Marengo, IL

Indian Oaks

3.325(based on 22 reviews)
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11 0
EspressoPatronum
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.3 years 316 played 298 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Cool Woods Experience with Odd Ending

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 8, 2024 Played the course:once

Pros:

- good next tee indicators on baskets
- porta potties on course
- practice basket
- good size flared concrete tees
- full color tee signs with maps
- nice blue powder coated Discraft baskets
- well maintained park
- some gently rolling hills incorporated on first few holes
- excellent technical challenge in woods on holes 4-12
- built in bridges on some holes
- rough in woods is generally fairly forgiving
- tight fairways requiring precision
- navigation is generally straightforward and well marked

Cons:

- mixed use park with disc golf close to some activities
- some long walks between holes, though well marked
- first several holes are very open and unexciting
- alternate tees are not obvious or clearly marked
- poles on top of baskets no longer have flags; course is showing its age
- hole 5 is a poorly designed hole with no realistic line
- holes 15-18 play away from start of course and do not return to parking lot very nicely
- wooded holes favor right fading shots a bit
- course is fairly flat

Other Thoughts:

Indian Oaks has been on my wishlist for quite awhile. It's just far enough out from the suburbs that it was never convenient, but there are a few other decent courses not too far away to make a morning of it. The course is getting older and while the tee signs and baskets are pretty nice, the course is definitely starting to show its age and could use a bit of a facelift. Tee signs are a mix of multiple varieties, and poles from old flags on top of baskets are mostly worn out and missing said flags.

The maintenance was pretty good here although grass was a bit long in places. The mosquitoes were abysmal in the woods. Taking pictures of tee signs was brutal; you essentially have to keep moving constantly or you will get eaten alive, even with DEET. It is a multi-use park but was empty when I was there. You may have to watch out for other parkgoers at times.

Rough was generally manageable and while some of the holes on this course weren't very remarkable, holes 4-12 shine with some excellent technical woods golf. There are some very long walks between a few holes but signage is generally quite good. I don't get the tee signs with smiley faces on them, this felt gimmicky to the point of being cringey and isn't something I've seen before. I hope I don't see it again, give me those sweet hole elevation profiles the bougie signs have.

My main complaint in the woods if we ignore the mosquitoes was hole 5, which is over 500 feet and makes some hard zig zagging through the woods. There's just no conceivable way to throw a drive from the white tee that makes it most of the distance down the fairway, which makes it a bad hole design. It can be difficult, even extremely difficult, but this hole objects to the physics of disc flight.

After hole 12 things get a bit dull and repetitive again, with the final several holes leading back away from the parking near the start and not adding a ton of variety. Hole 14 was a bit interesting though, playing with a little stand of trees to the right. If you throw your disc in here prepare for a bit of a hunt, there's a crazy number of really thin trunks that are really flexible. it was a weird experience walking over the spongy, mossy ground in these hunting for a disc. Did not feel like Illinois.

Overall, this course is fairly flat and about half of it is really interesting and challenging while the other half is fairly forgettable. I think this course failed to live up to my expectations a bit; it's a decent course but nothing too spectacular. The woods holes are probably more dense than most area courses, so I do give it credit for the serenity and natural feel of that part of the course.
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4 0
Slow_Disc
Experience: 11.4 years 47 played 9 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 27, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Challenging course with length and personality. There are open holes and wooded holes (#4-#12). Not many clean ace runs, thus it is more technical than a "open" big arm course.

The course has been constantly improving over the years, all concrete tee pads, benches added for every hole, 3 holes have professional wood carvings obstacles, include an carved "squid" / Kracken from a fallen tree that creates an awesome obstacle on the short #12, must see.

Parking, adequate facilities with pavelion, park district building, water, and porta-potty near hole 2.

Cons:

There is long walks between holes, but not bad. #11 and #12, and #18 back to #1.

Like any wooded course will have mosquitoes when conditions are right, but long sleeves. But with modest repellent, it is always manageable.

Other Thoughts:

Local players and club does majority of wooded course work, with park district maintaining the open area holes.

Weekend league goes on, thus the course will has regular group that make sure the course is in good shape. Locals do work the course every summer to keep it in shape, and prepare it for IOS in september. Trees will fall during the year on any the wooded course, paths or such, but the locals players always get to them within a week or so.

