Oak Brook, IL

Central Park

3.335(based on 21 reviews)
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12 0
Countchunkula
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 18.3 years 224 played 75 reviews
2.50 star(s)

(not so) New Oakbrook

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 3, 2024 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Central Park in Oakbrook, Illinois hosts one of the better nine hole layouts that I've encountered. This is the 2nd layout in this park. The redesign was necessitated by the park district's plans to build a field turf soccer field, maintenance garage, and a wilderness area (which is now inexplicably a foot golf course) using most of the foot print of the old course. Additional, wooded land was allocated to disc golf and after what looks like a ton of work, Oakbrook had a disc golf course again. I believe only one old fairway was partially repurposed (old 7/new 1), but it's hard to tell due to the amount of tree/brush clearing in that part of the park. The old course required you to hit a fairly tight gap on 2, maybe 3 holes. The new layout asks you to do that on at least 5 (consecutive) holes.

The course opens up with 2 fairly open holes with enough mature trees to keep you honest. Then you walk. Then you play 5 challenging, tightly wooded holes. These holes are no joke, featuring tight lines with rough that's not conducive to heroic saves. Hole 8 is mostly open, but the basket is on a slope that is made for rollaways. Hole 9 give big arms a chance to gain a stroke by clearing the water off the tee. Pretty wild finishing hole for a 9er.

Equipment is solid. There's a nice course map by the practice basket (original basket location for old hole 6). Most holes have at least 2 tees and some feature 3. Longest tees are large, level paver tees. All other tees are similarly sized, but use a nice artificial turf. Detailed signs are located at the longest tee. Baskets are Mach Vs with the numberplate.

There are a ton of different looks off the tee here. More than half of the holes really change the look between the tees. Some of the wooded holes feature totally different fairways for half the hole. A few holes also have a 2nd pin placement. With that said, you need to throw a lot of straight shots, either with slight turn or fade.

What elevation change there exists is well used. Hole 5 is a fun, tight downhill through the woods to a green on a tall mound. Hole 6 plays back up the same hill. Hole 8 tees from the flat, but the basket is on the side of a man made sled hill.

Cons:

Due to the patchwork nature of the land left over for the disc golf course, routing is a little janky. After the first two holes, you walk 500+ feet down a service road to get to hole 3. Hole 9 finishes close to hole 2s tee and hole 1s green. Depending on where you parked, you either walk around the soccer field or across the 1 to 2 transition to get back to your car. The closest, most obvious, parking to hole 1's tee is apparently not the intended lot because you'll never encounter the practice basket or course sign if you park there. They mean for you to park in the lot by the fitness center, but if you drive in for the first time looking for baskets or tees, that's likely not where you'll end up. Not something that would affect my rating, but I found it weird enough to mention.

In some areas the course equipment leaves something to be desired. While the tees are all amply sized, for some reason they were all framed with wood that sticks up at least 2" above the tee surface. It shouldn't mess with your runup unless you're a Conrad disciple, but be careful not to trip while admiring/bemoaning your shot. While the tee signs are nice, they are only at the long tees and this isn't the sort of course where you're always walking by the longs to get to the shorts. I can't tell if these are the original baskets, but they look it. Still catch fine though.

Although this redesign is now 10+ years old, in some ways it still feels like a work in progress. I had assumed, given the amount of money the park district has to work with that all tees would eventually have nice signs like the ones at the longs. No dice. There are a few trees on 5's mound green that were marked for removal when the course went in but are still there with spray paint x's. The huge brush pile (from the fairway clearing) in the woods between 5 and 6 is mostly still there. It doesn't affect hole 5, but it's adjacent to 6's green and gives the hole an unfinished look. A couple of the holes (especially 7, but also 3) feel a bit too tight. Early on, I thought a tree or two would eventually get removed after play testing, but no dice.

Other Thoughts:

I've complained a lot about what is, in reality, a really good 9er. It's hard for me to be objective though. I played my 2nd ever round of disc golf at the original Oakbrook course and probably 95% of my rounds over the next year or so were played there. Old hole 9, at 360', was out of my realistic range at the time but circumstances lined up a handful of times. I missed all those long putts. Lots of great memories and some unfinished business.

So, anyway, I'm biased and in many ways, the (not so) new Oakbrook is exactly what the Chicago suburbs need. A tight, wooded antidote to all those loose, grassy fields.
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17 0
dndelli
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 17.3 years 154 played 150 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Central Park - Oak Brook 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 7, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

Central Park is a wonderful 9 hole course set in a gorgeous park that it shares with multiple ball fields, basketball courts, a recreation center, etc. The course features Mach 5 baskets on each hole, as well as an additional practice basket. The course has three slightly altered layouts, making it a great place for players of all skill levels. The White layout has tees made out of pavers, the tees for the Red and Green layouts are made of astro turf. There are tee signs at all of the White tees, with information for all three layouts.

