- What else is there to say? Such an outstanding course, and something for all skill levels. The White Course is great if you're starting out or tight on time, and the Gold Course is one of the more challenging courses in Illinois, especially holes 10-15. There are a good mix of some open shots with the heart of the course in the woods.

- Again, holes 10-15 on Gold are outstanding. You'll need to be accurate with both FH and BH (or have an excellent turnover game), and play actual golf by placing shots in the right position. There are several other holes outside this stretch that require thought and placement (6 comes to mind), and can eat you alive if you're not under control.

- It looks like they're starting to replace some baskets (Innova DiscCatchers) on the Gold course. The double-decker basket on hole 8 (I believe) is fun. I can't think of any holes where I complained about basket position.

- Very well maintained, and I love when the prairie is high. Great scenic start to the round before venturing into the woods.

- OK, I guess we have to nitpick. Holes 1-3 are pretty boring open shots, but even then, they're set at good distances to create scoring separation.

- It can get pretty muddy through the woods, depending on the conditions. Definitely want to bring the right shoes.

- The practice baskets are transplants from the first disc golf course in Illinois. There's a little plaque to read on the number plate.

- The difficulty difference between the courses is stark, especially when White and Gold split up. You're either getting a bunch of straight 200-225 shots or you're playing 600 foot winding fairways in the woods. It's hard to really complain about this, but it's very noticeable.

- It's an outstanding course! Everything about the disc golf part is 5 stars. I think it's a half point short because of amenities (no pro shop, gravel parking lot, porta potty) or large scale issues (drainage), but every time I'm up in Chicagoland, I try to come up with an excuse to play here.

*Multiple Tees
*Variety of challenges for every hole
*Multiple Baskets
*Well marked path
*Incredibly well maintained

*Could lose a disc on almost every hole (especially for beginners/lost a disc)
*Slight confusion for white course basket 18 (Basket 17 for white is gold 18)

One of the reviews on here said something a kin to "I shouldn't have to convince you to play, you should have to convince me why you haven't" and after reading that we went up that day. It was about an hour and a half away, and we will make the trip again and again. This course is beautiful. You start outside in the open and can let it rip. The middle holes take you on a journey through the wooded area of the park. I think I could honestly just walk this course and have a great time. Super cart friendly. If you can make a trip here it is definitely worth it.

- Gold and White courses offer very different experiences, using many of the same fairways.
- Excellent variety of distance, elevation, and terrain! Holes 7-16 are in the woods and the rest are in the open. Some holes offer you the chance to throw as hard and far as you can, while others demand tight, technical lines to short baskets.
- Course is well-maintained and in excellent condition, including good concrete tee pads, several benches, and cleared fairways (even in the woods!).
- Fairfield is a beautiful park dedicated to the course. A walking/biking path winds through some holes but won't interfere with your round.
- Course has excellent signage, with arrows pointing you to white and gold tees. No wandering around!

- White course is good, but some holes on this easier course are not designed with as much variety or creativity as the Golds. I'm really nit-picking here, because that's hard to avoid in a course for beginners or casual players.
- Tee signs give you only the basic info: hole number and distance. If you want a map of each hole, you'll need to take a picture of the course info sign near the parking lot or rely on an app like Udisc.

Fairfield Park is awesome; it's easily the best course I've played in northern Illinois. It's challenging but fair, and I can't wait to play it again.

Be aware that the Gold course may feel punishing to a beginner or casual player, especially on the wooded holes. All players will most likely spend some time searching in the rough or the tress after a bad throw or tree kick. There is a small risk of losing a disc, especially on the couple of holes that carry over a creek.

This course is fantastic and has a ton of replay value, especially the Golds.

