This course is truly excellent, by every meaning of the word.

-The disc golf community surrounding this course is fantastic. It's very apparent that people care about this complex by the cleanliness, lots of signage, and the clubhouse on site.

-The course itself is expertly designed. It has everything required in terms of variety of shots and difficulty. It has huge bomber holes and excellent tight shots that really require pin point accuracy. I feel like the course is also very fair for right handed vs. left handed.

-The signage and the flow of the course was very readable and logical, which is pretty important to me.

-In the middle of summer the bugs can get pretty ridiculous because it's right by a swampy area.

-The signature hole on this course, #5 (Iron Leaf), isn't really that spectacular. The thing that makes it memorable is if you happen to shoot a 4 or less that you beat Climo.

I played this course alone in the middle of July in 100 degrees. The bugs were terrible and after 9 or so holes, I had this crazy nosebleed and I was already out of water. But the course kept me really interested and addicted and I kept chugging along like a champ. I would absolutely recommend a trip to Lemon Lake to spend the day disc golfing here. It was definitely a memorable trip and if I'm ever back in the area, I will definitely play here again, especially since I didn't get a chance to play the Silver course!

First off, let me apologize for that TERRIBLE pun as the title of this review.
Anyway...Red. Redheads are notoriously temperamental. And you all know that there are two types of redheads; gorgeous, breathtakingly beautiful ones, and the soulless, freckly gingers who are so ugly that they scare their own shadows. This is the red course. Amazing layout with holes that will crush your spirit if you dare wander off of the known trail. It can kiss you gently on the forehead, or kick you in the taint with a steel toed boot. Red is awesome.

tee pads - all pads were concrete as far as I can remember. And at most pads, there was a place to sit down and/or put down your bag. this isn't something I normally score for or against, but I loved having a place to rest my weary bones as I struggled to tame the wild red beast.

baskets - like white, all of the baskets on the red course were color coordinated...except for the pink basket on one. not super sure what this was all about, but I did skip to the basket merrily after I threw my drive. I felt like the course was trying to set a mood, and who was I to deny Red? She is a needy mistress.

Layout - my god man. From super tight, wooded holes that will eat a disc like a fat kid in a donut factory, to wide open, downhill bomber holes that protects it's baskets with sentry like trees,Red has every thing except the kitchen sink (but you can go back to white for a bathtub). I think It's hole #3, pretty sure anyway...wow. You tee off, and the trees literally form a path that curves to the right, with the basket sitting straight ahead, past the natural opening. I can't gush enough about how amazing this course layout is. Long....SUPER long, uphill shots...just great.

signage - as OK as the signs on white are, they just don't work well for red. the course is too long for the basic, simple signs they have over there. you have length, number and what equates to stickman drawings of the hole. it should be better for a course of this caliber. and that's it for cons.

I am in love with this course.
The biggest con is that this course is 3 hours away from me. I would love to live closer to Lemon Lake just so that I could go visit Red and hang out with more. I'd buy it a beer next time, but I don't know if she is old enough. Long, tall Red.

The Red course is most popular course at Lemon Lake. The land has some nice rolling hills and scattered with trees.

The baskets are in solid condition. They are Innova Discatchers that have been painted red. The last time I played several holes had a 2nd pin (kingpin).

There is a wide variety of shots and lines on this course. #4 & #18 have a long tee pad and most holes have 2 pin positions.

Concrete tee pads.

Adequate tee signs.

With the use of the maps on this site navigation is not a problem.

Hole #14 is my favorite hole. Long downhill hole with a great basket placement.

Although the tee signs are adequate they are nothing special.

Although the tee pads are all some sort of concrete they are all a little different. Some were installed several years ago with brick and others are concrete. They are a little short and some are not flat to the ground and don't allow run ups from behind.

Some of the holes conflict with each other.

This course can get muddy in places after rain.

As the disc technology has changed this is a shorter course for the most part. If you throw mids and putters alot you'll love this course.

Hole #7 is my least favorite hole. Very short placement par 4 with a mando. Putter, Putter, try to get your 3.

This is a pay to play facility.