The course seems to be extremely well kept. The grass was cut uniformly all around the course and wood chips/mulch had been placed anywhere where mud may be a potential issue. This gave the tee boxes a professional feel, as they were all surrounded by wood chips.

The Green layout is short enough that beginners will be able to learn the game here, but technical enough that they aren't subjected to 9 holes of straight and open shots. All of the layouts are technical in nature, and are a lot of fun. Many of the holes require specific shot shapes in order to have a good birdie look, especially with the low ceiling that can be found on most holes.

While there wasn't much elevation for the course to utilize, the little amount of elevation available to the designers was utilized very well. Hole 5's green was perched on a tall mound in the middle of the woods which brought an element of risk/reward into play. Hole 8 plays around and on the side of a steep hill, so again roll-aways will likely be common. Hole 9 is slightly downhill, and Hole 6 slightly uphill.

Cons:

It would be nice if every tee had its own sign, because the tee signs are only at the white tees, and they were sometimes in a very different place than the red tees or green tees.

The white layout offered enough differences between itself and the red layout, but the green layout shared seven tees with the red layout. I think the course would benefit from a couple more green specific tees.

A few of the fairways would benefit from a bit of light maintenance around the edges. While the fairways overall seemed fair to me, especially with the Par listed for each hole, they would likely feel oppressive to beginners because of the technical nature of the fairways, tight gaps with low ceilings. Though, I doubt this is as big an issue in winter.

Hole 7 has two trees in the dead center of the fairway, blind from the tee. The first of which is a dead, spindly tree. This tree should be removed because it is already dead, ruins the beauty of the hole, and the second tree which is bigger serves the same purpose. The fact that the second tree is bigger means there would be less variance for how far your drive kicked off line too.

While the long transition between Hole 2 and Hole 3 is well marked, it is worth noting. Largely due to the fact that the signage seemed to stop just short of when I needed to turn to get to Hole 3's tee.

There is some disc loss potential on Hole 6 on the side of the berm, but the biggest issue would be large debris dump to the right of the fairway. I imagine in the summer time it likely becomes a snake pit too.

All of the tees were nice, but it would have been nice to see some uniformity between them and have them all be made out of pavers.

Other Thoughts:

As I write this review, Central Park is probably among the top five 9 hole courses that I have played. I really enjoyed playing here, and it was a nice addition to my weekend in the Chicago area. My only regret is that I only had a midrange and a putter, both of which were expendable discs, instead of my full bag. For now I am going to give it a 2.5 rating. If you are in the Chicago area, and looking for a quick, quality round of technical golf, in a pretty setting - this is a great place to check out.

Favorite Holes: 5, 8, 9
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8 0
Kind_Fool
Experience: 11 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun, wooded course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 18, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Fun holes that challenge the beginner/intermediate player.
- Tee pads are fantastic, and some multiple tees offer easier looks at the baskets.
- Water hole is not too scary.
- Course takes advantage of the natural beauty of the park's wooded areas.

Cons:

- Park is huge, but the course is tucked into the back corner which limits the course and the length of the holes; seems like a missed opportunity for a truly great 18-basket course.
- Course could use a bit more "pruning" at points; a few holes had small trees and brush that should be removed.
- Hole #6 is another missed opportunity; it could be one of the best holes of the course but it needs some work. The fairway is used by the park workers to store materials and dead wood, and the berm along the left-hand side is a mess of weeds and piled up dirt.

Other Thoughts:

Fun and enjoyable, if short, course that offers some variety and challenge. Modest elevation changes and several wooded holes, which is welcome in this area. Holes #1, #5, and #9 were my favorites. This course has plenty of replay value.
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3 6
ragarwa6
Experience: 5 played 5 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Too difficult 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 29, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Course is well-maintained.

Most holes have multiple tees; with a mix of concrete and astro-turf.

Holes have a lot of variety with some hemmed in with dense trees and some more open. The last 2 holes go up and around a sledding hill, and then across a water feature.

The course board at the start is very detailed and in great shape.

Good signage to find your way between holes.

Cons:

Way too difficult. The holes among the trees are hemmed in by punishing dense trees; anything other than perfect drives off the tee will land in unplayable spots in the brush.

Too many holes are completely blind with the basket hidden from the tee.

Most holes show an alternate basket location but the baskets are not installed.

Bugs can be a problem on the holes between the trees.

Other Thoughts:

I played this course mostly from the easier tees and still really struggled. I'm not a regular or pro, but this course was difficult to the point of not being fun. On the holes between the trees, the fairways are punishingly narrow with trees in the middle and a curve to hide the basket. The hole on the sledding hill like most of the holes on this course was completely blind where you need to walk far off the tee just to see the basket.

For an experienced and highly accurate player, this course might provide a great challenge. Certainly the holes are all very unique and this course is memorable despite being only 9 holes.