Playing in weekly league, we have never had an issue of a single hole not being playable, let along the course. Even in the wettest conditions course is playable, maybe muddy in spots, but always playable. I have never an issue with Ticks on this course.
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7 0
MidwestZest
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 24.4 years 103 played 73 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Strong 3.5 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 25, 2020 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Nice park complex with a good handful of things to do.
- Course is nearly completely segregated from other activities. Just a couple near ballfields and roads, but not too bad.
- Great, perfectly surfaced trapezoid concrete tee pads. Perfect amount of grip.
- Great powder coated blue baskets. Classy. Faded flags on top of some.
- Good signage. About the only thing missing was layup-zone distances.
- Decent navigation, especially for the awkward layout. Next Tee markers on baskets, on tee box signs, as well as extra navigational Next Tee signs. Never got turned around.
- 10 - Great, wooded hole, with a well-defined fairway, and uniquely guarded basket.
- 12 - you just gotta see this hole to appreciate it. Among the greatest short holes in northern Illinois, for sure.
- 14 - This is the bee's knees of holes on the course. Elevated tee with a long, sweeping L to R fairway around a thick marsh. Or, big enough arms with big enough stones can go for it straight over the marsh or to the right. If you can carry the big trees, or sneak between them, there's mown fairway out there to be had. Driver beware though - I'd put finding a disc in the marsh/prairie at 50/50.

Cons:

- Reading reviews beforehand, I really didn't think the long walks between holes and the layout concerns were going to bother me. But it did. It's not that I can't handle the walking, but there's nearly as much walking between holes as there is playing holes. It's not a knock on the designers - they did what that had to with the restrictions they had. Just unfortunate.
- Very unforgiving rough in the woods in places. Thick, and sometimes more than a 1-shot penalty. Considerably better than the first time I ever played it, however.
- 5 - the dreaded 'chair' design. Must hit a 10' x 10' landing zone 250 feet out just in order to properly layup again, which at best gets you a 50' or 60' putt for birdie. Just not a huge fan any time I find this type of hole on a course.
- 18 - a little awkward, but a perfectly executed shot can probably get you within 40 ft of the basket for a look at 2. Just a little odd, and a bit anti-climactic as the last hole.

Other Thoughts:

- The course appears to get quite a bit of play. My first time through this course four years ago included some very unforgiving rough, as well as some small nuisance trees in fairways that I though detracted from the hole design. This course has broken in since then very nicely.
- The course does include a very very short red layout, that probably gets played very very little.
- It's a pretty darn good park course with lots of variety. Open, then into the woods, and then back out into the open. Good equipment and great play-ability. A strong 3.5 course that anyone can have a really good time on.
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8 0
SneakyJedi
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.4 years 152 played 84 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun and Chellening 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 13, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Course is located in a very nice park and is well maintained
- Good mix of tightly wooded and more open holes
- Elevation is not exceptional, but used very well
- Baskets, tee pads, and signs all in good shape. Benches on many holes

Cons:

- While considerably more cleaned up and cleared out than previously, some of the wooded holes could still use some work, and possibly tree reduction
- Long walks between holes on multiple occasions
- Poison Ivy, burrs, and thorns make venturing into the rough a potentially annoying, uncomfortable, or painful experience

Other Thoughts:

Indian Oaks provides a varied and challenging round of golf in a well maintained, multi-use park. The course is split fairly evenly between more open, park style golf with large, mature trees as obstacles, and tight wooded golf with narrow fairways forcing shot shapes. There is a good amount of elevation in play as well. While most of the greens are relatively safe, a large number of holes have you throwing up or downhill.

The shot variety needed is good, and the open holes still have enough obstacles to remain interesting, even while you can play several lines off the tee. Hole length is well varied, <200' to 500', and is mixed well throughout the course. You are never throwing several short or long holes in a row, which I think really helps with flow and the feel of the round.

A couple of the wooded holes ride the line between being challenging, and there simply being no clear route to the basket. Lines exist of course, but some of the windows are so small, that all but a perfect shot will get knocked down, and some fantastic shots will just get an unlucky tree kick, and turn a birdie look into a bogey. Even still, there are some great holes here, including two true par 4's that require two excellent shots for a look at a 3.

The course has been cleaned up a lot, but there are still some areas where the rough goes beyond punishing a bad shot, to being excessively harsh, or potentially dangerous in the case of the frequently present thorns and poison ivy. Most of these areas can be avoided with safe, smart golf, but everyone has bad shots, and it is no fun to end up in.

The equipment here is very nice. The Blue baskets are easy to see, and flags are frequently present as well. The concrete tee pads are large and grippy, and the signage is very nice. There are benches by many of the holes as well which is always nice.

The long walks have been mentioned before, but they really are quite long, and break up the flow of the course. Nothing to get worked up over, but an unfortunate reality.

