- Great technical golf with a variety of hazards and shots required despite short length.
- Lovely, well kept park is enjoyable to play through.
- Quality baskets and tee signs. Tee pads are an interesting mix but perfectly adequate.

- Average fairway length of about 225 feet limits challenge for more experience players.
- Potential for conflict with other park users is present in several locations.
- Potential for losing discs in high ground foliage.

Black Bear Park is an interesting little course tucked away in the middle of a suburban neighborhood. I don't think I've every played a course quite so integrated with a trail in a multi-use park. I've certainly never had to wait to tee off on the first hole of a course to allow a woman to walk down the paved path that makes both the tee pad and a decent portion of the fairway. There are several holes on this course that use portions of the walking path as a tee pad, and many locations where an inconsiderate golfer could endanger other park users. I encountered the woman from hole 1 a couple more times during my round as our paths through the park intersected, and I waited on another tee pad for a family who was enjoying the wetlands to move on from the green of hole 11. This area of the park doesn't seem to get overly busy, and since the course has been in the ground for about a decade, I suspect there have been few incidents of conflict, however the layout is less than ideal in this regard.

Beyond the tees, of which those off the walking path are a perfectly serviceable Astro Turf like pad, the equipment at this course is very good. The DISCatcher baskets catch well, and the tee signs are large and helpful. I enjoyed reading the trivia on each sign as I prepared for my next drive. Course navigation is not always intuitive. I went in the wrong direction once or twice, and even threw to the wrong basket once. This can mostly be avoided by referencing the course map and shouldn't be an issue on repeat plays.

The golf itself surprisingly technical and varied. To earn your birdies, you will need accuracy and an ability to have the disc finish left, right, and straight (though never over about 270 feet from the tee). There are water carries and a few sloping greens, though very minimal elevation change from tee to basket. I threw putters and mids on almost every hole, but definitely enjoyed hunting for birdies, even if I never felt overly challenged as an intermediate level player. The rough here can make finding even decent shots challenging, as some fairways are very narrow and foliage growing one to three feet above the ground can be present even in the putting circle. Fortunately, the short length of the fairways means you should have a pretty good idea of where your disc ended up. I was never searching very long for discs in the undergrowth.

This course seems to cater to an interesting skill level. The short length would look on paper to be well suited to beginners, however, the frequently tight lines required, and thick underbrush, could discourage new players. I did notice there were "junior" tees marked on many (all?) holes that shortened the fairways even further, definitely making the course manageable for young golfers. I had fun on my round but picked up a 2 on half of the holes, and I would expect players at a higher skill level to be bored by this course. I suspect recreational players with a decent command of shot shaping and disc control would have a lot of fun at this course. This is a very nice course, and between Black Bear, Shady Oaks, Rolling Knolls and a few others, there is a course for just about everyone in the area.

- baskets in great shape
- great signs for each hole
- significant water hazards add a lot of challenge
- technical challenge is significant playing through woods and wetlands
- unlike any other course I have played, utilizing a wetland area
- well laid out to generally not have much risk of hitting people on walking paths
- good use of limited space, although some holes seem like a stretch to force 18

- navigation a tad confusing at times
- very easy to lose discs in some of the rougher areas
- just about no holes over 300'
- almost no actual tees
- no practice basket
- par seems far too generous

I don't think you'd know Black Bear Park's disc golf course was there if you weren't looking for it. You park on a residential street, pass the playground and basketball court, and Boom! suddenly there's disc golf in the middle of the marsh.

This is probably one of the most unique courses I've played in that I've never seen one play through a wetland area quite like this. I enjoy that it highlights some of the natural beauty we have in Northern Illinois, which can be hard to come by on a lot of courses!

This course is definitely no frills, and while the baskets and signs are nice, there are few tees, no practice basket, and no real additional amenities. A lot of the holes throw from the walking path, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. When I was there, tee lines were spray painted on the path, but it definitely wasn't as easy to spot where the next hole started as most courses. If the walking paths were busy I could see this being non-ideal as well.

Since it plays around a marsh/wetland, the course is quite technically challenging even though it is short. A majority of the holes play through the woods or over water. The downside of this is there are a lot of places to lose discs which could be frustrating. This course will force you to pick your shot and make it or suffer the consequences.

