Shorewood, IL

Shorewood Park

2.95(based on 34 reviews)
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10 0
EspressoPatronum
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 18.6 years 232 played 223 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A Really Fun Pitch and Putt

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 9, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

- reasonably sized concrete tees
- picnic tables, garbage cans, port o potties
- well maintained park
- moderately wooded with some decent elevation change on a few holes
- numbers on baskets
- very beginner friendly
- very quick round of 18 if you want to do something quick
- navigation is pretty straightforward until the last few holes
- some minor water hazards come into play on a few holes

Cons:

- baskets are pretty basic
- some safety hazards with holes throwing very close to each other and close to the road
- very short (I enjoy this sometimes but some people do not)
- mandos are not clearly marked and are hard to follow
- no next tee signs
- pretty open and repetitive holes from 13-18, and navigation becomes less clear
- tee signs are very basic

Other Thoughts:

This course probably wouldn't blow most people away, but if you keep in perspective that this is an older, simpler quick-paced 18 hole course, it can be a lot of fun. I really enjoyed my round. It's probably one of the quickest 18 hole courses I've played, and it's pretty low key and beginner friendly. There is still enough challenge to play for birdies if you are experienced. Some holes are fairly wooded and will require some accuracy to make up for the fact that your driver may barely leave your bag.

My biggest issue here is the safety factor. 1-2 holes (3 and 4 in particular) play really close to the road into the park. While this is usually deserted, it really isn't the best. In addition, the short nature of the course means a lot of these short holes are compressed back to back and the risk of hitting someone at the next tee is high in some areas. There were a fair number of people here playing when I passed through, so it's something to look out for.

Amenities were pretty good here, with sitting areas and garbage cans around the park as well as port o potties. The baskets and tee signs were both very basic. They're perfectly serviceable except for the mandos which I didn't find clear at all. Some next tee signs or more detailed maps could be helpful, but navigation followed a pretty clear course until the end. On the last 6 holes, the layout isn't completely intuitive and does a lot of back and forth in an open area. I saw multiple people confuse by this including myself.

Besides the compressed nature of the course, there aren't really other activities around to interfere with disc golf. I don't think I'd go out of my way to play this course, but it's definitely worth trying and if I was nearby I think I'd come back. Some days I don't want the 5 star course, I just want a casual, fun, quick round which Shorewood definitely provides. To me, this is a perfect course to grow the sport. I saw several beginner-level families out here and this course is easy enough to not get frustrated but also shows how unique disc golf can be. It has some woods, some open areas, some elevation change, some minor water hazards, and yet despite all of this it's very forgiving and the rough is not really a factor for the most part. I wish we had a few more courses like this around.
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12 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.9 years 970 played 542 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 28, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

Shorewood is an awesome throwback style course. It's old school, opening in 1981 and the design shows. Which is a good thing. It's a look back in time to how courses used to be designed when people were tossing lids around. And it's still a damn fun course to this day.

The course meanders through a pretty clean, well maintained park. A creek winds through a few of the holes and offers additional challenge as it plays OB. Many of the holes have mandos which also add some extra challenge, but seem to mainly be for safety purposes. Really solid design for the available space provided.

The baskets are Chainstars, which are all in good shape and catch fine. No compaints with these. One pin position per hole.

The tee pads are nice sized, level concrete. More than adequate for the distances you'll encounter here. There were long tees on a number of the holes, not sure if these were concrete or not but I don't believe they were.

There's a good mix of shot shapes required here, though it did seem to favor RHBH. There's still a number of both dead straight and right bending shots here too though. A few of the mandos make these necessary unless you got a mean RHBH turnover game.

The flow of the course is generally pretty easy to follow. It's a bit of a walk down the park road to get to hole 3, other than that all the next holes are easy to find. Course starts and ends right by the parking lot too.

The tee signs are really basic but serve their purpose here. You can see most baskets from the tee so you know where to throw anyway. The signs do offer a very basic hole map showing any mandos and OB in play. They also show the hole #, distances from either tee and par. All the info you really need here.

The course is permanent and free to play. I'd be playing here all year long if I lived nearby. It would be a fantastic winter course with the shorter distances. There's trash cans and picnic tables throughout the course and a restroom by the parking lot.


