- 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.

- 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.

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

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.

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.

-Championship caliber course
-Concrete tees
-Multiple pins & tees
-Great elevation changes and mix of wooded, open shots, & distance
-Most of course set away from jogging path and separate from rest of park
-Great baskets with colors
-Well maintained with lots of mulching
-Make time to play this course. It rivals anything you can find in the Joliet circuit.

-Bugs riteous in summer
-No benches at all. Bring a seat if playing gold
-1 port o john in summer only

It's a destination course you drive for and could play all day. Not much to improve upon. Happy discing!

The white course is excellent for beginners, and still challenging enough for skilled players. The gold course is a BEAST, and is not really recommended for beginners. However, skilled players will absolutely enjoy this part of the course. OBs are clearly marked, and the park district upkeeps the course fantastically. In summer of 2015 a tree came down on the #9 white basket, smashing it into the earth. This happened on a Thursday night, and the basket was completely replaced by the next Wednesday for leagues.

Since the front 9 of both courses share fairways, it tends to get a little backed up at busier times. Once the courses split in the back 9, the flow is a lot better. My biggest complaint would be the lack of abatement for mosquitoes. The holes in the back are nestled among many areas where water is meant to collect. This water is a breeding ground for skeeters, and summer of 2015 was an absolute nightmare!

If the park district can be swayed to do something about the water before the mosquitoes can hatch, that would help this course to be a destination for discers from miles around. The tall grass is tough, but it is well needed to punish bad shots, as runups are made much tougher than a clean fairway shot.

I played course because it had high reviews. I was not disappointed. It was the first disc golf course that part of it had a links golf look and feel to it.Other parts were more traditional disc golf course that had fair fairways and was very playable.When I say playable I .mean course is not over burdened with upstructions that you can't manufactor a shot

Memory isn't to good course was about ten miles off interstate

I thought course was well worth playing

- Two separate layouts provide multiple challenge levels and an increased variety of holes
- Well-designed course with excellent mix of shot types, hazards, and hole lengths
- Course maintenance is fantastic and navigation easy
- Practice hole and baskets are a great touch
- Large, grippy concrete tee pads and color coded baskets that catch well

- No benches throughout
- Tee signs show hole number and distance only, no map or description of fairway shape
- While two layouts are very nice, I wish there was a layout with a difficulty level between white and gold

Fairfield Park's unique dual layout makes the most out of a great piece of land without overcrowding or watering down the quality of the disc golf by trying to cram in two completely distinct 18 hole courses. The White and Gold layouts would be great courses in and of themselves, but it is their combination in a single location that really elevates Fairfield Park.

The course has always been well maintained during my visits, and while they don't have the best amenities (only a single port-a-potty, no pro/snack shop) there are enough little extras that make this feel like a disc golf course, and not just some baskets in a park. After you pass the large, colorful course map there is a "warm up hole" near the parking lot. I wish more courses had this. It is really nice to get a handful of tosses in on a shorter, open hole to warm up your arm before the first hole, and being able to do that to an actual basket is great. Once you have thrown enough to this basket, you can take a couple of steps to two more practice baskets, and get some putting in before finally making your way to the first tee pad.

The course starts you off gently with 3 largely open holes where long grass shapes the fairways. I am generally not a fan of using tall grass as rough, but these holes are straightforward enough, and with wide enough fairways, that it isn't much of an issue (The tall grass here also isn't nearly as thick as many others I have encountered). While these holes don't require the level of shot shaping as the rest of the course, being open, they force you to deal with the wind frequently present, and have enough other small things going on to not be boring and still go well with the flow of the course.

Once you play 4's long turning shot (stay out of the rough on the right side!) and enter the woods on 5, the real test begins. The majority of the holes at Fairfield play through tight, but very fair, wooded allies. The elevation won't blow you away, but you will be throwing left, right, up and down to fast greens and over water for the next 10+ holes. There really is a delightful variety here not found at many other courses. The round finally comes to a close as you exit the woods with a massive 810'/905' downhill shot back towards the parking lot with plentiful OB.

Navigation is generally easy here, as there are plenty of signs directing you to the next hole. The tee signs only have the number and distance, which is usually sufficient, but a visual description of the hole would be nice, particularly since many of the longer gold holes are blind and require a good bit of walking to find the basket if you aren't familiar. Benches at the tee would really be nice as well with all the walking you will be doing, and would add to the "completed" feel of the course. There are a decent number of trash cans throughout, and the tee pads are large and grippy. The baskets aren't the best, but still catch well.

My last little nit-pick for this course might sound a bit odd. After each of my rounds, both on the white and gold layouts, though I enjoyed them immensely I found myself wishing there was a third layout in between the existing two. This might just be my own skill level falling between the cracks a bit, but since my rating tends to float right around 900, I figure there are enough people that may feel the same way as me that it is worth mentioning. The white layout has a lot of fun shots, but really lacks distance for the majority of the course. I went almost the entire course without pulling out anything faster than a buzzz, and drove with a putter on the majority of shots. Holes 3, 4, and 17 give this layout a huge chunk of its length.