Overall, this is a very nice course with a number of fun and challenging holes. If the level of work that has gone into this course over the last couple of years is maintained, this course will continue to get better and better.
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7 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.5 years 1165 played 745 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 28, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course is set in a large multiuse park. The baskets are blue powder coated chainstars that are in great shape and catch nicely. Many have large flags on top of them making them easier to see in the woods. There are concrete tees for all the longs. These are all large and very grippy. the tee signs are large and easy to spot. They have a colorful hole map, positions for any alternate tees or pads, distances, pars and a directional to the next hole. There are also next tee directionals at the bottom of each basket that were all accurate which is nice if you forget to look when at the tee pad. There's a practice basket by the parking lot south of hole 1. There were only 2 other people there on a saturday afternoon in June so it wouldn't seem to get too busy. The course was very clean as well with a few garbage cans in spots and many benches. There is a solid mixture of long and short, left and right shots required here. There is a port o potty near the parking lot which is nice. Many of the tee pad areas have bag holders which is always a plus to have. The course is free to play and is in the ground year round apparently, both of which are major pluses to me.

Cons:

There are some pretty excessive walks between holes but they are very well marked. A couple holes were ridiculous doglegs and didn't really make much sense or fit in with the rest of the well designed holes. There isn't a whole lot of elevation on this course, however I've seen way way flatter courses. Not much they can do about this though.

Other Thoughts:

With the exception of a couple long walks and the probably 2 strangely designed holes this was a really fun course to play. Not really worth going too far out of your way to play but definately a fun course. There are quite a few other courses within a half hour or so too. I played white river and duck pond in Lake Geneva WI and Lions park in Harvard IL for a solid day of discing.
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4 1
Nght12
Experience: 14.9 years 28 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Addition for WIIL Golf! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 28, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I'm going to preface this with the fact that as of this year I'm a rather spoiled golfer. Within a 30 minute drive I have a couple of 4 star courses and this is one of them for a couple of reasons.

1. Wooded Golf that is a rarity in Illinois. The nine holes in the woods are unique to the area, and force people to shape lines properly as well as having two true par 4's both being birdieble if executed properly.

2. Excellent facilities. Beautiful Chainstar baskets powder coated with huge flags making seeing the basket a breeze. Full cement tee pads, and the park district building with nice clean bathrooms. Signage is the best I have seen on any course I have ever played. Accurate maps, NexTee signage directing player. Designated ace sign below tee sign to fight graffiti and give players bragging rights.

3. Layout gives the option to do the nine hole in the park easily if you want to skip wooded holes or only play a quick round.

4. Variety of shots giving no one type of player an advantage over another. The power arm won't necessarily outscore the finesse thrower.

5. Wooded rough is punishing to bad shots, but a fairway shot will be rewarded. Open fairways in the woods aren't super punishing but still require clean lines.

5. Some really fun holes. 14, 10, 17, 6, 8 all come to mind.

6. Holes 5 and 11 really require proper lines and golf sense to come out of unscathed, but can be birdied.

Cons:

1. Long walks between holes. I'm aware of layout issues regarding land ownership. I'd rather have long walks than no wooded holes so it's a compromise I can live with, but something that does hold this course back.

2.Some tee pads are shorter than I would prefer
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2 5
shai
Experience: 25.4 years 15 played 15 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Marengo/IndianOaks - Top 10 in Illinois 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 25, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great course. Well maintained. Very little elevation, but otherwise a good variety of long/short, open/wooded, lefty/righty holes.

Cons:

The layout is the only negative with one or two long walks between holes, and a long walk from the end to the start.

Other Thoughts:

Worth the drive from Chicagoland. Better than any of the local Chicago courses.
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Designer response by steakfest
The reason for the long walks between some of the holes is a combination of factors that as designers we couldn't do much about. First reason is Safety. As is common in a multi-use facility like Indian Oaks Park, sometimes the land that you have to work with is peppered with various other activities. When Fred and I designed the course we did our best job taking advantage of the land that was "ok for disc golf"

As for the long walks into and out of the woods, (holes 4 - 11) that was also another land availability issue. The walk into and out of the woods is going through land that the Park District does not have ownership of, and It would be a terrible waste of some awesome space to not put holes back there.

When we designed the course we felt the walk into and out of the woods was a small price to pay to have those unique and challenging holes, unlike most of what you see in Northern Illinois.

John McGowan #49389
6 4
rikomenzies
Experience: 4 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 17, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Definitely a very challenging course. Most of the holes are in the woods--long, with plenty of doglegs to keep you busy. If you don't know how to shape a good line, you're going to have a terrible time here.

Tee posts are very informative and accurate, which is necessary for winding courses like this. There are plenty of signs directing you towards the next tee as well.

