Oglesby, IL

Illinois Valley Community College DGC

2.625(based on 13 reviews)
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12 0
EspressoPatronum
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.3 years 316 played 298 reviews
2.00 star(s)

The Community College of Disc Golf Courses

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 21, 2024 Played the course:once

Pros:

- dual tees incorporate significantly different looks on some holes
- a few more wooded holes near the end
- concrete tees
- baskets are serviceable, though showing their age
- next tee indicators spray painted on baskets
- basket hooks on tee sign posts
- decent mix of hole lengths, though on the shorter side
- practice basket, though not obvious at first
- park seems fairly well maintained
- garbage cans on course
- a few very gently rolling hills incorporated starting on hole 4
- hole numbers on baskets
- area completely devoted to disc golf

Cons:

- rudimentary tee signs with no maps
- amenities are very limited
- most holes are quite flat
- somewhat confusing navigation
- long, unnecessary walk between holes 2 and 3
- tees could be a lot bigger
- short and mostly open with very little challenge
- parking lot closest to course is technically student parking
- not always clear where dual tees are in relation to each other

Other Thoughts:

IVCC is an ok course that is rated higher than I would expect. The last few holes have some technical challenge and are ok but for the most part, this is a very vanilla, open and flat niner with nothing special about it. Most of the equipment is dated and unimpressive. Navigation here is not great and can easily push what should be a 30 minute solo round into the 40-45 minute territory.

It's cool that a course this simple has dual tees, especially since, unlike many courses, they DO actually offer different approaches to each basket. However, since there are no maps on the tee signs, it's not always clear where each tee is. The longs are also numbered 10-18 which I think adds to the confusion; there are only 9 baskets, there really are only 9 holes here, though I suppose that could be debated. Cool to have more options, but some maps and additional navigation aids are desperately needed. I suspect like most college courses this one lives and dies at the whims of student volunteers, so funds and time to improve the course are likely limited.

Clearly, some others liked this course better than me. There are a few cooler, more technical holes near the end, but by then I was kind of over this course that starts out more open and repetitive. There's not a lot of challenge for any but the newest players and the course is flat and not especially long. This is a quick enough stop if you want something simple, but I'd recommend Starved Rock DGC down the road. I can't imagine this place ever being that busy unless the college has a league day so you should be able to move through pretty quickly.
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12 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.5 years 1165 played 745 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 23, 2024 Played the course:once

Pros:

Illinois Valley Community College DGC is a 9 hole course that plays around what used to be a baseball diamond but is now just an open grassy area on the SW side of the campus. The course was installed when there was still a ball diamond so the layout skirts what used to be the edges of that.

There's two concrete tee pads on each hole. These are nice sized and in great condition. The two different pads alter the shot a good bit on each hole. This is nice to have on a smaller piece of land like this.

The tee signs are basic. Hole #, par and distance. They're listed as 1-18 though. For example the two tees for hole 1 will have signs that read hole 1 and hole 10. There's also either a blue or red line painted on each. These go with the painted rung on each cage that points to the tee of that color. They continue that way for the entire course. They're mounted on tall 4x4 posts, many of which have bag hangers too. Nothing fancy but very serviceable.

The course is what I would consider lightly wooded. The first three hole are mostly, if not entirely open before getting over to the more wooded section for the final six. The course is basically entirely flat and there's nothing but open fields on three sides so the wind will usually be a factor out here too.

Older Innova Discatcher's on each hole. These are showing their age but still catch just fine. One basket and placement per hole. As I mentioned above they each have a rung painted either blue or red and that points you in the direction of the next tee of that color. Two of the baskets are elevated though. Hole 3's is on ann extended post and hole 5's is placed on top of a gravel covered mound. Nice little touches to add a bit of challenge.

The course was free to play and everything was mowed nicely and very clean. Probably never overly busy either.

Cons:

The flow is a little goofy from hole 2 to hole 3. You have to walk probably 50 yards to get to 12's and about 80 yards to get to 3's tee. Not very obvious either with there being a steel post right behind 2's basket.

There's no parking by the actual start of the course. You'll need to park in the parking lot directly across from the gravel trail leading into the course.

