Urbana, IL

Lohmann Park

Permanent course
1.965(based on 23 reviews)
Filter course reviews

Filter reviews

Filter reviews

Lohmann Park reviews

Filter
3 0
wjgray2
Experience: 19 years 92 played 2 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2018 Lohmann Park Improvements 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 25, 2018 Played the course:5+ times

Other Thoughts:

Lohmann Park received several upgrades in the spring of 2018. The Park District poured 18 new concrete tee pads to create long and short tees for each hole. The tee signs were replaced to show the new tee pad locations and distances. The park district implemented a new mowing practice, leaving the tall grass in the rough areas off the fairways. This tall grass can be played as OB as well. There is a set of blue stones marking the "backwards" course, creating an additional set of 9 holes. These improvements warrant an additional half star increase in the rating, in my opinion.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
4 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Serviceable Nine Next To Thomas Paine Elementary School! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 12, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Lohmann is interesting to me because it doesn't have all the typical park activities that most city park have. There are no basketball courts, no children's play area. It's just mostly a big expanse of grass with scattered groups of trees here and there and then one group of trees that most folks would call a grove. These scattered trees and the grove are all used effectively. As a previous reviewer stated, if there's a tree or group of trees here, you can bet there's a basket in or behind it.

The course starts in the center of the park which is kinda strange. There is a kiosk there which contains a pretty poor excuse for a course map. The pads are rubber mats which are fine. The small metal tee signs also show the next tee. Remembering that when I get to the basket is always a problem for me. The baskets are Discatchers with the yellow rims and #'s.

Distances are totally recreational/beginner length ranging from 174' to 247'. On most holes, the only challenge is having to throw around the guardian trees. I liked short little # 7 best where you have to keep your drive straight down a narrow, 174' gauntlet of trees.

Cons:

Nothing in particular as the course designers put in a nice little layout considering the mostly flat, wide open spaces they had to work with.

Players won't be pulling their drivers out of their bags here.

Limited challenge.

Other Thoughts:

This is just another of those nine hole city park courses that are in so many American towns and cities. Like all the others, this one serves a noble purpose. It provides a place for beginners, families, kids and teens, seniors and rec players working on their game. It may not be what you're looking for but believe it, some disc golfers are having a great time here.

Hopefully, other courses in the area offer a more creative and challenging experience.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
5 0
SneakyJedi
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.8 years 143 played 83 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Great Beginner Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 7, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Decent variety of shots for a short course
- Quality Discatcher Baskets
- New(ish) signs and rubber tee pads

Cons:

- Very short and flat, doesn't provide much challenge
- Alternate tees hard to find or not always marked

Other Thoughts:

Lohmann Park's location behind an elementary school is delightfully appropriate. Averaging right around 225' for its 9 holes, this course is perfect for beginners. I recently played this course for the first time in about 3 years since graduating from the University of Illinois. I learned to play backhand on this course over a summer after playing exclusively forehand for a couple years. Lohmann's short length and lack of punishment for bad shots was perfect for working on my game and learning new shots. Of course, having improved significantly in the past 3 years, the course has little to offer now outside of ace runs and a fun round of birdie or die golf.

Since I'd last played, they have installed new Innova Discatcher baskets, tee signs, and rubber tee pads, all of which were much needed, and are a great improvement over the old baskets, faded signs, and rutted, natural tees. There are also a couple of new, young trees planted. Navigation is easy, and the park is always well maintained.

The individual holes remain the same, and while there is some decent shot shaping, particularly on holes 1, 3, 5, 6, and 8, they are all short and open enough to make birdies fairly easy and bogeys rare. The alternate tees add some distance and difficulty, but the markers are hard to find and not really worth seeking out. However, if the 9 holes used by the Illini disc golf club are marked with flags, as they were for my latest round, they make for a decent addition with increased difficulty for an 18 hole round. Check the Links/Files tab for a map, and look for the flags while you are out. There is usually little enough traffic on the course that playing the alternate tees isn't a problem.

