Round Lake, IL

Fairfield Park

4.585(based on 44 reviews)
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10 0
Michler
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 32.4 years 247 played 35 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Best in Chicagoland 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 27, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Two sets of tees (cement) and two sets of baskets intertwine to make two distinct courses. The majority of my review pertains to the Gold course, which is by far the better and more challenging of the two. Both courses are well marked with tee signs, drop zones, and markers pointing to the next hole. While the course plays through some heavy woods, the underbrush is not very thick, so not much time is spent looking for discs.

Holes 1-5
Mostly open holes that reward distance off the tee. The terrain is well-used to create a couple interesting Par 4's. These are the least interesting holes on the course, due to the lack of trees.

Holes 6, 8, 9. 12, 14, 17
These are reachable Par 3's for players that can throw around 300 feet. They all demand accuracy off the tee. Left-to-right, right-to-left, uphill, and downhill shots all come into play on these holes. A great mix of Par 3's.

Holes 7, 10, 11, 13, 15
These are demanding Par 4's and Par 5's that play through some heavy woods. Distance is not required to score well on these holes. Accuracy and placement are essential. These holes require shots from all angles (hyzer, anhyzer, forehand).

Hole 18
Mostly open Par 5 with OB coming into play. Tee shot plays significantly downhill (hole is uphill the rest of the way). Takes ~380 ft shot to clear the OB on your tee shot. Laying up short of the OB is also a viable option. Distance is rewarded.

White Course
Mostly a short, more technical course that is much more ideal for beginners than the Gold course. A few open holes that allow for players to let loose some long drives. Many short, wooded Par 3's requiring accuracy. If I were to rate the White course as a stand-alone course, I would give it a 3.0.

Cons:

While I would say most of the fairways are 'fair', I think a few of the skinny trees on Holes 10 and 11 could be removed to avoid punishing good shots that are in the preferred line.

There is no hole-map on the tee signs and several of the long, wooded holes are blind from the tee. Also, the walk from 9 to 10 and from 16 to 17 on Gold could be confusing for a first-time player. There are maps provided near the parking lot. I would recommend bringing a map if its your first time playing the course.

Other Thoughts:

This course is the best and most challenging course in the Chicago area. Highly recommend checking it out.

No restrooms with running water.

Mosquitos can be an issue on the wooded holes during the summer.

A few of the holes get rather muddy in the spring or after a big storm. Good shoes are recommended if playing the Gold course.
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4 10
Nathanwojo
Experience: 16 played 3 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Great course, way better than before 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 24, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has many things to offer.
Far open field shots
Far wooded shots
Short shots with dense tree coverage.

Cons:

This course is always busy and is only going to get more busy.

The woods have insects, thorns, and trash
Bring bug repellent, and wear pants to not get cut. Unless your pro and dont ever have a bad shot

Other Thoughts:

I used to play the old course every weekend, it has improved 10 fold. I live in the area and look forward to playing this course more. I have about 4 years experience and i am 16.Be prepared to lose discs.
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10 1
heywillard90
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.4 years 31 played 29 reviews
4.50 star(s)

The old course sucked, THIS COURSE DOES NOT 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 25, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

-There is excellent distant, but most long holes are not simply driving ranges, but rather technical holes that require you to keep the disc in the fairway, much like ball golf
-Best elevation I have ever seen in Chicagoland
-Fun hazards, i.e. moderately sized swamps on 200-300 foot holes
-In contrast to the previous course, there are only a few wide open prairie holes, and one of them has an extra long dog leg which is a good challenge
-Beautiful park/preserve with a bike path, hills and a nice stream
-I was a bit nervous about the crowd that the course would attract, but everyone I came across was especially friendly

Cons:

-The most prominent issue by far is the condition of the wooded areas, which are littered with buckthorn and other weedy trees. It should be a priority to clean the area up of invasive plants. There is no way this course gets a perfect rating until it gets an "ecological makeover"
-A marsh and plenty of tall grass in which you can lose your disc
-I played on a calm day, but wind (over ~15 mph) would undoubtedly make half of this course an absolute nightmare
-The course has shady woods with swamps. BRING BUG SPRAY JUNE-SEPTEMBER
-I played this course in its 4 day of existence and it was horrendously crowded. It will only get more popular.

Other Thoughts:

FINALLY, my neck of the woods in Chicagoland has a destination course. A course that is worth a 20 mile drive. Round Lake Park district has done such a fine job with this course that I feel guilty playing it for free. Hopefully they find the time, money and manpower to rehab the woods so that the course stays nice for years to come.
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30 1
#19325
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.4 years 351 played 178 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Chicagolands Finest! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 31, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I changed my review from 4.5 to 5.0. The course gets better every time. Compared to some of the other courses I've given 5's the golf here is just as good.

