Pros:
- A well designed, mostly wooded course that has a lot of different hole types with varying elevation. Front and back 9 loop nicely to the same starting point.
- Really thoughtful hole design in general for this course, in my opinion. Kudos to Luke and any others. Open tees to wooded pins, flex-line wooded holes, a pin guarded by water, an island green across a little drainage creek, uphill cross-faced hole with rollaway potential, and plenty of skinny gaps right off the tee.
- With the map here on DGCR, no huge issues with navigation. The sticky spots were mostly just when needing to cross the road for the next portion. When in the woods itself, the beaten down paths led the way.
- Also quite a few holes that really require a L-R shot, whether you RHFH flick or throw a RHBH anny. A couple holes gave some other options, but holes like 6 & 10 come to mind as ones where you're pretty well forced into the intended shot.
- #3 - Really liked this hole, even though it ought to be a pretty simple 270 ft spike hyzer. But with water just 15 ft behind, it's a tester to us recreational players.
- #7 - Just liked the look and feel of this hole, even though it might not seem overly special. A very intentional, longer wooded hole with a specific flex line available to get all the way to the basket. Maybe even a tight RHBH hyzer all the way out and around...if you hit it.
- #9 - Long 150 ft wooded fairway that immediately opens up and goes downhill to a wide open pin. Hard, but nice design.
- #15 - Probably the most picturesque green on the course - and island of sorts across a small drainage creek.
- #17 - Longer L-R, more open curving hole on top of a hill that probably drops 15 feet down to the pin in the last 60 ft. Cool.
- Generally not overly punished for hitting trees - meaning there's a way out and usually it will just take an extra shot. Sometimes there were good saves to be made, but generally it wasn't so thick that we were having to hack our way out.
- I'll list my last Pro as 'potential.' Meaning, if the interest/money/help/support is there, this really could grow to a top notch course. It has the room and elevation to continue to develop holes. That's a bonus not all courses have.
Cons:
- In regards to my last Pro, that of course means that it's lacking in a few places. At least, lacking things that could easily jump it up to a 4.0 in my book.
- The large rubber tee pads work pretty well, although a few were still squishy underneath from rain 3-4 days prior our play. We just played to the side on those. Concrete would be a big bonus.
- Nice professionally installed signage at each hole, but like Lustig Park, just the Park District basics. Hole and distance. Something with shot line and basket placement would be nice - especially on the handful of blind holes where we had to run all the way up to see the placement (2, 6, 10, 13, 15, 16, 17). Not an issue if you've played the course a few times, I'm sure.
- In regards to blind holes though, taller umbrella plants in the rough can hide a disc if you're not following where a tree kick took you. Our group took turns spotting on some of the blind holes, and for helping to follow errant shots. We had to stay attentive in that way in order to keep from spending too long looking for discs. Again, not thick underbrush or anything, but big plant leaves and fronds can obscure a disc lying on the ground here.
- Having alternate tees or baskets would really set this already great course up another notch.
- Generally felt a little bit short in some places, although some of that is necessary with the tight wooded fairways. Definitely some potential for adding secondary pins and tees though, to get some of the holes out to 300+ feet.
- Some potentially unfair fairways in my eyes - but as always I find myself questioning if it's just because of my lack of ability. However, I think that the mando on #8 is probably not hit very often or consistently - and when it is, are players actually reaching the pin? Probably a 4 or 5 ft wide tree gap 50 ft in front of the tee. Similarly, while I love nearly all of the #12 fairway, the host of 5 or 6 smaller trees right in front of the green means there is probably no purposeful line to the basket for deuce. Instead, just get down there, hit whichever tree you like, and then go for the 40-60 ft jump putt. Again though, maybe there is and I couldn't see it because it's just not in my arsenal.
- #18 is right next to the park road, definitely in play for a wayward or skipping R-L RHBH shot. Cars beware.
Other Thoughts:
- Some bathrooms and other amenities nearby if needed, but not right on the course or anything. Also just street parking in this old park, without a real noticeable congregation point. Didn't matter much to me, but notable enough to list here I think.
- My group did a fair amount of plodding along through this course, and it was frustrating at times. I generally wouldn't blame that on hole design though. I find it to be a fair wooded course, where accurate midrange throws are rewarded.
- I liked this course a lot. Nearby Lustig Park was maybe more fun and leisurely for a group of rec players, but this was some serious disc golf with good hole design and a host of shots required. Review ratings from early in this course's development are going to hold it's overall rating down for now, but it's not a 3.2 course anymore. I'm rounding down a 3.7...but 4.0 isn't very far away for this course in my eyes. Would love to play again if in the area.