The baskets are very nice. Not a single spit-out while I was there, and they're kept pretty clean. Tall flags make them really easy to spot, which is handy for these holes.

Definitely one of the more scenic courses that I've been through, though I'm one who enjoys the wooded areas in general. The tall ceilings really give a sense of scale to your surroundings.

Cons:

Just taking the holes into consideration, it's not a bad course. That said, the flow is horrendous. It's a long, long walk from tee to tee, especially in the wooded areas, and there's plenty of unnecessary backtracking.
Since a lot of golfers come out during the summer, the terrible flow of the course can really be torture on the hotter days. The wooded areas get extremely muggy and the bugs will get to you.
The walk from Hole 18 back to Hole 1 is a long one, so park somewhere close.

Carpeted tee pads aren't my thing, and when I played here they were pretty sunken in. Some of them are obscenely short for some of the throws you have to make.

Other Thoughts:

I'm an intermediate player who enjoys challenging courses, so my opinion of this course isn't because I suck at disc golf. The holes themselves were okay--it's the course flow that really ruined it for me. I never felt like I was actually going anywhere and the lack of variety made it feel very monotonous.

It's not the ideal course to play alone. There are plenty of blind throws to make, and the rough is very unforgiving.
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4 3
infinategem
Experience: 17.5 years 31 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

good park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 25, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

challenging throws, you've read alot about the rough and tight gaps, its all true. a few bigger holes awell that you can really let a bomb go, while also including a few shorter holes. There are aslo a few holes that require a fairway placement, being the pin is not a possible option from the tee, this is my favorite aspect about the park. i really like playing golf style and not being able to 2 holes is important to me. good signage aswell

Cons:

please see other thoughts about the layout, its terrible. The thorns could be cleared out without making the course easier in my opinoin but i have only played there once. you do have to be careful in a couple spots to avoid the streets and other areas of the park but the risk is minimal.

Other Thoughts:

it seems to me alot of reviewers left out how sucky the layout is. it's a TON of walking from hole to hole, probably one of the worst layouts I've ever seen. Be ready to spend all day there walking, it really sucks.
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7 1
Three Putt
Staff member
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 29.9 years 158 played 131 reviews
3.50 star(s)

So proud to live, so proud to die 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 4, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Marengo for the area is a pretty solid disc golf course. The course has 9 holes set in thick woods with punishing rough, and they are not all tunnel shots. Hole #5 in particular was a multiple shot hole that made me throw to landing zones to set up my next shot. You have to stay in the fairway on these wooded holes; the rough is thick and often doesn't give you much in the way of a recovery shot.

The holes in the more open areas are pretty nice park-style holes with enough trees to make them interesting. There is good elevation for the area; #2 and #15 are pretty good uphill shots, and #14 and #18 are elevated tees. Several other holes had some degree of up and down. #14 was a cool risk reward shot for big arms that can bomb over the shule to the left.

The shots overall were pretty challenging. It's the type of course that can accommodate a wide variety of skill levels and still have something to offer everyone. There is a good variety in distances in both the open and wooded holes.

The course has good tee signs with a hole map and distances.

Cons:

The holes set up out of the woods didn't seem to mesh very well with the other park uses. Hole # 1 seemed pretty close to a park road. Hole #1 and Hole #14 seemed pretty close together. Hole #18 is designed for you to throw down a fairway next to a skate park, but the anhyzer/forehand route over the skate park is wide open and it seemed pretty easy to throw one in there at somebody. Hole #15 played pretty close to a picnic area. Considering we had to hike a mile in and a mile out to get to the wooded holes and back, it seemed like there would have been room for more holes that did not have conflicts with other park uses.

As I mentioned, the hike from #3 to #4 and from #11 to #12 are long golfless walks that hurt the flow of the course. The walk from #1 to #2 was also long and confusing. The course has the added oddity that if you park by hole #1, you will be back by your car at hole #14 and nowhere near your car when you finish #18. You can park so that you are closer to #18, but then you have a long walk to start the round. Pick your poison.

The white tees are carpet or dirt. They could be better.

Other Thoughts:

The course still has a lot of stumps and the rough is very thick, which is typical of newer courses. I would expect those issues to fix themselves over time.

There appears to be an effort to make the course beginner friendly with a set of short red tees, but the wooded holes don't translate well to beginners. Even though the red tees only measure out to 3,378', the nine wooded holes would still be very frustrating to new players. At 3,378', the red tees are much too short to be considered a playable option by the majority of players.