Definitely bring brightly colored discs to find them more easily in the undergrowth.
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15 0
Qikly
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.3 years 181 played 150 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Well Worth a Visit 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 14, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Central Park DGC in Oak Brook is a textbook example of design that maximizes the land it's given. In this case, the course plays through small wooded patches that ring a large and well-used upscale city park. Many of these wooded patches are scarcely bigger than the hole that plays through them, no more than a couple of hundred feet long. But it's just enough to create a highly technical wooded course in a park that is largely unwooded. It's impressively done.

Central Park DGC features a nice mix of hole lengths with a few true par 4s mixed in with longer par 3s and an ace run or two. Quarters are generally tight, with some low ceilings and narrow lanes to contend with, but there's still variety in line shaping, helped by the ability on some holes to attack them in different ways. The course opens up at some points - holes 8 and 9 for instance - which helps mix things up and provides a reprieve from the more technical stretches of play. Obstacles such as rolling hills and a water hazard help keep such holes from being throwaways. You'll use a lot of shots here, while still being able to play to your strengths rather than being forced to approach every hole a particular way.

Signage is well done, as are the brick and turf tees. The shorter tees are new player friendly while the longs provide a well-conceived challenge for higher level players. Grooming was immaculate when I was there and that standard seems to be the norm. Parking was plentiful. There are a lot of other things to do at the park, making it great for a family outing.

Cons:

Most of Central Park's cons are primarily due to the nature of the land it sits on. At 9 holes it ends a bit earlier than you'd want it to given the quality of play. There are some higher than average walks between holes owing to the fact that holes are distributed between patches of trees: it's not excessive, and preferable given the quality of design that results, but still is unideal. There's also a weird juxtaposition between the privacy these wooded patches have with the public nature of much of the park. Also, because many holes are confined to wooded patches, their design is quite constrained to the land in terms of length and line, more so than most terrain requires. A few holes feel shoehorned in in one way or another. Even though the design works hard to make these feel as natural as possible, the sense is there.

The technical holes will likely frustrate newer players even if the short tees help in this regard. There are some tight windows and tree-dotted fairways with dense borders that can really punish you.

The park seems well-trafficked and the course got a bit backed up when I was there. It's great to see people taking advantage of the course! But it can make for a less than efficient round.

Other Thoughts:

Central Park DGC was a pleasant surprise given its humble nature and that there are so many courses in the Chicago area that are average or below. I'd highly recommend a visit here, especially if you like wooded play. This is by far my favorite 9 hole I've played in the area, and I would only recommend Illinois heavy hitters The Canyons, Fairfield, and Highland Park before it.
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9 0
EspressoPatronum
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.3 years 316 played 298 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A Hidden Technical Gem 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 11, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

- great technical challenge, but not impossible for newer players
- fantastic, large brick primary tees as well as many holes with alternate tees/pin locations
- well manicured - despite many holes being in the woods, no excessive rough/overgrowth
- cool water hazard shot on hole 9
- good mix of lengths
- very nice signage including course map at beginning
- ample parking
- some pretty cool hill shots on 5, 8, and 9

Cons:

- pretty long walk from 2 to 3
- hole 6 appeared to be "closed" when i was there and isn't as well-manicured as the others
- hole 9 doesn't really take you all the way back to the course start

Other Thoughts:

I think this is really about a 3.25 for me. There aren't many cons, this is a very well-designed and fun course. It would be cool if there were room for 18 holes, but I'd much rather play a high-quality 9 hole than a crammed in 18. The shots are mostly challenging technical lines through narrow tree-lined fairways. There is a decent amount of shade on most holes which is nice on hot days. The walk between holes 2 and 3 is quite long, but I don't think it's a big deal and I think it was the best use of the space available. Everything seems to be in very good repair and the signage for each hole is very nice. The tees are a more unique brick/paver material, but they are very level and nicely done. The incorporation of the water hazard and hills is a nice added challenge since the last 2 holes are pretty wide open.

All in all, this is one of the best technical courses in the Chicago suburbs that I have seen. It is definitely worth revisiting and is a lot of fun, especially if you like a challenge to hit your lines.
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1 2
krooster
Experience: 6 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Favorite course in the Chicago area 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 20, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Nearly every hole is extremely technical through the woods. A good mix of short and somewhat longer holes, with use of the alternate tees.

Cons:

The last couple holes are mostly open.

Other Thoughts:

Just a really great course. I wish there were more technical courses like this in the area.
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6 1
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 46.4 years 1562 played 1507 reviews
2.50 star(s)

This Course Will Abuse Those Who Can't Throw Straight! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 23, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Central Park DGC is a very technical tests of your skills. I think six of the holes are very tight, narrow and usually have low canopies.