When playing Gold, however, I occasionally felt overwhelmed by the massive, tightly wooded shots, and watched my score balloon to almost 150% of what I shot on the whites. Others in my group suffered even worse. The gold layout is well designed, but definitely aimed towards more advanced players, particularly holes 10-15. I don't expect each course to cater to my specific skill level, and I didn't really count this against the course in my rating, but a third layout that was more than pitch n' put distance for 2/3rds of its holes, but not quite averaging 450' per hole, would be great. I guess my point here is, if you are a mid-level player with a rating in the ballpark of 900, expect to either be beaten down by Gold, or not sufficiently challenged by large stretches of white.

Fairfield is a fantastic course (two courses? course and a half?) that has everything from water carries, long bomber shots, tight ace runs, and massive par 5s that require you to hit landing zones. There really is something for just about everyone here, and I don't think anyone would regret making the trip to play one or both of these layouts. As usual, bring bug spray, don't let the mosquitos get you down, and have a blast playing some terrific disc golf.

Great mix of lefty/righty holes. Good use of elevation. Good mix of open/wooded holes. Tough but fair OB on several holes, including several water holes. Easy navigation throughout entire course.

Can be crowded on weekends.

Excellent course maintenance, but players should litter less.

Great use of the terrain. Those that remember the old Fairfield, won't believe this is the same land. Every hole is thoughtfully placed and works with the natural flow of the land. The par 5's are real monsters, but are very fair. Clear layout, easy to make your way around. Very well maintained. Good teepads.

Tee signs could have more detail. That's seriously my only complaint. The first time through, I needed to walk up a lot of holes first to see what was going on.

This is clearly the best course in the North suburbs, and possibly all of Chicagoland. It's great to have something up here that rivals the premier courses in other areas. I would maybe put this course up there with the Peoria area courses.

This course is a suburban disc golf Mecca.

Fairfield Park features two beautifully designed layouts, each one completely unique. The gold layout makes for a brutally challenging round of 18 holes, while the white layout is great for more casual rounds.

Both layouts begin with 4 open holes, each one longer than the one before. This gives players the chance to stretch out their arms and prepare for the round ahead.

Hole 5 is an excellent hole and offers the first taste of the round to come. It is relatively open for most of way, with the last 75 ft of fairway lying in a thickly wooded tunnel perched on a hill side. In the white layout, this hole can lead to a four (or five) if you miss the tunnel, or an extremely rewarding two if you hit it perfectly. From the gold layout you're throwing to the same pin, but you're about 150 feet back and there are trees on the right that add some extra challenge.

The round really starts to dive into the woods at hole 7.

At hole 10, the white and gold layouts separate completely, each playing their own unique holes. They do not come together again until the end of the round. I've never seen this done on a course as well as it was done here.

Great course signs and the colorful baskets (white baskets for the white layout, gold baskets for the gold layout, white and yellow for shared baskets) help prevent any confusion that might be created by having two distinct layouts.

The signs at this course do not have any visual aid to help golfers understand the hole; they only have hole # and distance.

The designers used the limited elevation on site well, but the park as a whole was fairly flat.

The land is a bit swampy, bring some boots!

Make sure you print out a course map before your round.

For locals: In the Chicago suburbs, there really is no comparison to this course. I was looking at my past reviews to try and determine which suburban course could give Fairfield a run for its money. Prior to this review, I had rated Eagle Ridge (Oswego), Community Park (Channahon), and Highland Park (Joliet) the highest among suburban courses with ratings of 4.0... Fairfield Park blows each of these courses away.

Wonderful use of the landscape. Great incorporation of risk/reward. Good use of O/B, elevation, open/wooded, and variety of short/long. The signage is superb.

Not many. The overlapping 2-course layout is slightly confusing at times, but mostly clear. The gold course is a real pro course -- Players up to 900 will find the white course just perfect.

Chuck Kennedy knows his stuff. Best course I have played in Illinois and one of the best all around. I have since play the Canyons course near Joliet. That course rivals this one and is probably a little better -- but both are an amazing day of golf.

I spent a day playing the course, 2 rounds on gold, 1 on white and I'm beat and that course made sure of it. This is hands down one of the best courses in the area, and arguably for Chicagoland. Here are a couple of reasons why:

1. A true golf course, that is the first thing that stood out to me, is that on every hole I found myself playing golf, none of the deuce our die stuff that is pretty common, but actually having to shoot to areas for a second and third shot.

2. Challenging for almost every player. This is a course that you don't want to leave the fairway, because if you do you are punished harshly. I took a 10 on a hole because I was stupid.

3. The layout takes advantage of the very unique landscape of the park. Using every ounce of elevation, water hazards and trees to it's advantage while keeping things fun and interesting. Besides that, there are some holes that are just fun to throw. #7 is a favorite of mine, calling for a long turnover shot, bringing the creek into play for a while, that settles in the fairway for you to throw an upshot. #9 plays over a water hazard, and is a md range shot from one hill to another that is just fun to execute. #16 shoots back over the creek at another mid range shot, one of the few holes that are truly deuce-able.

4. Variety of shots necessary, and rewarding those who can execute those shots. Left, right, hyzer, anhyzer, flick will all be used and if you can execute you will be rewarded on your score.

1. No running water bathrooms, could be a bigger problem as course gets bigger.

2. Merging of white and gold tees on baskets will cause some backups on high traffic days

This is a course that will make you a better player and truly challenge some of the best