Roscoe, IL

Porter Park

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2.745(based on 17 reviews)
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6 0
ElementZ
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.9 years 212 played 197 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fun! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 21, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ I wasn't sure what to expect based on the prior reviews, but I really enjoyed my round here. I felt like this course had a bit of everything and mixed it up after each hole. For example, hole 1 is nice and open, hole 2 forces players to come from the right, then hole 3 is a technical approach, then 4 is long again, etc. With the exception of the three prairie holes, there wasn't much of the same thing over and over.

+ There are multiple pin placements, which adds to the variety for locals who play here regularly.

+ The area is well maintained. Grass was cut, there wasn't much trash. In general, it was just nice to be in the park. The first couple holes that play along the creek are enjoyable.

+ Relatively challenging. If you get a 2 on a hole here (with the exception of #4), it's well deserved.

+ From reading past reviews, I feel like this course has evolved quite a bit over time and it's finally becoming the "final" product. This shows that there is a community here that cares about the course and genuinely wants the course to be the best course that can be on this land. It's grown from 9 holes to 13 with a practice basket.

Cons:

- It seemed like this course heavily favors a RHBH. I think only 2 or 3 holes encourage a RHFH or LHBH play. Normally this doesn't bug me much, but it was pretty apparent here.

- This is a good course, it's just not great. While the course does take advantage of the creek, woods, and elevation, the terrain is just not conducive to a great course. It's fun and challenging, but not remarkably memorable. I was in the air between 3 and 3.5 and ended up rounding down. I'd say 3.25 is fair right now.

Other Thoughts:

All in all, I look back at my round here with a smile. It's a fun round, but if I'm in the area, I'd probably look to play another one of the local 18ers.
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3 2
bearmax
Experience: 34.7 years 4 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 10, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course is well maintained & fun to play. The upgrade from 9 holes to 12 holes was great to add some distance to the course. Great course for beginners.

Cons:

More risk/reward holes would be nice. Scoring varies little from round to round.
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2 2
jmackie
Experience: 10.4 years 24 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Just a rating 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 5, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice grassy course with good signage. Lot's of players on the course is a plus for me. Not sure about what par was, just played everything a par 3.

Cons:

Only 12 holes, fairways cut too narrow

Other Thoughts:

All the pros and cons have been discussed. Glad I got to play the course in the town I grew up in. Nice to see so many people on the course and Roscoe growing the sport, nice job!!
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2 1
huskerfan
Experience: 12.7 years 65 played 9 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 9, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Summer of '16 course has expanded to 12 holes, plus a practice basket.
-Nice mix of left-hand and right-hand fairways. With three fairways 350' plus in the long position, making it a challenging par 3.
-New, easy to follow and easy to read tee pad signs, distance, pin location, par, etc.
-All fairways have 2-4 pin locations.
-Nice cement pads.
-Discraft Chainstar baskets.
-Porta-potties
-Well maintained, mowed grass and garbage cans on every pad.

Cons:

Not much for a 'technical' type wooded course, this is a course a beginner can play. Many of the holes are open shots with very little risk/reward.
It can get kind of crowded at times in the summer, but hopefully with expansion it will help.

Other Thoughts:

4.0+Excellent, although it will never compare to the larger 18 hole courses, It's one of the nicer 'park type' courses around and consider it well above your average 9 hole park course.
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4 0
thejetmechanic
Experience: 17 played 7 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Porter 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 22, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

* Nice new tee pads only about a year old.
* Hole layout signs are descriptive and accurate
*Beginner friendly, but also can add some challenge
*Pars are perfect for the course
*Baskets are in good condition and chains grab well
*Course layout is easy to follow, impossible to get turned around
*Portable bathrooms usually located near hole 2-3 next to the bridge
*Trash cans at nearly every tee, and no trash on the course from my experiences
*Large gravel parking lot with plenty of parking spaces
*Gorgeous park in a nice neighborhood setting

Cons:

*I wont mark Porter down in points for this because it is great for the sport, but this place is usually pretty busy every weekend and in the summer when the kids are out of school. I would suggest playing Porter early in the morning or evenings. These seem to be down times in traffic for the course.

*I think a large factor holding this course back from a higher rating from me is the height of the rough on hole 1 and the rough/field that holes 9, 8, and 7 border. I understand having hazards and rough, but the grass rough on this course is way too tall and I've seen it swallow multiple discs including a few of my own. The rough only needs to be a few inches taller than the fairway grass height, not feet taller!