Cons:

The holes play very close together. Overlapping on each other in places. Probably not too big of an issue when people were throwing frisbees back in the back. A lot sketchier when noobs are chucking Dominators and Firestorms wildly off the tee on sub 200' holes.

This can also make throwing to the wrong basket quite possible as the baskets can be so close together in a few spots.

The course wasn't terribly busy on a tuesday evening, though from what I hear that's not always the case. If this course is busy, there will be backups all over. Our group of 3 was stuck behind a group of 5 for probably four holes before they let us play through. Not necessarily a con, just a heads up.

The distances here are on the short side. I mean really short side so if you like to air it out on every hole this will not be the course for you. Which is ok, there's tons of other options for you nearby.


Other Thoughts:

I was on a mission to finally play all the Joliet area courses over the last few days and this was the second to last one I needed to play. And man am I glad I waited until the end to play this one, in a good way, because I got through all the worse ones before getting to enjoy this treat at the end. I loved this course. It's not the best course around but it's just a damn fun place to play a round.

This isn't a course to go out of your way to play by any means. And I fully understand that the Canyons, West Park and Highland Park are very nearby. But if you got a little extra time I'd certainly recommend Shorewood. I'll be playing this one the next time I'm down here, no doubt about it. Super fun old school course.
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16 0
Tyler V
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 16.8 years 147 played 98 reviews
2.50 star(s)

An Old School 18-Hole That Has Fun For Any Skill Level 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 1, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Shorewood Park is a classic 18-hole course full of tight and technical shots through a mix of wooded and more open fairways. This course is a great option for newer players looking to test their accuracy and shot selection, and provides a fun round of old-school feeling disc golf.

Location of Shorewood Park is right near the junction of Interstates 55 and 80, and is right off the highway exit when coming from the south. You can also access this park from the other direction on a separate exit on 55. The park has a sign at the entrance, but blink and you will miss it, so keep an eye on your GPS. There are food and gas options not far from the park in Shorewood. If you are looking to make a day of disc golf, this course isn't far from other courses in the southwest greater Chicago area. If you're looking for higher rated courses, The Canyons in Lockport is not too far away, along with Highland Park in Joliet. This is one of a few older courses in the area, with Community Park and the redesigned West Park (the oldest course in Illinois) are also close. These options, combined with other 9- and 18-hole courses in the general area, provide plenty of options for you.

Park Amenities are catered almost exclusively to the disc golf course at Shorewood Park. The park includes a water fountain, picnic tables, a port-o-john, picnic tables, benches, and a parking area. Parking will fill up quick on a nice day, as this course gets a lot of play from locals. There aren't really any other amenities here; no real trails or other areas for other sports, so disc golf is the head attraction at this place.

Course Equipment at Shorewood Park is a mix of new and old. The old fiberglass signs have been updated to simplistic signs that include a general layout of each hole, the distances from each tee to the pin, the hole's par, and an outline showing OB areas. The signs look brand new, and are all in great shape with the exception of hole 10, which looks to not have been updated yet. The white tees are not really marked well, but the red tees all have concrete tees that are in great shape. The baskets at variations of older Chainstars, and while they are clearly on the old side, they still get the job done. The signs also make not of doglegs on the course, and yellow markings either on the ground or on trees are also in place to make note of doglegs that are in place. There are also trash cans at most of the holes, so don't be a litter bug. There's also a bulletin board at hole 1.

Course Design at Shorewood has been virtually unchanged as long as I can remember playing this course, and older members of this site seem to agree that the original charm of the course is still in place. Most of the holes are under 300 feet, with many being shorter than 200 feet. The course makes up for the short length with technical requirements, with plenty of sharper fairway turns, doglegs, and tight tunnels. Most players won't need much more than putters or midranges on this course, but being able to throw dead straight, left turning shots, and right turning shorts will all be necessary to score low here.

Variety, outside of length, is great at Shorewood. Holes like 3, 6, 9, and 10 will require straight shots, while holes like 4, 5, 8, and 16 will require very tight turns to the left or right to challenge for a birdie. Other holes like 2, 13, and 17 will provide more open shots, though there are still ways to get in trouble on these holes if you don't hit your line.

Difficulty at this course mostly revolves around navigating the wooded holes. Newer players will find this course to be a good challenge to try different shot shapes out with slower discs. While this course mostly won't be too challenging for intermediate players and up, it still provides a fun and quick round of golf, as long as it isn't too busy.