This is a great 9 hole course for beginners (especially considering what the designers had to work with), and provides enough shot shaping to entertain players with more experience.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
5 0
Jukeshoe
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.6 years 315 played 266 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Not at all bad for beginners and families! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 28, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Lohmann Park sits directly behind Thomas Paine elementary school. It's a flat grassy expanse, one half mostly open with a few scattered trees and another section that is a bit more heavily "treed" without ever approaching "wooded." No schule or undergrowth makes finding discs super easy. This is a stellar example of above average course design catering specifically to school children and/or beginners. Great layout for families!
- First of all, this course is pretty short. Experienced discers will be tossing ace runs on most baskets and playing deuce-or-die golf. That said, there's still enough line shaping (#'s 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 9) all require some sort of good golf shot around trees in order to be close enough for the "gimme" birdie. The lack of long holes makes this layout ideal for younger players, people new to the game, and families. Bad shots can be recovered from for easy pars in most cases, but could lead to the occasional bogey.
- Outstanding use of the trees. Almost all the holes have some sort of tree or tree grouping to force the shot one way or another. #1 starts this off, #3 requires either a low-clearance shot under the branches or an up-and-over shot (spike hyzer/tomahawk/thumber), #8 is a tunnel shot (very cool for this sort of course) and #9 has a protected green. All above average for this sort of park style 9er.
- Rubber tees were easy to find and totally serviceable. The red markers were difficult to find (I started finding them, despite looking, on hole #5 and could only locate two or three altogether). The supposed whites and "singles layouts" were nowhere to be seen. The course was immaculately groomed. Grass neatly mown, signage in place and serviceable, mulched areas under baskets, trashcans, benches, and portajohn (located by #6's tee).

Cons:

- None, really. I guess the flatness of the property kinda stinks, but not much they could do about that.

Other Thoughts:

- Not a world beater, by any stretch of the imagination; however, it's easily fun enough for experienced discers to play a round or two here and not get bored or entirely complacent while remaining accessible enough for beginners and families.
- If you're looking to find a good template for what a beginner 9er on less than stellar land should look like, you'd do well to at least check this course out. I've seen waaay more crappy 9ers than I have good, so props where props are due!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
3 3
MidwestZest
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.8 years 103 played 72 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Boring, and a bit painful 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 21, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Mostly dedicated area to disc golf. There is a cricket field by a few holes, however.
- Great for beginners.
- Decent signage.
- Multiple tees for each hole, evidenced by the map here on DGCR. Occasionally a painted stone marker here and there. Obviously lots of safari-type course layouts to keep things interesting.
- #8, is a nice technical wooded hole. All suggested tees have a different line through the stand of trees.

Cons:

- Dirt tee pads. Mud the day I went, 2 days after a rain. Really no indication of where the throw line actually should be. I mostly just threw from the grass to the side, where I thought there was the more difficult shot.
- Not a ton of variety or elevation. Variety is mostly just in the amount and placement of trees in the way.
- Just, pretty boring. Chances to throw some specific shots here, but not much.
- No amenities at the park, or nearby.

Other Thoughts:

- Glad it's here, so this large populace has some place to play. Just unfortunate that this is all they have.
- Also, it's kind of hard to write a long, extensive review on this course, no matter how hard I try to come up with stuff. Nothing outstanding about the course, but for what it is, nothing absolutely terrible.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
6 1
ElementZ
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.9 years 212 played 197 reviews
1.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 17, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is another perfect example of when I'm glad that they installed a course, but it's definitely not a good course.

The biggest and only pro I can think of is that this is a mediocre training facility for U of I students since it's pretty open and has baskets.

Cons:

For starters, all the equipment is bad.

The tees are an awkward gravel/dirt mix where a clear throw line isn't marked. It's more like a zone.

The baskets and the signs are antiquated and need some updating.

As for the design, the land it's built on isn't fantastic, so the designer basically always tried use trees as pin guards. Where ever there's a tree or group of trees, you can safely assume there will be a basket there. The shots are all very repetitive (with 1-2 expections). 200 feet of open then 50 feet that are pseudo-guarded.

Other Thoughts:

Here's what I don't understand, there were a ton of people playing disc golf while we were there and it wasn't even when U of I students were at school. It's very apparent that people want another course. It blows my mind that Normal-Bloomington has 3 public courses and Champaign-Urbana only has this.

