-very nice multi-use park; walking path, baseball fields, stream, playground
-baskets were solid
-nice signage looked new
-nice mix of shots (see cons)

-tee boxes are rutted out
-some holes play over other activities or other holes
-parking was brutal when I was here
-it has an odd flow, feels forced into the property
-Multiple times I had to confirm what basket I was throwing at. Hole 5 I threw at the wrong basket
-forced into shots due to other activities, often my 3rd or 4th choice lines
-unattended children everywhere

Shadow Creek is a typical Chicago style 9 hole course squeezed into Proksa Park. The park runs around a lot of the other park activities. There is no parking lot and when it came i had to paralell park by hole 5 and start there.

The course has tee boxes framed out with wood but are rutted out. Decent pads (fresh wood chips, concrete) would be a big plus. The baskets were all in good shape, grass was mowed recently.

This course was not setup with disc golf as a priority. Several holes play so close to other park features you have to stop for 5-10 minutes. I encountered children hanging on baskets, people oblivious walking across holes, wedding photos on hole 5 right after i finished it, little league games, power walkers, some kind of charity event...it was packed which forced me to dink and dunk all round.

It's another 9 hole course that if you're in the area its worth bagging. Not worth a second trip and I doubt I'll ever come back.

Hole 1- 370 foot par "4". This was a hole where I wanted to go forehand but couldn't because it plays over foul territory of 2 baseball fields. I was forced to play a backhand hyzer over basket 9 to avoid all the parents and siblings. Tough starter hole with trees sporadically placed down the fairway. Also had a 5 minute delay for an aimless parent wandering on the fairway.

Hole 2- 220 foot par 3. Straight approach shot, a small group of brush but easily to get close here.

Hole 3- 250 foot par 3. Plays to a basket set near the creek. Really well designed hole, only one that really utilizes the shallow creek, easy to retrieve discs.

Hole 4- 179 foot par 3. Straight shot to a tunnel at 150 feet. Plays across the creek 15' from the pad. Right next to a playground, I again had to wait 10 minutes as multiple families wandered by the basket.

Hole 5- 250 foot par 3. I thought the basket for 6 was this hole because the pad doesn't line up to the basket. The basket is set off to the left. I didn't go for it because a shot left or long was going to hit a car in the street. Right as I putted out a 30 deep wedding party showed up to take pictures.

Hole 6- 160 foot par 3. straight shot. Walking path runs close to the basket.

Hole 7- 320 foot par 3. Hole plays straight with multiple trees dotting the fairway. This hole goes near the walking path. Teepad is close to hole 9 basket, also have to watch for wayward throws from 8. Another hole where multiple families were sitting on blankets.

Hole 8- 270 foot par 3. Open shot with a couple trees down the center at 130 feet. Plays next to hole 2. It plays 50 feet from the bleachers for little league so i played it safe. Wanted to throw a tomahawk or a forehand skipper but didn't want to hit someone. There were kids hanging on the basket when i got on the teepad.

Hole 9- 260 foot par 3. Plays back towards the baseball fields. The basket is right past teebox 7, so watch for others. Another hole where i had to wait to throw due to traffic. I again felt forced into a straight mid due to walking path for a forehand to the left and baseball fields to the right.

Shadow Creek is a mostly beginner length 9 hole course in a nice little park with water in play on a few holes. Many shots involve low ceilings, created by mature trees. Fairways are grassy for the most part. Hole 3 is one of the better holes; a 243' righty hyzer with a creek right behind the basket. Holes 4 and 5 also bring the creek in play, but in both cases the creek is very close to the tee. This is good for beginners, but makes the water carry irrelevant for better throwers. The baskets are new Mach 3's with the number plate. Hole distances are appropriate for beginning players.

Safety issues are probably the main negative for this course. The part of the course containing holes 1, 7, 8, and 9 doesn't have enough space for the current holes. If this course becomes popular, there will be plenty of opportunities to hit other groups on this section of the course. This area is a grassy with mature trees and no underbrush. On most of the holes in this section, it's possible to hit more than one fairway depending on the direction of the errant shot. It is easy to mistake hole 8's basket for hole 1's the first time through. This also means that a group putting on 8 would require a group on 1 to wait for the group on 8 to finish putting. Take a look at the map on this site to see for yourself. Hole 5 plays parallel to the sidewalk and street and both are very much in play with beginners on the tee. Walking paths are in play on many holes and the local park users aren't yet aware of the dangers that careless disc golfers pose.
For the present, tees and signs are very basic. The tee signs only have the hole number. The hole distance is listed in stickers on the wooden tee frame. The tees are big enough for the frame not to be an issue, unless you have a long runup. It appears that better signs and tees are in the works.

This course was installed in a part of the Chicago area that previously had no courses. The challenge level and distances are appropriate for the newer players who are likely to frequent this course. For the beginning player, I'm conflicted on bringing water into play on three holes. While the water carries are very short, beginners are apt to wormburn or shank the occasional drive. For a beginner with only a disc or two, Holes 3 -5 offer the opportunity to end your round due to disc loss. When I played the creek was very high, so disc retrieval may be much easier when water levels are lower.