- First things first, I don't think any of the reviews are recent enough to cover the longer tee pads and baskets that have been put in, as well as a minor course tweak. I'll focus more on that layout here.

- It's a beautiful park that incorporates both a wooded front nine and a more open back nine. You have the standard set of baskets, but the many of holes also have longer tee pads and a "blue" basket that's for a tougher layout. (Both sets of baskets are playable).

The park is well maintained (this is the wealthier area of Decatur, and the park definitely looks nice), and includes a couple of holes that play around a pond with a nice fountain in the middle. Equipment is good, including the tee signs, large tee pads and Mach X baskets for both layouts.

- The tweak to hole 12 is excellent, with the blue pin on a peninsula that makes for a reachable but daunting par 4. Probably the signature hole on the course now? I love the change. It also sets up #13 better, and I like moving the tee for a more challenging drive placement.

- I also love #10 (need placement of a good distance drive before a touch shot through the woods), #5 (a couple different fairways to take off the tee), and #2 (a standard shot that's made daunting by a guardian tree in front, an OB pathway to the left and water to the right).

- I have 19 main discs in rotation in my bag. I used 16 of them. Love that.

- A few course design notes. You like forehands? Well here you go. Five of the first six blue basket holes favor forehand lines, as well as #18 which is back in the woods. I would say there's two that favor backhand - it's not egregiously lopsided, but its noticeable.

- There are a few par 3s on the long layout that could use tweaking to provide score separation. Two (#7 and #15) are only reachable if you're throwing 500 feet (either 460 feet uphill, or 450 into a headwind), but there's not really any danger for those that have an errant drive.

The other is #9, which could be an interesting island hole that sits within a circle drive in the parking lot. But with a low ceiling, you're almost required to skip it over a road curb, hope it clears it, and then hope it doesn't roll off the green OB. Hole #1 is a 420 foot forehand that basically requires you to go wide, playing more like a 450 foot forehand.

- There are walking paths that go through the front nine, and near #2, #4, #9 and #17 in particular. This course has walkers pretty much all hours of the day.

- This course always has about 10 mph winds on the back and can definitely get gusty, depending on the day.

- It's funny, the town itself definitely wants the course to do well (they've been chipping in added cash to the main tournament for 7 years now), but there are neighbors on hole 13 that clearly want nothing to do with disc golf.

Beautiful course. Decently challenging. Not too hilly. Easy to navigate. Good amount of shade on hot days.

One long hole with huge water obstacle. You will lose a disc if you don't drop short.

My favorite on the area.

Forsyth DG course is an nice addition to the area disc golf offerings and is a good complement to the course in Decatur down the road.

The first 9 holes are short and technical, then the course opens up for about seven holes, then dives back into the woods one last time for holes 17-18.

Here's what I liked about the course:
* Players can choose to play either the white layout or the blue layout. With the exception of one hole, the two layouts share tee-pads, but the blue layout uses blue baskets whereas the white layout uses standard silver baskets. There is a "blue option" on five of the holes.

*The blue layout has some pretty challenging holes, while the white layout is better for casual play

*Hole 13 blue (893 ft) is PHENOMINAL! The tee shot plays over water. Safe landing zones are either a peninsula on the other side of the pond or the white tee area. The fairway is narrow with several large trees and OB along the way. Once you finally get to the green you'll look back and say "WOW." This was by far the most memorable hole on the course.

*The course has a mixture of distances demanded. Plenty of shorter holes but several 400+ as well

*Baskets and tee-pads are in good condition

Here are the cons of the course:

*There are three holes on the course that I would consider too easy and boring... holes 2, 6, and 11 are very short and do not offer much challenge or anything exciting.

*I found myself throwing the same RHFH shot on over half the holes... not much variety in shot demanded off the tee.

*Many of the fairways are packed dangerously close to one another... definitely be cautious if there are other groups near you

Although it's not perfect, there are some memorable holes at Forsyth Park, so I'd say this one is worth going out of your way for. You can hit up the course in Decatur to make it a day trip.