If I lived in Urbana, I would definitely email the city and get another course installed. It's an absolute must. There's 40+ thousand college students that study in this town and not having a decent course is, in my mind, a disgrace.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 3
Smileyaili17
Experience: 12.8 years 16 played 9 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Good for a Casual Game 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 3, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

--Nice and easy course for a casual game
--Good for a quick game
--Excellent tee signs (some wear and rust on some of them but mostly they are great)
--Nice setting too.

Cons:

--No tee pads, just sand patches
--Baskets are sub-par
--Challenge is lacking
--Located behind an elementary school
--All holes are under 300 ft (They could have easily made longer holes with the available land)
--Par is too generous at 32 (I only saw one tee per hole, so I'm not sure if there are 4 different tees with different pars as the hole info says), it should be 27 instead.

Other Thoughts:

Good course for a casual game. Nothing about it makes it a great course, it's just a decent course for a not-too-difficult casual game.


Grading Criteria:

Landscape quality
3/5

Baskets, Tees and Hole Diagrams
1.5/5

Variety in hole distances
1/5

Variety in hole types
(field/wooded holes; hilly/level holes; etc)
1/5

Difficulty/Challenge
2/5

Course flow
3/5

Outside interference
(pedestrians; traffic noise distractions; etc)
4/5

Fun factor
2.5/5

Use of Available Land
2/5


Total: 2.5/5 (actual score: 2.2/5)
Was this review helpful? Yes No
3 0
Jashwa
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.8 years 173 played 86 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Nothing to write home about 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 12, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Lohmann Park seems to be Champaign's only permanent course. It's located behind a school. For beginners, this place is fine to get basic throws down, but more experienced players or beginners should not bother going to this course. Here are some of Lohmann's positive features:

*Hole 8 was kind of nice... it forced a straight shot through a patch of trees. This patch of trees was not large enough to be present for any of the other holes on the course.

*Decent signage

*Not very busy... and the park is rather open so if you want to do some field work after or before your round you probably can.

Cons:

Here they are:

*Teepads: Dirt. There's no distinct point about where the runup should start and stop. Poor footing on just about all of them.

*Distance: None of the holes exceed 250' with the majority of them being significantly shorter.

*Poor flow

*Parking: It looks like the course shares a parking lot with the school, so I'm assuming that parking here is near impossible on school days

Overall, there was really nothing exciting about this course. No notable scenery, challenges on the course, or anything like that.

Other Thoughts:

I'm surprised there are not more courses in Urbana-Champaign. There are some serious improvements to be made on this course.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 2
DaveW
Experience: 12 years 5 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 11, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Huge Park. Multiple tees at each hole. Lots of other players there. Some holes have trees, low hanging branches that can make maneuvering to basket a challange for beginners, but adds some good variety.

Cons:

Tee boxes are not well maintained. Hard to find the orange tees, usually below the grass line.

Other Thoughts:

This is the second course I have played. Just getting my legs in the game, and it presented some good control challenges for me, trying to get through the trees on some holes.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 1
Redleg
Experience: 12.8 years 63 played 17 reviews
2.00 star(s)

New Player 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 26, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Wide open for most shots, some trees to make play interesting. Easy to spot both tees and baskets.

Cons:

Rather short course. Not a lot of difference from one hole to the next for most. kinda short on parking if anything is happening at the school.

Other Thoughts:

Great place to learn the sport. Easy to play with kids! Champaign/Urbana NEEDS more courses!!!!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
4 0
EspressoPatronum
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 18.7 years 232 played 223 reviews
1.50 star(s)

All Urbana has, but still pitiful 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 2, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

open space for driving practice
usually not crowded with ample parking
unlikely to lose dics
signs are pretty good, although hole 9 has been missing its sign for years

Cons:

very flat with few trees or obstacles except for hole 8
only 9 holes
baskets are mediocre and only have one layer of chains which aren't as effective as most
tees are just patches of dirt or gravel which are pretty bad when its wet

Other Thoughts:

