- Good variety of distances and decent selection of obstacles despite course being largely open

- Multiple basket positions on many holes, two tee pads for holes 17 & 18

- Baskets, tee pads, and tee signs all in good repair

- Course is largely flat and open, limiting challenge and interest

- A number of fairways play very close to each other or other park amenities

- Confusing routing in a few locations

The Riverside park disc golf course plays through a typical Chicagoland multi-use park. You will have to contend with a number of large mature trees (and some more recently planted saplings), a few areas of prairie grass, baseball fields, a dog park, and a few paths and picnic tables. Some of these challenges add additional interest to a course that is otherwise mostly flat and open, while others serve as potential safety hazards. There is a nice variety of distances on the course, everywhere from under 200' to almost 500', but line shaping is pretty limited. Avoiding sparse trees and roads/paths provides most of the challenge. Dual pin positions exist on many holes, but only one basket at a time that is not indicated on the tee sign.

A number of fairways play a bit too close to each other (3-6 and 14 & 15 come to mind), and routing is occasionally confusing (7-9 and 12-13). A course map would definitely be helpful the first time out, there are frequently multiple baskets visible from the tee, and backtracking is sometimes necessary. Roads and paths as well as fenced baseball fields and a dog park also come in to play more often than ideal.

Riverside is a pretty generic course: nothing particularly exciting, but nothing much to complain about either. I think it plays as a good companion course to the nearby Rivers Edge Course. I played both in about 2 hours including travel time between courses. Stop by 3 Floyds Brewpub down the road for some great beers after your round(s).

- A typical park-style course. OG design in '86 installed by Mr. Mayor, Sr., pulled, and resurrected by Mr. Mayor, Sr.'s son Mr. Mayor, Jr., which makes me think Hammond has some of the infamous Chicago political nepotism bleeding over state lines. Maybe? Just a lil? Whatever's good for disc golf, right?
- Anyway, lots of big trees that provide startlingly little shade. Lots of open shots over marshy/prairie OB areas. Playing around/through ball fields. Near roads. Etc. Past the dog park. You know the drill.
- Amenities and thangs. You know the drill. Dual pin positions with positions clearly marked on nice signage. Hey, they've got an elevated basket! Kewl beanz, I guess.
-Super close to the highway for those wanting to jump off for a quick round while traveling through the area.

- So, the prairie areas are pretty darn annoying. They were a bit different prairie type plants than I am accustomed to but boy were they just as annoying. Avoid at all costs. Luckily, really only one or two real places where this comes into significant play.
- Restrooms (probably due to Covid) were *closed*. Just a public service announcement.

- Not really anything wrong with this course, not really anything super great, either. It's an 18 holer, with some history, so that's cool and all. Not much to get the dg juices flowing, though.
- Preeeeetty certain that was a waste facility treatment plant I was smelling wafting up and over the grassy berm bounding one side of the park.
- Saturday Mini-Bagging Trip (Forsythe, Pulaski, River's Edge Riverside): Alany 4, Juke 0. Marmots sighted: 0. Sunburns: Alany 1, Juke 0.

- Plays in a nice little park in and around a lot of areas for other activities like a dog run, baseball field and somewhere out there is an ice rink.
- The baskets are all Innova Discatchers of some sort. Some are REALLY old and some appear to be the pro 24 chain variety. All appear to be in good shape.
- I appreciate what the course designer has done here. They could have just made one wide open hole after another in this flat as a pancake landscape but made as much use of trees and obstacles as possible.
- Most of the tees are brushed concrete. Nicely done if a little short.
- Navigation on most of the course was acceptable. The white tape on the spoke of the basket pointing to the next tee was there on about 13 or so of the 18 baskets. More on that in the cons.
- Signage was pretty good and the distances seemed fairly accurate.

- Many of these holes play in and around picnic tables that are strewn helter skelter all over the park. Looks like the squirrels have setup a walnut chop shop on the #5 fairway picnic table. They were giving me that "Wrong neighborhood MF'er" look. Anyways, I'm not sure how busy this park is during the summer months but if it is hoooo boy is that ever going to be a safety issue.
- Not really a con but more of a wtf moment for me. Right by hole one there is a sign that states "No horseback riding" and "No Hunting." Is that really that common an activity in this Chi-town burb that warrants prohibitive signage? Seriously?
- The first few holes - namely 2 through 6 play in a sketchy zig-zag pattern at the back of the park. These fairways are really close to throwing directly at each other so exercise some caution with other players on the course.
- Many of the holes have those icky rubber tees made by Fly18 or whatever abomination brand it is like #9, #11 and #12. Kill these tees with fire.
- #10 has no tee. So...tee off the parking lot I guess???
- #12 is a complete mystery to me. There are 2 #12 signs out there a yellow band basket labeled 12 and a red banded basket labeled 7. I think the right way to play this was from the tee nearest to the 11 basket to the yellow 12 basket...I guess???
- 9 plays really close to a bike path on one side and a parking lot on the other.
- 13 goes right next to the roadway on the right and a dog park on the left. Too close to this stuff IMHO.
- There are newly planted saplings EVERYWHERE. Someone raised a lot of money and went through a lot of trouble to get these planted. I seriously think most, if not all of these little trees are going to get decimated in the very near future if some precautions are not taken soon. Would be a shame to throw all that work away. Unless their name is Groot, baby trees do not like discs.

This is by no means a great course. Don't get me wrong, kudos to those that installed it. Looks like they did the best they could with what they had to work with. There was just nothing that really struck me as anything impressive - at all. Just another ho-hum course in a multi-use park with lots of other crap going on. Now, if you want to practice your roller game, this is the place with the closely mowed grass and rock hard ground.

- Very well maintained park
- Most baskets are brand new
- Holes 12 and 17 have a short and long tee pad
- Holes 1 and 13 have 2 pin positions
- Not much chance to lose a disc
- Good course for beginner and intermediate players
- Plays quick

- Very wide open and about as flat as can be
- Holes 3-6 are very close to each other
- A few holes have picnic tables in the fairways
- Very easy course for Advanced and Pro players
- Most baskets are pretty much straight off the tee

This is the first 18 hole disc golf course in the Northwest Indiana area originally installed in 1986. The course had been closed for a few years but now it's back open. It's a pretty simple course. Very flat and very wide open. About half the Tees are concrete the other half a rubber pads. There are a bunch of young trees that can make this course more challenging as it gets older. Lots of OB on the course which is good for such a wide open course. Overall it's fun to play, for me at least, I can see more advanced players getting bored though.