The course has a nice, clear course map at the beginning, along with a practice basket. The tee pads are excellent. They are paver stones with a frame built around them with wood chips. They were a little slippery today with last night's storm and lots of these little berries falling from the trees above. The alternate tees are indoor/outdoor carpet on a raised platform. The new signs are greet giving you all the information you need.

For many players, like myself, this course can be brutal. There are awfully tight lines to hit and missing your line can put you in a world of hurt. And # 9 is an excellent finishing hole. Most players can lay up and then have a relatively easy approach over the water.

# 5 is a 300' throw down a tight fairway and then the basket is set up on a small hill, maybe 8 foot high. It's a very cool hole but extremely treacherous.

Cons:

Beside the fact that this course totally handed me my lunch today, I really wasn't thrilled with # 6 ?? Isn't that the hole that plays uphill and then the basket is set in the Parks Department storage and dumping area. It's pretty ugly with piles of brush, old building supplies, pallets and other discards lying about.
The tee pads were covered with these little black berries of some sort making them a little slippery.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, if you're a fan of technical courses and like the challenge they offer, then this is the course for you. I like technical courses, I just happen to really suck on them. I think those tight lines cause my eyes to cross thus throwing off my equilibrium and therefore raising havoc with my already pathetic game.

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4 1
uncrandr
Experience: 17.4 years 65 played 5 reviews
3.00 star(s)

This course takes some skill 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 18, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

>>Easy to follow layout with directional signs and multiple tees
>>Great layout throughout the woods
>>The majority of the holes are very wooded and require some accuracy to hit the necessary lines (I enjoy the challenge)
>>On some the tighter openings (wink wink) the trees are wrapped to help protect them from being damaged by the inevitable errant throw. First time I've seen these on a course. Every course should have these on the first couple of trees that take the most punishment.

Cons:

>>Only one open hole where you can give it a good rip
>>It's only 9 holes
>>Not a good course for beginners players

Other Thoughts:

>>I played with a bunch of newbies and they were not prepared at all for the level of play needed to par this course.
>>The water hazard is a joke. Don't worry about losing a disc. Play this course!
>>Overall awesome 9-hole course!
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1 5
bigbadberry3
Experience: 14 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A Nice 9 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 20, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Multiple pins, water hole, forested, shorter / technical, easy parking, rarely crowded.

Cons:

Shorter course (9 holes), some repetitive holes , only 9 holes, can be louder close to route 83, nine holes only.

Other Thoughts:

Easy to get too, well kept up, no holes that are really just bomber holes.
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2 2
nivek1385
Experience: 34.7 years 38 played 9 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Toughest Course in Some Time 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 26, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Six of the holes have two tees, and hole nine has three. Not only this, but the shorter tees are on an elevated platform with astroturf for the teepad itself. The long tees are an elevated platform with landscaping pavers marking the teepad itself. Each hole has a tee sign sponsored by a local business with a nice map of each tee location, each possible basket location (a few holes have alternate positions). There are trash bins, benches, and even picnic tables throughout the course. The course is set among a large park complex with soccer fields (astroturf), baseball diamonds, playgrounds, swimming pool(s) complete with water slides, a recreation building with a friendly staff, etc. The recreation building has discs available for rental, but I didn't check on what was available. The course is well-manicured and the fairways from 3-7 consist of wood chips.

Cons:

The tee signs are only located near the long tees. The holes with multiple basket locations do not mark in which location the pin is currently located. There is a poorly marked permanent gullystream on hole 2. The pond that you have to throw across on hole 9 (for the A pin location) is a no entry pond, meaning that if you don't make it, good luck getting the disc back (thankfully, my disc in the pond was at the edge). The biggest issue with the course is the long walk from hole two's basket to hole three's tee, but it is well-marked along the pathway to keep going until the very end.

Other Thoughts:

The day I went, the course was a bit muddy, but it hasn't rained the last couple of days. I saw a number of small animals throughout the course. From hole 3 to hole 7, the fairways are very tight and if you miss on either side, you go into dense "forest" where it's only 4-10 feet deep, but filled with tall, thin trees set anywhere from ~3 inches to ~15 inches apart, making it very difficult to retrieve your disc let alone play out of the trees. I've not played a course this tight in the last couple of years, and it may be the tightest fairways I've seen. Definitely a fun and challenging course (2/3 rounds I threw ~200 points below my rating, with the middle round right around my rating). This is the best course I've played in Chicagoland by far (only played Knoch Knolls, Maryknoll, O'Brien, IIT, and this one). I would not recommend this course for beginners, though. Between the tight fairways and the over-the-pond throw, beginners will have quite a bit of difficulty with it.
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6 0
Stardoggy
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 13.3 years 1038 played 214 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Immaculate 9 holer 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 17, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

An absolutely immaculate 9 hole course in the heart of a city park in a richie rich suburb.

2, and sometimes 3 tee pads on each hole. The long set is unbelievably nice paver stones surrounded by gravel, and boxed in by 4x4 wood. The other tees are boxed in the same, with field turf as the tee pad surface. They're seriously some of the best tee pads I've ever seen. The different tees almost always offered a different line.