Honestly, this course is all Champaign-Urbana has amazingly, so you play what you have. That said, I'd choose almost any other course over this one. It's 9 very short holes with little challenge and just isn't that exciting. There's nothing particularly terrible about it, there's just a lot better out there.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
3 0
try122583
Experience: 25.1 years 126 played 11 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Review From A Local 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 8, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Multiple tees give this small nine hole course some variety. Each hole has three tees as well as a couple of tees for playing backwards. The course plays short from the front tees, but alternate tees give you a chance to stretch out your arm a bit.
- Pretty clean and nice park.
- Looking for some birdies? Lohmann Park is the place for you!
- Pretty easy to follow if you're new to the course, at least when you're playing from the first tee.

Cons:

- Parking - If you go to play during school hours (course located behind a middle school), you will have to park a nice distance away from hole 1. This leads to a long walk before and after your round. During non-school hours, parking is fine.
- Nature - Use to be some nice trees that forced you to find alternate routes to get to the basket. Over the last couple of years, the local park district has been cutting down trees that made some holes challenging. This has created a number of open shots for drives and putts (Holes 1, 2, 7 and 9 come to mind).
- If you are new to the course, locating the anything other than the first tee will be difficult, if not impossible. These others tees are not marked at all. Most are just dirt areas of ground and easy to find, while others are very tough to scout out.
- A little nit picky here, but some flood issues on some of the tees. Front tees are limestone, and those boxes have been dug quite a bit, which invites sitting water. Also some locations of alternate tees can be flooded at times after a good rain.
- It isn't just a disc golf park. They also play soccer, football, cricket, and I've even seen rugby there. During these respective seasons, these activities can get in the way of some holes and force you to play the course differently.

Other Thoughts:

It isn't the greatest course in the world, but it's all we got in Champaign-Urbana, so we enjoy it. If you're from out of town and thinking about coming to Urbana to play, I would tell you to not bother. It wouldn't be worth your time. However, if you're a U of I college student looking for a place to play, Lohmann isn't that far away. Everyone out there is usually friendly, so say hi to your fellow golfers!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
7 1
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Mostly boring 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 14, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays through a mostly flat open area next to a school. The grass is nicely maintained, and the course is pretty free of trash. There is good signage that shows hole number, distance and layout, and the course flow is really easy to follow.

A couple holes use a nice stand of pine trees to make some more interesting holes that force you to hit a line and have some level of punishment for errant shots. It seems like the locals have a couple alternate sets of tees, that's a big plus on a course like this though it would be nice to have them marked so a non-local player could follow them. I love seeing courses at schools, I hope the kids have the chance to use the course and be exposed to a course that's at a reasonable level for kids to enjoy playing.

Cons:

For players who aren't new, this course doesn't really offer much challenge or variety. The couple holes in the pines are nice, but the rest of the course is flat and open with few obstacles to limit your line. There isn't any punishment for poor shots, even beginners will be able to get 3s on most holes.

The tees are rutted out and not in great shape, and have spread so it's not clear where the actual tee area is. Some of the baskets aren't in great shape, they're older and don't catch all that well. I didn't rate the course down for this, but parking might be difficult on school days, and I'm not sure if it's playable during the week.

Other Thoughts:

This is a great beginner course, where new players can be successful, but a couple holes require some basic shot shaping. It's a little long for elementary school kids, but not unreasonably so. More experienced players won't find much here to bring them back (unless the alternate tees make the course more challenging and interesting, if so, awesome!).
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 1
gordonbombay
Experience: 14.9 years 57 played 7 reviews
1.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 28, 2006 Played the course:once

Pros:

It is a short beginner friendly course and easily navigated.
Helen Keller couldn't lose a disc on this course considering how open it is.
Alternate tee placements allow you to play up to 18.

Cons:

Alt. tees don't create too much more of a demanding shot or variety.
Gravel tee pads are rutted and uneven.

Other Thoughts:

The only place to play close to U of I and not too hard to find and get in a quick round or two.
The course seemed to have room to expand and make use of land features without encroaching on multi-use parts of the park.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
5 0
LBlackburn
Experience: 28.8 years 36 played 1 reviews
2.00 star(s)

My Home Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 17, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course is easy to navigate, quick to play, and usually has little traffic. It is also clean.

