I really, really want to like Campton Hills. It is a disc golf only site in a very well-funded park system, so it seems like there would be the potential for a very good course. It does have some nice amenities like several sets of stairs to get you up and down the many elevation changes and good tee signs. There is also a nice map in the parking lot, although it says "Disk Golf" on it. The site has exceptional elevation changes and is heavily wooded. At some spots in the park it is a really beautiful environment. So, it theory it should be a nice course.

Campton Hills main weakness is that it is far, far too short to pose any sort of real challenge to even the most recreational of golfer. Elevation does make some of the holes play longer than they are listed, but none of them are so long that even the average thrower would not have a putt for deuce. Despite the wooded setting, the routes to the hole are too open to really create any significant challenge. What you end up with is a painfully short course with open routes to the pin, which makes for some very boring golf.

The tees are very poor. They are wider than they are long, and are just a washed-out border that probably held gravel or something that is now long gone. In its place is a rutted, muddy mess for you to deal with while you try not to trip over the border timbers. Given how affluent the St. Charles area is, you would expect better tees.

The course cris-crosses the site, leading to two problems. The first is that many tees and baskets are very close together, but the woods and the fact that it is very easy to loose your sense of direction given that you keep circling around sometimes makes it hard for you to realize how close you are to other players. It's pretty easy to think you are just throwing your drive into the woods when actually you are throwing right at a nearby tee. The second problem is that it's easy to take the wrong path and end up at the wrong hole. Some directional signs on the course to lead your from hole to hole would be a welcome addition.

The site has some very steep drop-offs, and a few holes play up and down these steep slopes. This causes me some concern for the site, as erosion is going to be a significant problem in the future. It also makes the course virtually unplayable in wet weather.

Several times when I have been to Campton Hills I could not find a spot in the parking lot, which usually would mean a busy course. However, every time this has happened to me a lot of the cars were occupied by teenagers smoking and drinking. I'm not sure if any of them were going to get out and play at any point or not. At any rate, it appears to be a party spot for the local young people. Whether you find that to be a pro or con is up to you.

Hole # 9 is a very pretty hole where you shoot from way up on a ridge to a hidden basket. Unfortunately, the shot is only 223' and once you figure in the huge boost you get from how high up you tee from the real challenge is to not throw past the pin. Sadly, this pretty much describes the whole course. Had this course been designed pre-1983 I would have had more understanding for the limitations of the design, but the course was designed in 2005. These types of courses had been obsolete for over 20 years before it was designed, so the truly inadequate challenge of the design cannot be overlooked.

So the bottom line I guess is that if you are the kind of golfer looking for a course where you can easily deuce every hole and have plenty of Ace runs, Campton Hills is your kind of course. There is nothing wrong with that. However If you are the kind of golfer who is looking for a challenge and some risk-reward shots, this is not that kind of course. While it is a pretty course aesthetically and it might score highly on a "fun factor," in my opinion the design simply does not have the elements necessary to rate this course highly.