Nicely balanced course that sprawls around a somewhat self-contained section of a large, multi-use park.

• Variety: Very good. Well-balanced mix with a front nine that's primarily moderately to tightly wooded, and a back nine that's more open with a smattering of trees to avoid along with a reasonable water carry. A few holes require (or at least strongly encourage) distinct hyzer or annie/FH lines. Five holes have full-time alternate pins that are significantly longer/tougher to reach, and conveniently colored blue to avoid confusion.

• Elevation: Enough to make a difference on a few holes, but certainly not a key feature of the course.

• Challenge: Good. There's enough happening here to make you earn a good score. Strikes a decent balance between requiring control & finesse and distance to score well; several holes where big arms can get birdie looks that noodles can't, and many holes where hitting your line is pretty much all that matters. A couple of holes play in the open to a basket nicely pocketed away into the woods, with trouble along one side of the fairway - having the distance to reach the pin is only rewarded if you can hit the window to set up a birdie look, and fading into the woods early will almost surely earn you a bogey (or worse).

• Equipment. Very good. All the basics are well-executed and everything's in very good condition. Large concrete tees, Mach X baskets, great signage. Longest hole (#13) has 2nd, shorter concrete tee to make the water carry manageable for the distance challenged - nicely done.

• Navigation & Flow: No major issues. Overall flow is OK, but navigation can be tough without the map.

• Aesthetic: Plays through a pleasantly scenic and lush section of a suburban park with a winding creek and large pond that come into play on several holes and add plenty of eye appeal. Makes good use of the property's natural elements.

• Memorable Holes: # 13 with the water carry and its length will likely stick out for most people. I also liked #5, with the way the creek come into play, but doesn't pose a great risk of disc loss, as well as the way the pond can be a factor on #12.

• Fun Factor: Yep, but not overwhelmingly so. Perhaps more pleasant than thrilling.

• Cart Friendly: Very.

They got a lot right here, and I didn't see any aggregious mistakes.
• Non DG Traffic: Walking path can come into play on several holes - had to wait several times for pedestrian traffic to clear the area.

• Basket #16 is a little too well-protected with no real line to reach it. Pretty much a forces layup that serves to equalize scoring.

• Further thoughts on non-DG traffic: DG players and designers need to be mindful that a walking path in park should be a perfectly acceptable place for people to escape into their own thoughts and kind of forget everything else in the world for a moment.

With this being a fairly new course, I get the feeling pedestrian traffic along and around the path was already well-established. People were simply oblivious to what we were doing, and repeatedly meandered next to (and sometimes into) a fairway. Had to wait for some to pass out of range at a painfully unhurried pace, and there was a large group of giggling teenage girls on the bridge at #13 that could easily have been blasted in the face with a grip-locked driver off the short tee.

A few strategically placed "DANGER - Watch for Flying Discs" signs would go a long way toward making them aware of their surroundings, as well as legitimizing us when politely mentioning that they're walking/standing in /near a fairway where we're throwing things at high speeds, and that particular spot is an unsafe place to linger.

Forsyth fits nicely into a road trip that incorporates other courses that are more destination worthy, but it's not a course I'd call destination worthy on its own. Very well-executed, and more than just enjoyable. Completely nails all the basics, but simply lacks the "Wow" factor I think a course needs to anchor such a trip... but it plays the supporting role quite well. Earns every bit of the "very good" a 3.5 equates to, but lacks the punch I feel a course needs to be considered "excellent." While I will ding a ½ disc or so for lousy or missing equipment, as nice as the equipment here might be, it's simply not something I'll ever get excited about.

This course was about 6 hrs into a KC roadtrip and was a great place to take a break from the road and start the DG portion of our trip.

Minutes from I-72 and just a couple of miles from a wide selection of the type of casual dining chains that define suburban America.

Good signs to get you to the course within the park. Great map of course near the first tee. Practice putting basket near parking. Great signage in general, large and clear, even have ace posting signs at each tee. Large well built teepads. Course grooming was perfect. Some holes have permanent multiple pins and at least one has a secondary tee. Creek and small lake contribute nicely to beautiful scenery and are incorporated into the course. Loved 12 and 13 for the risk/reward consideration. Parking long #12 (25ft past pin) and missing my putt was a hilight and low point all at once.