*Park gets a little crowded in the summer by the baseball field due to summer leagues, but not really an issue with any of the holes

*Some holes are just too bland. Could use some creative basket placement to spice things up a bit

*Par 5 on hole 1 is a bit overkill. A par 4 would suffice

Other Thoughts:

*Definitely one of the better 9 hole courses in the state line.
*Great course for beginners or a quick round, with some challenge on a few holes.
*A bit crowded for my liking during peak times, but I always play this place once a week on my way to work
*If you live in or happen to be in the area, I would suggest fitting a round in at this place, but I would not travel to it.
*Numerous chances at an ace for a skilled player
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5 1
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.9 years 970 played 542 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Better than expected 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 1, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

The baskets are real nice chainstars that are in great shape and catch nicely. The tees are all concrete. They are level and grip nicely. The tee signs are pretty basic but serve their purpose just fine. They have the hole #, distance, par and a basic hole layout. The course is set in a beautiful little park with the disc golf separate from any other park activities for the most part. The flow of the course was easy to figure out.

Cons:

Not much for cons here. This is on the upper end of city park 9 holers I've played. There's nothing real exciting, but nothing really terrible either. The distances are all similar minus hole 1 which is a tad longer.

Other Thoughts:

This is better than many city park 9's I've played, however there's nothing to go out of your way to play here. If you're in the area though, this is worth a round or two for sure. Just nothing that'll blow you away.
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5 0
rikomenzies
Experience: 4 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Not the best, but certainly underrated. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 25, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The park terrain lends a lot to variation. There is a good blend of open fields, wooded areas, and elevation changes so that you're never throwing the same shot on every hole.

Hole 1 is a 350' Par 5 on an open field. As an intermediate player I can easily get birdies and eagles on this hole, so even I would say that Par 5 is a bit much.

Hole 2 is still fairly open but has you throwing around a tree almost directly in front of the tee pad. There is a creek to the right of the fairway (with Hole 3 on the other side). RHBH players should be careful with grip-locking here as you can wind up on the Hole 3 fairway or worse, creek your disc.

Hole 3 calls for an uphill shot at the end of the fairway, with two water hazards on each side--a swamp at the far left corner, and the aforementioned creek to your right. There is no clear line of sight to the basket here, though you can get a peek at it through a hole in the tree line above the swamp. Beware the swamp.

Hole 4 is a hard hook towards the right into a wooded area. LHBH and RHFH players should feel more at home here. Otherwise, you'll need to be able to turn your shot fairly well. You also don't want to overthrow the basket and lose your disc at the dropoff. I suggest that you put your high-speed drivers away for this one.

Hole 5 starts you at the top of the hill with the basket just out of sight behind the tree line to your left. The fairway is wide open so feel free to crush it. The tree line to the left is heavily wooded, but not so that you can't venture in if you lose a disc in there. Beware of thorns, though. There is also a barbed wire fence that had been knocked down but was left unattended, so watch your step.

Hole 6 calls for a straight shot down the fairway atop a hill. It looks easier than it actually is--wind up off the fairway and you'll have yourself an ugly uphill shot. It's very easy to overthrow the basket here and the angle is very deceiving. If you do turn off the fairway, track your disc. Plenty get lost here.

Hole 7, like Hole 5, is another shot from atop a hill with the tree line to your right. Wide open, and close to Hole 6 so watch for the tall grass.

Hole 8 is a straight shot to the basket, with the tree line to your right and the brush to the left. Not a demanding hole.

Hole 9 will have you shooting around a straight line of trees into a wide open field. Most will shoot to the right of the trees with a hyzer, which will work fine. The trees are *very* easy to hit here. Be careful of griplocking as the creek, while far to your right, is well within range.

A well-mixed course, good for all skill levels (which is why the 350' Par 5 is a little understandable). More challenging than its length suggests.

Cons:

The complaint this course receives the most is that it's short, which is really more a matter of taste.

The park is also multi-use. There is a baseball diamond between Hole 5 and 6 that, while out of the way, its guests sometimes aren't. Hole 2's basket is also by the multi-purpose cabin that frequently gets rented out to parties, so expect casual parkgoers to be in the area.