Great baskets in near perfect condition. They caught great, and there was multiple pin placements on every hole. Most placements offered very different looks at the holes.

The upkeep here is beyond compare. Wooded fairways are completely covered in wood chips, and the rough is very well defined. I can't even imagine how much work must have gone into this.

The golf itself is very good, with well thought out holes. Lines are tight, but fair...if you hit them, you'll feel pretty good about it. Not easy to score low, even on the shorter holes.

A nice water hole (9) to finish. Depending on the tee you're at, you may need two shots to get to the position past the water.

Navigation is very intuitive...the transition from 2 to 3 is a long walk, but there's signs leading you there.

Cons:

Not much to list here. Would love to have seen what they could have done with more space.

No major elevation here, but what there is, is used very well.

As great as the wood chip fairways look, they do force you to factor in the skip on the wooded holes. Big skips galore.

Other Thoughts:

This is about as good as a 9 hole course is going to get. Insanely manicured, and in a park with outstanding amenities.

The golf is great, it's in a superb neighborhood...nothing to not like here. Bring the family and make a day of it!
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7 0
SneakyJedi
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.4 years 152 played 84 reviews
3.50 star(s)

9 hole perfection 2+ years

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

Pros:

- Equipment: The teepads are large and offer plenty of space for a good run-up with great traction. Alternate astro-turf pads work well and look nice as well. New baskets catch well, and the just installed tee-signs are beautiful and helpful with all the information you could want on them. Practice basket with "HORSE" type markers in the ground is nice as well, and gives you a place to warm up when the course is crowded and you are waiting to tee off on 1.

- Landscaping: Course is already beautiful, and will only improve as more work and cleanup is done in the coming months. Wood chips on all fairways look great and provide a nice and somewhat unique playing surface. A decent amount of underbrush has been thinned out to aid in the already easy navigation and prevent inescapable tree-jail from the rough, though some locations still need a bit of work. Most fairways are well shaped.

- Good, technical golf: with the exception of one passable, and one possibly ill-designed hole, (2 and 7) I have enjoyed playing each hole on this course. Tight but generally "fair fairways" require well shaped lines, moderate elevation present throughout the course keeps things interesting, and the pond on the last hole is a nice feature to finish the course. Holes, 3 and especially 5 in particular stand out.

- Multiple tees and pins: Multiple tees on every hole but 2, with 4 (!) on hole 4, and 3 on hole 9. Many of these tees provide drastically different and not necessarily easier lines. Playing through this course twice from the various tees almost gives the feeling of playing a complete 18 hole course. Multiple pin position on several holes which should be changes somewhat regularly should keep things interesting for local players playing frequently as well.

Cons:

- As others have said still a little rough around the edges in places, but nothing that really distracts from the golf.

- Doesn't bother me, but some may not appreciate the long walk from 2 to 3, and there isn't really a clear route from hole 9s basket back to the parking lot by hole 1 if there are games being played on the soccer fields.

- Hole 7 seems like a transition hole that the designers attempted to make more interesting with the tight set of trees not far off the pad. Unfortunately, the result is simply a frustrating hole, with 2 or 3 incredibly tight gaps (mere inches of clearance if properly navigated) that must be hit. The slender trees are already scared from being pelted by discs, and may not last all that long anyway. There isn't really anything that can be done to make this a "good" but removing one tree could make it better.

- It's too bad a soccer field backs the basket on hole 9, because a tee pad on the top of the hill would be great, I've had fun throwing from there anyway, but can see how it could present a danger if someone unloads and goes long with a high speed disc.

Other Thoughts:

I've really enjoyed playing this course so far, and look forward to getting more familiar with it. I loved the old course, and am delighted the redeisgn has improved what was previously here. I'm sure it will help my accuracy and technical game, as the middle 4-5 holes provide the tight, wooded golf not present on most of the other major courses in the area I play frequently (Madison Meadow and Katherine Legge.)

I struggled on what to give this course. Giving a 4 or above on a 9 hole course, even one with a great number and quality of alternate tees and pins such as this Central Park, is hard to justify. For me it came down to a 3 or 3.5. Not having played a huge number of 9 hole courses (I concede I haven't played a staggering number of courses of any size at his point) I don't have the knowledge base to say this course is among the elite 9 hole courses. However, until I am proven otherwise, I can't see many 9 holes improving on what has been done here.

Perhaps I will re-evaluate later, but right now I feel giving this course 3.5 discs, basically the equivalent of 4.5 for an 18 hole course, is justified.
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9 3
DonCasper
Experience: 17.5 years 83 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Oakbrook is back 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 28, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Variety of holes
Replayability
Some remarkably solid holes, especially for a 9 hole course
Well isolated from rest of park
Hole #9 is an incredibly fun hole to play from the top of the sled hill.
Nice material for both sets of tee pads.