Marengo is a very nice course shot for shot, and it should be a good option for a place where players of various skill levels can get together and all have a good time. While it wouldn't have the level of challenge to host a NT tournament, it's the kind of place that could host a B Tier and keep most of the players happy.
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3 2
LeddZepp8687
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.5 years 115 played 19 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Mind the gap 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 10, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Most holes are heavily wooded providing plenty of obstacles and challenge for players of all skill levels.
-Navigation is painless, The signage is fantastic.

-Beautiful, brand new chainstar baskets that have all been powdercoated blue and have highly visible orange flags on top of them.

-Good mix up of shots and distances.

-Tons of reward for well shaped shots and punishment for those that don't mind the gap on the wooded holes.

-Good use of available elevation

-Almost no fairway overlap and with the exception of a few holes almost no opportunity to collide with other park users.

-Super quiet park, the only other sounds we here were chains ringing in the background from other disc golfers. Also, Traffic is almost non-existent here.

Cons:

-The tees leave a lot to be desired, This course absolutely deserves some sort of solid tee pad, concrete being the ideal option. The carpet is (in my opinion) probably better than the natural tee option as the carpet does provide decent traction. They are on the short side though so those (and myself) that have any kind of moderately long run-up will be a little disappointed. They are also fairly bumpy and uneven so watch your footing. Some are also gripier than others so test them before you rip,

-Extremely punishing rough (Also a pro in my opinion) that has lots of thorns and other brutal underbrush a mere 5 feet off the fairways. This may not be for everyone, but I think it adds to the element. I wore shorts today as it was the warmest mid-November day I can remember and after a few bounces off trees and into the rough my shins were literally bleeding.

-Stumps.... Everywhere. The fall leaves masked this little toe busters which made walking the fairways interesting. I stubbed my toes on my fair share of them and I know my buddy did too. Cutting them a little closer to the ground would probably be a good idea. Watch where your walking or you could end up faceplanting and you and I both know you don't wanna do that.

Other Thoughts:

This is a good, fun course. I seriously enjoyed a round at this DCG, I could honestly see this course as becoming one of the more popular courses in northern IL. It just needs time to wear in, It's still a fairly new course. It has plenty of variety and a good amount of tight fairways and I really liked that about this course.

For those who live in the western suburbs or the NW suburbs who have been thinking about making a trip out to Rockford, do it, but add this course onto your day trip. Its not far off of 90 and if you take 20 back from Rockford it is only a minute out of your way.

I'd play this course again for sure if I was in the area.
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5 2
mikeb23
Experience: 14.5 years 16 played 6 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great for the Area 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 21, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is only a year old and for that it is very good. As the course matures it will only get better. There are 10 open holes and 8 wooded holes. The land in the open holes was utilized extremely well to provide some challenges while driving. There are large mature trees on all of the open holes. When you get into the words the course becomes very challenging. There are 2 legitimate par 4's on the course hole 5 and hole 11. You will need to breakout a variety of shots while you are in the woods as there are right turns left turns and S curves. Very good mixture not favoring any playing style too much. If you get more than 10 feet off of the fairway watch out. Its gets very thick very fast.

Cons:

There are some long walks between holes, so bring your walking shoes. THere is some poison ivy in the rough so familiarize yourself with what this looks like so you can stay away. You also need to watch where you walk as there are stumps sticking out of the ground in some spots.

Other Thoughts:

Contact me if you ever need a course guide.
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3 4
walkinblu
Experience: 43.4 years 23 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Love Marengo 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 22, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Beautiful park, great place for a disc golf course.

Excellent signs at every teepad and as needed in between holes.

Next tee signs on every basket also help 1st time players easily navigate the course.

Great variety of open and wooded holes here. Beginners should consider using the red (short) tees on most holes. Using the long tees, you will need every shot to score well here.

The course designers used every bit of available elevation to create some very good holes, especially from the white tees.

Cons:

Not enough for me to say anything bad about this course.

Other Thoughts:

I really liked the addition of the concrete pads ! Especially in the wooded sections. It made it a lot easier to throw ! Plan on going back out to this course ! Loads of fun and challenging.
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2 13
The Sign Post
Experience: 52.5 years 55 played 4 reviews
1.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 12, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Interesting terrain, mixture of woods and park settings.

Cons:

Long walks between holes, short holes.

Other Thoughts:

Oddly laid out course. Long holes in the woods, short holes in the clearings. We made a special trip out to this course based on reviews.... won't be back.
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13 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.7 years 831 played 777 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun Challenge 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 29, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The course plays through a sprawling park, and for the first 14 holes has no conflicts with other park users. About half of the holes play in mostly open areas, with nicely mowed grass and some mature trees. A few of these play with thick rough on one side, including one that offers a risky shot over a marsh or a longer safe route around. These holes offer some nice distance, including a couple that let you open up and rip a drive while still having enough scattered trees to make you plan your line.