Cons:

Course Equipment is mostly in good shape at Shorewood, but the baskets are starting to show their age. I'm pretty sure some of these baskets might be older than me. While they still get the job done, I think updated Chainstars would really elevate this course. Despite the course's age, the signs and tee pads are in pretty good shape, leaving the baskets as the sole potential weak point. The white tee pads could also use some attention, even if the markers in place were just enhanced or cleaned to make them easier to find.

Safety is something that may come to mind as you play a round at this course. The land this course is on is really just large enough for the course, and as a result, many fairways are close to each other. Many tee pads are only a few feet from the previous pin as well. In addition, the road used to access the course snakes around holes 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 14, and 15, with it being very easy to land on the road with an errant throw. Many blind turns on the road also mean it may be hard to see cars coming before you throw. Make sure you use caution when throwing on this course, and be mindful of other players and cars. Also, be sure to drive slowly on the road; many fairways really do go right along the roadway. Some of the white tees cross the road as well; use extra caution if you do a round from these.

Mud can be a consistent obstacle at this course that sticks around long after the most recent rain has passed. There is a creek that gets thrown over multiple times during a round here. While there are bridges over the creek, the areas by the creek is almost always muddy. If it has rained recently, many of the more wooded holes will also stay muddy for a while. Make sure you wear shoes that can navigate mud well if it's rained in the last week.

Course design, while providing variety in many ways, does have limitations that come with being an older course on a small plot of land. If you are looking for opportunities to bomb drives, this is not the course for you, with 300 feet being just about the maximum distance you will find here. If you aren't a fan of tight wooded holes, or extreme short doglegs, this course will not be one you enjoy. Folks looking for a genuinely wooded secluded course might also get the wrong idea when coming to this course. While it is wooded, it's also clearly a city park with nearby neighborhoods and businesses right next to the park. The nearby highways can also easily be heard from the course.

Other Thoughts:

Shorewood Park is a time capsule that shows where disc golf has come from in its old days. The course was built long before 13 speed drivers and longer fairways were more common, and really maximizes the space this small park has to offer. If you want to play a short-wooded golf course, this is a great option for you. These older wooded courses will always hold a special place in my heart, even if they aren't as well rounded as many newer courses now in place. A course from the 80s that you only need putters and midranges for? Don't threaten me with a good time.

This course and park seem to be getting some more love than when I lived in the area a decade ago. When I lived nearby, this course had graffiti and trash all over the place. Now, the signs are new and improved, there wasn't any trash really to be seen during my round earlier this month, and everyone on the course seemed to be respectful of each other given the proximity of the fairways and the number of players that were playing at the same time. Hopefully this wasn't a fluke and this course is getting more love now; this park will surely always feel like a blast from the past, but will some regular attention, it can remain a welcoming place to play disc golf.

If you're looking for a fun and short 18 hole to play, look no further than Shorewood Park. There are plenty of other better courses nearby, but the fun factor that Shorewood can bring can go up with the best of them. If you can, make time for this old school course after your round at The Canyons or one of the other courses in the Southwest Chicago area.
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9 1
SneakyJedi
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.8 years 143 played 83 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Old Dog Could Use Some New Tricks 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 11, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Short, technical fairways usually reward good shots with birdies, lots of ace runs.
- The few longer holes like 2 and 17 add some needed distance variety and interesting lines.

Cons:

- Plays really short and really flat through most holes.
- An overabundance of dog-leg holes, particularly of the left-to-right variety.
- Equipment is getting quite old, some of the baskets could really use replacing and many of the tee-signs are completely illegible either due to fading or graffiti.

Other Thoughts:

