This course is interesting. It's more like playing two 9-hole courses in one park vs one 18-hole course. The front 9 is very demanding with lots of flex lines and tight wooded lines. The back 9 is much more open and offers a very different feel. Adds a lot of variety

Other things to like:
-concrete pads
-navigation arrows on the baskets
-shot variety

It's a decent course that would probably rate a 4.0 except for some sizable issues discussed below

There are 2 big problems with this course and a third that I can somewhat look past but still worth a mention

1. Signage! As noted in previous reviews. This course has Zero signage on the front 9. Just a pole. As I mentioned above. This course feels like 2 courses and the front 9 is definitely the more difficult 9 and it's the part you would want signs with distance and pin position relative to the tee pad if you could only have 9 tee signs. Many of the pins cannot been seen from the tee unless you wonder out into the fairway a bit This is a Gateway specialty. Dave and whoever else at Gateway assists with course design, really like to put baskets around corners or just tucked behind a tree or just into the woods where it cannot be seen from the tee. Courses like La Vista, Lake Pittsfield, this one, the list goes on and on. It's not always a bad thing but the annoyance level goes through the roof when you have to wonder down the fairway wondering where the basket is and especially annoying when you don't know how far away it could be. This was especially frustrating on Hole 5 where there's a gap into the field and then a decent field to throw across and then a bunch of woods I thought I saw the basket off to the right so I threw what I thought was a great roller that pancaked exactly as I wanted it only to discover when I got to my lie that the basket was nowhere to be seen. Took me about a minute of looking around to see that the basket was buried in the trees on the opposite side of the field. Add some signs to the front nine that show distance, pin position relative to the tee pad and maybe where roads/ditches are and this would be 3.5 star
-My 2nd issue is the baskets. I saw a previous reviewer saying they like these baskets...mystifying. The baskets are not good. They will cost you strokes. Most, I found, are not level. They also have a smaller basket compared to most Gateway Titans and the chains are very heavy and a bit too tight. They spit putts that are dead center directly back at you. I had 2 today that bounced out from center chains. They also do not catch anything hitting left side thrown with any power. Again, the chains just don't have enough give/flex to allow the basket to catch a disc. They are too rigid and discs just slip right off. I wish there was a way to upload a video on this review to provide evidence. I say go to the course and just throw a bunch of putts. There is also no practice basket that I saw to warm up on these types of baskets so you know how to adjust your putt so these catch. I found I had to throw lofty putts and try to basically hit with no chains straight into the basket if I was outside 15 feet. My normal putt was just bouncing out right side..... changing these baskets to Veterans or Disc-catchers would add another .5 and bump this to a 4.

This should be a 4 star course. It has most of the elements spot on. Course design is solid. There are lines and you are punished, especially on the front 9, if you miss them.

I really want to like this course but it desperately needs tee signs at a minimum. Might be better now that I've played it but you shouldn't have to play a course once just so you could see where the pins are.

Baskets are fantastic. I believe hand-made, but some of the best. Very heavy duty and solid. 24 chains, somewhat resembling Gateway Titan 24s.

Some holes are great (#1 and #8), and more have potential to be great.

Mid-size length. It's not a short par-27 course, but you'll maybe throw a driver twice.

Signage, signage, signage!!! This course has been in for over a year now, and there's not one basket or teebox with a number anywhere. Luckily you can find a map online. But to spend the time, money, and effort into such nice baskets and concrete pads and not have ANY signage is just criminal.

Design seems rushed. A LOT of holes don't have ANY lines to throw a disc. Make a window as small as you want, but a window at least exist. #3 is a joke, and #4 isn't much better. I don't know if there's any plans to remove more trees down the road, but I sure hope so; otherwise some holes were just designed very poorly. A lot of holes (#3, 4, 10, 12) are just throw it and pray you get a good bounce off a tree. That's not disc golf. Holes like that hurt the game.

Some teepads do not line up with the baskets.

The front 9 holes are in the lower part of the park that has a large creek running through it. That part doesn't drain well and frequently floods, so water will constantly be an issue, and many discs will be lost.

This course can be seen as a mini-Foundation Park once it's broken in. A lot of holes are reminiscent of Foundation Park's holes, and that's a great thing.

There's not enough room to crank on some drivers, but it's long enough to rip on mids all day; just be accurate. Average hole length on the front seemed to be about 250', with a few probably touching 400'.

Any disc golf course is a good disc golf course because it helps grow the game. Bryan Park easily accommodates a course without getting in the way of any playground equipment or anything. With more trees removed and alternate pin placements, this could be a great course. I have to rate it low now because of lack of signage after being over a year old, but will change my rating once that's fixed. And if the issue is just needing somebody to do it, I'll gladly volunteer to mark the course.

Set in a beautiful park with mature trees, rolling hills, and meandering streams
Walking paths throughout
Front 9 concrete tees
White Posts at every tee
Parking by hole 1

No tee signs or numbers on baskets yet
No course map or kiosk yet
Murky, smelly creek water in play

If you love disc golf, you will love this course. Some very picturesque holes that make you want to throw the perfect shot. Requires distance and accuracy to score. Be careful around the creeks they aren't deep but murky and hard to get your disc back.

Great addition to the other courses in the area. Great work by SOIL

Good use of the land with front 9 being wooded with lolipop pines and back 9 more open park style holes.
Elevation is used when available and homade baskets catch well.

Give this course a shot, one of my favorite in southern IL

An eighteen hole course in a easy to get to location with reasonable parking and decent facilities (on site bathrooms) in close proximity to other activities so the Disc Golfer in your family can try and have fun while the rest of the family does their thing.

Very nice baskets, nice concrete tee pads on the front nine, with the back nine tee pads set to come soon which will help tremendously. When the tee pads are all in and signage is present, will be a nice park course with sufficient challenge for area players.

Lots of trees, lots of water on the front nine and parts of the back nine.

Rec length, but experienced difficulty. Beginners will be spending their time in the creek fishing out their discs (or watching the water rush by after a storm) or in the brush, while pros may find the lengths less challenging but occasionally be frustrated by the omnipresent trees.

Crossing hole 6 with the creek is tricky and 9 is impossible in high water although if one plays the left hand route, there is a road way bridge to cross on.

The back nine for now lacks tee pads. Also, there is no signage. Both are supposed to be in place by the end of 2019 or spring 2020.

For now (October 2019), the posts generally mark the rear left corner of the tee pad except on hole 11 where due to terrain, the post is essentially the front left of the tee pad.

I'd love to rate this course higher as it's only minutes from my home. The course layout could be helped by a few bridges and will certainly be helped by the back nine tee pads and signage, which are coming soon (hopefully).

The back nine (with the exception of 18) is generally more friendly rec experience with water only in play on 18. The back nine has two elevated baskets which are an interesting proposition of risk vs. reward.

That all said, I play the course pretty regularly, but most players should bring a rake or other item to fish discs out of the creek (and remember to label your discs!) but should avoid playing when the bottom of the creek cannot be seen to minimize frustration or become more accepting of laying shots up versus going for the gusto!