Pros:
- Very nice, well maintained park setting
- Decent length variety with some limited elevation change
- Baskets and concrete tee pads in good condition
Cons:
- Mostly open holes provide limited challenge
- Simple tee signs frequently show incorrect distances
- No concrete pads for longer tees
Other Thoughts:
Washington Park is a nice disc golf course typical of the multi-use parks style courses found around Illinois. The course is mostly open, with larger trees providing sporadic obstacles in the fairways. The open nature of the course allows for multiple lines on just about every hole. As such, it is not overly difficult, but allows for a fun round where you can play the round however you prefer. It is beginner friendly, but provides enough challenge for intermediate level players to not be bored by it. There were multiple holes where each of the 4 players in my group threw a different, but still effective, shot, which is fun to see.
There is enough variation in distance to keep things interesting, allowing you to bust out the drivers for max distance on longer holes, or shoot for birdies or even an ace run on shorter holes. The sparse elevation is used well, and a number of holes play slightly up or down hill. A few holes stand out including 17, the only true par 4 playing over slight hills with the parking lot behind and a small creek in front. The baskets are in good shape and catch well, and the concrete tee pads are nice and sufficiently large.
The course is mostly open, and a lot of the holes are on the shorter side, resulting in a lot of easy birdies. It is a multi-use park, and while the course does a good job of mostly staying away from areas other park users will be, there are some areas where conflicts are bound to happen, so be careful and observant. The tee signs are very basic, distance and hole number are all that is provided, and a number of the posted distances appear to be incorrect.
Washington Park is a pleasant place to play a round. Go to have a stress free round, try a few new shots, or take a new player out for their first time. There is a lot here to like, even if it isn't particularly challenging to more veteran players.