Pros:
(This course has gone through a major redesign within the past three years (I think). The previous reviews are pertinent but the specifics of particular holes may have changed since their reviews were penned.)
I moved to Cheyenne 15 months ago from Charlotte, NC where we're spoiled with some of the best disc golf courses in the country. I've been playing for ~17 years, I've also lived/played in California, and taken two cross-country road trips where I based my routes around playing quality courses in each state I passed through.
Dry Creek is the only course worth playing in Cheyenne in my opinion and therefore it has become my home course. I've played it close to 40 times, and I've grown to appreciate it. If you base your opinion solely on the pictures and hole distances you may think this course will be a pushover, but it is certainly not. Out-of-bounds is plentiful on this course and the constant wind we experience in Wyoming alters shots and makes it difficult to avoid. I'm finally starting to get used to the wind (and the 6,000+ ft. elevation), but adjusting to these conditions can be a struggle.
Here are my thoughts:
-Dry Creek is packed in pretty tight on a small piece of land. Once you get used to it, it flows pretty nicely. Given what they had to work with, I don't think it could've been laid out much better.
-As the name suggests, the course runs along a creek, however it is never dry. This adds a lot of challenge to this course if you play it the way it was designed to be played. That is, crossing a creek, sidewalk, or road is out of bounds unless the pin is on the other side (with the exception of creek-crossing-based OB on hole 3). Many of the pins are located close to this creek adding a certain degree of risk/reward on drives AND putts. Additionally, the underbrush that grows along the creek in places can prove difficult to get out of if you find yourself in it.
-Pretty good signage at all of the tees.
-Water comes into play again on hole #12 where there is a pond that you can throw around and comfortably par, or you can throw over to have a look at birdie. Risk/reward makes things interesting.
-There's a mando on hole 9 & a double mando on hole 18 adding to the challenge.
-The course designers have made good use of what little difference in elevation there is on this piece of land. Having said that, there aren't any uphill drives.
-There is plenty of open space on this course where you can grip and rip, but they've done a good job of strategically using the trees they have. Several baskets are tucked away behind or very close to trees. Others are used to slightly crowd the tee-box.
-I list this as a con also, but the wind is always going to make you second-guess your shot/disc selection, adding to the (mental) challenge of this game.
Cons:
-Course maintenance is an issue. This past spring they waited wayyyy too long to mow the grass for the first time. The weeds had literally grown up through the baskets and beyond. Imagine trying to play in a field with grass up to your elbows...yeah. Also, there are several holes where the greens need to be cleaned up. On some holes there are branches so close/low it makes putting impossible. If you have to duck under branches within 20 feet of the pin, I think it's time to do some trimming. On one hole there's a shoulder-level branch within 3 feet of the basket. Also, on a couple holes that were moved mid-season, the parks & rec people continued to mow the course, but didn't mow the new greens.
-This course can be confusing for people who aren't familiar with the layout. You have to cross a road after #3 and then again after #13. There's no markings on the baskets to guide you to the next tee. Use the map provided on DGCourseReview to find your way (there may be a map posted at the kiosk by hole 1, but I'm not sure of this). Also, there isn't any indication on the tee-signs which pin placement is being used. This isn't a big issue as this course is open and most pins are visible from the tee but there were times when I was still learning the course and also after they switched pin positions for the first time when I threw to the wrong basket.
-This course is ALWAYS windy. Some days it's only 10-15 mph, but other days it's 25-30+ mph which makes it very hard to have an enjoyable round.
-This course is located in a flood plain and therefore it has drainage issues. The fairway/green on 6 and the ground around the tee-boxes on 7 & 16 are pretty much soggy year-round. Other areas are wet and mucky often. Appropriate footwear is advised.
-I've spent a lot of time searching for discs in thick grass and underbrush. Its my own fault for missing the fairways, but beware of this! Keep an eye on your disc and pay attention to where it lands.
-Hole 8 plays over a walking path.
-The greens on some holes are very close to the tees on other holes. In fact, when hole 16's pin is in its longest position, you have to throw across 17's fairway to reach it. This course doesn't see much traffic so this is rarely an issue.
-I wish there were some doglegs. There aren't any. The fairways are pretty straight and mostly open with only slight variations.
-No facilities.
Other Thoughts:
Like I said, this course has grown on me. I'm generously giving Dry Creek a 3-disc rating because I can't give it the 2.75 I think it deserves. The long grass and unkempt greens really bother me. There are only so many playable months in Wyoming due to the cold and snowy winters, let's keep the course playable for as many of those warm months as possible!
Memorable holes are: 3, 8, 12, 17 long, & 18.
There aren't many courses in Wyoming in the first place so this is one of the best (and honestly it's probably THE best excluding three or four courses in the northwest corner of the state).
If you're driving through on the I-80 corridor and you want to play a course in Wyoming, this is it. Trust me!