Morrison, IL

Kelly Park

1.935(based on 7 reviews)
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10 0
EspressoPatronum
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.4 years 316 played 302 reviews
2.00 star(s)

A Sedentary Lifestyle Will Lead You Here... Wait, Sedimentary... Wait... Cemetery?

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 24, 2024 Played the course:once

Pros:

- tee signs have relevant information and nice full color maps
- baskets are basic ChainStars but are serviceable
- red flags on top of baskets make them very visible
- navigation flows pretty smoothly
- well maintained park
- gently rolling hills make for some interesting terrain
- light challenge with lightly wooded fairways
- good for beginners or casual rounds
- porta potty by water tower
- no major safety hazards
- uniqueness: only course I've played surrounded by cemetery

Cons:

- tee pads are tiny
- very short overall
- tee signs are a bit small
- multiple baskets in similar areas can cause confusion
- no real amenities
- not particularly difficult or technical
- holes are packed more tightly than is desirable

Other Thoughts:

Kelly Park is... an interesting course. I came to play it after someone I know from Morrison showed me how it was more or less in the middle of a cemetery. Well, it really only borders the cemetery, but you have to drive through the middle of it to get to the course! I came for a laugh, but actually enjoyed this fun little course quite a bit.

Kelly Park isn't going to ever be a destination, but for a casual round, warmup, or just some fun it's a respectable course. The equipment is mostly decent, with the exception being the tee pads. They are so small I don't know why they bothered and don't provide any space for a basic X-step or anything else. I guess they keep you from standing in mud if nothing else.

The challenge level here is quite low but it would be great for beginners looking to start playing with obstacles and limited elevation change. There are some lines to hit to a degree, with some mature trees here and there, but the course is pretty open and forgiving. Hole 9 is the only hole over 300 feet and even then, just barely.

The park seemed well maintained and while there was some playground equipment, the course mostly avoided this. The only real "safety" con here is the holes are packed into a pretty dense area, but I can't imagine you'll see anyone else at this course.

I did feel a little awkward driving through the cemetery to get here... feel like you should let the cemetery be if you aren't visiting, but it was 7 AM so I was all alone.

Not a ton more to say about this one. It's quick, it's fun, and Morrison seems like a fun town to check out if you're in the area.
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5 0
BriMar
Experience: 10.5 years 30 played 17 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Interesting 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 3, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Fine for starters
-Some Interesting elevation
-Some concrete tee
-A quick play

Cons:

-Not all lanes have tees
-Not all baskets are numbered
-Baskets are old and disc golf course seems neglected
-Short lanes, no drivers are needed
-Small course for the most par
-Hard to find (Turn into the cemetery by the water tower, yup...the cemetery)

Other Thoughts:

This was an odd little course. The main road to it goes through a cemetery and the course acts as a weird little buffer zone between the cemetery and a residential district. The course is also a very small park which includes a s a walking path and kids playground.

You can park right at the edge of the park and the baskets are in site. Some are numbered, some are not. Some have concrete tees, some don't. Some lanes easily flow into others, some don't.

Every time I play a course for a first time it's like a fun little puzzle trying to figure out the layout and strategy, but less than half way through this course I gave up. Throwing my puzzle pieces off the table in frustration I just started playing to the nearest basket I saw from the basket I just landed. Maybe I was right, maybe I was wrong, regardless I had a fine time

9 holes is 9 holes and it was still fun to play, but the quality of this course is poor. Still, I would recommend it just for the unique feel and look to it. And though it's a tad in bad taste, it might be a blast to play around Halloween.
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3 0
MidwestZest
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 24.5 years 103 played 73 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Quaint 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 16, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Well cared for park. Running path and playground nearby.
- Some surprising elevation here. Doesn't particularly add difficulty, but it makes things a little more interesting.
- Definitely beginner friendly, and really only one place to lose a disc (#5) for a beginner.
- Quick and easy play.
- Good layout, and relatively easy navigation once you find tee #1. Flows nicely.
- #5 - this is a really fun, cool looking hole through some large trees and down about 20 ft of elevation. Cool use of the land.

Cons:

- Small concrete tees. Something dry to stand on I suppose.
- No signage, which isn't a huge deal - except for finding the 1st tee and confirming that you're aimed at the proper basket.
- A good handful of the baskets are no longer plum.
- No challenging holes, and mostly pretty open.
- Not a lot of distance variation. Short, in general.
- #6 tee pad is lost to the woods and overgrowth. A dirt strip in the open to its right has replaced it.