If you are not familar with poison ivy there is some at this facility. Educate yourself and take precautions if you are allergic.

The 2010 Pro Worlds did wonders for this facility. 4 courses with a ton of options. There are plans for a 5th course.

The Homie event every October is a must play midwest event. Great atmosphere and always a ton of people.

Here are the results of Pro Worlds. You can get an idea of how the best players in the world scored on this course.
http://www.pdga.com/course_ratings/15193

The Red course appeared to be the most mature of the 4 courses at Lemon Lake. There was a good mix of open, moderately wooded, and then tightly wooded holes with thick rough. Many holes were flat, but a couple holes do have elevation as a factor. There is good variation in the length of each hole ranging from 200' to 570'. The basket locations are a definite strength of the Red Course, providing challenge to a course that is not super long overall. Navigation was not a problem, but I do recommend printing a course map before you come. And of course the concrete tees and nice signs were in excellent shape.

The baskets are one of the coolest features in this complex as they match the color of the name of the course. This also helps you to locate the different courses better when you enter the park, and it helps to spot the correct basket as the courses border each other in many places. (Imagine if the park just had 100+ yellow baskets...!)

The courses were just used for 2010 Worlds so everything should still be in great shape.

There were some holes that had multiple baskets in place (long and short), and they used different basket models, both painted red, to differentiate (Machs and DisCatchers I believe.) Sometimes this system was a little confusing because I don't believe all the holes had multiple baskets and there were some alternates that you can't see from the tee. The first time through you may just end up playing to the first basket you can see.

There were a couple of spots where there were holes really close together and safety could be an issue if the course was really crowded. I also played after some heavy rains and the course was very muddy in places and so soggy that they were not able to mow the fairways. This is probably not the norm, but be advised if you play during the rainy season.

Obviously having 4+ courses in one spot is a huge bonus, especially when they are all good courses. (This course would be around a 3.5 if it was a stand alone, but gets a slight boost when you factor in the entire complex.) I like that each course has its own personality and degree of difficulty. (Ranking: easiest-White- Red-Blue-Silver/Gold-hardest) The Red Course for me was the one I enjoyed the most, probably because I played it the best, but it was also the most fun as it was challenging without being too difficult. Parking for the Red and Blue courses is the same- the first lot on the left.

There is a vehicle entrance fee, but the gatehouse was not always manned. Also, the park workers are extremely friendly and obviously take pride in their disc golf courses.

We had the chance to play these courses as they were making final preparations for the 2010 Worlds. I am sure the courses are in even better shape now since that event has past.

-This course, like the rest of Lemon Lake, is beautifully upkept. The fairways are clean, and the course is garbage free.

-The teepads were laid excellently.

-The Alternate teepads and pin positions really change the feel of the holes. Some provide totally different looks all together.

-Some holes have set ups that really punish bad shots, the ditch on 9 in particular.

-The wooded holes were tight and shorter, while there were some longer and more open holes aswell. They were great compliments to each other.

-Aside from a few holes, this is a very flat course. The major exception being the large downhill hole, which is a nice break from how flat the course is.

-Some holes short tees are tough to find. #7 in particular, if you don't know its there, you'll already be playing the hole when you find it.

This was the most enjoyable course at Lemon Lake for me. It is the most well rounded, good distance and technicality, without being too over the top in either. If I were to play another full day at LL, I would play blue first to warm up my arm, then go get beat up by silver/gold, then regain my confidence on white, then play red to see what I learned and improved that day.

- Good number of the holes in this course involve navigating around numerous small trees and keeping it out of low canopies. Plenty of different lines to be found; some are pretty much forced while others allow for some creativity. There are also some pretty tight fairways, so avoiding the trees and staying more or less straight can be tricky. Some holes in particular can be very, very tight, like #3 and #9.
- Other holes inside the forest are devoid of the groves of small trees. These rely on even tighter fairways and well placed mature trees to mix up the available lines, lots of good variety on these. #17 is a great example of this - a downhill shot around a cluster of trees, followed by a long uphill approach to a narrowing fairway.
- There are also holes that are much more open, with big fairways and longer distances. A few are especially tough with narrow entrances to reach the baskets. #8 is a bomber hole with a small opening left to the pin, and #14 is a long downhill shot through a small clearing in the forest. A few shorter holes mixed in too.
- Good tees, signs, and baskets. Pretty good signage to get around, some backtrack a little so keeping an eye open helps a lot.

