Pros:
- DISCatcher baskets showing their age but catching well enough
- hole numbers on baskets
- good mix of hole lengths
- some limited elevation change incorporated on holes 5-7
- good size parking lot
Cons:
- several baskets are now crooked
- very confusing navigation; no aids
- natural tees only, some of which aren't obvious
- very mediocre tee signs which are in rough shape
- very flat and open on most holes
- almost no technical challenge
- hole 2 throws directly over walking path
- holes 3 and 9 play in one of the baseball outfields
- holes 7 and 8 throw over service road
- no real amenities
- virtually no redeeming qualities to make this an interesting place to play
Other Thoughts:
There are not many positives to find here beyond this being a course with 9 baskets and tee signs. This course is showing its age. I'm not convinced it was much to get excited about even in its prime. If you're all the way down in Braidwood, there isn't much else around, but there are way better courses if you travel a bit.
The baskets are old and in many cases crooked. Some of the tee signs no longer have anything that could be considered a map. Some of the tee areas are far from level. Navigation is confusing in places and there are no aids at all. I threw to the wrong baskets a couple of times.
There are several safety hazards here as noted above, but the park doesn't appear to get that busy so infractions are probably very limited. It's still a subpar design though. A couple of holes throw over some minor hills and that's about the only interesting note here. The baseball field looks completely abandoned and overgrown with weeds, but if anyone is ever using it, baskets for 3 and 9 are more or less in the outfield. There are a few mature trees here and there but the course is pretty wide open.
The fact Old Smokey had serviceable tee signs and baskets kept me from dropping it to a 1.0, but I found the round here boring and tedious. I do not plan to return and by the time I finished I was happy to be done. If you're looking to air out some driving practice this place is fine, but even for a beginner I'd find a more interesting course to show them why disc golf is fun.