Pros:
- nice tee signs
- high quality baskets
- practice basket
- nice mix of wooded and open shots
- challenging technical lines
- undergrowth very well maintained and cut back
- incorporates water features on multiple holes (creek)
- good, logical flow from hole to hole
- realistic pars
Cons:
- turf tees can be slippery and at least one had some damage
- bugs ate me alive (though seemed to be more flies than mosquitoes/biting insects, at least)
- not much elevation change to speak of
Other Thoughts:
This was a tough one to rate, and was probably around a 2.75 for me. It just seemed to have that X factor that made it worth the 3 rating.
One of the things I especially like about this course is the DiscGolfPark concept - if you aren't familiar with it, environmental friendliness is one of the main focus points. This course is immersed in nature, with Holes 7 and 8 in particular playing right along Lily Creek. Hole 6 also runs right into the creek after the basket, so you'll want to make sure you don't overthrow.
This course had a nice variety of open and wooded shots and I enjoyed the creek coming into play. Hole 3 in particular was a nice, long wooded shot that will challenge your technical skillset. There are several opportunities here to make or break your score by hitting a tight line through the woods. The baskets were in good shape and the tee signs had a good level of detail. Par also seemed pretty realistic here unlike some other area courses.
Previous reviews complained about the rough/undergrowth. It would appear this course has been overhauled because a lot of this has been cut back and I didn't really have trouble finding discs. There are some tall grass areas but in general, while wooded on many holes, it was open enough to find your disc.
My main complaint was the bugs. Likely due to the woods and proximity to water, they were attacking me relentlessly. I put on bug spray but it was one of the natural ones and seemed to do nothing. Off Deep Woods may be necessary next time I play this one.
The turf tees were a bit slick with morning dew, and concrete would be preferred, but all in all they weren't too bad. At least one had some damage but most were in good shape.
I would definitely make the effort to come back to this one even though its about a 30 minute drive for me. Definitely recommended, and much better than the average Chicago area 9 hole course.