The wooded half of the course plays pretty tight. There are several shorter holes that are reachable but tricky, and a few that play as legitimate multi-shot holes with landing zones and doglegs. Off the fairways there are lots of small trees and very thick brushy undergrowth. Errant shots are heavily punished.

The signage is good, with hole layout and distance. There are next tee markers on each basket and the longer walks were spray painted with arrows when I played. The course map by the first tee is also available here, and is helpful if you get turned around. Two sets of tees are offered, I only played the longer set (white), the reds looked like they would be a little more beginner friendly taking off some distance on the open holes and making the lines significantly easier on the wooded shots.

Cons:

The course still feels pretty new and a bit raw. The rough gets hairy right at the edge of the fairway with lots of brush and thorns. This means there aren't a lot of opportunities for interesting recovery shots, you'll mostly just pitch out if you miss your line in the woods. The wooded holes also still have lots of dead branches and small stumps, though it seemed like that's slowly getting taken care of.

The end of the course has a few safety issues, with two out of the last four holes offering some chances for conflict with other park users. The last hole plays next to/over a skate park, it wouldn't be at all difficult to go over the fence and hit someone.15 plays over a soccer field and near some picnic areas, on a nice summer day there could be some issues. The course also has some pretty long walks, if the spray paint wears off it could be a little tricky and makes for a long round (especially with the long and slightly uphill walk back to your car after 18). The tees are natural for the most part with a few carpet pads in the woods. They're pretty lumpy and rutted out already, concrete or rubber pads would go a long way here especially on the longer holes where a runup would be useful.

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoyed the shots at this course, it's definitely one of the most interesting and challenging in the greater Chicago area. Most of my issues with it will get better over time, especially if the tees are improved. Beginners will find even the reds a little tough especially with severe punishment waiting off the fairways. More experienced players will find lots of different skills tested here, with great variety and a nice balance of left and right turning shots.
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7 1
Big_Man
Experience: 18.4 years 49 played 10 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Indian Oaks 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 23, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The first time I played Indian Oaks I knew the area had a special disc golf course. It is by far the most challenging in the McHenry/Boone/Winnebago county area, but also one of the most fun. Some of the holes, especially in the woods are very difficult and if you have a bad throw off the fairway you could easily add 2 or 3 strokes to your score. Hole 5 is a MONSTER par 4 that will take some serious accuracy and power to bird. I have posted a picture of the signage for the hole if anyone wants to check it out.

Other pros - the baskets and signs are great. I never felt lost on this course even though some of the holes are spread apart. Bridges were also put in to cross the creeks

Cons:

Very few, but the main issue was the lack of tee pads. There are some holes that use a "carpet" but I could see some rolled ankles if you are not careful. Also, it takes a good amount of time to finish a round here, especially if you are throwing into the rough a lot, so don't think you can have a quick game.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, I say that Indian Oaks has great potential to become the top course in the area. I would certainly check out this course if you are looking for a challenge. Be ready to go for a hike!
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Designer response by steakfest
Big_Man,

Just to let you know, the carpet pads are no more! Concrete pads on all 18 holes now!
5 38
wolf1616
Experience: 13 played 3 reviews
0.00 star(s)

Terrible, waste of the drive 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 10, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

The first 3 holes, the last three holes.

Cons:

This course is garbage. I was looking forward to it after the first hole and the amazing signage and ace cards on some of the markers. Once you head into the woods you throw blindly into a HEAVILY wooded course. The woods have not been cleared for this course. There are piles of debris everywhere and if you lose a disc in there...good luck. I basically threw like a grandma worried that around every turn I would lose a disc. I'm not in love with my discs and I don't mind losing them but this is a little ridiculous. If you like St. Charles and don't care about your discs you might like this course. For all you single driver/single putter players, don't bother.

Other Thoughts:

Terrible course, if I hadn't already mentioned that.

