- Countryside Park DGC contains a nice mix of moderate elevation, open holes of decent length (475', 521', 675'), shorter technical holes in a tightly wooded area, and a few well-placed water hazards. The longer open holes are well-suited for those with a bigger arm, while the thickly wooded back nine places an emphasis on placement, accuracy, and consistency. A large hill dominates the more open section of park. A thick patch of poorly drained woods comprises the bulk of the back nine. A small pond sits in the middle of the park.
-Great use of elevation, right from the get-go. #1 is a short uphill ace-run that offers a unique starting hole I've not seen elsewhere. #2 plays alongside the hill on a short downhill putter shot with some nasty roughage behind the pin. This hole's green is pretty fast and nasty, and will have you thinking twice about being cavalier about the tee shot. #3 likewise plays alongside the hillside (slightly uphill). #4 is one of the true gems, with a long downhill bomber (elevation like this is fairly scarce in northwestern Indiana) across an open field. The pin sits precariously in front of a drop-off to the lake. #6's pin is raised on a small grassy mogul. Again, the water comes into play on rollaways and blow-bys.
- Great use of water. Pins 4 and 6 are placed so that water comes into play on poor shots. #7 has a small water carry (that can be avoided by playing around vs. over) and another green where there's potential to get wet on an errant throw. #17's pin has the pond directly behind as well.
- The rest of the course plays mostly through a thick patch of muddy woodland. #9 tees off from the woods into an open grassy area on the back side of the park, and then 10-17 play through the woods, with 18 emerging from the forest and playing alongside the pond one final time.
- Good signage makes navigation a snap.

-Gravel tees are not the worst I've seen, and I'm guessing an upgrade is in the works for this fairly new course; I'll adjust my rating accordingly when they are implemented.
- Poor flow/safety in a few areas. Similar to Hidden Lake, the designer makes a conscious decision to sacrifice flow and safety in order to squeeze out the best available bits of land. #3 and #5's pins are in pretty close proximity, with #5's pin definitely reachable from #3's tee on a slightly off-target throw or a bit of wind. The fact that neither pin is visible from the tee adds to the safety issue. #5 requires a backtrack down the fairway to reach #6's tee. Finally, and most alarming, is the cluster of tees and pins around #13-16...this is a cluster of unsafe design if I've ever seen one. Be cautious in this section when the leaves are out and visibility is low.
- Poor drainage in the wooded areas make the back nine mucky, mosquito-y, and a bit unpleasant to play. A maintenance worker (not a discer, though) mentioned that work was underway to help alleviate this. Perhaps French drains or something similar will be put into place?
- A couple of the wooded holes seem almost too tight (and I enjoy tightly wooded holes) without much of a line to hit. #17 seemed especially awkward, with a 90-degree turn to the left. This course is still very new and is probably still being tweaked...I imagine some of the lines will open with time and play.

- This course fulfills a much needed niche in NW disc golf: elevation and water. The pros definitely outweigh any cons, and make this a fun course of moderate difficulty and moderate skill-level. Beginners could shoot well here with plenty of birdie opportunities, but the wooded section will make certain you're on point...or else. Overall, a positive, much-appreciated addition that puts a fun course on the map between Rogers Lakewood and Lemon Lake.

-Course is easy to access from major highways and is close to Hidden Lake in Merrillville and Rogers Lakewood in Valparaiso. All three courses can easily be played in one day.
-Course is easily navigated. Signs will point you in the right direction if it isn't clear where to go and every hole has a tee sign detailing the landscape.
-Although the park is fairly small, it makes use of the land for a variety of fun and challenging shots.
-The back 9 has many trees but not a lot of brush, not many discs should be lost here.
-Hole 1-3 are short, but make good use of elevation changes. Once the grass on the hill is cut there will be a high "risk/reward" for each hole. Hole 4 is 475 feet off the top of a sledding hill with a water hazard 20 feet behind the pin. From here on out the rest is fairly flat with holes ranging from 200-650 feet.
-Open and advanced players should be able to shoot a round in the low to mid 40's while rec and am players can easily shoot in the high 40's to mid 50's. There are A LOT of birdie opportunities and many ace possibilities. Once you shoot a round you'll want to go back and try it again.

