Prospect Park

Pros: - Awesome equipment! Boasting concrete pads and state-of-the-art Mach X baskets, Becky Z offers what could arguably be called the most advanced disc golf course in the state, certainly the mo ... show more ›

Pros:
- Awesome equipment! Boasting concrete pads and state-of-the-art Mach X baskets, Becky Z offers what could arguably be called the most advanced disc golf course in the state, certainly the most advanced in Des Moines. (With respect to equipment, that is.) Another plus is the fact that many holes have long and short tees as well as alternate pin locations (some as many as three) that can make it feel like an entirely different course.

- Well rounded! Winding its way up and down the hills and through the woods set along the Des Moines River, this course is technical to the extreme. It gives you opportunities to air it out on several holes with both drivers and mids, but a big arm will NOT get you birdies on most holes. Hitting your lines as you carve your way through the very tight fairways is an absolute must if you want to shoot par or below here. If you fail to hit your line, trees and their subsequent kicks could have you rolling like a phat blunt all the way down one of the many steep hills or worse, OB into the creek or the river, leaving you wetter than your girl's Levi's when I light up my Sketchers. However, she gives you opportunities to redeem yourself in the form of a few short ace runs and ridiculously fun downhill shots. In short, Becky Z has a little something for everyone.

- Technical! I know I said it before, but it bears repeating: Becky Z is FULL of technicalities. (Not sure I'm using that word right, but you get my drift.) Between the tight woodlands (which are straight-up North Carolina, by the way), numerous water hazards, blind uphill shots, steep drop offs behind the baskets, and deceiving fairways that end abruptly which you can't see from the tee, you must put an absolute premium on accuracy here. If you want to know if your game is ready for Steady Edd, Jim Warner, and W. R. Jackson at the IDGC down in Appling, Georgia, Becky Z would be an excellent way to put your skills to the test here in good ol' Iowa.

- Close to amenities! If you want a snack or a frosty adult libation during your round you don't have to travel far. The course is set between Hickman Road and MLK Boulevard (both major 515 thoroughfares) and it won't take much out of your tank to go scoop up some refreshments.

- Beautiful! Play this course in the fall and guaranteed you fall in love.


Cons:
- Sketchy locale. The city wanted the Des Moines Disc Golf Club to build a course here because of the illegal activity and somewhat unsavory characters that have called Prospect Park home for a while now in the hopes that more traffic will drive out the shenanigans. While it's getting better every day it's still a pretty risky place to play by yourself or, God forbid, glow. As of this writing I wouldn't play there without a squad or packing unless you got something on Deebo's 40, homie.

- Navigation. They made the best possible use of the land when designing this course, but the layout - specifically the march between holes - can be a little ambiguous. The walk from 4 to 5 is a little wonky and from 15 to 16 is a bit of a hike across the road. Not terrible, but if you're playing this course for the first time by yourself (which I wouldn't recommend anyway!) you may find yourself a little frustrated if you don't have a map handy.

- No topless Hooters girls frolicking along the #8 fairway.


Other Thoughts:
Becky Z at Prospect is a brand-spankin'-new course in Des Moines dedicated to a local legend (Becky Zallek #9388) who passed away too early from cancer. It was conceived, designed, and put together with the tenacity and love of many, many local Des Moines players who take a lot of pride in their community, both city and disc golf. As any new course does, it has some rough edges to smooth out - I was going to call not having benches or trash cans a con, but dang...it's not even done yet! - but in a year or two this course will either meet or exceed the standards that have made Des Moines one of the true Meccas of disc golf in the Midwest, if not the country. But even so, if you find yourself passing through Iowa's capital anytime soon, do yourself a favor and check out Becky Z...I guarantee it will not disappoint. I'm giving it a tentative B- now, but that's damn good considering how new it is. I'm betting this will be a A- to A very soon and it's only going to get better as the years go by. Becky Z is gonna be a true gem in the Des Moines disc golf scene...just like her namesake.