Fairfield Park DGC is an 18 hole Super Course just Northwest of Chicago . The parking lot is decent sized . There is a great kiosk with map near the front of the park . There is a Port O Let also , near the parking lot l. There is a practice hole ( yes , practice hole ) That has a different fairway to the basket ( basket is also used as #18 for the white tees ) . It has a wood shield to block practice discs from hitting golfers putting out at 18 . The course starts past the end of the parking lot a couple hundred feet further . You will pass an old basket with a sign on it that says it was part of the very first permanent course in Illinois ( 1977 , Steady Ed designed ) . Pretty special
The Equipment : Where there is 1 large trapezoid ( mostly ) level tee pad , there are 2 baskets for each hole . White Discatcher basket for the shorts and Gold Discatcher baskets for the longs . Sometimes there are 2 tees for the hole shooting at 1 basket , and there are 2 tees And 2 baskets for holes . There is signage at each tee pad .
Amenities : A nice bridge separates the course from #7 -12 . Trash cans ( empties often ) are everywhere . I saw benches in a lot of spots , too . The nice blue Next Tee signs help . Nice drop zone marked on hole #18 ( 17 for white tees ) . Some wood chips in wet spots and near baskets to soak up some of the damp spots . A mailbox is at the kiosk with scorecards in it ( None in it when I was there ).
The Landscape : This is a great contrast . The open part of the course ( 1-6 and 18 ) utilizes a lot of elevation . Unfortunately for some , that open part also carries a lot of wind with it . Add the fact that the course has high rough defining all of the fairways , and you might be searching for your disc . Even though they weren't my beast drivers , I threw bright yellow and white at these holes . Starting at 7 , the course rolls less and plateaus are thrown at more . There is excellent use of water at a few of the holes . 9 has a small water carry right to left , and #11 & 12 from the whites threw over small amounts of it . The course splits off after 9 and doesn't mesh back together until about 16 . Lots of trees with canopies force low trajectory shots in the woods sections from 7-16 . The fairways . were mowed and the course was very clean while I was there . It looks like this particular course receives a good amount of care all the the time .
The Highlights : Many holes to choose from . #4 was a long downhill drive that levels off ( 720' longs , 540 shorts ) with a large tree/brush section to the left at the bottom . Wrap around that and go left and you meet the basket on an elevated tee . #5 starts flat , then starts to ascend as the fairway slowly tightens toward the basket . #7 is tucked almost under the bridge for the longs and at the slight right of the bridge making a gully shot to the basket for the shorts . The basket is a station to station shot at the basket tucked to the far left after the first drive , over a small plateau . #9 is a right to left water carry with a low canopy starting at the water's edge to a basket up a small embankment . #12 ( 11 gold ) carries you back over a creek to a tight basket placement .#11 is an easy water carry for white , going over a small body of water to the basket just beyond under a low canopy and a large overhanging bent tree . #18 ( gold , 17 white ) , is one of the better finishing holes I ever played . 905' gully shot to a station section of fairway .If you land in the rough , you take a penalty and drop zone at the foot of a thin section of water barely worth mentioning . The basket sits on an ascending top of the hill where the parking lot is , with rough to your right . This course is very popular . I saw some out of state plates at the parking lot when I was starting my round at 8:30 on a Sunday morning .
Time : Plan to be here a long time , especially if you come in the evenings or weekends . It took me 90 minutes to finish this course . A group of 4 , might be able to push it to below the 3 hour mark ,,, maybe .

Not much .
Safety . Part of the course in the back os shared with joggers and bike riders . Please be patient with them .
The Elements . Some lowland wetness here . The level part of #4 is an example . Were old or waterproof shoes , even if it hasn't rained lately .
Disc Risk . Can be high . Everywhere I was, I saw somebody looking for their disc in the abnormally high rough and the fairway brush in the back . There is water here , so you will run the risk of splashing a midrange or driver . Watch the rough on the left at the bottom of the hill on 4 . Your disc might be a goner if you go in high .
Tee signs : Really ? A top tier course also the highest rated in Illinois , and you have local 9 hole park style signs ? An upgrade is in order .
Other than that , maybe upgrade the parking lot ( it is gravel at present ) . maybe make a nice shelter for players to hang after their round .

Fairfield Park is a mecca for disc golf . I don't need to give you reason to play here . You need to give Me reasons why you haven't . I rarely score a course a 4.5 , but after balancing pros and cons , I couldn't give it less . I enjoy playing a course of this caliber early in a morning so I can soak in the beauty of the park . That is no different here . I liked the openness of the first holes just so I could see all of the other groups having a good time . Fairfield gives you a large amount of variety . No 2 holes were ever alike . This course gives you the ultimate in challenge . Having played the #2 rated course in Illinois , Foundation Park in Centralia , I think that is course is a little better .

Open sections , woods , water , elevation , Caters to different skill levels , and this course lets them progress on their terms . Fairfield Park gives you all of this and more . After you park , you will be here a long time , but like me , you should savor every minute of it . Thank You , Course Designer Chuck Kennedy , Round Lake parks and Rec. and DISContinuum disc golf club for creating and keeping up a gold mine of a course .

My Recommendation . Families , newbies , 1 disc players and dates might want to take advantage of the nice little 9 hole courses in the area . Fairfield is great for the locals , the enthusiasts within a couple of hours , incredible for the intermediates , ams and pros . Unless you are traveling just to play here , I am afraid the traveler ( especially with a family ) will spend too long a time here . This is more of a leg exhaust than a leg stretch . Course Collector ? Even though a slow play , this has to be on your To Do list . This course is Eventful . You will remember playing here .
PLAY IT !!!!!

Love the layout, especially having 2 sets of tee pads and disc catchers based on your skill level.

Signs to point toward next hole and tee pad.

Nicely maintained.

Cannot think of any negative(s) for this course.

Bring an extra pair of shoes/socks if playing after rain. Had to leap frog a few times thru standing water on fairways.

- great elevation change
- great course diversity with 2 layouts in the same area
- some challenge added by water hazards
- good mix of technical and wooded holes
- excellent concrete tees
- great use of next tee signs for navigation
- generally nice baskets in good repair

- tee signs are subpar for a course of this caliber
- this course clearly is perennially wet
- a few long walks during navigation
- bike path hazards

I know I'm going to get some hate for saying so, but I pride myself on writing honest reviews: I think this course is overrated. I will caveat this by saying it is an excellent course, but at the time of writing this review it is rated a 4.61 (top in Illinois), and I just don't think it's quite that good. Without question, The Canyons is a higher caliber course and in my opinion is the best course in Illinois.