The last six holes are all kind of crammed into the same little area. It wouldn't be the safest place to play if there were multiple groups out there at the same time.

Other Thoughts:

This course was a pleasant surprise. I was going to play regardless of the rating since I was in the area but it's actually a pretty nice little course. I'd play this one in it was located near me, even with the other better options nearby. Not a must play obviously, but you can certainly do worse than this course.
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7 0
discvalet
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Two 9-hole courses in one 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 25, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The A tees are not just longer versions of the B tees so you get two distinctly different 9-hole rounds here.

From the B tees it's easy deuce or die mostly (7 of 9 holes) but you do have to hit a line on 4 or 5 of the easy 7 deuce holes.

The A tees are much longer & you're as likely to get a couple bogies as you are to get a couple birdies.

Very artistic/creative signs on each tee. Painted basket spokes (red/blue) direct you to next tees. Concrete pads are nice sized (smaller on shorter holes).

Cons:

Distance notations on the scorecards in the mailbox at Tee #1B do not match the course signs (I think they're trying to use up older scorecards printed before a partial redesign/renumbering).

Fairways and tees are pretty tight & crowded together. This course was really "shoe-horned" in.

Other Thoughts:

A good course to learn and then sharpen your game but not a lot of challenges for Advanced+ players.

Because the course was partially redesigned with concrete tees and new signs added, some of the photos and reviews posted here at DGCR no longer totally apply (2012 or earlier).

A lot of ash trees were on this course and have died. Some are still there (to be removed) and many have been removed. New tree plantings are taking place.
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6 0
ElementZ
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.5 years 221 played 209 reviews
2.00 star(s)

IVCC 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 16, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

It's cool that there's a DG Course right on the campus of this community college and four minutes off of the I-39 for a quick stop.

I was impressed with the IVCC Disc Golf Course sign and the map carved out of wood at the beginning of the course.

The course itself isn't too spectacular. While the space was utilized pretty well, the design of the course wasn't too exciting. It essentially just played around a baseball field counterclockwise, which favors LHBH a bit.

The tees and the baskets were in great shape, which is to be expected given how new this course is. It's also great that there are two sets of tees (A-long and B-short) to add a little bit of replay value.

My favorite hole was hole 5, which is a fun elevated basket.

Cons:

I have no desire to come back here. There really wasn't anything to wow me.

The tee signs only had hole # and distance on them.

Other Thoughts:

It was a nice little secluded course and I love that there are students here who are actively involved in the sport and providing great exposure to it.

Also, the pictures look nothing like the course I played today. Maybe there was a redesign??
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5 0
puttlikeablowfly
Experience: 24.4 years 139 played 17 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fun way to spend 17 minutes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 24, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ Dual tees on each hole, with many that appear to create different angles and ways to play the holes. This also allows you to create more variety in length if you only want to play nine holes.
+ Concrete tees, with brooms! (although I didn't need to do any sweeping).
+ Course makes good use of available trees and hazards.
+ Hole 5's basket is on top of a man-made mound.
+ Some holes dictated a certain kind or shape of shot, but others gave you a choice of vastly different options.

Cons:

- Generally flat ... I think the biggest elevation change is the aforementioned man-made mound on hole #5.
- Some of the tees are to close to the previous hole's basket and / or fairway, which would create safety issues when the course is crowded.
- Hopefully the sound of disc hitting chains doesn't violate the "quiet zone" established due to the bald eagle's nest.

Other Thoughts:

I tied Mike's (harr0140's) time of 17 minutes to play the course (9 holes), although it looks like the layout has changed a little since he played it (due to the bald eagle's nest). I didn't pay attention to which tee was A or B ... I think I just played the long ones. I was racing darkness and cold. Even though I didn't play the other tees, I could tell that many would provide enough of a change so that it wouldn't just feel like a slightly shorter version of the same hole. The course is close to I-39, which allowed me to duck in and out in a hurry and be back on my way. It's worth a quick stop on your way to / from Chicago, Peoria, etc.
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2 0
cyucus
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 8, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Course has improved since inception with different hole designs, concrete tee pads.

