Pros:
When I had made my itinerary for a long weekend of disc golf here in Wisconsin , my journey into Milwaukee had to include Dretzka Park . I found the park okay , but since it is a park envelope style pay to play system , I had to turn around , drive to the gas station and break a $10 bill . Hey , Dretzka employees . $5 is a reasonable fee for a well maintained course , but you're putting out players that just want to pay- then start . One of the park employees in charge of overseeing it this certain day saw me pay , so he didn't have to hunt me down and demand proof of receipt . Nice guy , though .The parking lot near 1 , next to the pay kiosk is so bigtthat it will never be full , even for a tournament . I played the morning after a huge storm swept through the middle of Wisconsin . He was busy my whole round , picking up debris everywhere . This is a course with 2 sets of cement tee pads per hole , multiple pin positions to give you several different looks on each hole . I was told by the park worker that they change positions frequently . The tee signs are in great shape , look nice and will tell you which position the baskets are in . The baskets are top notch grade . benches at every hole along with trash cans . Pretty much anything you need to have an enjoyable round of disc golf . Did I forget to mention that this course is 27 holes ? There is a pattern of 18 holes , then another 9 that is right across the street parallel from maybe 12 , 13 and 14 of the 18 holer . You could actually start and finish the 9 hole portion of the course right after 14 then hook back up to 15 and hardly miss a step . So now you have options . Just have time for an easier quick 9 ? Play the 9 holer ( They are marked 1-9 ) , Play the harder 18 ? Play it straight , or incorporate !! That was bad , sorry . Moving on , Hole 1 is a long open throw that finishes barely into the woods . 2 is a short tunnel shot in the woods under 300' . # is a tight tunnel shot with danger on either side that pops out uphill into the open after about 250' . The next few throws will be in the open for you . The park gave the designer free reign to use a good chunk of the park , and he did . One of my signature holes on this course was the downhill #6 , a 350' throw that slowly descends through an opening to a glen to the basket which has random trees guarding your lifting drive and your putt, both . 7 is a tighter shot without the canopy that 6 had , but danger on both right and left . 8 gets you out of the woods with a slightly uphill drive with trees guarding your drive turning left to the hidden pin another 70' or more further . A couple of the holes go into and out of the woods , I threw a blind shot , and even though I was one of only 2 people on the course , I almost took out my park employee friend on a blind shot #11 that you throw your drive on the level , then drops off to the pin . Sorry .,,,, #13 will feature an elevated tee ( which is a cool touch ) and to #14 which was one of my signature holes , a mid 300+ footer that disappears at the end into a tree guarded basket in the woods . From her , you either play the easier 9 , or trudge on to 15 & come back to play it at the end , 15 is a wraparound ( or straight as heck tight throw ) right to left 300' toss that eventually drops off slightly . 16 was the longest throw of the round , in the long position weighing in at slightly over 500' across the open part of the park , finishing with the basket 100'+ behind a line of medium sized trees to alter your approach . 17 is a tight line in the woods slightly downhill , a tunnel shot maybe 300' . then 18 finishes up where your drive starts about 40' in the woods then takes a right another 325' . The other 9 I won't go into detail about , but still follow an out and back flow 4 baskets slightly downhill ( I liked #3 on this , a 300 footer that follows some small overhanging trees on your right which will snag your drive unless you play it clean ( like I should have ) and go hard down the middle , then throw your approach/long putt to the right , towards the basket ) a short somewhat level 5th hole , then the last 4 ascending upwards with your danger on the right . 8 & 9 are short and in the woods . I guess the parks department is serious about upkeep , as my new buddy ( park employee ) was busy for the whole 2 hours I was out there . Even putting down wood chips in the fairways where needed .
Cons:
I will only say that pay to play can keep riff raff and one-disc-wonders that have 0 course etiquette off the course and $5 is fair to charge players for the day ( I think that they have a yearly rate , too ) , but I am not a fan of paying by envelope at a kiosk and having to present the stub upon demand to possibly 2+ park personnel , which can temporarily throw you off your game . It's a shame that Dretzka can't include water or elevation into the design , but it is what it is . I came after a hard rain the night before , so even though a lot of the fairways have wood chips the grounds were pretty soggy . Some of the pin positions can fool you . I heard that there was a lot of player traffic , but never saw it on the day I was there . You might get confuse on the back section of the course , especially without a map . Print it !
Other Thoughts:
I was happy to play this course , and it never disappointed . it looks as if a lot of effort goes into maintaining this course .As I was getting ready to finish up , my Park Buddy was already switching the pin positions for the following week . It was plenty long for my tastes and the multiple pin positions and 2 tee pads should challenge even the pros . The Fun Factor is present here and very high . The course designer should be commended for putting all of this together . If you are in the Milwaukee area play this course among all others .