The holes do have adequate variety and most holes have alternate possible lines of play. For example, hole 3 has several full trees in the middle of the fairway. You can play a big hyzer over the trees, a straight flat shot through the center of the trees, or a big left-to right shot around the trees. I've seen players do all three.

Not all holes favor RHBH throwers. A few of the holes prohibit or discourage such throws. Holes 7 and 8 are very nice partial or full tunnel shots (though short).

The lack of heavy traffic allows for some creative play: improvised or personal alternate tees, or playing the course backwards.

A good course if you're looking for some ace runs.

Cons:

The tee pads (gravel/dirt) aren't great. They are all different shapes and sizes, and some are too large. The tee-pad on hole 1 is about 40 feet long. I recommend playing all holes from where the tee-sign is rather than all the way up to the front of the tee pad--this will add some needed distance.

Some of the baskets are getting old (though all are still functional).

The distances on the tee-signs are all wrong. I recommend subtracting10--15% from each distance reported (even when playing from the tee-signs).

The terrain is boring as are a couple of the holes: it is almost all flat (slight inclines on a couple of holes); no water or other significant hazards; only one patch of forested area used for one hole. Holes 4 and 9 are wide-open, with no obstacles except for a tree on 4 and a few on 9 that are right by the basket.

Hole 9 is missing a tee sign and gravel tee pad (play it from the obvious large dirt ruts).

There is no parking lot designed for the park. The only lot is the school lot (the course is behind an elementary school). This causes no problems on weekends, evenings, or in the summer. But when school is in session, you'll probably have to find street parking a block or two away from the course.

On some weekends (mornings/early afternoons) a cricket club uses a big chunk of the park. You can play around them, but their field encroaches a little bit on one or two of the fairways.

The signs have 2 or 3 tees marked per hole, but only one tee per hole is obvious. There are a couple of dirt patches in the grass marking some of the alternate tees, but in half the cases, no sign of alternate tees can be found anywhere.

There are no bathrooms or water available.

Other Thoughts:

I find the course fun and challenging enough to keep playing it. But I'm only a 20 minute drive away. I wouldn't recommend making a special trip (and it's not immediately off a highway).

The short tees are easy (but it's still challenging to get all or nearly all birdies). I've gotten extra challenge and fun out of making up alternate tees (where none are available). This can significantly lengthen the course. I now have some 300+ foot holes to play.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
4 0
notapro
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.7 years 568 played 281 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Great First Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 13, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Good use of trees on a lot of holes. For instance, Hole 1 forces a left fading shot to go between the trees. Hole 8 is pretty wooded, and requires either a straight or lucky shot to get to the pin. Almost all holes (8/9) have trees in play.
- Minor elevation changes help a lot of holes. Hole 3 has a slight downhill slope, and hole 2 plays slightly uphill. Better than nothing.
- Usually drains pretty well, very rarely have I seen standing water anywhere. Holes with dirt near forest included, it somehow never gets unplayable due to mud.

Cons:

- Yes, the course is very short. The alternate tees definitely help, but are poorly marked and are usually just picked at random. Rutted patches of dirt only go so far, for all sets of tees.
- Most holes are open enough where any shot will get it there. Probably only 2 or 3 holes that "require" a certain line to get there.
- Not very secluded. Apartments on one side, and new houses on another kind of kill the scenery. Sometimes kids want to play, or just get in the way, especially on holes 8 and 9.

Other Thoughts:

This was my college course, so I have probably played it 100+ times. Tough to be subjective. I like to play it when I go visit as a confidence booster, using fairway drivers and slower. Could probably get 2's on every hole if I played a good round. Excellent, excellent course to learn on. A bit off the highway, so if you are driving through you might want to take the time to check it out, but it's not imperative.

I have played during school hours, I don't think they care if you are there. Have never had trouble parking there either.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
4 0
goalkeeper19
Experience: 26 years 148 played 10 reviews
2.00 star(s)

College Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 15, 2006 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Short beginner course, great for learning your upshot game. There are hyzers, anhyzers, straight shots, ceiling shots, and a tunnel shot. Several alternate teeboxes provide a little more length and challenge to an easy course. The homie backwards tees are more challenging, and add a few different twists to the course design.