Cons:

Course is still rough around the edges, no distances/tee signs, construction debris evident on a few holes.
Long walk between 2 and 3
A few of the holes are gimmicky, especially 7.
Since it is a 9 hole course, it can get a bit crowded. Benches would be a welcome improvement.
Difficult to see when people are on the alternate tees on holes 3 and 4.

Other Thoughts:

I get the feeling from reading the other reviews that they have reviewed this course based more on its potential than its current state. The course in its current condition is not a 3.5 - 4 disc course. The good news is that this course could easily reach that rating with just a few improvements.

1.) Hole #6 is a bit messy from construction still, with piles of dirt and brush in a few places. The rough on the right side can slow down play a lot when new players lose their discs in it. It could be cleared out a bit without affecting play.

2.) Hole 7 could be vastly improved just by removing one tree, which is currently restricting play to 2 narrow gaps on either side of it. This tree will probably end up dead in short order due to its position and slender nature though.

3.) If the brush were cleared out on 3-4 to improve routing on the course and to allow groups on one tee to see groups on the other tee play could be sped up and the chance of accidentally throwing on other groups could be decreased.

A few other thoughts: The grassy tees are actually more comfortable to throw from in wet conditions than the pavers, but I don't know how well they will hold up to use as a pad. It is probably a good thing they only used this material for the short tees.

Overall, a 4+ rating is going to be out of reach due to being a 9 hole course, but with a few minor improvements this course will probably mature to be rated a solid 3.5.
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13 0
Three Putt
Staff member
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 29.9 years 158 played 131 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Not Your Father’s Oak Brook. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 31, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Old Oak Brook was the perfect course for my skill level. It was tough enough to punish a recreational player if they played badly but easy enough to cough up birdies when they played well. The "punishment" wasn't severe enough to make you take more than a 4 in most cases, so most days you could hold together the semblance of a decent round. The park was (and still is) well maintained and the course fit well with the other park uses. It was a very nice recreational course.

New Oak Brook pushed me down and took my lunch money. It is a punishing design aimed at serious players. Holes # 1 & # 2 are similar to the old-style Oak Brook, but once you hit the tunnel for # 3 you are in for some serious wooded golf for the next five holes. Hole # 3 is an elevated tee with the pin tucked up to the right with a hellish 300'+ gauntlet of trees masquerading as a fairway. Hole # 5 is an excellent 300'+ downhill shot (from the longs) with the pin set up on a mound to the left. Hole # 6 is a tough uphill turnover shot (from the longs.) Hole # 4 and # 7 are shorter shots with a lot of trees in the fairway. Hole # 8 is an open shot with the pin set on a hillside and # 9 is a mostly open route with a water carry that is 400'+ from the longs.

The course has nice paver tees and signage at the longs. The shorts are turfgrass; I'm not sure all the shorts are in yet but some of them (holes #3-4 come to mind) move the angle of the shot quite a bit. Hole #4 appears to have an alternate placement but I didn't notice any other alternate pins. The course is less than a month old and work is still continuing so alt pins might be in the plans for other holes as well.

Being very new, the shule is rough. You can get in serious trouble when you get out of the fairway. The fairways are chipped in the woods (except # 6, which seemed unfinished.) The flow is natural; the transition from #6 to #7 was the only place I got lost. All in all, it's a challenging Advanced-level 9-hole with very good tees in a very nice park.

Cons:

Holes # 3, #4 and # 7 had a lot of trees in the fairway. On hole # 3 in particular you could throw a decent shot and have it kicked away. Even if it wasn't kicked away, you could end up in the fairway with a very tough second shot. On holes #4 and #7 they might be able to argue that the pinball wizard effect on an ace run hole is decent design, but hole # 3 needs to be cleaned out to be fair.

There is a very long but well marked walk from #2 to #3 that really doesn't stand out once you get to #3. It might be a con to some; to me it is what it is.

Hole # 9 has a great elevated shot that is not used. As a golfer it seems like a missed opportunity at a cool shot. As a former parks guy, the elevated shot looks like a really good way to have chuckers flinging Nukes at the soccer field past the pin. So while I agree with the decision not to put a tee there, I went up and threw one from there anyway. It's a fun missed shot.

Nit-picky safety concerns: Hole #1 runs between a parking lot and a turfgrass soccer field. There is a healthy stand of trees to knock down a shot, but it is possible to flip a drive out on the soccer field. Not probable, though. I also saw a bunch of people walk from the parking lot across the fairway totally oblivious to the disc golf course. There should probably be a sign alerting people to the course there.