This course had a ton of upside, not the least of which is 2 (mostly) separate layouts which allow for a much shorter/easier layout and a much longer/more advanced layout. Very few courses I've seen have this sort of diversity. There is some excellent elevation change and a lot of cool wooded shots, while also including some more open shots. I especially liked how some of the wooded shots went downhill then back uphill, forcing you to deal with both types of elevation change.

The course was generally quite clean, appeared to be well maintained, and had nice concrete tee pads virtually everywhere. Although the parking lot was gravel, parking was ample, there was a main course sign with nice maps, and navigation was generally pretty easy. The extensive next tee signs were very helpful.

On the downside for this course, I'd point out the wetness factor and the tee signs. The tee signs were very basic and it was a surprising omission on an otherwise highly regarded course. They were fine, just not great.

Now for the wetness: I'll admit on the day I was here there a major snow thaw had just happened which exacerbated conditions. However, the course page on DGCourseReview recommends GoreTex shoes, so this obviously is an ongoing problem. There are a lot of low-lying areas that you can just tell are going to be frequently wet and muddy. I enjoy being outdoors as part of the experience of disc golf and I certainly don't mind getting a little dirty, but when I was playing I got absolutely trashed. My feet were soaking wet the whole game and there was standing water everywhere. I tried not to hold this against the course too much since I'm sure it was worse than usual on the day I played, and I'd rather have proximity to a creek like on this course than no water at all. Some of the muddy areas near baskets had some woodchips added but most could use some more help.

On a related note, there are definitely water hazards here where you can lose a disc. I enjoy the added challenge of this, and consider it more a pro than a con, but I suppose it depends on your perspective. I think this really adds to the diversity and appeal of the course.

It should also be noted the bike/walking path comes into play on some holes, which is not ideal. I think this only delayed me making a throw one time since it wasn't too busy the day I was there, but you do have to pay attention. Overall, this shouldn't be too big a deal.

All in all, with this course not being very close for me, I'm not sure when I'll be back. It's worth playing again, but I would go to The Canyons first in a heartbeat, which to me just has a bit more diversity and is a little more playable in all conditions. It's still an excellent course anyone passing through or in Northern IL should check out when they have the chance.

This course has almost everything you would want- an easier "white" course for a quick round or for shorter shots, and a more demanding "gold" course that is significantly longer and more challenging. Longer open holes with elevated tees will beg you to bomb your driver, while more technical wooded holes will definitely challenge (especially on the gold course).

I really don't have much to offer in the way of "Cons". I sincerely like and enjoy this course. Ok, maybe the mosquitoes in the summer?

Holes #11 and 13 on the gold course were very tough challenges for me for a long time. I think I've improved significantly since my earlier days there, but they are still great, challenging holes that demand very solid shot selection and execution. If I par those, they are like birdies to me, even with both being relatively short for par 5's.

(4.316 Rating) A multi-layout course with astonishing variety and refined beauty.
- DESIGN - This is the second Chuck Kennedy designed course I've played, (both within a months' time) and he has quickly moved up on my list of favorite course designers. One fabulous designed fairway after another. I would snap a photo thinking this must be the signature hole, only to be outdone again on the next hole. Starting on Hole (7) the gameplay goes epic. Several long technical multi-play holes where a slight misfire will have players scrambling to make par. Chuck makes players use every disc and throw in their arsenal. Plus, there's a constant pre-throw analysis to decide which play will provide the best possibility to score well.
- RAW BEAUTY - This course has two distinct portions to it. One is the open fields and the other is heavily wooded areas. Both sections look spectacular. The open field portion was done far better than I ever could have hoped. Crafted, but wide cut fairways with adjacent tall grass rough areas. Lots of wild flowers were blooming in the rough areas and watching the tall grass gracefully move in the wind was delightful. As for the wooded portion, a constant secluded feel with rolling elevation changes. In totality, I gave Fairfield very high marks. It's in my top thirty for beauty with 311 courses played as of this review. The course maintenance was also superb on my appearance.
- UNIQUENESS - Described in some detail in my previous two pros, but I did want to add a few additional thoughts. I am a fan of both heavily wooded holes and openish holes when designed right. The mix and design on Fairfield is among the best I've ever played and I'd put the course in my top ten for hole variety as of this review. Long, short, left, right, up down, twist, pocket, clear, dogleg and avoid like the plague areas. I think there will be some that just quickly write off a few of these open holes as uninspiring, yet I found just the opposite. Due to the nice breezes on the open holes, I had to carefully plan launch angles, speeds and disc selection immediately prior to poorly executing a throw. Perhaps the open holes look a lot different in spring when the rough grasses aren't waist deep to diabolical tall.
- CHARACTER - Fairfield has just about all the extras one would find on a well-established top tier course. Walking up to the course is a nice large community board with big course map. There's a box for what I assume are for scorecards, but it was empty on my appearance. There's a porta-potty, shelter and practice basket. Getting onto the course there is seating on about half of the holes and garbage cans as well. The tees were excellent being concrete and 4 feet by 12 feet with a tapper to 6.5 feet in back. Baskets are DISCatchers. A few holes have multiple tees and several holes have two baskets in the ground. If there was one thing I would have liked to have seen more of it's alternate basket placements.
- CHALLENGING - The Gold layout is an Advanced level course no doubt. I played well here and shot 4 over with a couple mullies and I'm an Intermediate level player. The course requires equal mix of Advanced level power and precision, but also course management and risk reward analysis. The bomb on (18) requires a 350 plus clear with likely howling wind and OB left. If this seems like too much, there's always the option of throwing the White layout. The White layout looks to be comprised of Recreational level challenges. The combination of these two layout in one, makes Fairfield a very skill level friendly course.
- NAVIGATION - Although the tee signs were sub-par (see cons) getting around this layout was a walk in the park. Lots of informative directional signage and well beat in transitional pathways.

