughts:

One of the more interesting 9-holers around, there are even a few legitimate par 4 holes. A challenging and fun course to play, but unfortunately is showing its age with litter and missing signage.
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