Pros:
Lincoln Christian University DGC is a 9-hole course in an open field around the school's baseball field. This course is limited in equipment and design, but has open fairways that accessible to lower skill levels.
Location of this course is on extra space the college has, amongst the cornfields of rural Illinois. It doesn't look like there are many options on campus if you need a water fountain or bathroom, but Lincoln has plenty of gas and fast food options if you need them. While this course is on a college campus, it's my understanding they keep it available to the public, which is nice of them to do.
Course Equipment is limited to the 9 baskets. There are 9 of them, and they are mostly upright - that counts for something, I guess. Not every course can always brag about that.
Course Design here really makes the most of what's around. There are some interesting shots from an obstacle perspective around the baseball field, and a few shots that try to bring the baseball field fence or the sparse trees on the course in play. The distances to each hole when played in the intended order have a lot of variance, ranging from under 300 feet to over 500. That being said, if you don't have that arm strength, you can really make up your own order here. I can't imagine you're going to have many other players to get in the way of during your round.
Cons:
Course Equipment is limited to the 9 baskets on-site. There are no tee signs or tee pads, or really anything to give a hint of where to tee from. I assume that you just throw from the previous basket. Apparently, the wood post in the field by the parking lot signaled hole 1's tee, but the sign is completely worn out. The baskets are Disc Nation baskets that have 1 ring of chains each. The numbers on the baskets are worn out, and they honestly probably newer than they look given their state and how old the course is. I referred to them as "old testament" baskets to my self during my round here. Some are also learning over a good amount if they're not on level ground.
Course Design is severely limited, mostly due to what the school has to work with in the first place. Central Illinois isn't really known for its trees, and there aren't many obstacles to work with on this course. The baseball field is an interesting option to use to shape fairways, but given how close many of the baskets are to the field, this course is basically unplayable during games. Other than one or two holes on the course, the fairways are wide open with nothing to throw around, making for a fairly dull round of golf. Since the numbers on the holes have faded away completely, the direction each number plate is facing is really the only clue on site as to the order of the baskets. If you want to play the intended order, UDisc is basically your only hope.
Ameninites as I said previously, are pretty non-existent here. If school is in session then a bathroom may be available to you, but other than that, bring what you need to the course and go to the bathroom beforehand. There's also essentially zero shade, so hit that SPF before you play and bring a hat if your relationship with the sun is a dicey one.
Other Thoughts:
There's not really too much else to say about this course. It's a small private University that I'm sure has a limited budget, and there's not really much else that can be done to improve the course design. What would be nice is a way to show hole numbers and a course layout, whether that's a course map at the parking lot, redoing the numbers on the baskets, or stakes in the ground with a number on them. Honestly, any of those options would elevate the quality of this course. Hole distances, graphics of the hole layout, and next tee information is nice, but for this course, I would happily take the bare minimum.
If you live in Lincoln or are a course bagger, stop by Lincoln Christian University to either add to your course count or work on your technique. If you're not worried about bagging new courses, feel free to skip Lincoln as you travel along I-55.