- Really not that many cons come to mind with this course. There is a lot of flatness to the course with a few holes taken out. More holes had gradual slopes, as opposed to extreme hilliness.
- The terrain overall was pretty uniform, other than a small ditch on #9. The rough was pretty nasty in some spots, but there were no really dangerous hazards.

- Great course that uses a diverse forest to its full potential. A wide range of holes with a wide range of challenges. Shaping shots is key at all times, in a lot of different directions. Good mix of long and short holes as well. Chances are pretty good that any player will be using a multitude of discs and shot types to navigate the different holes.

good variety of wooded and open holes. course is well manicured. Some new lines have been opened by clearing trees.

tee signs missing. Lack of trash cans throughout the course. Basket for 13 is pulled.

Lemon Lake is an amazing disc golf park. I highly recommend checking it out if you've never played there. The red course is a little difficult to navigate without the tee markers, especially for newcomers.

Beautifully designed course, tucked in and out of some challenging wooded areas. Astonishing variety and truly a challenge for players of all throwing types. the first three holes are enough to discourage most rhbh throwers, and from there on out its a test of finesse until the daunting hole 8, which is a long drive that gets tucked away to the left into some trees. Hole 9 is a terrifying test of accuracy and will frighten all but the finest of throwers. holes 10-13 are mid-moderate distance shots that still test your accuracy, but 14 is just an amazing downhill shot with incredible distance, that funnels down into a 30ft wide tunnel of trees, so make sure that drive is straight. 15 and 16 are the last of the tight ones, while 17 steps up the distance, and rather dangerously. 18 is a nice open hole, so if you've got the arm, it won't be much of a challenge.

we had to play the short tees for the Indiana State tournament, and we didn't even know there was a short tee on hole 7 (it shares the long tee for 11?) so we got stroked. regardless, my friend and I still finished 1st and second

lots of shade, but the bugs were nasty. the roughage is THICK, beware.

Lemon Lake Red is a scenic and challenging course. There are plenty of wooded tunnel shots to challenge accuracy. There are also a few holes that cater to distance players. I think the balance is very good in that the neither the finesse player nor the power player is given a significant advantage. I really liked that the baskets were color-coded based on which course you were playing. This was not done to clear up any confusion as it should be fairly obvious which basket belongs to which hole. However, it was kind of like the icing on the cake. I really enjoyed this course because of the demanding shot-shaping skills it requires. The tunnel shots didn't require the same old hyzer or anhyzer tee shot. There were a couple that challenged the midrange S-curve which is something I don't see often. Hole 3 comes to mind in this regard as an example. The groundskeeping was very good as well. Benches and trashcans were sufficiently placed.

I really only have 2 cons. First, the communal space that holes #2 and #14 occupy seems a little tight. If your disc hyzers at all through the gap on Hole #2 you will land in the middle of the fairway of Hole 14. Even if you can stay close to the left tree line, the hyzer approach shot that ensues does come very close to the tee pad for hole 3. This was really the only part of the course were I felt congested.

My second con is that it opened with a bland hole and ended with a bland hole. Hole #1 is a pretty straight-forward anhyzer with woods on the right and the pin tucked around the corner of the woods. It should be no worse than a 3. Hole #18 is wide open with a sparse tree or two. It is a long hole but lacks character. I am critical about these 2 holes on any course because I always remember a what I feel like when I get to hole 1 of a new course. And I always remember the feeling after wrapping up the round and 18 is usually the lasting memory.

We stopped by to play the courses at Lemon Lake while on our excursion. We had thought that since the Worlds would be there soon, that course conditions would be amazing. For the most part, this was true. This is an awesome complex and I am somewhat jealous of those who live nearby. The Red Course was my favorite, but I could see myself playing all of them regularley if I lived nearby. I think each course had a distinct character. I would describe the Red's character as challenging and traditional. All elements of the game were tested at least once by this particular course. Yet, it still gave me the feeling like it was a well-seasoned course even though, as I understand it, there have been some recent modifications.