Other Thoughts:

When I got done playing the new design, I wanted to hate it because it wasn't the old course that I had liked so much. Initially to me it seemed like a 9-hole recreational course trying to be something it wasn't. What stops me from hating the new Oak Brook is KLM, the course that went in 10 minutes away while Oak Brook was closed. KLM is a laid-back, lightly wooded park-style course with a lot of the recreational vibe that the old Oak Brook had. With KLM so close by, Oak Brook really doesn't have to be that recreational course anymore. The land was there to add more challenge to it and they did. It compliments KLM now rather than duplicating it; you can hit KLM for a warm up and then get some serious shots in at Oak Brook.

If you run into Serious Steve, be prepared to be shamed into course work. He is not shy at all about grabbing you and putting you to work.
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2 1
Discgolphin
Experience: 28.5 years 167 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Oak brook 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 15, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Overall a very enjoyable 9 holes. Nice mix of elevation and woods. Paver stone tee box on every hole was very well built . Turf tees as alternate or short works well, seem sturdy but time will see. The wooded holes have actual real danger for bad throws..something not heard of in Chicago. As other people have said, this would be an amazing 18. The land just isn't there. With what they were given they designed the best possible course.

Cons:

Long walk from 2 to 3...but it is worth it..see below.
No signs or map..as of yet.
Few holes are fillers, but still play ok.
I picture hole 2 & 7 opening up and than becoming boring like most disc golf in Chicago.

Other Thoughts:

Hole 3 5 & 6 are the standout holes..hole 3 is favorite..and it has a line, it's just tight. I personally want a challenge and this gives it. I would have liked a bit more challenge but than casual or am players would not enjoy as much. Playing all as par 3 I'm happy with a few under par..nice course very pretty. Steve, skunk, and his crew did a great job. Thank them if you see them on the course. Keep it clean please use the trash cans. Hole 9 plays over water, and for a big arm it is a challenge but plays downhill so go for it.
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3 1
Jashwa
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.4 years 177 played 88 reviews
3.50 star(s)

3.7 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 16, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

I really wish that this site had a 3.75 rating... in my eyes, giving a 4-rating to a nine hole course is the same as giving a 5 to an 18 hole course, and I just couldn't bring myself to do it for this one.

That being said, this is one of the few nine hole courses that is a destination course. Suburban disc golfers often proclaim Adler Park in Libertyville as the best nine hole course in the Chicagoland area... well this one blows Adler out of the water.

*The lines here are incredibly tight, but fair. It makes for excellent shot variety, which is super fun!

*There are two to three tees for every hole, each of which offer fun/different shots. It was genius to decide to use different materials for the pro-tees to avoid the typical confusion that comes with alt-tees

*Practice basket was very nice

*Pin placements made use of weird elevation, which was very fun

*The last hole is a great signature hole, from the pro tee it's a huge bomb where you must decide to lay-up or go for it, because there's a small body of water about 50 feet in front of the pin. Great way to end a great course.

*I also liked hole 5 (I think) which was about a 300 ft super tight wooded shot with the pin to the left of the fairway up on some sort of mound. Excellent, excellent hole.

Cons:

Several of these issues will probably be resolved as the course ages, so I didn't knock the rating to hard for these:

*Poor navigation prior to hole 1
*No tee-signs, which stinks in a wooded course
*Hole 6 was unplayable when I played

With those out of the way, these are the issues that forced me to bring this down from a 4.0 rated course because these issues are less likely to change over time.

*How did they fit such a nice course into this congested little park? While you're not in much danger of hitting people/getting hit by discs at this course, you are not isolated at all from the rest of the world. You're always either playing next to soccer fields/a highway/a swimming pool. A lot of disc golfers like being in their own little disc golf world when they play; this course does not offer that.

*The walk from hole two to hole three, even though it is well marked, is like 100 miles

*Although hole 9 was playable when I played yesterday, it sure seems like its pin position will be under-water quite a lot. I hope that I'm proven wrong on this

*The short tees use some kind of astroturf as a tee-off surface. This is not a bad idea, but it was a bit shaggy... kind of like teeing off in un-mowed grass!

Other Thoughts:

I worked in Oak Brook the entire summer. This week was my last week. The course opened this week/last week. Cruel...

Anywho, this one is well worth going out of your way to play.
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3 1
StevieWraithVaughan
Experience: 154 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Tight lines but great new course. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 15, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Tee Boxes, Having two sets of tees w/ different material was very interesting and will probably cater to different throwing styles. However the Astroturf tees are generally shorter or on an easier line, except for a few holes where I personally felt the lines on the turf tees was harder. The turf has the small rubber beads in it that is used on new sports/soccer fields. Very good traction, I would say better than natural grass.

Groomed woodchip fairways on many holes in the woods.

Putting green by hole 1 teebox has different elevation and markers setup for around the world.

Woods holes are challenging but well constructed where players are playing under the canopy.

Most holes are very difficult with narrow lines to follow. Makes players throw different types of shots unlike many courses in the area.