-This park is fairly new, there are no tee boxes, trash cans, or benches YET. The developers have had their hands in almost all the courses in Northwest Indiana so there is no doubt that this park will eventually have all the amenities to make a great discing experience.
-The back 9 is fairly bland. The majority of the holes are between 200 and 250 feet with two holes stretching out to 300ish. Nearly each hole is a fairly tight fairway shot with some trees that can ruin your chance for a good birdie streak. Even if you have a bad drive, shooting for par won't be that difficult.
-The back 9 is smelly. It plays right by a swamp that is infested with mosquitoes. MAKE SURE YOU BRING BUG SPRAY! You will absolutely need it in the summer time.

-Whether you're by yourself, with friends or with family, after you're done you can continue to another close park or enjoy the local amenities nearby. IMAX, bowling, dining and drinks are all within a ten minute drive or just hop on the highway and head to Merrillville or Crown Point for more fun for everyone.

Very good hole variety and use of available land. This park is easy to access from major thoroughfares. Just take the highways all the way here. Entrance marked with digital display. Ample paved parking. Friendly park staff and locals. Arachnid baskets (so I was told. Pretty well identical to Alan Pier's spiderwebs I thought).

Lots of fresh cut stumps and trip hazards. Needs signs, pads, benches, and trash cans.

Hole 1 plays from parking lot uphill with a couple of pines protecting the basket. Probably in the 200 foot range, but plays like 300.
Hole 2 is a blind left hook that measures 180'(GPS), but plays like 150'. An overthrow will land you in deep rough with some dampness if not over a 6' fence without an easy way around it.
Hole 3 is blind uphill and straight plays like 300' no real obstacles a bit of a roll away hazard.
Hole 4 plays from the top of the sled hill down to the waterfront.
Hole 5 plays back across the base of the hill. OB fence on the left. No other hazards.
Hole 6 wide open with water if you go to far left.
Hole 7 plays right hook with water along the left. There is a gap between a big oak along the coast and woods on the right. Plays like 350'.
Walk through the opening in the fence to tee for hole 8. Basket is about 300 and right. A pavilion that's in good shape but has no tables is in the middle of the fairway if the pavilion ever gets use this hole will be unplayable.
Hole 9 throws out of the woods into a long wide open fairway with the exception of a baseball diamond on the right (I saw a disc land here) a creek behind the woods on the left (I saw a disc go in here) and a playground to the right of the basket maybe 200'. I didn't see anyone hit the playground, but some kids came running over to wrestle over a disc we threw.
Hole 10 is the beginning of a long stretch of wooded holes. It's about 300' of wooded corridor with the basket to the left.
Backtrack a bit to the tee for hole 11; wooded corridor hook right.
Hole 12 wooded hook left. Be careful not to go over the pointless 6' chain link fence.
Hole 13 wooded hook right.
Hole 14 wooded hook left with three options around trees in the beginning. Straight on is the best route but also the tightest. It's a little swampy around the pin, and if you go long you could end up in the wet ditch/creek.
Hole 15 wooded with left hook lots of trees kind of a get lucky gap. Long could mean wet.
Hole 16 wooded hook right.
Hole 17 longer wooded pin left, lots trees. Loong could be wet, but you won't likely have to worry until your second shot.
Hole 18 wooded hook right with water along the left.
Optional hole 19 over the pond to hole 4's basket. I lost my Wiggins blizzard boss on this one.

Nice course with lots of room to improve. It is brand new with baskets placed just a few weeks ago. Signs and tee pads will make a big difference. Locals and groundskeeper were enthusiastic about having an unfamiliar activity in their underused park. This is a solid course in a park that was a perfect candidate for one. I'm excited to have this course as an addition to the Northwest Indiana circuit. Hidden Lake to Countryside to Rogers Lakewood would make for a great day of disc golf.