With the overabundance of quality disc golf courses in the area, it took me quite a while to play Shorewood Park. This old course is not without its charm and fun factor, but it is showing its age. This course is short, and even with the tight, wooded fairways that dominate most of it birdies are probably much more common than bogeys for players beyond novice level. That said, there is certainly fun to be had hunting for aces and birdies when even an early tree hit leaves you with only a +/- 100' upshot for par.
There is some line-shaping required here, and a few holes where straight and accurate shots are needed, but the course does seem to be dominated by dog-legs, with the majority favoring left to right hooks. I love throwing forehand in the woods, so many of these fairways suited my play style, but less experienced players or those who struggle to throw left to right accurately may get discouraged at the number of times that shot is required to shoot well here. The longer holes are mostly open with several lines available off the tee. It looks like some holes have long tee locations without concrete pads, but I, and I know many others aren't either, am not interested in hunting down long tees if they don't have pads and signs while the shorts do. Long tee pads would be great to breathe some new life into this course.
There are a couple of spots where the path to the next tee pad is not obvious, and my group spent some time turning in circles or wandering around a bit. Simply taping or painting a tine on the baskets to indicate the direction to the next tee would help a lot. Speaking of baskets, the Chainstars are a bit mixed here, many are fine and in good repair, but a number are of the older variety with the really shallow cages and thinner chains. These could really stand to be replaced, and we had a number of bad spit-outs and discs travel through the chains during the round. The tee signs are frequently useless due to fading or graffiti, but luckily, there are only a few spots where the location of the basket isn't immediately obvious.
This is a decent course, but the graffiti, garbage, and surrounding neighborhood/highway detract a bit from the experience. I enjoyed my round, but will be hard pressed to make a return with all of the other courses of higher quality 5-15 minutes away. If you are traveling more than 30 minutes to visit the area, you will be better served by playing Community Park in Channahon, West Park, Highland Park, or The Canyons. However, if like me you have played the other courses in the area many times, and are looking for something new to try, Shorewood Park is worth checking out.
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10 0
thrembo
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 48.8 years 242 played 194 reviews
2.50 star(s)

The Wayback Machine 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 16, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is an old school course that dates to 1981. I should know, I started playing it as soon as it went in. At the time, it was a nice change of pace from West Park. Steady Ed Headrick had something to do with the design of this course. The PDGA course directory states that he designed the "alt tees".

Nowadays it retains its original "charm" and is a fun course to play.

Sure, it is pretty short, but remember, it was designed for lid type discs. Plenty of ace runs, in other words!

The course winds through the park, along the entrance road and back and forth across a little creek.

Cons:

It can be quite muddy in the rainy season.

The course is old and has always had a certain stigma about it. Graffiti, litter, and a somewhat low standard of maintenance seems to be the problem here.

The course has been pulled and put back in over the years. Hopefully, she is back for good now.

Other Thoughts:

Even though this area has a wealth of newer, better courses, this course will always have a special place in my heart. It really is quite fun to play, if you go in knowing its history and limitations.

In my heart, it's a 4-star course, but I rated it at 2.5 (decent/typical for a 1981 course!).
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2 3
joelhartzell
Experience: 9.6 years 22 played 5 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Good warmup 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 11, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Easy to find holes, decent signs
- Not much chance of losing a disc to water- my biggest pet peeve. There is a lake but it's blockaded by trees and growth usually
- I've never seen anyone else there- you'll probably get the place to yourself!
- good, quick warm-up before going to West Park or one of the others around here.

Cons:

- Shots were very short, even for my unskilled noodle arm.
- Mud. Mud everywhere.
- Dirty, trash scattered around
- not really the "in-the-woods" feel that I like about a lot of other nearby courses.

Other Thoughts:

the 7-11 down at the 59/52 intersection sells some discs!
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3 4
Ator1990
Experience: 13.8 years 2 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good course for friends 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 21, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-really easy to find holes
-easy navigation
-fun to throw with friends or by yourself

Cons:

-muddy if any rain comes in at all
-sometimes it is littered with trash.
-doesnt offer TOO much challenging throws
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15 0
LeddZepp8687
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.9 years 115 played 19 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Short and technical does the trick 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 25, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-This is a typical old school style disc golf course, Lots of short but technical holes with some holes in a more open field setting.
-Concrete pads are in good condition, All baskets are in good shape, plenty of trash cans and there is a port-o-potty at the parking lot.
-While most holes require a well executed straight shot there are a few holes that require some shot shaping. Enough fairway obstacles to make almost all the holes interesting and fun.
-Good potential for aces.
-Good course for players of various skill levels. This would be a great course for a beginner to learn the sport of disc golf and yet more experienced players will still find enough challenge here to make for a fun round.
-Navigation is very straightforward and the course has good flow to it.
-Close in proximity to some other very good courses making this course ideal for a quick warmup round before playing some of the bigger, badder J-Town courses.

