Fairfield Park - Old Layout reviews
10
1
Welcome to Atlantis, the Sunken Course 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Jun 21, 2009
Played the course:once
Pros:
Some of the more wooded holes are fairly cool, and force some interesting lines.
Essentially, this course has all three main elements I look for in DG courses. The bog in the center of the course, and river are both in play on multiple holes for soem water hazards. Elevation is a factor on most holes, and used in interesting ways. The open shots here spice things up by having many hilltop pins for added putting and upshot challenge. The wooded holes on the second half of the course mix things up with some tight curves and well-guarded baskets to keep big arms honest.
Essentially, this course has all three main elements I look for in DG courses. The bog in the center of the course, and river are both in play on multiple holes for soem water hazards. Elevation is a factor on most holes, and used in interesting ways. The open shots here spice things up by having many hilltop pins for added putting and upshot challenge. The wooded holes on the second half of the course mix things up with some tight curves and well-guarded baskets to keep big arms honest.
Cons:
Where to start...
The tees here are some of the worst I've played on anywhere. They are sand/gravel with the front corners sometimes? marked by two small L-shaped concrete blocks stuck in the ground. When I played, the tees were completely washed out and not even close to level, to the point that it was hard to tell exactly where the tee was in many cases.
There is no hole number at all, except for on the trash cans at some holes. No tee signs whatsoever. The course map at the entrance shows 18 holes and a practice basket, so I'm not sure where the 20th is, but by hole 14, I was thoroughly miserable and called it quits. As i towelled the mud off my arms, face and legs, i was thinking, my day really started to go downhill after I got off work and went to play disc golf. That is so, so awful, but it speaks volumes about the playing experience here.
Also, the course holds water extremely well. Great for the green grass, bad for you as a player. In several spots it forces you to jump creeks, or walk through puddles that stretch across the whole fairway. There was a dead fish floating around on one fairway, thats how bad it is.
Though this is a general state of affairs, I took issue with several holes in particular.
On hole 12, a 40ft low-lying section of the fairway is kept as long uncut grass, presumably to add challenge to an otherwise straight on 350ish hole in a field. Instead, you end up trudging through head-high grass and knee-deep water, as there is no way around it, or even a mowed path with stepping stones through it that keeps you out of the water. Also, the combo of tall grass and deep water makes it super easy to lose discs in there. Fun!
Hole 8, if bone dry, would actually be a kinda cool hole. The problem is the basket is on a low area that presumably is normally on the riverbank. When i visited, the basket was in the middle of a 30ft wide, 2 ft deep lake that the river had turned into. Even if it hasn't rained for awhile, how much can you legitimately expect that water-level to go down? Another case of poor drainage and poor basket location combining for extra awfulness.
The field holes are mostly just straight, boring shots, where the only things you contend with are the wind, and the long grass that likes to eat discs. And the water, of course.
In general, this course is very good at eating discs, between the water everywhere and the long grass, so be prepared to donate some plastic to the course if you decide to play here.
The few holes that are moderately interesting are not nearly enough to make up for the dearth of boring field holes, and the extreme frustration of trudging through water on almost every hole.
The tees here are some of the worst I've played on anywhere. They are sand/gravel with the front corners sometimes? marked by two small L-shaped concrete blocks stuck in the ground. When I played, the tees were completely washed out and not even close to level, to the point that it was hard to tell exactly where the tee was in many cases.
There is no hole number at all, except for on the trash cans at some holes. No tee signs whatsoever. The course map at the entrance shows 18 holes and a practice basket, so I'm not sure where the 20th is, but by hole 14, I was thoroughly miserable and called it quits. As i towelled the mud off my arms, face and legs, i was thinking, my day really started to go downhill after I got off work and went to play disc golf. That is so, so awful, but it speaks volumes about the playing experience here.
Also, the course holds water extremely well. Great for the green grass, bad for you as a player. In several spots it forces you to jump creeks, or walk through puddles that stretch across the whole fairway. There was a dead fish floating around on one fairway, thats how bad it is.
Though this is a general state of affairs, I took issue with several holes in particular.
On hole 12, a 40ft low-lying section of the fairway is kept as long uncut grass, presumably to add challenge to an otherwise straight on 350ish hole in a field. Instead, you end up trudging through head-high grass and knee-deep water, as there is no way around it, or even a mowed path with stepping stones through it that keeps you out of the water. Also, the combo of tall grass and deep water makes it super easy to lose discs in there. Fun!
Hole 8, if bone dry, would actually be a kinda cool hole. The problem is the basket is on a low area that presumably is normally on the riverbank. When i visited, the basket was in the middle of a 30ft wide, 2 ft deep lake that the river had turned into. Even if it hasn't rained for awhile, how much can you legitimately expect that water-level to go down? Another case of poor drainage and poor basket location combining for extra awfulness.
The field holes are mostly just straight, boring shots, where the only things you contend with are the wind, and the long grass that likes to eat discs. And the water, of course.
In general, this course is very good at eating discs, between the water everywhere and the long grass, so be prepared to donate some plastic to the course if you decide to play here.
The few holes that are moderately interesting are not nearly enough to make up for the dearth of boring field holes, and the extreme frustration of trudging through water on almost every hole.
Other Thoughts:
Admittedly, I probably played the course at its worst, since heavy rains had just swept through the area, but I've played many houston courses, where it rains ALL THE TIME. To contrast, some of the Houston courses are submerged up to the tops of the tee signs at times (Moffitt, TC Jester), RIGHT AFTER A RAIN, but within a day or two, they are just fine again with only scattered puddles or ankle deep water. In Houston, they plan for their courses to get drenched, (shoot, Mozola is ON the bayou, for pete's sake) and thus design the courses to handle it. The way this course is designed, it seems like even when the water recedes some, it would still be a soupy mess, forcing players to walk through marshes and rivers on the fairways, with no bridges, raised paths or stepping stones even.
I would say this course is virtually unplayable for the two weeks following any kind of rain.
Were this course bone dry, it would probably get a 2.0-2.5 from me, as some of the more wooded holes seem kinda cool, and several of the open holes are decent as well, but I will never, ever set foot on this course again to find out. Ever.
I hate to be so negative, but this course really made an impression on me, and it was pretty much all bad. I find it hard to believe that there isn't another park with some kind of drainage that these baskets might be better served at. It seems like a very basic factor to overlook when building a course, but it doesn't matter how amazing your course is designed if its underwater all or most of the time.
Several reviewers have said, its good for IL, or most terrain in IL. I disagree with both. There are some amazing courses in the Chicago area, with TONS of terrain. Head down to Highland Park in Joliet if you dont believe me, or want to see what a great IL course looks like.
I would say this course is virtually unplayable for the two weeks following any kind of rain.
Were this course bone dry, it would probably get a 2.0-2.5 from me, as some of the more wooded holes seem kinda cool, and several of the open holes are decent as well, but I will never, ever set foot on this course again to find out. Ever.
I hate to be so negative, but this course really made an impression on me, and it was pretty much all bad. I find it hard to believe that there isn't another park with some kind of drainage that these baskets might be better served at. It seems like a very basic factor to overlook when building a course, but it doesn't matter how amazing your course is designed if its underwater all or most of the time.
Several reviewers have said, its good for IL, or most terrain in IL. I disagree with both. There are some amazing courses in the Chicago area, with TONS of terrain. Head down to Highland Park in Joliet if you dont believe me, or want to see what a great IL course looks like.