A well designed top tier course with very little to complain about.
- TEE SIGNS - This is really the only sub-par item. They are just a hole #, distance and par designation. It would be nice to have a graphics designer make some signs with an artistic description of the fairway line. I constantly found myself running up the blind holes to check the lone basket placement or the landing area.
- OVERGROWTH - I loved the tall grasses on the open holes, but man, a miss meant walking around a good bit to find a disc. The grass on the left on (4) was epic. Seriously it was 15 feet high with blades the size of my wrist. I could not tell which species it was but it looked awesome and terrifying. I'm glad I didn't go in it.
- LAYOUT FLOW - The two distinct layouts use 12 of the same lanes but then break off from each other starting on hole 10. This has the possibility to cause some odd convergences of groups as the two layouts merge on White (12)/Gold (16) and then again on White (16)/Gold (17). Somehow my loop through these two holes caused no issues on a busy day.
- DISCONTINUITY - There are few elongated walks on the Gold layout. However, all the longer transitions between holes were well marked with navigational cues on my appearance.
- PARKING - A gravel parking lot without defined parking stalls. Thus you can tell I grasping for thinks to complain about.
- TIME PLAY - I could have bagged three short 9 niners in the area in the time it took me to play Fairfield, so not a course bagger's friend. Fairfield took me more than 90 minutes to play solo and I only spent a few minutes trying to skip other groups. I could see foursomes playing the Gold layout in about 3 hours. Perhaps a foursome can tackle the White layout in about 135 minutes.

Fairfield is an All-star course that excels in all the aspects I enjoy when traveling to courses. Its offers an inspiring challenge, stellar variety, exceptional amenities and basics, exquisite beauty and is a blast to play. This is only the third time I've scored a course above a 4.0 in all five of my key rating areas. (Inverness and Hobbs are the other two) This course should be able to please just about all levels of players too, although it probably won't be everyone's favorite, especially for those that dig the fully wooded courses as this is not that. From reading reviews of all the top courses in the Chicago Metro area, Fairfield is definitely considered among the top courses in the area if not thee top course. Only Canyons seems to be getting similar exceptional praise among the locals. Regardless, this is a must play course for those that live within a 4 hour drive and possibly beyond. It put a smile on my face the entire time while out on the course.

I have only played the gold course because I like to challenge myself at all possible times, but that being said,
This park has two 18-hole courses. White (easier) and Gold (challenging).
The teepads are great and baskets are well kept.
Flags on top of hard to see baskets to make them more visible.
signage at every teepad telling you distance to the basket.

The only con I have is that the signage at the teepad does not give you a diagram of the hole so you have a better idea of where the basket is without having to run 100 yards and back to see the basket.

I love this course and if it wasn't a pretty far drive for me, I would play it at least once a week.

Side notes:
It is fairly easy to lose your discs here because of the forests. I would not play here if you aren't confident in your abilities to throw your disc accurately.
There is a reason why they have tournaments here and it is the highest rated course in Illinois. It absolutely deserves it.

- Two 18 hole courses (White and Gold)
- some holes are shared between courses, but have either 2 teepads and/or two baskets
- baskets are banded with White, Gold, or White+Gold depending on which course they are part of
- Concrete Tee pads
- Very easy to Navigate, small signs pointing to trails to the next teepads
- Signs at each hole with distance to Pin
- Good variety of holes, (open & wooded, long & short, right/left/straight(It's all there!!))
- Well marked OB lines
- OB are areas that at some point in the year do become quite marshy, but can also be dry during other times
- Good use of elevation and water
- Rough doesn't have a lot of ground cover so it is generally easy to find discs thrown deep in the woods
- 2 practice baskets
- Course map on site (usually scorecards too)
- a Few benches on the course (plenty of logs)
- Extra hole (gold X) is nice to warm up on
- Course is laid out so you can skip holes pretty easily to either avoid crowds or just repeat your favorite holes
- flags on some of the more hidden baskets
- Concrete Drop Zones

- A few of the holes can get pretty muddy (hole 8 worst offender)
- Because the White and Gold courses share fairways for the first 9 holes it will be crowded through these holes on nice days
- Not enough Garbage cans (though I've never thought the course had a garbage problem)
- Only a seasonal port-a-potty
- Gravel Parking lot can get messy
- Walking/Biking Path interferes with a few holes

This facility does a phenomenal job of using the land to its full potential. It provides two well thought out courses that can provide entertainment for any skill level of disc golfer. The parking lot for the course is also a nice indicator of how much you might expect to wait at tees, when full you'll probably have to wait at most of the tees until the courses split around hole 9. The white course seems to be much more popular to casuals because it is a lot easier, but back-ups are infrequent after hole 9. I usually played in the mornings (like 9 or 10) and never had to wait. Peak hours are probably around 12-4. Also I'll give some commentary about each course.