Cons:

-There is a lot of course stuffed into a relatively small space. When busy this course could be a little hairy, fairways overlap and some teepads are too close to the last hole's basket.
-Signs are in very poor condition and most are completely unreadable.
-Course can be very muddy after any kind of precipitation.
-Couple holes shoot wayyyy to close to the road. While you probably wont hit any cars, Plastic and pavement do not get along well.
-The course does lack a lot of what I really like about disc golf, which is peace and quiet in a nicely wooded setting. The highway is close and the course is surrounded with industrial style buildings and lots.

Other Thoughts:

This course was a fun play and I did enjoy playing here but it is a little too short for my likings. I threw a lot of mids and putters with a couple drivers on the open field shots.

Like I said earlier in my review, there are a bunch of other awesome courses that are all close to this course which make this course awesome for a quick warmup round.

7-11 at 59 and jefferson has a small selection of discs. Even better than that, Aces and chains which is at jefferson and larkin is a dedicated disc golf store and it is on the way to west park.
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2 2
gowiththeFLOW
Experience: 14.8 years 8 played 5 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Shorewood Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 15, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Concrete Tees
-Chainstar Baskets
-Wooded/Open Playing
-Techinal Game Play

Cons:

-Swampy when rainy
-Crammed Baskets
-Short Holes

Other Thoughts:

Great course for beginners or just a quick round. West Park and Channahon, must plays if in the area.
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15 1
Three Putt
Staff member
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 29.2 years 152 played 127 reviews
2.00 star(s)

It's tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time, it's Tricky! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 26, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Shorewood in an old-school short, technical course. The course winds through some woods, and then pops out into a more open area for the last few holes. Four or five holes have a creek in play, and there are some elevation changes in the creek area and again by holes #17 and #18. There a quite a few mandos in the wooded area and a nice touch turnover shot comes in handy. The holes are not terribly difficult; they can just be a little tricky. The short tees here are concrete and in pretty good shape.

Cons:

Shorewood is just a fun pitch 'n putt. The distances are too short for it to be anything more. Like a lot of old courses, everything is pretty jammed into a small area. It's an easy place to make a black Ace run with so many baskets crammed in close together.

.#4, #7 and #14 play out by the road. You have to be aware of flying discs when you drive in and out of the park. The long tee for #14 throws over the road. Not a huge deal since it's the park road and there didn't seem to be anything but a disc golf course in the park, but it's still not an altogether safe design.

The creek crossings are not in great shape and could stand to be improved. The tee signs are those old DGA signs every old course has. They are covered with graffiti and generally unreadable.

Other Thoughts:

Shorewood is a survivor from the old days. Like most of the old pitch 'n putts, it has a loyal following and has done a fine job over the years getting people introduced to the sport. It should continue to do that for the foreseeable future. It's a fine place to play a quick putter round and take some Ace runs.
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13 1
Jukeshoe
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.6 years 315 played 266 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Short Technical Fun 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 26, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Shorewood is a small suburban park with a little creek winding through it. Mature trees provide shade and the lion's share of the "thrills and spills." Some schule comes into play, but the scattered undergrowth won't affect most rounds. While several holes are mostly open, short wooded technical holes comprise the majority of the course. Shorewood's great for beginners who want to work on line shaping and is ideal for quick one- or two-disc rounds.
- A handful of mandatories up the level of technicality and force certain shots. #2's mando forces a turnover shot (RHBH) with a wall of trees to the right of the mando. A large tree to the left of the fairway off the tee waits to knock down any wayward drives.
- Minor elevation changes in a few places help spice things up a bit. The small drop-off directly behind # 7's basket (which is OB) and #17's "downhill" shot provide some variety to the over-the-creek theme that is used in several places.
- Decent concrete tees. Baskets are mostly in good shape, although a couple have loose chains or are slightly slanted. Trashcans throughout and a port-a-john by the parking lot.

Cons:

- The course is tightly packed onto the available land. In places, the proximity of the holes could lead to dangerous situations when crowded. The park road comes into play in a couple places.
- The signage is suspect at best, with much of it having been defaced.
- Not a ton of variety. Several holes more or less repeat the same shot: straight, through trees, and over-the-creek.
- I played this course in the rain, and there are definitely some muddy spots that can become slippery. In wet or icy conditions, watch your step on the small "bridge" crossing the creek on #6.
- Although the course proper gives off an okay nature vibe, much of it is ruined by the nearby highway and adjacent industrial properties.