In short, if you are anywhere close to the park, I highly recommend playing all 4 courses. The Red happens to be my favorite, but I would not be surprised to ask 4 different people and get 4 different answers. It truly is an amazing place.

The Red Course at Lemon Lake has great variety, it features five par four holes (four of which are on the back nine), a few short holes requiring nonstandard flight paths, and quite a few in the 275-325' range with thick rough off the fairway. Most of the course is made up of defined fairways cut out of the woods. There are some mostly open holes as well. All holes have Innova Discatcher baskets with the chastity belt painted red. Only a few holes have two tees. Most tees are concrete with a few made of brick pavers. Lots of fun drives, fairly well balanced in regards to righty/lefty friendly holes. The course has some elevation change, which is well used on such holes as the tough, downhill, par 4 hole 14, which is followed by the shorter but uphill hole 15. There are some interesting doglegs, most notably hole 7 which takes a 90 degree right turn about 100' from the tee followed by 200' of straight fairway framed by symmetrically placed tree rows. The finishing combination of par 4 hole 17 and when played from the long tee par 4 hole 18 are rough on those who can't through long controlled drives.

There are some safety issues here, especially where holes two and three cross paths. Hole 2 is a dogleg right but if you were to draw a straight line between its tee and basket, hole 3's tee would be on the line. There are some trees to protect golfers on 3's tee, but a bad shot could still easily hurt someone. Hole 1 and hole 18 (especially from the short tee) are kind of boring, open holes that take you to and from the parking lot. Some of the tees are located in such a way so that they turn into puddles after a heavy rain (especially hole 16). There was a lot of poison ivy out there, so be careful.

Lemon Lake is a great disc golf destination. With 4 (or 5 if you count the gold and silver as separate courses) 18 hole courses in one 400 acre site, there is plenty of variety and challenge here. You will find holes ranging from tightly wooded ace runs to tricky par fours. There is a small fee to enter the park, but it is charged per car not per person. Over the years the facility has evolved from one 18 hole course into its present state. The majority of the original 18 now makes up the red course

This course is my favorite of the four in this fantastic disc golf complex. The course primarily plays through hilly woods, with lots of tight shots and some fun elevation changes. Where there are good hills, they are used well to add interest and challenge to the course, as well as offering some nice views of the park. There is a great mix of open grassy fairways surrounded by trees and more technical holes where errant drives will leave you playing plinko in the trees.

This course has a great variety of lengths, from ace run holes to legitimate par 4 holes that will test your distance and shot placement. There are lots of different types of shots needed to score well here, birdies are available but you'll have to navigate lots of left and right turning fairways to get them.

This course feels the most polished of the four, as it's made up mostly of the original holes. All holes have concrete tees and signs showing distance and hole layout. The design of the course makes navigation pretty easy throughout, and keeps things varied and interesting throughout the round without a whole lot of repetition.

Though this course has better drainage than the silver and blue courses, it still can be a bit swampy after rains, and the wooded hillsides can get a bit slick. Some of the signs seemed a bit inaccurate, hopefully that gets taken care of before worlds comes to town.

There is some fun elevation, but there also were a few too many very flat holes in the mix that took away a little of the fun factor. The first couple holes don't seem to fit with the rest of the course, and would seem more at home on the blue course, I'm not a fan of filler holes to start the course.

This is a great course, that offers challenges for any level of player. More experienced players will have a lot of fun shooting for birdies, and testing their accuracy on the wooded holes, while newer players won't be too overwhelmed here.

I recommend this course most out of the four here, and it would be worth a trip to play by itself. With the others onsite, this complex is definitely worth a drive to come play.

This is the oldest course on site at Lemon Lake, and probably the most fun. There are some really unique holes, like a fairway that goes 100-150 feet straight ahead, then does a 90 degree turn to the basket another 100-150 feet away. It's a tight course that opens up in places, but holds you in the woods for most of the round. This course really takes a variety of shots to do well.