The tee pads are rubber, and have definitely seen a lot of wear and tear. They're also a bit on the small side. Poor erosion management around the pads and baskets, too.

The biggest problem with this course is that it's just not well-maintained. There's very little in the way of funds allocated to maintaining the course, and a big reason for this is inconsiderate guests and players who leave their trash all over the course and vandalize the property. If it weren't for that, it's likely that we'd see bigger improvements to the course.

Other Thoughts:

Like I said, I feel it's often underrated as it is a fairly challenging course for being a 9-holer, while still being beginner-friendly. Definitely worth a try if you're up for a quick game (though feel free to play a couple of rounds).
There is a Walgreens down the road if you want to pick up some discs before you go.

This is my course of choice as I work close by, so I make it a point to stop by on my way home and play a round or two.
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1 1
Hinduannex
Experience: 12 years 17 played 4 reviews
1.50 star(s)

porter review 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 9, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

course has a decent mix.
water on play on 3 or so holes.
some nice hyzers required here.

Cons:

Poor use of land
after the first hole not long at all
course tends get trashed with beer cans

Other Thoughts:

definately not a course to go out of your way for
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1 2
Dahlemj24
Experience: 17.9 years 10 played 10 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 30, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Majority of hole are very wide open. One hole you shoot down a raised up hill that's about 250' straight ahead, but if you go down the hill it's a difficult shot back up, especially with the typical headwind.

Cons:

Hole #4 was a very poorly designed hole and if it ever gets over grown it will be completely necessary.

Other Thoughts:

I love playing this course while walking my dog, but wouldn't play it by choice.
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1 3
Brado
Experience: 31 played 8 reviews
3.50 star(s)

A Nice Little Course. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 30, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

A good layout for the amount of land dedicated for disc golf.
A fun course to play. A couple water hazards if you slip up.

Cons:

Vandalism by kids in the nearby subdivision.

Other Thoughts:

I'd play this course again.
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7 1
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Ok 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 8, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays through a nice multi-use park, though for the most part the course stays clear of other park uses. There is a mix of open grassy fields with some minor elevation changes and more densely wooded areas with a creek running through. The creek and a tiny pond come into play on one hole adding some risk to your shot. The little bit of elevation available is used well to include a downhill shot on one hole, and a shot that needs to stay on the top of a levy to keep from having a long uphill putt with a roll away possibility.

There is surprising variety here for a little 9 hole course in a multi-use park, from longer open shots, to grassy fairways through trees, to a tightly wooded hole that's aceable if you hit a tight little line.

There are nice rubber tee pads that were installed very well. They were all level and well packed underneath so they provided a nice tee surface. The tee signs were basic, but were adequate for navigating the course. The baskets were in good shape. The flow of the course is good enough that it's not hard to get from one hole to the next your first time through.

Cons:

There are some odd spots with long walks between holes, and a couple places where you have to walk back up the fairway you just played some to get to the next hole. These don't affect navigation, but they do take away from the flow of the course. The course doesn't provide a whole lot of challenge, even for a mediocre player like me, especially on the really open holes. Pretty much every hole is just drive and putt unless you screw up, and even then there's not a ton of risk of taking a bogey.

Other Thoughts:

This isn't a bad course, it's just pretty short and not all that challenging. That said, it's got some fun holes and good variety, so it's worth a stop if you're in the area. Newer players will be challenged, but within reason. More experienced players will enjoy a few of the holes, but won't find much difficulty or risk/reward decisions.
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8 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.2 years 1508 played 475 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Not a bad little 9 holes! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 1, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Beginner friendly for the most part because there arent too many wooded shots the water is hardly in play, but it will still challenege a beginner. Wind will be a factor on a couple holes.

2) Rubber teepads are the best (rubber) I have seen. #1 is the only one that wasn't prefectly level, but only at the edges.

3) Nice new baskets catch great and are installed properly.

4) Teeposts have small but very nice signs. They indicate the hole layout which is nice, even though you can see the basket from every tee. It helps give perspective.

5) Well designed for this property. I am not sure if there is room anywhere else to put more holes, and the design incorporated all of the assets of the property. A stream on two holes, a small little pond, a nice long row of trees on #9, the ridge that protects the rest of the park from flooding is even an asset. One short wooded hole is a tough shot but well designed.