Cons:

Really I don't have much negative to say about this course. There are some nitpicky things I could note b/c it is a new course but even still it is very well done.

This is a finesse 9 hole. Nearly every hole has a challenging line that you must navigate if you want a birdie. But every hole is birdie-able. Not really a complaint or con but the only hole that is really open where you can let it rip is 9, but a great hole for it.

In future seasons if the undergrowth isn't groomed it might be difficult to find discs that stray off track.

Hopefully the park district stays on top of the astroturf and replaces it when needed. Could see this stuff wearing out.

Other Thoughts:

Great course, high difficulty, I haven't played a single course in the chicagoland area w/ as narrow and challenging of lines as this 9 hole.

Hole 9 with the pond is interesting, 3 separate tee locations so the water isn't as intimidating. The pond is shallow and shouldn't be too hard to spot a disc as long as it isn't in some of the deeper middle areas.

If you have any reservations with your discs taking some tree damage you might want to bring some old junkers.
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2 1
Disc Golf Greg
Experience: 16.7 years 21 played 16 reviews
3.50 star(s)

How does the new course stackup? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 12, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-Practice basket at the beginning of the course. Rest of baskets are in good condition.
-2 sets of tees. Long tees are of good length and composed of brick, while the shorter tees are AstroTurf.
-Good flow to course, easy to follow. There are no crossing fairways and although it doesn't loop back entirely to the beginning it's pretty close.
-Elevation utilized pretty well, with slight uphill and downhill shots.
-Hole 5 is my personal favorite.
-Overall a pretty good challenge, while still fun for beginners.
-Benches at holes 1, 3, and 7.
-Good mix of open/wooded. 1 and 2 start out fairly open, 3 to 6 is much more tight and technical. From 7 til' the end is more open again.

Cons:

-Course is "rough" from all the tearing out this year in order to create the holes fairways. Next years spring growth should make the course more enjoyable.
-No trash cans at the moment. Sure they're coming in soon though!
-Maybe one more bench at hole 5. Not a real con but I do like someone to sit every few holes.
-7 and 3 rely a little to much on luck. I do have a way I take 7 on and it has worked out fairly good so far, but 3 just seems like no real good route to the basket IMO.

Other Thoughts:

How does this course compare to the old OB layout? I think they have done a good job with the new layout. In a lot of ways it's even better than the old. Elevation is more utilized. 2 sets of tees now, and multiple basket locations. I think it's a step up in difficulty. In terms of fun to play this new version is about as fun as the old one. Still a solid course, always will be.
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9 0
BionicRib
Experience: 24.5 years 194 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Multiple Tees and placements oh my! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 11, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Multiple tees (beautiful brick pavers and turf tees), nice to see this in the chicago area because many courses do not have multiple tees and/or basket placements. There are essentially 27 different holes to play if baskets are moved on a regular basis (correct me if I'm wrong)

-Good variety of shots, great risk vs reward on 3,6 and 9. You must be accurate and smart to score well out here, but the beginner will still enjoy the course as there is really only one place (hole 9 water) where you can lose a disc.

-Doesn't interfere with other park activities in multiuse park.

-Holes 3,4,5, 6, are tight but fair holes, a definite delight for those who enjoy wooded courses.....staying on the fairway is a must.

-Par is based on red level so some advanced and pro players may find 3,6 and 9 (from the longs) a bit tweenerish.

-Hole 9 has a 400ft water carry, but plenty of room to layup for those whom do not have that kind of distance.

Cons:

-The course is new and still not done quite yet so it is hard (and a bit unfair) to point out some obvious cons

Tee signs are coming
Message board is coming
Some minor clearing is yet to be done


-the 523 ft walk between 2 and 3 is a little long, but the parks department has a botannical garden planned behind the new maintenance building so that land was off limits for the course. Walks don't bother me too much on courses as long as I'm not backtracking fairways or walking passed land that could have been utilized.

-Hole 7 is one tree away from being fair, but there really isn't a realistic line from the paver tee (basically a luck shot). Hole 3 is less of a luck shot, but borderline IMO.

-9 for skilled players from the long paver tee will be an easy three as most people will not try to carry the water because it is blind from the tee. The turf tee on 9 to the long placement will provide more "pucker" effect.

-beginners will struggle in the woods so i advise them to put away the 13 speed plastic before the step on the course.

Other Thoughts:

All in all I think this is a great course for the chicago area. I hope other parks departments in the area get a whiff of multiple tees and multiple placements and how it can appease all players in their community. I would like to give this course a 3.5, but I just can't because its only nine holes. if we could rate 9 hole courses on here seperately I would give it a 4.

Many people worked very hard and put a lot of time into the design/installation of the course, I would like to especially thank Steve Matul and the Oakbrook park district for keeping this project rolling. Steve spent more time out there than anyone involved so if you like the course, tell Steve thanks because it wouldn't be there without him!

PS. I will be updating this review regularly
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