With all the short holes, there are some nice ace opportunities, but you'll have to be technically precise most of the time or you'll hit any number of trees. I did get slightly confused by the navigation a few times but other players were nice enough to direct me on where to go. Once you have played it once or twice this would be no issue.

The par on this course is quite forgiving - I scored a -8 over 18 holes which I honestly have no business doing. There are a lot of par 4 holes that are in the 250' vicinity.

I can see how this course could grow on you like other people have said. I will come back to try it again now that I'm familiar with the course. I'd love to find out how it got named Black Bear Park - no bears here.

-Solid teepads (Mostly pavement, Some astroturf)
-Innova DISCatcher baskets that are in great shape
-Nice signs at each teepad that illustrate each hole well and each sign has a little factoid about the park or something related to the outdoors which I thought was a nice touch.
-While there aren't any long holes (The longest being 301 feet) the course's shortness can be mostly overlooked due to the fact that almost all the holes are pretty wooded and technical enough to provide enough challenge for players of all skill levels.
-Some risk/reward shots with the water that comes into play on a couple of the holes.
-This course seems pretty well designed in regard to basket placements and maximization of available property. There isn't any room for any long holes in this park but the abundance and placement of obstacles in the fairways and around the baskets keeps things interesting enough.
-The course is set in a nice, quiet park in the back edge of a very nice neighborhood.

-While most holes are pretty well wooded there are a few holes that are short and wide open.
-Navigation is a little weird in a few spots. I played with a friend who had been here before so this was a non-issue for me but I could very clearly see this being somewhat of an issue for first time players here.
-Some fairways play a little close to other fairways or teepads and there are a few spots were a bad throw could end up over a fence and into someone's yard.
-As mentioned earlier in my review, there are no long holes here. To more experienced players longing for long, bomber style holes, this could be a deal breaker. Personally, I got over it quick and found myself having a lot more fun than I expected. I really enjoy short and technical courses and this one fit that bill. When I write these reviews I like to lay everything out on the table so people know exactly what to expect.

I really enjoyed this course. I like to throw putters and mids off the pad so this course was right up my alley. As much as I like to grip and rip some plastic, the short holes are a fun way to practice your finesse and midrange shots.This course is perfect for just that.

Bottom line-This course is a good play, One that I actually want to play again soon. The chicagoland area is plagued with tons of short, boring "neighborhood" style courses. This one may appear to be another one of those courses at first glance, but it isn't.

-fun clean nice course
-good signage nice facts on them
-good course to work on skill shots and mid rangers
-lots of trees make u have to figure out tough lines
-layout is nice

-no real long holes to grip it and rip it
-swamp on hole 11 is a disc eater don't short it
-the walking path is on a couple holes just look out for people there nice and will wait

Park on the street in front of the playground park the first hole is behind the basketball court
If u end up in the swamp I seen a kid in waiters walking through it grabbing disc so u might get lucky if u lose one

Aesthetically pleasing 18 hole course that plays in and around a forest/nature preserve. There is a nice variety of different holes that make excellent use of the natural surroundings.

Good replay value in my opinion.

Parking is very, very limited. It's basically just a strip of street next to the park.

The Redwing Blackbirds are very territorial on the holes playing over and around the bullrushes. My friends and I found ourselves ducking and running from these angry birds. Quite entertaining!

***I won't ever write a review where I give bugs/wildlife/foliage con feedback... you are outside, often in places where the wildlife was there long before the course. Knocking a place for "mozzies" and "itchy plants" seems dumb to me. Go in expecting nature and kit yourself out accordingly!***

I like the fact that trees abound on this course. I also like the water hazard that comes into play on a few holes. I found there to be a fair amount of variety in the holes as well. There did not seem to be much repetitiveness. I just liked the feel of being out here. It had a nice atmosphere.

The designers have no control over elevation, but it is a pretty flat course. It is also a bit short. Some of the holes are a bit too close to each other, but I guess the designers had a limited amount of space to work with. The challenge from the trees help to offset the lack of distance. I also wish there were a parking lot for the park. I had to park down the street in front of someone's house. I guess that is not much of a con, though. A little more elevation and a little more space between the holes could make this a four ranking for me.