- Alternate tee-pads add interest to nine-basket course

- Active volunteers look after course, plan events/tournaments

Cons:

-- Not a lot of elevation change aside from elevated basket on Hole No. 5.

-- Some holes are a little too wide open.

Other Thoughts:

This is my home course these days.

If you haven't been out since it opened give it another visit, definitely has improved.

- Monday evening blind-draw doubles league draws anywhere from 10-20 weekly participants (5 p.m. in summer, earlier in fall).
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1 0
ValleyGolfer
Experience: 15.4 years 26 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Major Improvements 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 22, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course has had major improvements in the last 12 months. The course has been rearranged with hole 1 starting at the main gate. There are 6 new holes on the course since last year with added length. 18 concrete pads were added in August 2012. There are 2 sets of tee pads for each of the 9 baskets, so you play the 9 short holes and then the 9 longer holes. Holes 1a and 2a have been lengthened bringing out-of-bounds in play. There is a drop zone for 2a if you throw OB into the baseball field or if baseball players are on the field use it as an alternate tee. Holes 4a,4b,5a, and 5b are completely new from last year. A bald eagle made a nest near the course, so the holes were modified and improved. Hole 5 has a nice hill which makes putts challenging during breezy days. There are brooms on every tee pad so you can sweep off any mowed grass or light dusting of snow. The course is now being mowed on a regular basis. The scorecards have a nice map of the new course. Other older scorecards, without a map, are still good for keeping score but have old distances.

Cons:

The temporary tee signs really need to be replaced. The course could be weed-eated around the trees.

Other Thoughts:

Great course, keep up the good work.
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4 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.7 years 831 played 777 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Nice college course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 8, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays through a corner of the university property. Other than a baseball field, there doesn't seem to be too much interference from other campus activities. There are two tees on each hole, both with well marked tee signs. They offer a pretty big change from one set to the other, with very different distances and some easier lines from the shorts.

Several of the holes play through scattered trees with limited areas of brush. There is a little punishment in spots for poor shots, but mostly it's not too hard to recover for par. There is a nice elevated green with a ditch behind on the first hole, adding the potential for tricky come back putts. A couple holes play more open and offer a chance to air out some drives or practice rollers.

Cons:

A gravel road and a baseball field are in play, potential safety issues especially with lots of newer players trying out the sport. Both sets of tees are natural, and were pretty rutted out and uneven when I played. Navigation is a little tricky in a few spots, some next tee signs would be handy. The course plays pretty open overall, and doesn't offer a ton of challenge even from the longs.

Other Thoughts:

This is a great type of course to have on a college campus. It's beginner friendly but still has enough obstacles to be interesting to beginner and intermediate players. More experienced throwers won't find a ton of challenge or variety here, but I don't think it was designed for that level player.
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7 0
notapro
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.3 years 571 played 284 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Beginner/Intermediate 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 8, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Course is set on the grounds of a community college, but off the beaten path. There are some baseball fields close to some holes, but there shouldn't be any interference.
- Decent amount of trees and woods are present here to force line shaping. A lot of straight shots are needed like off of #2, #3, and #4, a pretty sharp hyzer on #5, and RHBH annys or RHFH hyzers on #6 and #9. Bigger arms might be able to get over everything off the tee, but most people will have to avoid various trees from start to finish. Some are much tighter than others, with very dense rough to worry about. #2 is pretty skinny, and #6 is full of trees to about 250'.
- Some tricky basket positions here, #1 is on a small bump that has a trench/pit dug out behind the pin. #7's basket is directly behind a large tree, and #5 is inside a thick grove of skinny trees.
- Good mix of hole lengths, especially from the longer tees. With #3 a tight 462', and #9 a 500' dogleg right, there are opportunities to throw some bombs out here. Also some shorter holes from both sets of tees, not too shabby.
- A few spots with minor elevation changes, especially hole #8. An elevated teepad with a few trees to get around, it is fun to throw downhill.
- Good baskets, tee signs aren't too bad. Navigation is not a major problem at all. If the interior parking lot isn't open, though, it makes sense to start at hole #7 instead of trekking it to hole #1. Teepads are OK, some are bumpy and rutted.