Gold Course 4.7/5
The course really is very well designed and fun to play. The worst designed holes are probably the first 3, but they do what they can with the prairie by using elevation and distance to still provide a challenge (on a windy days these holes can be much more challenging). The 4th hole of the courses is where things start to get interesting. After this, the course starts to close up and become much more wooded. In the woods the fairways are a challenging and reasonable width. The fairways are well manicured and the trees in the fairway require hitting your lines and avoiding landing in certain areas. The OB and water hazards are well thought out. The holes are designed to encourage you to play over most of them, and can easily be cleared with skill (luck is not a factor). The course ends on an iconic hole requiring a skilled drive to carry over the OB.

White Course 4/5
This course is a great course for beginner players learning to play in the woods. The first holes are open and allow them to get comfortable with throwing. As you transition into the wooded white holes, they become shorter. They also have wider and less cluttered fairways than the gold holes to accommodate lower skilled players. The OB on the white holes is less punishing and generally situated in places you would already not be throwing. I do find the middle of the white course gets a little tedious, a lot of shorter wooded holes that are mostly straight with varying obstacles. My biggest gripe is hole 17. A 900 ft hole needing at least 300ft of power to cross OB doesn't really seem appropriate for the course. A simple solution would move the white tee to the drop zone. This is the course where I taught my parents and siblings how to play. They enjoyed it enough that everyone bundled up on Christmas and played in the snow. This definitely is an enjoyable course for low skill players and this white course is better than all of the nearby courses I have played.

A few things that I think would help this course achieve a perfect rating:
- permanent bathroom (a club can't really get this to happen though)
- Paved Parking lot
- Tee Signs could also show shape of hole and basket locations (really only useful on the longer wooded gold holes)
- A few more benches
- A better trail, or something to stop the erosion on the hill near 7 white's Tee pad. That hill is very slippery.

All said, this course is incredible and I make a point to play it every time I go home

Much nicer than the old layout. I've been competing for 38 years, now a senior grandmaster, played hundreds of courses, and this was my closest good course about 10 years ago, I wasn't impressed with the old layout, so this is quite an upgrade.

Still some rough edges and sloppy wet areas from rains, open holes uninteresting. Also I am not a fan of Innova baskets.

Major upgrade and well worth playing, but this course is not even close to being in the same league as the Canyons in Lockport. Canyons has 3 new holes, 27 total, new long tees on many, now with 4 top of the cliff tee shots, new on site pro shop, food cart, real bathrooms, paved parking, etc... I also really like Highland Park in Joliet now that new Chainstar baskets and pin positions are in.

hole 4 is the first really notable hole to me ,open with down hill elevation curving around a small swamp to a cool elevated basket. hole 5 has a large open area before a gap in the woods up hill ,and hole 6 is a very funky downhill with a evil green . Then comes a river with trees and a truly messed up fairway to follow hole 7 you will remember . there is a pond shot in the next two holes with some nasty treedirection if your not on point . probably my favorite hole on the course is 11. its a beautiful long fairway with huge trees and a marsh to one side ,a little bit hilly too. hole 15 seems to curve forever im lefty and love throwing turnover shots so it amuses me. hole 16 is a fun elevated shot back over the river. this course has great content .

limited land space . [used well mind you] its got a couple safty issues that make me uncomfortable involving a bike path . some features used to design hole 13 are invasive species like buckthorn and honeysuckle.they make a sick fairway currently but they also change fast and are not good for the better trees around them[root space ect.] that being said you gotta work with what you got.

this is a well loved course with a huge local scene.For good resond ,it has something for everyone, the white course is a great beginner course that still is interesting enough to make advanced to open players want to play it. lots of work has gone into it.Designed by the best . Its the real deal . a bit over rated ,in the top 25 list i expect geographical grandness that you do not have this close to chicago .IT is however a huge asset to chicago area discgolf .Latest word is Bret the course caretaker is going to be planting some trees on the open holes that start the course . expect this location to only improve threw time

Round Lake was developed by a true professional designer and it shows. It's one of a kind and you won't see this at any other course. There is a shorter White layout that is more casual friendly while the Gold layout will absolutely bust your chops. The front 9 flows perfectly in unison. The back 9's split off with 6 of the Gold holes playing separate from White.

Prairie courses can be frustrating but they do a great job mowing wide fairways in the front. You get to start out by letting some rips in the open.