*Update 12/2/2013 in response to the reply.
I am not a new player. I've been playing for over 8years. I throw a 400ft avg drive, and have won 2 tournaments locally. This "course" is not well designed in any way. I understand the multiuse park and space limitations, but it felt like a course built just to build a course. Not to mention the fact that there is a nature trail running within the course. I have not been back since my first time. I WILL return and will submit another review. For most people who enjoy ball golf and disc golf, this is not a golf course. It is a set of targets in the deep woods with tees. You could have done a better job. Piles of debris/garbage are not "bunkers" come on. This is disc golf, I've played courses in multiple states and never seen debris bunkers. Also, I don't understand why some of you resort to insults (calling me a n00b). I'm simply trying to save people from wasting their time. I don't know anyone who enjoys this course, maybe someone would. Epic fail IMO. Just an opinion, go play yourself if you want and put up a review. That's what this site is for right? Reviews? My review is "don't waste your time."
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Designer response by steakfest
"I basically threw like a grandma worried that around every urn i would lose a disc"

Hopefully this player learned something the day they played Indian Oaks. Disc golf is supposed to be challenging. There's nothing wrong with "playing like a grandma" Most of us call it "playing safe" and I still do it myself on the wooded holes!

I suspect that the player was bothered by the challenge of the wooded holes, not the design or quality of them. I hope that wolf1616 has evolved as a player and can appreciate what Indian Oaks has to offer now.

As for debris piles, etc. I believe that in the 2 years since this review was written there has been burning, but some of the "piles" are actually meant to be bunkers that are supposed to present an obstacle.

By the way, our course also specifically recommends that beginner players skip holes 4 - 11 and stick to the 10 holes out in the open area of the course. Some of which are still very challenging, without the added element of thick rough on both sides of the fairway.
9 1
jasonc
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.5 years 281 played 35 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun course, still new 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 9, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Beautiful park, great place for a disc golf course.

Excellent signs at every teepad and as needed in between holes.

Nextee signs on every basket also help 1st time players easily navigate the course.

Great variety of open and wooded holes here. Beginners should consider using the red (short) tees on most holes. Using the long tees, you will need every shot to score well here.

The course designers used every bit of available elevation to create some very good holes, especially from the white tees.

Cons:

Only because it is a brand new course right now, the lack of concrete tees is listed here.

As the course gets more play, I'm sure the wooded fairways and heavy rough/schule will be cleaned up as well. This will certainly help out on the fun factor and cut down on time looking for discs.

Other Thoughts:

My rating is admittedly a little high right now, but it is partly based on the fact that the course is brand new and I certainly plan to update my review as needed.

Fred Vroman & John McGowan, thanks for designing and installing a great course in Northern Illinois! Looking forward to the progress!!!
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13 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.8 years 1512 played 480 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Awesome course just needs a little time 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 25, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Some of the best variety in holes I have seen in a while. There are a few park like holes, a few tight tunnels and wooded holes, and there are a few holes with moderate woods on them.

2) There is a wetland area you can choose to bomb over or throw around. I would love to see some big bombers try and take the route right over that wetland on #14. It would be fun to watch for sure.

3) Shortened tees help to make the course playable by beginners, but I think they may leave frustrated after the wooded holes.

4) Concrete blocks set in the ground right now mark the tees and they are painted Red or White for the two sets of tees. Only a few tees share the same location. These are nice and big so even if the grass gets long finding the other tee isn't as hard as you might think. Be sure to look at the map on the teesigns to help find where the reds would be.

5) Nice teesigns with Hole #, Par, DIstance,, and a map along with a directional to the next tee. The only drawback to these signs is they are on the white tees, fortunately you generally would be walking right past the white tee to get to the forward red tee.

6) 3' flags on top of the nice powder coated Chainstars. I like this feature as it really helps on certain holes to find the baskets.

7) Huge diversity of shots needed to play well out here. You need to work shots both ways and you will definitely want to throw both backhand and forehand.

8) The long tees change a lot of the holes dramatically rather than just being a 50-100' extension off the shorts on the same line.

9) They put an ace board called an Ace Card (which has the image of a playing card Ace and a bunch of lines on it). I will be surprised if they hold up but it is a really good idea to prevent people from writing it on the signs or baskets. I imagine there is an active club here and they just better realize that if that sign fills up they better get another one up immediately or people will be pissed there is nowhere for them to write their ace and they will turn to the signs or just write over the other aces in big black sharpie.

10) Excellent use of moderate elevation changes. The wooded holes have some changes in elevation which is nice and the open holes are more gently rolling.

11) Portopotty after Hole #18.

12) Some garbage cans around the course for your disposal.

13) Directionals in some of the trouble areas for crossing paths and such. Because the wooded holes cross some sort of natural trail the signs are needed and in the appropriate places.

14) There are a few benches scattered around the course . . . not sure if they were intentional for the course or just in random spots.

Cons:

1) Overall this course is not quite beginner friendly despite the shortened tees, there just are too many shots in the woods that beginners are not capable of throwing.

2) Grass tees on the open holes and some carpet and some dirt tees in the woods. I am sure this is just because the course is new but on a championship caliber course this really hurts my desire to go back because I want to know my footing will be consistent from hole to hole.

