Des Moines Friday Check-in
After playing Grandview yesterday evening I drove up to Big Creek and Walnut Creek. They are on opposite sides of the flood control resevoir called Saylorville Lake. I walked some of Big Creek and then went to tje campground but it was still closed for the season. I went to the other campground and it was closed too. So I parked on a road that dead ends at the resevoir at the beach, listened to the radio for a bit and went to sleep.
At 12:30 a.m. the policeman was tapping on my window and shining lots of light in the car, which was o.k. because in my dream it was space aliens. He asked for my i.d. and my story. My story was, "I drove 600 miles from Michigan to play the frisbee golf courses in Des Moines and to camp but the campgrounds were closed. I got here late and was too tired to drive further." He ran me through L.E.I.N. and then told me I could go back to sleep! I thanked him and did so. Sleeping was good. It was the perfect temperature to sleep under the sleeping bab and not in it.
In the early morning I drove up to Big Creek. Big Creek is carved out of new growth schule. The land looks like it was farmed 15-25 years ago. That or it all burned 15-25 years ago. So it is similar to Lemon Lake with lots of nasty schule and poison ivy if you are 12 inches off the narrow fairway. The first twelve holes are like that and they show a real lack of creativity on the part of the course designer. It plays like they just ran the Atarax back and forth through the woods in more or less straight lines. The last six holes play through the picnic grounds in mostly non-conflicting ways and are very cool. I think I played the course in the tourament configuration. I shot +3 with a six on the 840 foot hole. The 840 hole is kind of dumb since everything else is 200-480, and it is narrow after the first 300 feet, but it will be dumb for everyone.
After Big Creek I spent some time figuring out how to get to Walnut Ridge. The gate was locked and you can't park by the gate. The nearest facility is a NOAA facility [federal weather and flood control] but their lots was for employees and ETs only. Seriously, they had two parking slots that said, "ETs only," and one was in use. Clearly the government knows more than they are telling.
I finally went back to where I slept and tried to go through the woods. That took about an hour, but it really sped up once I found the trail that had signs on it showing it was taking me right to the course.
Walnut Creek is under construction. I played with a local who parks in the subdivision next to the No Parking On Street Except Residents sign and walks in from there. We played eighteen holes but some of them won't be there for Worlds and some will be modified. He showed me Worlds pin placements and Worlds tees. He is not in touch with the Worlds process but most of it was obvious, like a big hole being cut in the schule behind the basket is obviously a long pin position and ditto for a big hole being cut behind a tee. A couple of the lame holes and conflicted holes are being removed for some serious woods holes. The course plays through the woods and across park lawns for a pretty good mix. It is the only course so far where I had to use a forehand. I shot the current configuration -3 but the Worlds configuration looks more like par to +2.
I have not eaten yet today other than a few pretzels and did not eat much yesterday, other than a couple of sammywichs and some pretzels. Good places to cook have not been jumping out at me. Also, it is HOT here. I've been consuming massive amounts of water.
I'm off to see Ankeny and to play Carol Marty in Ames this afternoon. I might skip Pickard because the Am Masters and Juniors are not playing it. I want to get to Waterworks and Ewing tomorrow.
At 12:30 a.m. the policeman was tapping on my window and shining lots of light in the car, which was o.k. because in my dream it was space aliens. He asked for my i.d. and my story. My story was, "I drove 600 miles from Michigan to play the frisbee golf courses in Des Moines and to camp but the campgrounds were closed. I got here late and was too tired to drive further." He ran me through L.E.I.N. and then told me I could go back to sleep! I thanked him and did so. Sleeping was good. It was the perfect temperature to sleep under the sleeping bab and not in it.
In the early morning I drove up to Big Creek. Big Creek is carved out of new growth schule. The land looks like it was farmed 15-25 years ago. That or it all burned 15-25 years ago. So it is similar to Lemon Lake with lots of nasty schule and poison ivy if you are 12 inches off the narrow fairway. The first twelve holes are like that and they show a real lack of creativity on the part of the course designer. It plays like they just ran the Atarax back and forth through the woods in more or less straight lines. The last six holes play through the picnic grounds in mostly non-conflicting ways and are very cool. I think I played the course in the tourament configuration. I shot +3 with a six on the 840 foot hole. The 840 hole is kind of dumb since everything else is 200-480, and it is narrow after the first 300 feet, but it will be dumb for everyone.
After Big Creek I spent some time figuring out how to get to Walnut Ridge. The gate was locked and you can't park by the gate. The nearest facility is a NOAA facility [federal weather and flood control] but their lots was for employees and ETs only. Seriously, they had two parking slots that said, "ETs only," and one was in use. Clearly the government knows more than they are telling.
I finally went back to where I slept and tried to go through the woods. That took about an hour, but it really sped up once I found the trail that had signs on it showing it was taking me right to the course.
Walnut Creek is under construction. I played with a local who parks in the subdivision next to the No Parking On Street Except Residents sign and walks in from there. We played eighteen holes but some of them won't be there for Worlds and some will be modified. He showed me Worlds pin placements and Worlds tees. He is not in touch with the Worlds process but most of it was obvious, like a big hole being cut in the schule behind the basket is obviously a long pin position and ditto for a big hole being cut behind a tee. A couple of the lame holes and conflicted holes are being removed for some serious woods holes. The course plays through the woods and across park lawns for a pretty good mix. It is the only course so far where I had to use a forehand. I shot the current configuration -3 but the Worlds configuration looks more like par to +2.
I have not eaten yet today other than a few pretzels and did not eat much yesterday, other than a couple of sammywichs and some pretzels. Good places to cook have not been jumping out at me. Also, it is HOT here. I've been consuming massive amounts of water.
I'm off to see Ankeny and to play Carol Marty in Ames this afternoon. I might skip Pickard because the Am Masters and Juniors are not playing it. I want to get to Waterworks and Ewing tomorrow.