There are a ton of really good wooded holes. The White holes are more of deuce or die while the Gold course has a ton of par 4's and 5's. While the White course is much shorter it's still really fun to play.

The land is really good in the back. Very wooded with water and elevation coming into play. The slight elevation was used wisely and water hazards make it very interesting on several holes.

If you play both courses you'll throw every single disc if your bag and every type of shot possible.

My only issue is lack of great tee signs. The signage is very good to navigate and has vital info though. It's just missing descriptive tee signs. The kiosk has great color maps that offset this.

This is more of a heads up than anything. I did not deduct any points as I believe it's part of the game.

In the Spring the course can be wet and muddy in spots. While many courses are closed this time of year it's a bonus to be able to play it. You just have to deal with the mud.

In the Summer mosquitos can be an issue. This is Lake County and lots of water around. Be prepared with bug spray.

Keep in mind that the disc golf course was there prior to the path/bridge being installed. The designer did a great job utilizing the land while making it safe to play. The line of sight is very good on all the holes playing near the path.

If you are visiting for the first time play White 1-9, Gold 10-14, and White 10-18. This will allow you to see every hole on the course except #15 Gold.

The park district does a great job of maintaining this course.

Just about everything!

Great 2 course park White & Gold (advanced)
Cement Tee Boxes properly placed here with plenty of long holes to let em rip. Some wooded holes to keep your finesse game working too. A few Baskets have flags for wind direction or to make locating baskets behind hills or vegetation easier to spot.

All holes are well groomed by Park District and bolstered by local players. The first 6 either course are all grass with wood hips under baskets. Accept Basket 4. Then enter wooded section for both courses. Fairfield white shorter tosses Sqwaw Gold long game holes both in tree lined holes with a few fairway trees. A few over water tosses on both courses; a Creek (Sqwaw) and a couple small ponds. Then finish on open wide holes with clearly marked outta bounds wetlands. Oh yes wear water tight shoes or if weather permits wear sport Sandler or play barefoot if you're into earthing.

You should see lots of wildlife: deer squirrel chipmunks birds and Hawks are common as well as garter snakes crawdads and snapping turtles

Can be wet on fairways if it's rained recently. Come warmer season bring your favorite bug spray. And Tick check often especially if you are in the rough often.

And this place is popular so expect many other players on those nicer days especially when nicer days are rare

I can't say enough great things about this park. I should lie and say it's horrible to keep it all for myself.

In summer there are map/score sheets at kiosk by parking lot.

A few pdga tournaments every year as well as some local organized tourneys

Some good holes, well marked easy to follow signage.

Boggy conditions on quite a few holes when we played.
Good thing it didn't rain for a few days before we went.

I was a bit disappointed in the overall course partly because the course was rated so high. I expected more. There is no way it should be rated higher than the canyons course in Lockport

Course features two distinct course layouts (Gold and White) arranged in a way I've never seen before. Some holes are shared but a half-dozen holes (from roughly Hole 8 through 15) are in different parts of the park, resulting in two distinctly different disc golf experiences. Some shared holes have two tee pads; others have two baskets. Course diversity on both courses is excellent with wide open holes at the beginning of the front nine leading into woods bordering Squaw Creek, and back out into the open at Hole 17 (White) or 18 (Gold). The Gold course has enough challenge for the most-skilled players, but is within reach for intermediate-level play. The Gold course has particularly good if somewhat difficult wooded holes, such as Holes 7, 11 and 13. Hole 5 has an undulated grassy fairway leading to a protected basket on a small hill that is entertaining. Nearly all tee shots are fair with lines for various shots.

Though the White course is about 40% shorter, it retains nearly all of the entertainment factor of the Gold course. Hole 4 is my favorite of the meadow holes on both courses, with a very wide mowed-grass fairway that gently fades to the left with rough on both sides, leading to an elevated basket. Hole 15 on the White course has a great tee shot over the creek to a nice grassy park fairway, and has a longer but more obstructed Gold tee (Hole 16). Course has a practice hole (not just a basket), marked Hole X, along with two practice baskets. Has a few amenities, including excellent signs for navigation (which mitigate potential navigation issues), several benches, and large trapezoidal cement tee pads. Appears to be a free course, which is notable considering the amount of course maintenance. Huge areas were mowed to near perfection, and many muddy areas were detailed with tree bark.

Though this course is very nice, the available land doesn't quite make it to the best of the best. The surrounding area is very flat, though some holes do have some elevation changes. The meadow holes have tall grass bordering the fairways rather than an actual physical border, with some disc loss hazards present. The brutal Hole 17 (White)/Hole 18 (Gold) is an 800-plus foot hole with treacherous out-of-bounds areas both in and around the fairway. From either tee, you will need a 350-foot RHBH shot to make a landing zone. Though this is somewhat fair for the Gold course, it seems unreasonably painful for intermediate-level drives, putting it out-of-phase with the rest of the White course. No bathrooms on site, and definitely bring sunscreen for a daytime round, along with bug spray for the wooded holes.