3) The tennis courts and the dirt bike ramps may be in danger on some shots. Holes #1 and #14 also run too close together because a lot of the big bombs from the white tee on #14 might end up dangerously close to Hole #1's fairway.

4) Some general cleanup like grinding the little stumps down in the wooded fairways, hauling the fallen and cut debris further off the fairways to accomodate for disc searching and good footing. I am sure this will get done, because noone puts in a great course like this and doesn't finish the work off.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a definite 4 disc course once it has permanent concrete teepads and a little more general cleanup on the wooded holes is completed, but as I played it I put it on par with a 3.5 disc course. As far as the disc golf is concerned I definitely consider it a 4 disc course it just needs a little more work and some breaking in. I will definitely back to see the progress and look forward to concrete tees hopefully?!

Did anyone else see the potential championship tee on Hole #3 . . . from the sledding hill platform?????
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Designer response by steakfest
Thanks for the review.

Just to let you know, Indian Oaks now has Concrete pads on all 18 holes.

Our course signage does also recommend that beginners skip holes 4 - 11, thanks for re-iterating that here in your review!
12 1
notapro
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.3 years 571 played 284 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun for everyone 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 17, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Course is set on the grounds of a large park that has a lot of other activites present. Swimming pool, playgrounds and such. Disc golf is well separated, though, and the only interference would be from stray pedestrians.
- Half of the holes are located in more open areas, with trees and bordering forest to deal with. The large trees are used well to force line shaping; #1 forces a big hyzer either way, or a low line drive shot. More RHBH hyzers on #2 and #3 (for the easy route), and a large tree in the middle of #15 force some accuracy. #16 is a big hyzer around and into the forest, and #13 is a long hole with the basket behind a large clump of trees. #14 is a long RHBH anny to get around the marsh, though the hyzer route is there for the bold big arms.
- Other holes have the forest more in play, like a low tunnel shot between some small trees and the woods on #17. #18 has an open fairway, with a pinch point/window to get through at the end. Probably a smart move to lay up here, if you can get there.
- Other half of the holes are in the forest, which offer good variety as well. All in all you have a few uphill hyzers, a few RHBH flex shots, some downhill straight shots and annys, a tunnel, and two long wooded holes with tons of obstacles. #5 and #11 are both legitimate par 4's, with hole layouts that really make you work for it. #5 begs for a layup shot off the tee to set-up a hyzer from the red tee, and #11 would be a RHFH flex shot with monster D attached.
- Elevation changes are present here and there throughout the course, which add a lot of fun and challenge. In the open, #2 and #15 have decent uphill slopes, and #14 and #18 have elevated teepads. The downhill shots are fantastic, #14 plays around the marsh so you have to be careful how much you want to bite off. #18 has the pinch point at the end, so you really have to control the length off the tee. Not too shabby in the forest either, #11 has a good decline in the middle, and other shorter holes play up and down as well.
- Great variety in hole length, both in the woods and out. A few shots around 200' in the forest are well complemented by a 480' and a 519' holes, and most holes in the open offer a decent opportunity to let drivers rip. A few may be on the shorter side for the big arms, but they aren't too short.
- Great signage and baskets, navigation is a breeze with a map, next tee markers, next tee signs, directional arrows, etc. etc. Natural teepads in good shape too.

Cons:

- Holes out in the open definitely lean on the RHBH hyzer, in a big way. There are a few spots to get creative with something else, but that's the easiest route for sure. Most of the shots in the forest also cater to the righties, with a few exceptions.
- Some really short hole lengths to be found in the woods, which might be a turnoff to more experienced players. Tight lines though.
- A few longer walks in between holes, like #1 to #2, #11 to #12, and a very long trek from #18 to #1. Next time I'm parking in between #1 and #18 to break it up a little.
- Two rough crossings over a creekbed, especially getting from #16 to #17. Pretty treacherous, though you can go the long way around if necessary.

Other Thoughts:

- Overall, a solid course that has a lot to offer. The holes out in the open all enjoy a hyzer, but in a lot of different ways. I did not get bored out here, at all, each hole has good wrinkle to keep it fresh. Inside the forest, there is more variety, with some interesting and tight lines to be found. Elevation changes found throughout, on top of that.
- Two sets of tees really change the course, the red tees are well marked and take off a full 2300'! Beginners will enjoy the reds, and almost everyone else should enjoy the whites.
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Designer response by steakfest
Please see my comments on some of the more recent reviews regarding the walks between holes.

As for the rough crossings over the creek, I believe those all have bridges now.

Also all holes have concrete tee pads now!
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