6) Challenging course because of the variety in shots, but all holes are duecable with a well exectued throw (except maybe #1 unless you are a long bomber).

7) Turf in the park is in good shape and it looks to be very well groomed.

8) Clubhouse and garbage cans in parking lot and by ball field are helpful to keep this course and park clean. Vending machine has sodas and water available too which is nice to have on a course.

Cons:

1) Some of the holes are long walks between basket and the next tee. #4 basket to 5 is strange you go out the way you went into 4 basket and then over a wire fence and backtrack up a hill which is about half of the fairway for #5. #5 to #6 is long bu is absolutely necessary to avoid the ball field and bleachers where observers would be standing.

3) Mostly a short course so it won't challenge the better players.

Other Thoughts:

All in all I realy enjoyed this course. There were some good holes and not a single throwaway hole (although #1 was somewhat boring straight and open albeit longer than most holes). I would rather have seen #1 moved elsewhere on the property to better take advantage of some of the other land. The baskets are nice the teepads are nice, and the teesigns are adequate and descriptive. There is water, a couple of tighter wooded holes, some open rippers, a fair double dogleg hole (#8) where you have to stay left initially and then want the disc to cut back to the right to get near the basket. The long row of trees on #9 is something I have not seen before, where you have to stay outside that treeline for most of the flight.
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4 1
Big_Man
Experience: 17.8 years 49 played 10 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Porter Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 11, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is close to my house, so I go here a lot. Porter Park is pretty open, so if you like throwing for distance this course might be up your alley. One hole that I love to hate is #3 which is relatively wooded with a creek running to the right and a swamp to the left. If you have a strong enough arm you maybe able to make it around the trees and up the hill near the basket. Your throw better be good however, because I would avoid going into that swamp at all costs.

Cons:

Can be considered pretty easy for the pars they put on some of the holes. Some of the par fours can be easily birdied. More experienced golfers may play each hole as a par 3 to create more of a challenge, which I usually do and makes the course much more enjoyable.

Other Thoughts:

Overall I think this course is great to learn on. The course rarely has many other people using it, which is nice and leaves little waiting time while playing. I would suggest it over Belvidere's course which is heavily crowded with people picnicking in the middle of the park. If you are more experienced I would probably suggest driving the extra 25 min and heading over to Anna Page in Rockford.
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6 4
Dave242
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 29.8 years 393 played 271 reviews
1.00 star(s)

C- = below average 9-holer 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 2, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

What I personally like and how this course stacks up:
1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == C-
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I throw 300' accurately, 360' max. == C+
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == C-
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == B-
5) Bonus points for multi-shot holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == N/A

Other Thoughts:

It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well the course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. Since I have played a decent number of courses (125 18-hole, 64 9-hole as of mid 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.

Over time, I expect to fill some of my reviews in with more descriptive verbiage...if what I can add anything to what has already been written. For now, my list is more important to me than the verbiage of my reviews.

I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me....that's the fun of things here. See my profile for my rating philosophy.
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5 1
teebird
Experience: 21.6 years 212 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

My new home course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 17, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is pretty open, but has some good obstacles on some of the holes that require a variety of throws to get through it. Water comes into play on a couple holes and very dense trees on number 4. Part of the course is visible from the road and I believe a lot of new people are trying it out because of this.

Cons:

Only 9 holes and there is a long walk between some of the holes.

Other Thoughts:

I have talked to some of the Roscoe village council and told them that there is a lot of interest in the course. If we show a lot of use of the course and keep it clean, they may be willing to add 9 more holes.
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2 2
duain
Experience: 25.9 years 75 played 14 reviews
2.00 star(s)

alright 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 4, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

the baskets and rubber tee pads are nice. decent mixture of shots.

Cons:

could have had better pin placements for some shots. the flow from pin to tee pad sucks on a couple holes.

Other Thoughts:

lots of potential just needs the proper course design to utilize the land better.
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2 1
Dahminator
Experience: 18.8 years 24 played 24 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Porter park review 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 16, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

I love this course. All the holes are long and take up a huge area of space for only being a 9 hole course. I also really love the location. Has a bit of a mix of open shots as well as holes with trees to dodge.

Cons:

Considering the fact that it's only a 9 hole course, I really can't think of many cons because this is my kinda course. There is very little elevation change. Also, the vending machine was all sold out :(

Other Thoughts:

Big arms will like this course
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