5 benches added Spring 2015

Don't confuse this course with the former extinct one. A total redesign took 2.5 years to complete. The Round Lake Area Park District & Chuck Kennedy did a great job of creating a wonderful course(s).

The more I play this course the more I love it. The Gold course is such an amazing challenge. It's one of the toughest in Illinois. The White course is a lot easier and shorter but is still fun to play.

Hole #1 is located at the far north end of the parking lot. There are 2 huge maps located on the kiosks. Both have print outs of smaller maps that you can take.

There is a small practice area with 2 baskets. They are historical baskets so check them out.

For a Chicago Suburb course the land is great. There is open prairie, rolling hills, heavy woods, water, and more. Don't let the open front fool you. There are many wooded holes to come. This is a very scenic hike and you'll see quite a bit of wildlife at times (deer, birds, snapping turtles, & more).

As a local this course has a ton of variety. All layouts are playable ALL the time. You can chose to play the Intermediate level WHITE course which plays just over 5,000 feet. If you want a challenge you can chose to play the GOLD course which is designed for professionals. It's one of the toughest courses in Illinois playing over 8,000 feet. Once you get to know the layouts there are many options to play. Portions of the course share holes. On these holes there may be 2 tees and 2 baskets. Check the map!!

The tee pads are absolutely fantastic. They are 12 feet long and flared. 4 feet in the front and 6 feet in the back. They have a great finish to them and are not slick at all even when wet.

Course signage is awesome. There is a tee sign at every tee that has accurate distance and par. There is a next tee sign on every hole which points to either the gold or white tee. The course map is very accurate and.

The baskets are in good shape. Many are brand new Innova Discatchers. The rest are the old set which the park district repainted.

With so many holes in the woods the rough is punishing but it's not hard finding discs. The prairie grass was just mowed very wide. That's a bonus!

There is a great mix of par 3, 4, & 5 golf on the gold course. You'll have to bring an overall game to score well on this course. Unlike other area courses you can flat out smash a driver on a handful of the 18 holes. The wooded holes reward accuracy. The white course has some really fun shorter holes that anyone can enjoy.

It's super hard to pick a favorite hole.
My favorite open hole is gold #4. You can see the flag of the pin while standing on the tee. Super fun downhill smash with an elevated basket.
My favorite par 4 is gold hole #10. Fantastic corridor with out of bounds coming into play on the back end of the hole.
My favorite par 5 is gold hole #11. It's just nasty!
There are 2 really fun downhill shots. White #7 is great and you have the option to play to the gold basket too. Gold #16/White #12 sits on the to of the ravine. You throw across Squaw Creek. There's a really cool branch that you can go over or under.

There are 4 different areas of out of bounds marked. They used round poles and painted them white. You don't see that often and it'll come in useful when the water is gone. There are 2 drop zones that are clearly marked and defined too.

Cons:

The tee signs do not have a description of the hole.

Couple of tricky spots in navigation. One is after hole #9. This is where the White & Gold courses split from each other. After White #12 & Gold #17 it's a short walk around the corner and behind #5's Gold Tee. It can be hard to find. Check the map!!!

White #12 & Gold #16 can bottleneck at times. This is where the Gold & White course merge on the back side.

The course can get soggy in areas and the park district is going to be addressing those issues.

There is no water or restrooms at the course. There was no possibility to do a loop to get back to the parking lot. Bring your drinks/supplies with you.

Other Thoughts:

Plan to spend a day here. Check out the map and play both layouts. They are 2 totally unique courses.

Want to play a monster layout? Start with the stockade hole before #1. Play holes 1 thru 9. Play Gold holes 10 thru 14. Play White 11 thru 18. That's the 23 hole layout.

This is just the beginning. There are some finishing details and possibly more additions to this course.

You cannot cross the creek when playing Gold #7. You must walk across the bridge.

Please spread the word that on Gold #18 & White #17 on and left of the path is out of bounds. Players are throwing near #3's Gold Tee Pad on purpose.

During prime hours this course is super busy!

Check for ticks. They've been bad this year.

I can't state this enough times. Look at the map and understand what the layout looks like. Some holes have 2 tees while others have 2 baskets. Some holes share baskets and they are striped with Gold & White.

On Hole #7 you can play the Gold tee to the white basket or the White tee to the Gold basket as well.

Lake County is known for skeeters during the summer. Bring bug spray!

WalGreens, Sammie's, and Subway are located about a 1/2 miles North of the course.
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