Cons:

- A bunch of holes are pretty open, or just need a straight shot to get to the pin. For instance, #7 and #8 are wide open except for one or two trees, #9 is an easy two-shot hole for the shorter arms, and most of the holes within the trees are straight-or-else.
- Course is pretty rough around the edges; the tees are hit or miss, there is a gravel road running next to some of the holes, a big woodpile on #6... takes away from the overall enjoyment.

Other Thoughts:

- All in all, a pretty fun course that offers good challenge from either sets off tees. The long tees offer almost 100' per holes overall, and tougher lines as well. As such, the course is pretty well suited to beginners and more experienced players. Advanced players won't find too much challenge here.
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11 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.8 years 1512 played 480 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Community College with a Course!!! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 6, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Fairly beginner friendly course but the beauty of it is that it still presents a challenge to beginners to see what disc golf really is.

2) Dual Tees are a nice touch on this course because they definitely give different perspectives and the added distance really helps change the course, with holes ranging from 180-500 between short tees and long tees.

3) Discatchers in good condition and easily visible on this property.

4) Unique design idea starts you out on the first hole. They created a peanut shaped berm about 25-35' long and maybe 3-4' high. The basket was on the front and larger portion of the peanut shaped berm. The berm is a good design element creating real risk reward. I liked it from the tee, but when I got even closer and finally to the green area, I saw the trench (or almost bunker) that was dug behind the berm. Not only is the berm a risk/reward element, but if you go fo an ace and end up in the trench, you most likely will be taking a bogey because the angle you had tot he chains was very small. It seemed like if you were standing int he trench you were likely 6-8' from the top of the basket.

5) Nice variety on this course. It starts you out with the tougher of the holes in terms of line shaping, but then the final 3 holes are a little more open, they all still have some trees to contend with, but for the most part you can pick your line and throw it, where the first 6 there aren't as many options.

6) Quite literally I played the course in 17 minutes while my wife slept. It's always nice to play quickly because that means more disc golf can be played in a day!!!

7) While the course is beginner friendly, it will show them a challenge and the long tees will also keep decent players interest. There are shots that need to be executed and that is a bonus.

8) Slight undulations are available here giving a flat location some variety.

Cons:

1) The turf seems like it could use a box scraper and some reseeding. There are a lot of ruts and a lot of unlevel areas. It wouldn't take much to scrape it down and ressed it. I am unsure of how the turf got this way, unless it was heavy equipment being used for construction.

2) Tees leave a little to be desired as turf/dirt. There is a decent amount of turf left on some of the tees, but it just isn't the same as concrete or other consistant material.

3) Routing from #8 to #9 could be better perhaps a path cut through the taller prairie grass so that you don't need to walk through right field of the baseball field.

4) Some directionals could be helpful for first timers, and a sign indicating where the first tee is when the gate is closed. Spotting the tees can be tough in a couple locations.

5) Mailbox available at the first tee, but just pencisl floating around, no maps or scorecards.

6) The only garbage can on the course was on #1 and it was FULL!

7) Too bad the valley couldn't be used from some holes, because it was deep to the bottom and water was visible. That would have made for some cool holes.

Other Thoughts:

This was the first stop on our THIRD ANNUAL epic disc golf tour. My wife still had wet hair so she stayed int he car and slept, but I am glad I stopped to play this course. It was a wonderful surprise in the middle of Illinois. It was also a plus that all the snow had melted between Missouri and WIsconsin so that I had nice clear teeing areas!

I had a near death experience though when a flock of Blackbirds (probably a few hundred) flew over me on the course. I was afraid they were going to die on me and that the Apocolypse was on its way!
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9 0
#19325
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.4 years 351 played 178 reviews
2.50 star(s)

IVC Right off the Interstate 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 13, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

IVC is 2 minutes off the interstate. There are several fast food options at the exit and it's a good option to get out of the car and stretch the legs. A round of 9 will take 20 minutes or less.

Once you find the parking lot the tee to #1 is easy to find. There is a garbage can and mail box which contains score cards. The score cards has a map on it.