Other Thoughts:

- All in all this was a relaxing quick play for me. I played with only a dx roc and had no issues, which is probably the easiest way for me to describe the course.
- Check out the rest of Morrison - lots of old and historic looking houses all over. Really nice town.
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2 0
AHagglund
Experience: 17.6 years 77 played 19 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Good, for what it is... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 18, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-If you are a beginner looking for a place to hone your disc golf skills, this is an excellent place to start. The course is built like an advanced level course shrunk down to novice size.
You will throw down hills. You will throw up hills. You will throw R-->L, you will throw L-->R. You'll throw around obstacles, and you'll deal with fast greens. All without the intimidating distance of most courses.
-Even for better players, this is a great course to work on finesse shots. As someone else mentioned, you can play 9 in as little as 15-20 minutes if you hustle.

Cons:

-The teepads. Teensy-weensy. Only big enough for standstill shots.
-No signs.
-Too short to challenge most players. Don't even need to bring drivers.

Other Thoughts:

The course description lists the length at 3100 feet but it isn't anything close to that. If it's more than 2000 feet I'd be surprised.
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4 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.9 years 1543 played 480 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Ehhhh 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 30, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Concrete teepads are better than grass at any time . . . see also cons section.

2) Nice elevation change on many of these holes. It is a short course, but the elevation makes it play longer and it also increases the challenge with each shot.

3) Beginner friendly which is always a plus. There is enough challenge here to keep people interested with trees, some elevation, and some risk/reward basket locations. The beginner will learn a little bit about everything on this course.

4) Mach baskets witht he # plate facing the tee. This should be the norm, unfortunately it is not. If a small town int he middle of IL can figure it out why can't everyone else?

5) Located adjacent to a cemetary and you must drive right alongside some rows of graves just to get to the park . . . great place for a glow round in and around Halloween.

6) Trees are used on a few of these holes to force specific shots. They arent the majestic oaks like SInnissippi but at least there are obstacles to work around.

Cons:

1) #6 tee has some slope to it and is off angle slightly too. Erosion is he culprit here for why this teepad isn't perfect.

2) No signs for each hole which would help you find the teepads more easily, but the walk isnt long between holes to where you will ever get lost.

3) Small concrete teepads . . . while concrete is appreciated, small concrete is tougher to play on because of switching surfaces. None of these holes are real long but at the same time it would be nice to have at least 6-8 feet of space and maybe 4 feet wide alos.

4) Course is pretty short overall, and the distance variation isn't that great. The shortest hole is about 220 and the longest is about 360. I would have liked to see a shorter hole thrown in there and then stretched perhaps the final hole out just to have a bigger variety of hole distance.

Other Thoughts:

Not a con or a pro because I dont know the reason, but I assume #7 number plate is facing #4 so people do not throw at it. You wouldn't know which to throw at if the # plate wasn't visible. SO it is either good planning or poor installation. Worth mentioning but not a positive or a negative.

ALl in all this isn't a horrible course. It is only about average because of the lack of challenge, the goofiness of the small teepads, and the overall repetetiveness of the holes. I still enjoyed myself, I just wouldn't be back all that often unless I was in the area and looking for another place to play. SO with all things considered I am giving this course a 2.0 rating. It is however ont he low end of the 2.0 spectrum. It is underwhelming, but at least there is enough here to keep you somewhat intruiged.
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7 0
#19325
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.5 years 351 played 178 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Short and Sweet 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 11, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

*See other thoughts to find the course parking lot.*

Very short course located in a small town park. The course has some rolling hills and minor elevation changes.

Very beginner friendly course. There is only 1 spot where you could possibly lose a disc (#5)

Small cement tee pads.

Nice baskets.

For such a small piece of land I thought the course designer did a good job of creating a course that requires a variety of shots. They used the elevation nicely.

Although there are no tee signs the course was easy to follow and the flow was great.

You can play 9 in 15-20 minutes.

Cons:

There are no tees signs. #6

The tee pads are very small. #7 is very difficult to throw from as it's not level.

The course lacks challenge for more skilled players.

Other Thoughts:

The park is surrouned by a cemetery. At the intersection of E High St. and N Madison St. you drive into the cemetery and the parking is on the right. There is huge sign marking the park but it's still difficult to find.
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4 1
Robert Scott
Experience: 28.5 years 52 played 28 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice 9 hole in Morrison IL. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 24, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice course in a nice park. Easy to follow but no signs. Nice elevation change on holes. A quick round while in the area.

Cons:

The park is hard to find. It is in the Cemetery on the east side. No signs but still easy to follow. Hole 2 and 9 are close to a playground. Very small tees.

Other Thoughts:

The park was the hardest thing to find here we drove around the area twice before going in to the Cemetery and founding it. The park was busy and could be a problem on a couple holes.
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