Other Thoughts:

- Established in the early '80s, it's easy to see that Shorewood was once a fairly solid course. With disc technology advancements allowing for longer throws, much of the course is outdated in the length department. Still, there's enough variety and technicality to make it playable.
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3 4
Hawkmaster
Experience: 6 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Very Fun Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 8, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great variety of hole types.
Good concrete tees.
Great Chainstar baskets.
Not too tough, not too easy.
Occasionally Aces and Chains will be selling a small stock there.

Cons:

Signs highly vandalized, not just from aces.
Actual course not in most beautiful condition.
Sometimes gets swamped with people.

Other Thoughts:

Very fun, and even though it's not very pretty, it has a great variety of shots and makes it a great practice and "just for fun" course. Great course.
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2 4
phildafunk1
Experience: 16 years 46 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Short, cool, confusing 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 7, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course is laid out with a lot of trees and technical shots. If you hit a tree or end up with a bad shot, you can still usually pull a par or bogey, which could be a con to some of you "pros." The lack of distance and a lot of tree cover made it very girlfriend friendly on a 95 degree day

Cons:

Not enough variety. it's technical but too short imo. I like to be able to throw for distance sometimes, I usually don't driver over 250 so its n ot that big of a deal, but I would have enjoyed a few 400+ holes

Other Thoughts:

It's the last turn before you are stuck on 55 South, so be sure you see the tiny westbound driveway leading into the park, or else you'll be seeing St. Louis signs pretty quickly. I heard there are a lot of bugs after rain, and since it's a wooded course, be sure to be prepared with some off.
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4 2
notBOB
Experience: 19.8 years 207 played 16 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Technical and fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 2, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

TEchnical little course tucked right off I 55

-great use of the land offered
-creek comes into play_wicked little paths
-unique mandos marked by yellow ribbons on trees #2, 4, 5, 8, 16- w/ drop zones
-good balance of rights and lefts, more tight than open
-numerous tees designated on a majority of the holes
-will test versatility in the short game
-signs and concrete white tees, natural reds

Cons:

-very short, lack of distance -lots of putters from the tee
-gets nasty swamped after rain, under canopy of trees
-certain tees are close to previous holes' flight paths, keep your head up
-shorewood pigs like to pull thru and flex their little peckers once and again

Other Thoughts:

Fun park to chill down brews and ace runs.

Can get crowded but plays pretty quick, central location with numerous great courses in the area
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4 2
try122583
Experience: 25.1 years 126 played 11 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Oh, here it is! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 13, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- A great place to work on your short game. Plenty of trees will force you to have accurate drives as well as putts.
- This course is birdie friendly
- Nice little park.

Cons:

- This park is a pain in the butt to find if you are from out of town. While a number of bike trails enter and exit the park, only one road actually gets you in. This road isn't marked and it kind of looks like an access road from the main street. There is a Shorewood Park sign, but it isn't facing you on the main street, so you may not see it. Almost didn't play this course because of iffy directions.
- The park is small, and it's kind of amazing they put 18 holes on it. Because of this, there is some confusion as to which hole you are throwing to, and also problems with other players being in the way.
- Also a product of it being a small park, sometimes had difficulty finding the next tee. With so many tees so close together, it sometimes took a little walking around to find the next box.

Other Thoughts:

The course itself was okay. It isn't one to challenge the more advanced players, but if you're from out of town, it will challenge your navigational skills. For those who live around the park and play it on a regular basis, most of what I said probably doesn't apply, but if you're from out of town, I suggest using Google Maps to figure out how to get in.

Happy Golfing!
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10 1
notapro
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.6 years 568 played 281 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Beginner/Intermediate 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 3, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Good mix of holes inside the forest, and holes in the open. The holes in the forest have lots of smaller trees dotting the fairways, there are lines to the basket but they are very tight in some places. Good amount of mature trees in the open holes too.
- Some elevation changes, especially through the forest. A lot of holes are over a small valley that has a small creek. So, a good shot is more or less on flat ground, while a bad shot could leave you with an uphill approach.
- There are a couple holes that demand a certain shot, but usually it is just a matter of getting it there without hitting branches. Throwing it straight will cover most of the holes, but there were a few turns here and there.
- Good tees, signage, and baskets. Some alternate tees, though they weren't marked on the signs. Some were obvious, some not so much. Lots of bridges and wood walkways help to avoid some muddy areas.