Very beautiful course that is very well maintained.

These are really the basic cons I had with the complex, as they were the same for all 4 courses.

The signs didn't seem very accurate with the distances.

Navigation was tough were they didn't place "Next Tee -->" type signs.

we sometimes found ourselves throwing at the wrong pin because the one we were supposed to be throwing at was blind and there was another in our line of sight that we supposed was the alternate pin position.

None of these issues were a huge deal and all could be solved with a course map and/or getting more familiar with the course.

I really can't enough good things about the time we spent at Lemon Lake this weekend. The locals we met were the best. Everyone we talked to were so friendly and welcoming that we left knowing we would come back just because this is a place that fosters great discing and great discing attitudes. As soon as we got there we asked an elderly gentleman at one of the lodges where to find the first tee, and we ended up sitting there shooting the "fecal matter" with him for about 15 minutes about the course, the area, and the gun he had in his back pocket (he was teaching a hunting class). They love to met out of towners and finding out where they come from. By the end of the weekend we were getting some, "hey, are you the group from Aurora?" type stuff.

This complex has many things to do other than discing on site, but they never interfere with your game and are only seen once in a while. The area is very secluded and private. I loved this place. I almost wish I could rate Lemon Lake as a whole so I could give it 5 stars.

They have the 2010 Worlds here next year and they will do a fantastic job with it.

What I personally like and how this course stacks up in my list of 18 hole courses:

1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == A-
(Many great holes that will turn a deuce run into a bogey with poor execution. Also several holes that force you to think and make choices on how you want to approach things to get a great score....or play safe. The only way to get a better grade that this course is to have more par 4's and 5's - like hole 17.)

2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I throw 300' accurately, 360' max. == B+
(Out of the 18 about half are a perfect challenge for me and a perfect reward for executing well. The other half are either too short where you expect a birdie all the time (but these holes are still interesting/technical), or too long where par is routine and birdies can never be expected - hole 10 & 18 in the 440' range are like that.)

3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == A-
(Lots of shots required - bring your full arsenal! My favorite holes are 14 & 17. 14 is a 475' downhill shot starting open, flattening out and ending with a 75' tunnel to the basket. Going for a deuce could easily end up in a 4 (or 5) and even laying up could end in a 4 if you do not place your drive where you can access the tunnel. Hole 17 is a 548' flat hole with a split fairway off the tee. Finesse your drive around the stand of trees causing the split, but still get far enough down where you can get up and down for a 3. Good stuff!)

4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == A+
(This course is amazingly beautiful and secluded! The grassy fairways in the woods blew my mind.)

5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == C+
(Like I stated earlier 17 is a GREAT par 4. 570' hole 8 is OK as the uphill nature of it adds effective length, but length is the only thing this hole has going for it. I really wish this course had more par 4's and 5's - there seems to be room for that.)

It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well the course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. Since I have played a decent number of courses (149 18-hole, 91 9-hole as of late 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.

I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me....that's the fun of things here. See my profile for my rating philosophy.

good mix of long open and shorter technical shots. trees will punish errant shots!

I've been told there is alot of poison Ivy but I did not see any.

Wish I had time to play all four courses! Great concrete tees.

One of the best reasons for this course is the possibility to play three rounds of 18 with different challanges on all three rounds. Alot of finesse is needed on the Red Course. Most tosses will involve trees in front, on the side, and pretty much all around you. Fun and challenging with long drives needed on 8 and 17 but most of the time you'll find yourself threading the needle instead of throwing a hammer.

TREES, yes this is also a pro but chop enough wood on this course and it gets annoying.

More opportunity to lose your discs on Red then on Blue but usually not a huge problem. Great course to practice up on the finesse shots.

good mixed of holes, some open, some well wooded, well signed, maintained outstandingly by DGC, picnic areas and gazebos for an all day trip

poison ivy, $4 parking for in state, $7 out of state (but worth it), went on a Wednesday in the morning and no one was at gate.

great 3 18 course location near the greater Chicagoland area. most of the holes there is little to no risk of throwing at others which is very rare. worth the trip.