- nice water hazard on hole 1, but was completely dry in September
- nice newer Mach baskets
- hole numbers on baskets
- large concrete tees
- tee signs with maps (fairly basic, but they work)
- prairie style holes present unique challenges not found on most courses
- some decent length variety for a 9 hole course
- respectable level of technical challenge for a 9 hole course

- rough on prairie holes can be rather unforgiving
- holes 4-6 are pretty open and uninspired
- some moderate safety hazards
- almost entirely flat, some minimal rolling hills
- backtracking between a few holes
- no navigation aids, holes could be shortened to allow for better flow/no backtracking
- limited amenties: no bathrooms, practice basket, etc.

Hickory Hill Park is one of the better 9 hole courses in the Chicago suburbs. If holes 4-6 were pushed back into the woods behind the field and things were cleaned up a bit more, I think this could be a 3 disc/star course. Sometimes I groan at the sight of these prairie style courses; while I love that it is uniquely Illinois, they are brutal for finding discs. Hickory Hill does a nice job of bringing some unique landscape and natural beauty without being punishingly difficult.

The course actually does supply some good technical challenge for a nine hole park course. Shots are mostly straight and don't require tons of shot shaping, but fairways are fairly narrow on 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9 and there are obstacles which require a level of precision. Holes 1 and 2 start off in the prairie area before starting to open up on hole 3 with some more typical tree hazards. Holes 4-6 are much more open and pretty repetitive before 7-9 go back into the wooded and prairie area.

The biggest con to the open holes is that 5 and 6 might not be playable when soccer is going on. Similarly, many of the holes play too close to walking paths, particularly the overly long hole 8. This does not help the course's rating. Holes 7-9, particularly 7 and 8, also play along a road. You are separated from it by some dense growth but if you airmail a disc to the left much at all you're going to be in a world of hurt going to find it. The backtracking on multiple holes is a bit frustrating; instead of making hole 8 over 400 ft. why not just shorted it up a bit so it flows into 9 properly? Hole 9 also throws directly at the parking lot which isn't great.

All that said, this is a cool course, and one of the more tolerable prairie courses I've visited. While I'm not this far north often, given the chance I'd definitely come back here. This is a newer course and the fairways are still a bit rough. They were pretty well cleaned up during my visit but within the month prior people had been complaining about multi-foot tall grasses. Hopefully the maintenance keeps up, and in the meantime I recommend a sturdy pair of shoes on this course.

The equipment is all newer and in great shape and this was a fun round that felt a bit more removed from suburban sprawl than it really was. I recommend checking this one out if you are nearby, especially if you like a well designed 9 hole course like I do. There are several better ones in the Chicago area, but this one is above average.

Hickory Hill is a step up from the 9 hole courses nearby. Rather than being wide open like Quarry View or ridiculously short and easy like Carpenter Park, Hickory Hill has some challenge and a nice mix of open and wooded holes; there's even a water in play on the first hole.

The course has enough challenging holes to test the skills of avid disc golfers with some nice risk/reward lines on hole 2, 7, and 9. Hole 3 is a nice ace run hole that plays just over the top of a small rise so you can just see the basket.

The course design could be more considerate of other park activities. Holes 3, 5, and 6 all have other park equipment near enough that an errant throw could cause trouble. Holes 7 and 8 both have a bike/hiking trail that runs directly along the line for a RHBH throw. The baskets and tees are too close for comfort on holes 4/5 and 7/8.

Speaking of hole 8; it's the worst hole on the course. It's 460' long and rarely wider than 20' with a bit of a downhill slope. The hole runs parallel to a walking path alongside Long Meadow and a slight miscalculation could have your disc hyzering into the road. The hole is needlessly long and the tee pad is far too close to the basket on #7. Were I given the option, I'd chop about 60 feet off the hole.

As long as this course isn't heavily trafficked, and the park isn't packed, Hickory Hill will provide a fun round, but be careful of others!

The course will need some time to settle into the park land. This park was extended with the construction of Long Meadow Parkway and signs of recent earthmoving and forrest cutting are evident everywhere. After a few years of plant growth I expect this course to be more playable.

Hickory Hill offers a fairly challenging 9 hole par 3 experience for more seasoned players while remaining accessible to beginners. The land consists of a mix of recently cleared scrub forest and grassy neighborhood park. Depending on skill level this is: an all par 3 course; (2) tweeners and (7) par 3s; or (7) 3s, (1) soft, and (1) hard par 4. Roughly half the holes do a good job of limiting the possible flight lines that could result in a birdie putt. For most players, there will be a few risk/reward decisions to be made off the tee. Tees are large, level concrete. Not super long, but plenty wide. Baskets are nice, new DGA Mach 7s (also see cons). Signs have hole #, par, and a basic map.

Minor elevation changes are in play on a few holes, but overall the course plays flat.
Hole 4 plays as a long 3, a tweener 3/4, or a soft 4 depending on how far you throw. The hole plays along the edge of the park, with a row of backyards behind low chainlink fences left of the fairway. The tee is a good way from the fence line, but the basket is close enough that the fence line cuts through the putting circle. There's a small soccer practice area to the right of the fairway, so going for the deuce could put neighbors or other park users at risk.
Hole 8 also presents some safety concerns. The tee is very close to hole 7's basket and the 2nd half of the fairway runs parallel to hole 9 with only minimal foliage to stop potential shank-->head shots. Hole 8's basket is right in noob hyzer range from 9's tee (ask me how I know).
Baskets are set in concrete that is about the same diameter as the cage and slightly mounded up like a mushroom top. Not sure if they did a surface pour or just had a ton of leftover concrete in need of a home. A few freeze/thaw cycles should give us an answer. For now all baskets are plumb.
Navigation isn't as intuitive as you'd expect for a town park niner. That may improve as the course gets some finishing touches.

As of late March 2023, 5 of 9 fairways are still quite rough. All of these holes were cleared from scrub forest within the past year. Portions of some of these fairways have been seeded and covered with hay and mesh, but other portions are still rough with a few small stumps and downed trees and brush piles. Some of the mess looks to be from recent storms, but some is clearly from clearing these fairways and must have been present since baskets and tees went in some time in the previous year.
All the other infrastructure in the area suggests that the conditions I saw are temporary and the rough edges will all get smoothed over. The course was < 1 year old when I played after all. A little spit and polish shouldn't negate the challenge though.

When I started playing, I would have loved to have a course like this around. The Chicago suburbs used to be characterized by a bunch of fairly crappy 9ers. This would have been one of the best of the bunch. Not on the level of the original Oakbrook course, but probably on par with Adler once finished.
If this course gets finished as I expect it to, my rating would rise to a 2.5. In it's current state, I considered giving it that rating. Not in the Top 10 9-Hole Course conversation, but you could do a hell of a lot worse. (I know I have)