Not much elevation. Some trees could use some time to mature.

Beautiful course you should definitely play if you can. Will just get better with time. With Nelson Park only 10-15 minutes away you can get two good courses in short order in Central Illinois. Worth a stop on a road trip for sure!

Forsyth Park is very large and well kept park. It has some rolling hills and is mostly open. Water comes into play on a few holes. There are some holes with lines to hit and rough comes into play. There are restrooms near hole #1 & #7 as well as #13/#14.

As my title says the equipment is 2nd to none. The park spared no expense. This should be the norm for 18 hole courses going forward.

Near hole #1 and off the main parking lot is a fantastic course sign. It's really big and shows the layout of the course.

Brand new DGA Mach X baskets. 6 holes have a 2nd Blue pin added to the hole.

The tee signs are absolutely spectacular. I believe they are John Houck tee signs. Best in the game. They are approximately 2 feet by 3 feet and are very descriptive.

The tee pads were installed correctly. I believe they are 5X12 feet and were roughed up nicely. Tons of room and easy to throw from.

I like the idea of the 6 holes having 2 pins and a different color. More courses need to use this. See con too.

There are several fun holes out there and this is a great addition to an area that does not have a lot of disc golf. I really like hole #18 to finish.

This course had a handful of holes where you get to grip and rip it.

I did not use a map and found my way around the course with no problems.

I listed the 6 blue pins as a pro. I feel they are a con too. The island on #9 and the blue basket on #12 were not enticing enough to attempt to hit those greens. Maybe if I played there l might change my mind. The line on #5 was very tricky too. I don't see too many players getting to that pin as a par 3. I thought the Blue basket on #13 in theory was good. With the yards to the right and the long walk back 14 I decided not to play it.

I did not like hole #17. It's a par 3 with no real line to get to the basket.

Hole 3 & 4 were back to back low ceiling shots that ran really close to each other.

I do not know the limitations and restrictions especially the wooded area. It seemed the land offered a lot more potential for creativity.

You could use the #9 island basket on #7 as well.

Overall this is a very nice addition to the area. I was going to give it a 3.5 but the equipment gives it a slight bump IMO.

Go Big Blue! 98 Graduate from Millikin

This is a great new park that just opened and will be a top rated park once it is completely finished. It has everything a great park needs, but will need more time to reach its potential.

Pros
-Mach X baskets (The best)
-Multiple Tee Pads and Baskets (excellent concrete work)
-Great use of existing tree lines and landscape
-Variety of shots. This course has everything, left, right, short long, open, tight.
-Course loops around near parking 3 times.
-Park itself is clearly well taken care of with restrooms and trails and well kept greens.
-Plenty of benches/garbage cans
-Scenic park with multiple memorable holes
-Multiple water holes

-Check the course layout map here, you will need it. The course layout jumps between 1-2, 7-8, 9-10. Could use some directional signs, and that would resolve this issue. Other then those 3 jumps, the rest flowed well.

-The course plays near trails that are frequently in use. I needed to wait for a couple to walk before shooting on hole 5. Not a big deal, I like that everyone is enjoying the park, but someone might care.

-Needs more branches and brush removed on a lot of the holes. Cannot see the Pin from the pad on multiple holes, but this could be fixed with a bit more trimming.

Overall I think this a great course. That combined with Nelson park, the Decatur area now will become a more frequent travel destination for me.

This review will likely be a work in progress of sorts, as the course is near my home, and is slowly coming into its own. It's been installed for a few months however, and I figured it would be good to get this course a rating, and on central Illinois' radar.

