- There are some interesting tees and basket placements here.
- I like how there are 2 pin positions for each hole.
- No two holes are exactly alike - not even close.
- Nice mowed park.
- You get to the end of #9 and are fairly close to where you started.

- Tee pads or lack thereof. This is hands down the biggest issue for me. These gravel monstrosities are a recipe for a twisted ankle at worse or a good way to induce OAT into your throws as your feet slide around looking for grip. This course is in DIRE need of some concrete pads. The rubber pads on some of them seem to make the issue worse.
- #2 has you throwing right next to a asphalt drive which is supposed to be OB.
- I did not care for the placement of #6. This is way too close to the playground equipment there.
- If this park is ever busy with DG'ers then I think the #8 pad throwing over the #7 basket is also a bad idea. However I really doubt this is ever an issue.
- Navigation is not bad but finding #1 is a pretty big issue. There's been some construction so the #1 pad is gone. If you are looking at the Community Center go to your right to where the new asphalt is next to the woods. You will see a trash can there and that apparently is the tee.

I noticed today that there are a lot of construction stakes in the grass area in front of the community center which probably means an upcoming construction project. At which time it may be a good time for course designers to get in some concrete pads and maybe redesign some of these holes.

I am not going to sugar coat this...I would love to have a course like this near may house. It would be a great way to work on many aspects of my game. On the other hand it just isn't terribly challenging are there are some pretty significant design issues particularly #6. If you are in the area hit it up but I do not recommend going out of your way to get here.

Something to consider - as with many DG courses in the midwest, the bugs can get pretty bad on #1 so bring bug spray (I am not counting this as a con BTW.)

- Course is set within a smaller city park, that has some playground sets and borders some houses. There could be a possible conflict here or there, on one or two holes.
- Some line shaping is present, like a big RHBH hyzer on #1 and #8, though most of it is open. Smaller trees are present on a few holes to provide some challenge, and a few are near the basket like #4 and #5. In general, a straight shot is most important here.
- A couple holes have some additional hazards, like a nasty forest to the left of #1 and #2, a house and it's bushes on #8, and some artificial OB. Recovery from these spots can be a challenge on a bad shot.
- A little bit of elevation changes, mostly due to a small hill. Comes into play on holes #6 thru #9, mostly slight downhills.
- Decent mix of hole lengths, probably maxes out around 325' or so, like on #2 or #3. Nothing extremely long here.
- Good baskets, tees still ok. Navigation isn't too bad, 1st tee is on road by parking lot.

- A lot of pretty wide open shots, with only a few hyzers to contend with. Elevation changes help here and there, but it's still pretty straightforward.
- Some funky layout issues, like playing OVER #7's basket on #8. It is a pretty small park, only a few spots are really affected.

- A pretty typical pitch n' putt, well suited for beginners or people fine tuning their game. More experienced players won't find too much to get excited about.

- Hawthorne Park is a compact multi-purpose park that is home to a new nine hole layout. The course plays around other park activities. Length varies from approximately 200'- 350'. A good balance is struck between the shorter ace runs and the longer holes. The park is very well-groomed and maintained. Heavy schule lining #1 and #2's fairway are the only places where losing a disc becomes a possibility.
- For a nine hole park style course, the design does an above average job of working in minor elevation changes. Many mature trees provide just the right amount of shade vs. sun, while providing excellent line shaping opportunities in several spots. A variety of tree species throughout the park keep the hazards from becoming repetitive.
- Brand new baskets with dual pin positions on several of the holes (I saw dual pins on #'s 2, 3, 8, and 9).
- Hawthorne has a good mix of shots for a nine holer. Advanced players might only need a mid and putter, but I found myself using pretty much my entire bag. Several ace runs are available, but nothing I'd consider real cheap.
UPDATE (2/27/12): Tee signs are now in place, and list distances for both pin positions as well as provide a picture map of each hole.

- At the time of this review (8/21/11), no proper tee signs or tee pads are installed, although these appear to be in the works. The course isn't too difficult to figure out though. Tee pads are marked in white spray paint, with a little pink flag to aid the search. The flow is pretty straight-forward in most places, with arrows painted onto the grass in the tricky spots.
- #8 tees off over #7's basket, which, while essential for setting up two cool holes, might prove a safety issue if common sense isn't used.
- The course plays awfully close to some playground equipment, which might pose a safety hazard on busy days.
-UPDATE (2/27/12): Several of the large- and medium-sized trees have been cut down, making a couple of holes much more open (to the detriment of the course. This is especially true on #3. I don't know if they needed to come down for some reason, but any way you slice it these missing trees make this course less fun.
- The tees are still natural (with the exception of #1), but have become a bit rutted and muddy in places.

- Friendly locals showed me around the course, mentioning that they've played object golf at that park for close to 30 years.
- While the course can be played multiple times without becoming boring or repetitive, it also has the potential for some awesome safari golf when the park isn't crowded.
- No pets allowed on grass. Park closes at 11 pm, so glow golf is a possibility during much of the year.