DeKalb, IL

Prairie Park DGC

2.485(based on 20 reviews)
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4 0
MidwestZest
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.9 years 103 played 73 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Perfectly sized park course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 11, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Nice, tucked-away course. Very good use of space - the park's perfectly sized for a community 9-hole course. Not much overlap on holes, pretty good from a safety standpoint.
- Great, huge concrete tee pads.
- Good signage and DISCatcher baskets.
- #3 - this cute, short little blind ace run was my favorite hole on the course. Very nice, narrow fairway design, opening at the end with a fade left to the basket.
- #5 - Shorter hole with a tree-guarded basket, and a quick moving river 15 feet behind. Nice pin location.

Cons:

- Mostly open course, with scattered trees of various sizes in and around fairways.
- There is a walking path that splits the park, but technically does not cross any fairways. Definitely in play though, for a wayward shot on #5.
- The last 3 holes play along the edge of the park counterclockwise, asking for 3 consecutive L-R drives. (RHFH flicks for me). Just a bit repetitive.
- #9 - not a huge fan of this finishing hole. A longer, hook-back design that should be an easy 3, but difficult 2 for most players. Listed a par 4, which is probably right for novice players. There's a path straight through the woods to the right that people obviously play, which also probably makes for an easy 3, but difficult 2.

Other Thoughts:

- There are two longer "rip it" holes on the course, #4 and #6. I list them here because, although they're nice to have, there's nothing particularly spectacular about the hole designs. There are trees in both fairways, but nothing to really alter a big drive one way or the other, and certainly no real punishment if you clip one.
- Nice course that's worth a quick 30 minute play if you're in town.
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1 1
duain
Experience: 26 years 75 played 14 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Average 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 26, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Course has concrete pads and is decent for newer players. Holes 3 and 5 play toward the river. Holes 4 and 6 are longer and let you open up on your drive and have some newer trees that will eventually make for decent fairways.

Cons:

Most holes are short open shots due to the large tree being removed. Parks/Rec do poor mowing job on the back part of the course.

Other Thoughts:

The course is fun and decent for newer players. Hole 6's basket being moved takes the walking path out of play for most people now. Par is defiantly not a 30, its a 27.
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7 0
notapro
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.8 years 569 played 284 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Beginner/Intermediate 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 25, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Course is set in a city park that has a typical walking path. Definitely some possible interference with pedestrians in a few spots.
- Best feature here is the abundance of trees, as well as some thicker forested areas. These are used well, with #1 under a large and low tree, #3 a RHBH hyzer around the forest, #8 totally blocked on the right of the pin, and #9 is a big anny or similar around the forest. There are a few open shots, but the majority have well placed obstacles to force some line shaping. Good balance of left, right, and straight.
- There is a creek here as well, and it can be in play. But, it would take a pretty wild or long throw to get it there. Decent accuracy, and there's nothing to worry about (maybe #5 is close enough to worry).
- Some baskets are protected, due to things like the tree on #1 and the forest on #8. Nothing too difficult.
- Decent mix of hole lengths here as well, there are definitely some short ones, but also longer ones with two holes over 350' and one at 420'.
- Good signage, teepads, and baskets. Navigation is a breeze.

Cons:

- Although there are patches of trees and forest to avoid, the course is pretty much wide open. Every hole can yield an easy par, and is usually pretty brainless. Choosing between left, straight, and right, is about the bulk of it.
- Land is pretty much dead flat, if there were any elevation changes, it wasn't very noticable.

Other Thoughts:

- For a niner in a heavily populated area, it's not that bad. The land was used extremely well to make the course long and technical at parts; there are easily bogeys to be found if you miss your line. Definitely beginner friendly (watch that water though), and also a good place for intermediate players to test controlled distance. Experienced golfers should look to score super low here.
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7 0
mykeg44
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.9 years 72 played 45 reviews
2.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 8, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The course is set in a nicely manicured park along the Kishwaukee River located just off the NIU campus, and allows for a pretty quick round. There is a nice variety of shots, and trees on most holes as obstacles. With a few exceptions the Discatcher baskets and tee signs are in good shape, and although somewhat muddy (it had rained a few hours before I played) the dirt tees were level and free of any major ruts. All baskets rest on little circles of wood chips which makes spotting them a little easier from a distance and improves the aesthetic of the course.

Cons:

The river comes into play on #3, #5, and #6 and your disc is gone if it goes in. Personally, I enjoyed the added risk, but newer players or those who toss one in may find this to be unpleasant.

The terrain of the park does not allow for any elevation changes, and although trees/bushes provide obstacles on most holes, most experienced players will not find this course to be overly challenging. The lack of distance also contributes to this ease. Only #4, #6, and #9 required me to use a driver.

While easily correctable, the basket for #8 was crooked when I played.

Other Thoughts:

As of now, this is the only course in the area, so if you find yourself with some free time and you're around Dekalb, this course is worth checking out. It's not the most difficult course, and while it wasn't overly crowded when I played (overcast Saturday afternoon when classes were out), I have heard it can get crowded on nicer days when classes are in. Overall an average, but enjoyable course.
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