Cons:

Short, flat, and very easy. From the short tees, -4 or -5 is not hard to do at all. Many trees have been cut down around holes 1 and 2, which takes away some of the beauty of the course, and a little bit of the challenge.

Gravel teepads are unprofessionally installed, and look it. They are twice as big as they need to be.

Watch out for the kids in the neighborhood, they sometimes come out and pick up your discs on holes 8 and 9.

Other Thoughts:

I was a student at U of I, so this was my "home" course for 6 years. I'm definitely grateful for those 6 years, as the course really improved my upshot game, and made me very comfortable with 200-250' shots.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
3 0
Jax11
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.8 years 103 played 35 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Good, but Could be Better 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 19, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Lohmann Park plays around a small park located near an elementary school. Lohmann has numerous mature trees that will deflect throws off their line adding difficulty to the rather short course. All tee pads except hole #9 have nice signage with distances and pars posted. Hole #8 though only 200ft is a nice little tunnel shot to test accuracy. The park is kept clean and tidy. As already stated, most obstacles are mature trees which makes it very hard to lose a disc at this course. Lohmann has two great sets of alternate tees. A set of longer tees along the marked course and a set of backward tees that really spice up the course. The backwards tees have a variety of short technical holes along with a couple long bombs.

Cons:

The teepads are gravel and do not have clear cut endpoints which can encourage foot faults. The marked course is rather short and repetitive. I believe there is too much wasted terrain. Though the backwards tees are a great way to play the course, they are hard to find if you do not know what to look for. Additionally, when the park gets crowded with disc golfers the backwards tees are hard to play quickly. Lohmann is also a multi-purpose park with an open field where cricket and football are often played.

Other Thoughts:

As a student at the University of Illinois this is the best we have. Every time I play this course I play it forwards and then backwards for a relatively interesting 18 hole course. Learning the backwards tees will significantly improve your experience on this course. Either try to contact someone who knows them or look for the blue brackets painted on the ground. I feel this course would be far better if the backwards alternate tees were changed to the main marked course. As far as tee pads go, the Reds are marked, the white and blue I have never played and the backwards my group marks with orange spray paint when we can.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
2 0
uigrad
Experience: 34.3 years 36 played 13 reviews
2.00 star(s)

A practice course. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 15, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The only upside to this course is that it is the only one in the area. For this reason, I've played it more than 100 times (Some summers, I've played twice a week, and usually through 2x or 3x on each visit.)

The other good thing I can say about it is that you cannot lose your disc here. There were several ugly areas that have been fixed, because when it was first set up, you had to worry about losing discs in the cornfield (hole 3) or in the 7 foot weeds (hole 4).

There are 2 sets of alternate tees, and a map for playing the course backwards. These would would really be nice, if only they were better marked.

Can be played in 20 minutes.

Hole 8 plays through a grove of trees, which makes for an interesting hole. I'd call this the signature hole for the course.

Some students in the area have been doing what they can to make this a better course recently (2011). As examples of what they've done, a replacement sign for #9 has been added, wood chips have been put down, and concrete markers are being planned for some of the alternate tees.

Cons:

There are a few standard problems that you may expect with any park-district built course:

1) Lack of elevation changes. This shouldn't be too surprising. We're in Illinois. :(

2) Lack of interesting features. It feels like you are walking around a 7-segment display. Nearly the whole course can be seen from the first tee.

3) Lack of medium or long range holes. Once again, this is probably to be expected for a 9-hole course run by a park district.

Sometimes park district courses can be nice, but the following concerns have made me rate it lower than a standard park-district run course:

4) Lack of parking. The normal parking area is often blocked off during school days, and you have to park in the elementary school's lot.

5) Lack of maintenance. The tees are still dirt and there is no foul line for throwing. Replacing the sign for #9 took 8 years, and many of the signs are dirty.

6)Inconvenient location: It's far from campus, and far from interstate.

7) Lack of right doglegs. Hole 2 is really the only one.