A great course with good challenge and rewarding play, with the White course being an excellent 90 minute round one could enjoy playing over and over again, even after work during the week.

As a post-script, a pair of Sandhill Cranes were seen walking in tandem near Hole 3, adding to an already-rewarding experience.

- Two courses in one: golds and whites. While a lot of courses have 2+ sets of tees, Fairfield has some holes with 1 basket and 2 tees, some with 1 tee and 2 baskets, some with 2 tees and 2 baskets, and some where the gold and white are completely separate holes. I haven't yet played the whites, but it seems like for a lot of the course they offer a much different perspective and additional variety from the golds.
- A bit of water, a good bit of elevation and some well placed OB areas make for some great holes with interesting shot variety.
- Challenging! The golds have a LOT of holes over 500 and 600. There are several 600+ holes with very tightly wooded fairways and crazy dog legs. If you can't throw a solid straight control shot 200+ down a tight fairway, you're going to have a long day. However, there are also some very beautiful birdie holes, though mostly when playing the whites.
- Good variety. The course starts and finishes on some very open holes but the middle is very tight. There are some nice birdie holes and some very tough par fours (and probably fives).
- Amenities: Good pads and very helpful "next tee this way" signs. It made finding the next white or gold tee very easy on every hole (though as mentioned below in cons, hole maps would have been nice on the signs). On the blind holes, there are big, tall flags that make the pin placement visible from places where you'd normally be shooting blind.
- Very well marked OB areas, some with clearly designated drop zones
- Dual practice baskets by the parking lot. Makes for some perfect putting practice before or after a round

- Mosquitoes... bring some strong bug spray. Yesterday I had some run of the mill spray and we got eaten alive. You for sure want a good amount of DEET for this course.
- Lack of maps on hole signs. There are a few blind holes where a map would be nice. There are also many with 2 baskets so a map showing where each is would be helpful. Hole 7 is totally blind from the gold tees, and on my 2nd shot I played to the white basket I could see and then afterwards realized there was a gold basket hiding behind it so I had to go back and re-throw my 2nd shot. A map would have been nice here.

I have heard this course gets very busy during peak hours. I've played twice and there were virtually no crowds either time. The first was late Feb, so I wouldn't expect to see anyone but the other was a Sunday afternoon in early August. For me, the lack of crowds would be a "pro" but I feel I may have gotten luckly based on comments by others so I didn't want to claim it.

Fairfield Park has a lot to offer. The gold tees think big, with lots of distance that plays out in a variety of environments from wide open to lanes through the woods, and all manner of gently rolling hills to further mix things up. The whites reign in the distance but still offer a solid round for players of all skill levels, playing through the same kind of varied environment. Beginners can learn on the whites (though are likely to experience some rough patches), whereas more experienced players can get a quick but engaging round on them. The two layouts are distinct enough to be virtually two separate courses; they even completely diverge for a few holes.

Shot variety is a requirement here: having both a forehand and backhand is pretty much mandatory if you want to comfortably play all 18. Many lines are well enough defined to make it difficult to adapt if you don't have such versatility, meaning having a complete game is rewarded while lacking one is (fairly) punished. Big arms will get some chances to benefit from their distance, but can easily be punished if they get too sloppy with their line or landing. This variety means having a complete bag is a must. If there are gaps in your game, this course will find them.

It's a technical course in every sense of the word, with tight lanes, a variety of kinds of elevation to manage, and OB/rough/water hazards that really punish poor placement. All this is nonetheless implemented very fairly, with little to no stray branches to unfairly snatch your disc - essential for this kind of wooded environment.

The course is well broken in. Fairways are well-groomed. The concrete tees are great, parking is ample, and the course is easy to find. The course is a comfortable drive from downtown Chicago, with lots of other courses in the immediate vicinity.

I find the design to be pretty straight forward: lines are clearly defined and there isn't much chance for playing them multiple ways. This means there isn't a ton of problem-solving, a quality I find essential to a top tier course: you see your line, you throw your line, you either scramble out of a bad position in an effort to get back on track or you stay in the lane you started on. The course really tells you how to play it in its straight aheadness, whereas I prefer my courses to give me riddles and force me to make tough choices. Fairfield really just asks you to execute the shot you're given; there isn't a lot of give-and-take.

Navigation is largely fine, but I was at times confused at the difference between the white and gold courses. Sometimes they are different tees playing to the same basket, sometimes they are same tee playing to different baskets, and sometimes the holes are in completely different locations. At times, this took a bit more sussing out than it probably should have.

The starting and ending holes include some poor to average ones, in an effort to get an effective in and out in the layout. These more open holes feature some tall grass serving as rough, which can hide your disc and result in some prolonged searches even if you track its landing well.

A few of the wooded holes feature blind shots. I accidentally threw on a group as a result, even though I was scouting ahead a bit and generally being mindful. New visitors should keep this in mind on their visit.

Fairfield Park is a great course with lots of variety that is well taken care of. I can see why locals would take pride in it, and would love to have a course of this caliber in my area. I think its straight ahead design doesn't stack up against the very best courses I've played (Selah Ranch, Moraine State Park, Sugaree), but that doesn't mean I wouldn't return here in a heartbeat the next time I have the chance.