- Wonderfully manicured park, which has been as such for years before this course was installed. Restrooms, walking/biking paths, fishing, ball fields, you name it. Ample parking and easy to get to as well.
- As such, the course has specifically been designed as to not interfere with the majority of activities. It has been magnificently overlaid into an already popular park setting to even further increase the usefulness of the park.
- Great 6'x12' concrete pads on every hole, even the shorter ones.
- Great, properly installed Mach X baskets.
- Great signage all over the course, including a large course map kiosk at #1. This is a great location as well, because the times you might get turned around on where to go next are after #7 and after #9, which are right there as well.
- 5 holes have alternate baskets, permanently installed. All provide a little more length, and a slightly different look. They are the blue powder-coated baskets.
- Hole-type variety is abundant here. Multiple holes crossing creeks or small drainage areas, a long pond carry, short woodsy holes, wide open bombers. A good handful of par 4s and even a very long par 5 in hole 13's longest layout.
- The front 9 and back nine loop nicely, which is always a little bonus.
- #2 Although short, this is a fun looking hole with a generally listless creek in play on the right side. Can be an easy RHBH hyzer birdie, if you don't let the water get in your head. For those not wishing to push their luck, there's plenty of open fairway to the left.
- #13 This is the signature hole on the course. Length, difficulty, and quite picturesque. Two tees and two baskets, the short tee requires a solid 210 ft drive to clear the water, but has dangerous water beyond that to the left that's in play as well. The long tee requires a solid 375 ft drive to safely clear the pond if you go for it. Great risk/reward design.
- #14 While not difficult or long, this is a really picturesque looking hole that tees off across the little drainage creek that runs into the pond.

- The first few times I played this course, I was disappointed in the shot-shape repetitiveness of the front 9's drives. I think the front 9 is very advantageous to lefties with a strong backhand. I find myself wanting to drive RHFH on the first 4 holes, as well as #6 and #8. A good technical RHBH anhyzer shot is useful on a couple of these if you have it, but I can see this front 9 being frustrating for some.
- If you don't pay attention to the signage, navigation is not easy. However, this does not mean that the course flow is bad. If you look at the map you can see that it actually flows nicely. Just not intuitively.
- #3 A very frustrating hole that really requires a 250 ft, L-R skip shot to even sniff a deuce. Lined by many larger trees to the right, with a line of smaller trees to the left that eliminates most intuitive shots. Essentially not very deuce-able unless you get a perfect roller, or are an upper crust player.
- #4 Similar to hole 3, a downhill L-R shot that currently has such a low green ceiling that only a hard skip shot or a roller will get you within 50 ft. This hole may break in with time.
- #7 Just a wide open, 360 ft bomber that plays slightly uphill. Obviously here for 1) variety and 2) necessity, but still not much going for it. A well-placed tree or two on this hole would do wonders.
- #17 This par 3 has mostly been cleared out for its intended design, but it still requires a layup. A pretty small window off the tee eliminates the chance to shape a huge R-L hyzer that's required to cross the creek 200 ft out and to the left. Best chance at a birdie requires a 60 ft approach across the creek.

- In general, the front 9 of this course is tucked into wooded areas, and is quite a bit shorter when compared to the back 9.
- Not particularly a pro or a con, but I do find myself using rollers off the tee pad on a handful of holes. This may change as more fairway trees are trimmed or broken in.
- This course is going break in just fine, and is a huge attraction for Forsyth and the Decatur Area. Nice job by the city council for realizing this opportunity for their community, and committing to doing it right.
- I look forward to playing this course in years to come, and updating this review as the course comes into its own.

(EDIT): As I surmised, this course has really come into its own after its first year. Between the amount of play it gets, league nights, the local club (DDGC), and hosting tournaments, the course has really matured into a delightful course. It simply just has a little taste of everything. Fun wide open bombing, tight and technical woods, OB streams, a pond carry, ace opportunities, and plenty of shot types. About the only thing missing is some major elevation, but even with that they've done what they can (4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14, 18). As for my former qualms about a repetitive front 9 - some of that still holds true, but plenty of new drive lines and possibilities have opened up in the last year, between repeated play and cleanup of a lot of the rough. This course really is worth the trip if you're in Central Illinois. And now with 36 solid holes of disc golf in the Decatur Area, you might as well make a trip of it. **Rating moved from 3.5 to 4**