There are A-Long Tees and B-Short Tees. They are clearly marked with basic signs. The course is easy to navigate and flows nicely and there is a variety of distance and shots.

This is a very beginner friendly course but does allow more advanced players shot throw the driver quite a few times from the long tees.

The green to #1 is AWESOME! It is a large hump lined by boulders. On the backside there is a trench dug several feet deep. It adds a unique challenge on this hole.

The baskets are brand new Innova Discatchers that have the hole # on both sides.

Cons:

The tee pads are grass/dirt. It was dry when I played but have a feeling they are pretty muddy when wet.

I saw poison ivy in the rough areas and under the tree areas that were not mowed.

Adv/Pro level players can throw over many of the obstacles and avoid the tougher intended route.

Other Thoughts:

The drive to the gravel parking lot is labeled maintenance vehicles only. Look for the baseball field and follow that narrow road to the parking lot.

Starved Rock State Park is not very far away.
http://www.starvedrockstatepark.org
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5 0
crazyfingers85
Experience: 22.6 years 12 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

awesome 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 8, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

there are some nice lengthy holes and a couple elevation dips and dives. holes 1-6 have some cool tight fairways that will develop over the years as the trees grow.

Cons:

poison ivy in the rough. all the more reason to tighten up that drive. this course's boundaries also eats discs. its easy to lose them in the thicket by hole 5.

Other Thoughts:

i have played this course a few times before this review, but today my brother was in town from oregon and wanted to go discin'!! when i told him there was a course at his old comm college he could not believe it. after hitting all 18 tees (9 baskets), we had the pleasure of meeting one of the course creators. he seemed happy to see other disc jockeys out playing, and was very nice. i hope these guys can get another disc golf course in the area. bravo on the course. thanks again.
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7 0
mykeg44
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.4 years 72 played 45 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 7, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is an above average course with a good amount of challenge and some pretty fun shots. Holes 1-6 play through a secluded, wooded area of the campus, while 7-9 play in an open area near the school's baseball field.

The course starts out with a cool mid range shot at a basket that sits on top of a mound. The next 5 shots play through the wooded area of the course. There's a pretty good variety of straight and angled shots thanks to the wooded nature of this area. There is also a surprising amount of distance here has well with a few shots over 300ft from the long tees, and a couple over 400.

Hole 7 moves across a small gravel road and shoots around a small grove of trees at a basket located beyond the walls of the school's baseball field. #8 is a very similar shot, and #9 is a 500ft bomb from the long tee at a basket located at close to a 90 degree angle from the tee, with some large trees shaping the fairway, and some farm land OB to the left. These three holes are all open, so wind will definitely add to the challenge most days.

Each hole has two different tees. The longs provide good distance and some nice challenge for experienced players, while the short tees are ideal for new players and cut down on a lot of the challenge of the longs.

This is a brand new course, so the DISCatchers here look like they've never seen a disc. There is also a mailbox next to the first tee with map/scorecards and pencils. I've never seen that at a 9-hole course before... very impressive.

Cons:

There's a note on the scorecard mailbox that says this course is still under development and there is a grand opening scheduled for late this summer, so this place is still a little rough around the edges.

While rough around the edges, there really aren't any glaring flaws. The tee pads are grass and marked by wooden planks in the ground, so an upgraded tee surface would improve this course.

As for shot selection, this course favors RHBH players pretty heavily, with the exception of the tee shot on #9. The shot variety isn't bad, but was lacking in L to R shots.

Navigation here is a slight issue. In some instances the course flow is a little weird, and only one of the baskets had a next tee sign. The maps are very helpful for finding the next tee, and each tee sign has directions to the other sign for that hole (i.e. B tee is 25ft to the left)

The signs in place right now are just laminated pieces of paper on wooden sticks. They get the job done for now, but I don't see them holding up well in long periods of bad weather.

Other Thoughts:

I decided to check this course out on my way to the Quad Cities not knowing what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised. It's about 5-10 minutes off of I-80 and is definitely worth a stop.

The course designer really knew what he was doing and has put together a solid course. Even in its current state this is a fun course and as it improves over time, this could be one of the better 9-holers around.
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