Cons:

- This course suffers in terms of length. Many holes under 200', and overall it felt very short. Not a lot of space to work with, a lot of holes are crammed into small areas. Stray discs can easily find other holes.
- Some of the holes play right next to the entrance road, both human and vehicle traffic to worry about. One of the alternate tees has you going across the pavement.

Other Thoughts:

- A beginner technical course. Too many holes are way too short, and there aren't many holes that stand out. Becomes a chore to avoid a lot of small trees that don't really encourage a certain line, just random luck at times.
- For an experienced player, it is putter practice. Leave the distance drivers in the car.
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6 1
ArcheType
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.9 years 38 played 25 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Very Technical Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 24, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is a very technical course. It has many holes that require many different shots. Hole number one is a longer sloping right curve, great for RHFH. There are several holes that are virtual straight shots through trees, but elevation changes make them all feel very unique. It's a very good course for beginners to hone their skills. The mandos serve to make the course more technical. None of them are excessively far from the natural lines in the course, really they seem to deter from people taking lucky throws through lots of trees and throwing an open line.

Cons:

The course is pretty short. The longest hole being right around 340 ft. This can leave it dissatisfing for many strong armed players. It can also get pretty muddy during rainy times.

Other Thoughts:

This was the course I learned to play on first, and its great just for that. The shorter, technical shots are perfect for teaching control with mids and putters.
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4 0
ratoon
Experience: 5 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

fun for me 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 8, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

well the pros to this course for me, seeing that i am a side arm thrower,is there is a lot of pin placements set off to the right or strait.
-concrete tee pads
-ok baskets
-nice park
-good use of space
-garbage cans and port o john always a plus
-easy to navigate

Cons:

the mandos on 2 5 and 8 although they make it more fun they are pain in butt.
-wish the course was longer
-if u go over the basket on 10 or to the right of the basket on 11 u go into a smelly ditch of i dont know what.so stay away from there.
-the drive way in is narrow and drives through southside of park. holes 2 3 4 7 all have the street in play.

Other Thoughts:

this course to me was enjoyable to play while living in the area. its also right on the way to channahan and 2 awsome joliet courses. THE HIGHLANDS AND WEST PARK A MUST TO PLAYif in the area.So make a day out of it, map it out and get ready for a joliet roller coaster.Shorewood however will only prob be with us for so long the city has plans for the area and the course may be altered or whiped out completly so get all ur rounds in that u can
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3 0
dwebb
Experience: 9 played 7 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 6, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Course has a nice layout with a good variety of holes. Everything is pretty open and easy to follow with some more challenging acable holes as well as some long hyzer shots. There is a lack of flatness on most of the holes, which is a good change of pace from most of the other courses around.

The course is well maintained and has great tee boxes. Additionally the course hasn't ever been busy when I have been here.

This course is great for any skill level and is easy to follow around, there really isn't a need for markings as the course flow is laid out quite well.

Cons:

Although it is a nice course, it really isn't overly impressive. Holes are laid out in a casual fashion and don't offer much of a challenge for more skilled players. Aftrer a while straight shots through the woods are all the same.

A couple of times I have come here and it has been really muddy, but as with any course, just watch conditions before heading out.

Other Thoughts:

Good beginner course with variety, fun tee shots and up and downs. If you're in the area its worth the stop, you wouldn't want to pass it up. But if you're looking for a challenging course, this just isn't it.
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5 2
#19325
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.8 years 351 played 175 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Short & Tricky 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 17, 2007 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a small park where the course plays into some nice wooded areas and utilizes the open space. See the link below for hole by hole photos.

This is a very short course with some variety. The mandos are interesting and there are quite a few. You need some trick shots and forehand to score well on this course. A forehand cut roller can pick up a few birdies.

There are Sort/Long tees. Not all have Longs. Concrete for 1 set.

Pretty easy to navigate.

It's minutes off I55.

Cons:

Very short and lacks challenge for more skilled players.

If you go during prime hours it can get congested with baskets being close to tees.

Course can be muddy after rain.

Other Thoughts:

Link to more pictures.
http://discontinuum.org/index...itemId=245499

This course is located right off I55 and will not take long to play. I'd consider playing Channahon instead of this course if you have the time.

Check out my Illinois Top 10.
http://discontinuum.org/index...1486.msg68704#msg68704
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