8) Crowded. Holes 3 and 4 are often unplayable because of soccer, and hole 9 is often unplayable because of either cricket or park district football practice.

Even if the park isn't being used for other sports, the course can be crowded just from disc golf players. This is the primary course for U of I students, and players from C-U, Mahomet, and Rantoul, so it gets a lot of use. Most days, playing the back 9 (reverse tees) is impossible just because of the number of other players.

Other Thoughts:

Since CU is a college town, there is a lot of demand for a good course. This seems like it would be a nice secondary course for a town this size, but much too small to be the primary.

As of 2011, there is a group of students that run tournaments on Mondays and Fridays. The facebook page found in the links section is the place to get more information.

The course fills the role of a driving range. It's not designed for competitive play, and it's not designed for people new to the sport. It pretty much functions only as a practice location for people that are already interested in the sport.

The city of Champaign has made a plan for a new 18-hole course on 150 west of Champaign, but they say it is at least 8 years away (stated in 2008)! I think that the park districts here do not understand the popularity of this sport.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
3 0
phish3460
Experience: 22.8 years 54 played 4 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Only course in town 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 29, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This is a very nice little course in Urbana, Illinois, several miles east of the University's campus. The course seems to be in a pretty good area of town and I felt safe at all times. First and foremost, I had fun when I played this course. There are signs on most holes 8/9, and for the most part, are pretty detailed -- listing the distances, par, and alternate tee pads. I had no problem parking in the lot, but I was there on a weekend. Although this course was short, it is still decently demanding. Playing the primary tee pads is definitely the easiest of the routes you can take, and low scores are definitely possibly, with the longest hole being only about 280-290 feet. That being said, trees come into play on nearly every single hole, some much more than others (tunnel shot on #8), so there's always the potential that a shot just a little offline gets trejected. For people with a little bit more experience, this course is great for working on midrange fairly shots, since there are no concrete teepads and nothing in excess of 300 ft. If you play the alternates, which are much longer, and often times much more difficult due to the trees, the course is actually very enjoyable and nowhere near as easy. I liked the variety of shots that each hole allowed me to throw. It was nice to go to the teepad and have the option of going straight, hyzer, anhyzer, spike hyzer, etc., on a good portion of the holes. It's a very fun way to work on that all important short game.

Cons:

The fact that there are only 9 baskets limits this course quite a bit. Without going into the school (frowned upon, I'm sure), there are no public restrooms or water fountains. There is a gas station just one stoplight west on Florida Ave. (along with a ton of fastfood). There are no ceiling limits with exception to maybe holes 7 and 8. If there was an elevation change, I couldn't find it, with exception to maybe 2 and 3. The gravel pads are okay, but are exceedingly long and at times uneven. It was sometimes difficult to find a place I felt would have sure footing for my toss. I can't say that I agreed 100% with the distances listed on the signage, so just be aware of that and use your judgment. Parking probably won't ever become an issue because the lot is fairly big, but just be mindful of the fact the parking lot of the park is shared with a parking lot for the elementary school adjacent to it. There is the possibility for street parking on Florida Ave if need be. The park serves multiple purposes -- which is awesome -- but because of the limited space, there is the possibility to have holes taken up by other activities (e.g., Rugby on Saturday afternoons). Suggestions: Concrete tee pads would be nice. Concrete tee pads for the alternate tees would be fantastic. Some of the baskets are getting a little old and are a little shallow compared to the newer Machs. Having the holes remeasured wouldn't be a terrible idea (unless I'm absolutely bonkers -- possible). I think there might the possibility of having someone with a keen sesne of space come out and redesign a good portion of the course, lengthen it and add more baskets. I really think they could get more out of the space they have allotted for the course without compromising the integrity of the park.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, a fun course to play. I just cannot in good conscience give it more than a 2 because of all the things that need work (and the lack of 9 extra baskets). It is however, a good 3.5 - 4/5 on the fun scale, if such a lunacy exists.There's supposedly chatter of putting in a new course somewhere in Champaign. There was a sign mentioning something about a league, if there was interest, but no actually designated time posted that I saw.
Was this review helpful? Yes No

Latest posts

Top