Pros:
- Elevation change on many holes and is used very well
- Challenging but fair lines through the woods reward good shots and make you earn birdies despite the short length of most holes
- Baskets are in good shape and catch well, nice concrete tee pads
Cons:
- Course is fairly short, with the holes 9 and 10 providing a decent chunk of the total distance, and some of the only opportunities to pull out your high speed drivers.
- Navigation can be tricky in a few spots, such as between 3 & 4, 8 & 9, and 13 & 14
- Tee signs are rudimentary showing only hole number and distance, tho most baskets are visible from the tee.
- Can become difficult or dangerous to play and navigate when wet
Other Thoughts:
Lake Eureka Disc Golf Course is a lovely course in a very nice park. Despite what the name may imply, the eponymous lake is never encountered on the course, which plays through tightly wooded fairways for all but 3 or 4 holes. Most holes are under 275' and there are a lot of birdie opportunities, but you have to earn them. What this course lacks in length it makes up for in technical golf. You need to be able to throw a disc accurately, and make it finish straight, left, and right to score well here, and there are a few 'S' shaped fairways that will really test your ability to control the flight of a disc if you want a deuce.
After playing tight, wooded golf for 8 holes, you are thrown out into the sunshine to face the only two holes over 320'. It is a bit jarring to go from throwing finesse shots to airing out drives on 450'+ holes, but holes 9 and 10 are not simply driving ranges and still require placement. There are a lot of fun holes here. Lake Eureka is best where the elevation is used well, such as on holes 2, 4, and 13, and precarious greens will keep you on your toes throughout. I don't know what kind of restrictions were placed on the course designers, but it seems a shame that the creek you see running through the park is never used as a design element in the course, would have really helped the variety.
The negative to all this elevation is how poor the footing becomes when the course gets wet. The clayey mud become very slippery and it becomes hard to line up behind your disc in many instances, and traversing some of the hilly areas becomes quite precarious. It was impossible to get any kind of run-up at the tee pad or on the fairway on Hole 17 during my most recent round recently after rain went through the area. Stinging nettles also pose a hazard on the course, and there are several areas where moving to a lie just slightly off the fairway can result in itching or burning legs if you aren't careful.
Equipment is generally good, Innova Discatcher baskets are in good shape, and the concrete tee pads are nice, if occasionally a little narrow or short. The tee signs could really use some improvement, even though the course is relatively short, there are still a decent number of blind holes where a diagram of the fairway would be helpful. Similarly, course navigation and flow is mostly ok, but there are a few locations where additional guidance would be really helpful (like between holes 3 & 4 and 13 & 14).
If you enjoy weaving midranges and putters through trees, you will have a lot of fun at Lake Eureka. There isn't much that will blow you away here, and I don't think there are any of those empty-your-bag type holes, but there is enough to keep you interested throughout. Challenging, without being punishing this is a great course, especially if you are not up for some of the bigger and badder courses in the Peoria area.