All in all, I would consider this a worthwhile stop if you are in the Elgin area hitting up Shady Oaks or Sunrise Park. When I visit my friend in Elgin in the spring, I will definitely hit this course up again. I might even play two rounds this time.

Technical course with a variety of shots required to score well. The course has also been cleared and cleaned up. Pictured tee markers are also in.

Length of holes are fairly similar. I love to see some alternate tee boxes to vary the play.

Fun course to play, it can be overpowered, however, it can bite you.

- Lots of shot variety
- Tight gaps and unique fairways in the woods (assuming that the wood chip path is the intended fairway)
- Water holes flirt with the water but are not to dangerous.
- Wind moves through the course nicely
- Although short it does force accuracy from the tee.
- Tee signs look like they will be nice large and well marked. (stand is there sign is not)
- Love the Turf tee pads. Really similar to throwing from grass.

- Holes criss-cross over each other.
- The path that runs throughout the course is on the fairway of almost 3/4ths of the holes. Summertime will bring heavy traffic and probably make the course very agitating to play.
- Lack of a parking lot is going to cause huge traffic issues with the local neighborhood
- Alot of the holes tee-off from the path. There are no markings on the path for "official" line.
- In such a confusing layout there should be numbers on the baskets. If you follow the woodchip path and use the tee signs you can easily navigate.

I am reviewing this course before the course has been officially finished/opened. I am not going to count against this course for the features that have not been implemented.

The course really works your short game. Its a nice change to the other local courses that are longer and more open.
For the land available a 12 - 15 hole course would have made a far more challenging course. An easy way to improve the course difficulty would be to tee off from the path further behind the tee. Allows you to put thos putters and mids away and bust out your drivers.

Favorite Hole #18 - The finishing hole is a bit intimidating when you walk up to it. I'm guessing its like 280'ish dead straight. The majority of the fairway is a open area with in the woods and a high ceiling. Right as you reach the creek that runs across the fairway (~ 3/4ths the way down the fairway) and then down the entire right side, you encounter a tight mess of skinny trees with few gaps to get through. About 10-15' past the creek the gaps in the trees open up a lil more. The basket is slightly up a short steep hill. Pick a line and rip one out, hopefully you make it through some sort of gap.

Black Bear Park is very new. The baskets at the park are nice new disc catchers. There is a concrete path that winds through the park and many of the holes tee off of this path. Back in the wooded holes that don't shoot off the concrete path there are nice astroturf tees which provide good traction even when wet.

There is a decent mix of technical holes and easy open holes. Even some of the open holes provide a decent challenge. Hole 10 is a 300' shot along a pond. It is open, but the basket is well guarded by trees and brush. A shot close enough for an easy 2 could easily turn into 3 because of this. The more wooded hole have some tight lines provide a decent challenge.

The park is very well manetained. Through all of the wooded holes there is a mulched path to follow making it easy to get around even if the ground is a little soggy. The mulch is also around all of the baskets at to at least 20 feet.

The signage at the parks appears to be barebones in prepartion for more enhancement. Wooden posts with a place for some sort of insert have hole numbers spray painted on them. Even as it is the signs are easy to spot and have the distance listed which makes it easy to get around.

Black Bear Park is very short. You won't need much more than a fairway driver or a midrange if you have a big arm. There is only one hole ever 300 feet in length.

Pedestrians are a huge concern. I played at 5PM in March and the park was overflowing with extra people. The park has a walking path that winds around the ponds that frequently has walkers and joggers. There is also a basketball court and a playground near hole 1's tee and 18's basket. Since most of the holes use the pedestrian path that runs though the park as a teeing area, there can be some delays while waiting on people to be safely out of the way.

Holes 7 and 8 are missing the baskets. It appears as if someone took them off of the pole (as the pole is still there).

Compared to the other nearby courses Black Bear Park can provide some unique challenges despite it's short length.

There is water in play on holes 1, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, and 18 that come in the form of a few ponds and a small stream. Though it would take an errant shot to land in these because most of these hazards are close to the tee or a good ways off to the side.