The course is set in a large, very highly maintained park. The course is free to play. The baskets are Discatchers. The metal bands around the top are either white, yellow or stripes of each color dictating which course this is for. Awesome idea here. They also have the hole/holes # on each band as well. There is a mix of different setups which is cool. Some holes have 2 pads and one basket, some have 1 pad and 2 baskets, etc. The tee pads are all brushed concrete that are plenty long and grippy enough. The tee signs are basic but all are color coded white or gold and have hole #, par and distance. The O.B. is clearly marked throughout the course with a couple well marked drop zones which is always cool to see. There is an excellent mix of elevation with a nice mix of tightly wooded and wide open prairie. The shot selection here is also very diverse requiring all different types of shots to score well. There are a ton a directional signs to guide you in what would otherwise be some potentially confusing areas. There are a few water carries and even an elevated basket on hole 4. This is an awesome course that really reminds me of some of the tough northern Wisconsin courses I've played. It ranks right up near a few of these. I wasn't expecting it to be this great judging by a number of other courses I'd played in IL but this is the real deal here.

Not much to say here. Apparently it can get busy though it wasn't on a beautiful July friday afternoon. This isn't any fault of the course, it just shows it's popularity. I could see the bugs getting bad as there is some standing water and a creek on the course, but again nothing can be done about that, just be prepared.

This is definitely a destination course. We had a blast playing this even though the gold destroyed us. The white is definitely more for intermediate players but is fun for advanced players as well. This is an awesome course and I'd suggest if playing here to start with the white then playing the gold. Plan on probably at least 3 hours, probably 4 if it's busy though. Very awesome course.

-Signage: There are signs to indicate where to go to get to the next hole as well as signs at each box indicating the hole number and which course (Gold or White) the pad is used for.

-As confusing as it is, this course basically has 2 courses that can be played, sometimes sharing pads, sometimes sharing baskets, and other holes not sharing anything between Gold and White. This is nice because if you want a solid, quicker round you can come throw white and if you are in for a more aggressive round you can throw Gold

-Concrete pads on all holes.

-A few garbages throughout the course, but not on every hole.

-Distinct, wide fairways on the open holes, all of which are well maintained.

-Awesome hole designs throughout the whole course. This course has some truly amazing holes. The more open holes in general require plenty of distance and offer very wide fairways to minimize the need to go searching through prairie grass. The wooded holes are what set this course apart and distinguish it as what it is, a phenomenal course.

-Requires every shot in your bag...uphill, downhill, right, left, heavily wooded, wide open, S-curve shots, finesse shots, long holes, ace runs, over water, underwater (okay maybe not but may as well)....Gold is a beast and a must play for anyone with experience.

-Decent baskets that all seemed to catch well

-Awe factor = walking up to a hole and getting that overwhelming feeling of amazement. This is a factor out here, several wooded holes are mind blowing and absolutely beautiful on this course. Tough to decide which is the signature, with several holes representing top caliber appearance and play.

-Signage: I know I had this as a positive as well; it is great they have a sign marking the hole, but the signs out here give you no map. If it's your first time playing a course and you have never played a 650ft heavily wooded hole involving considerable elevation changes as well as twists and turns without a map let me tell you...it sucks. This unfortunately does happen on several holes throughout the course. Don't get me wrong, those long wooded holes are what make this course, but some upgraded signs with accurate hole maps would definitely help minimize the needless walking to scout every bomber wooded hole.

-Way too many trees on a few of the long wooded holes. When already in the woods with a somewhat narrow fairway snaking to a basket over 600ft away, the last thing you need is several trees in the middle of the fairway to tightly work your way through. It is what it is and like I have said, it's these holes that make this course, yet taking out some of the smaller "filler" trees that rob good shots on these holes would only improve the course.

To clarify my review, I only played the Gold tees and not White as I didn't have enough time for white unfortunately. Also, I have rated this course a 5, but my actual rating is 4.85. I rounded up instead of down because the current rating is lower than what I feel the true rating is of this course. Now that that is established, I have to say that I was majorly impressed with this course and it definitely bumped its way into my top 3 and questionably is the best course I have ever played. As I have said many times already, this course is centered on phenomenal wooded holes with a few decent open holes to satisfy the players that maybe aren't as technical. Plain and simple, if technical courses aren't your thing, you likely won't care for the Gold course much. Our biggest problem was deciding what to play between Gold and White after reading the reviews. My take is this: If you consider yourself an experienced player with good control, Gold is a very fun course you will enjoy. If you are a bit newer to the game or don't really seem to perform well on technical courses, play White as Gold will absolutely discourage you and beat you down. You should plan to play this course if you're anywhere remotely close to Round Lake. Drive out of your way to ensure you play this if on your family trip or whatever the reason may be. Let your boss know you will pay for the extra day in Chicago if he allows you to book your return flight 1 day later. I had a terrible round and lost one of my primary discs and still walked out of this course feeling like I just played a gem. This course is absolutely awesome and you should have played it yesterday already!