Northwood black presents one with the opportunity to play one of (if not the) toughest DG courses in the country, just to see how you stack up. And its free to boot.

Hole 12 is simply an epic hole, which everyone should play once (once may be enough for many). It averages WELL over 1 stroke over par when played during Ledgestone the last 2 years. A 7 is actually a good score on this one, 8 is fine for rec players.

Though most holes are long, the fairways are pretty wide and well defined.

Course itself is isolated from other park uses, and large enough so that you will seem to be in your own private nirvana most of the time, though the sounds of whack, "*%&$" do echo well in the winter across holes.

Very nice teepads, signage (especially between holes) and baskets.

Great use of elevation, especially considering this is central IL.

Shot variety is astounding--on drives, 2nd drives, 3rd drives, approach shots, and 2nd approach shots. Most putting greens are reasonable, don't recall any real roll away threats.

Sparing use of OB--getting off the fairway is its own penalty most of the time.

A few longer walks between holes (especially to 13).

Bathroom on hole 1 was closed (typical for Dec, but still disappointing).

Most holes have one 'path' to the basket, and a couple have very tight 90 degree (or more) turns, which means being long or short even 20' can mean an extra stroke if not precisely where you need to land.

Note--google maps may take you to the cemetery side of the park, which is 6-7 minutes by car from the actual entrance. You want the entrance near Oakwood Park.

The existing review here takes SO many of my thoughts into account. I am mainly reviewing this because there IS only one review at present.

This is a very long course, but the challenge is not the distance as much as control. Pars are do-able, even for rec players, if you can simply throw where you are aiming, and in the 250-300' range. (I usually can't, but this isn't about me). The main reason scores pile up, even for pros, is they are trying to get birdies, and thus are trying to pipe fairways and drivers 450' or more. Yeah, they will make Jomez shots of the year on occasion doing this, but more often will simply discover a never explored part of the woods.

On a 275' mid shot, the fairways are reasonably wide and even forgiving. For a 450' driver shot, the fairways are tantalizingly narrow. And once you get OFF the fairways, you might as well just pitch out most of the time--that is IF you can. What tends to happen is a tree kick on the edge of the fairway that sends you 50' deep into the woods, where even get back to the fairway can be challenging. A one foot difference that will cost probably 2 strokes, maybe more. This is a course which forces you to take your medicine, unless you are an expert at scrambling.

I think one really needs to play this course a couple times to get a feel for the best landing zones for their skill/distance. The holes are so long that you really cannot see the basket from the teepads, so only experience will provide your aiming points. But even aiming for the middle of the fairway, as far as you can see before the fairway bends, is a good strategy the first time through.

Mind the ravine on the left of hole 1, it is steep and slippery (being OB is the least of your worries).

This is a long, grueling course but the wide fairways and variety of hole lengths and shots needed definitely makes this a destination course, IMHO. It is in my personal top 10, even though my score from the longs approached (but didn't go over thank you) 100.

I experienced this course when it was in tip top shape, prepared for hosting Masters Worlds. The infrastructure is amazing, with so many wooden bridges, walls, and structures around tee and green areas. Yellow DGA Mach X baskets, that are easy to spot. Not my favorites, but they are all in great shape, right height, level. The tee signs are accurate, very descriptive, and well-placed.

There is significant elevation change on the majority of the holes. The topography is used very well. Many holes have more than one type of elevation change within the hole. (Downhill to a landing zone, then back uphill to the pin or an uphill drive, followed by a controlled downhill approach, for example.) Also, most pins are guarded by hills, trees, or both, but all of the green areas feel fair. There are reasonable landing spots around the baskets and the few that have a backstop are well thought out and well-placed. Angle control is important for every shot on this course, whether from the tees or from the fairways.

There are two sets of tees on most holes and the short(er) tee usually provides a different initial look at the fairway, not just a shorter version of the same shot. (6 holes have the same tee pad for long and short.) There are a few holes (like the monster, hole 12), where I think a perfect tee shot from the long tee would land right in front of the short tee pad.

Playing this course, you feel isolated in a beautiful wooded setting. The drive to the park takes you (from any direction, from what I can tell) through cornfields and then into a wooded area, with winding roads. Then you enter the park and wind your way back to the parking area. The tee shot on hole one takes you down a steep hill into the course and you are in that environment until you emerge from the woods back into the parking lot after hole 18. Even with occasional encounters with other groups of players on the course, Northwood feels like its own world, apart from the normal hubbub of life.

For me, the most noticeable "con" of this course is that there is very rarely more than one route option from the tee. The task of the tee shot on most holes is to hit one specific line and you are often in big trouble if you don't hit that line and also land your disc at the right angle. This makes the course challenging in a very specific way. I appreciate the difficulty that comes from this design, but I believe the very best wooded courses offer multiple options from the tees on most holes. (Note: Some may choose backhand and some forehand or sometimes even a roller, but on most holes all will aim for the same (and only reasonable) gap.)

There are a good number of long walks between holes. Be ready for very long holes with long walks between them, including elevation changes during the holes and sometimes during the intermediate walks.

There is usually an obvious trail from the basket of one hole to the tee of the next, but some additional directional signage could be helpful.

Positioning is very important on all of these holes. A kick or roll off the fairway will almost always result in at least one additional throw taken on the hole. The rough is very rough and pitch-outs will often be the wise choice for those who find themselves off the fairways. Having said that, the majority of the fairways are wide and fair. There is usually a way to play safe. The most difficulty with this comes from just a few holes where the fairway slopes significantly side to side.

There are OB stakes on a lot of the holes. Usually they are in spots where safety is a concern. There are many big drop-offs on the course that are "protected" by OB stakes. If you disc falls off that cliff on the left side on the approach on hole 12, for example, you probably don't want to try to climb down there and play from that spot anyway.

This course is difficult. The challenge is right there in front of you. When standing on the tee on most of the holes, it is obvious how the hole must be played. The question is if you can execute those shots. That makes for a particular kind of tough course. The strategic decisions of how to approach the holes are minimized (until you get into trouble) and the physical challenge is maximized with this course. It provides an endurance test both mentally and physically. Bring bug spray and poison ivy treatment, wear good hiking shoes, carry a light bag, and enjoy the adventure of Northwood Black!