Sinnissippi is a very good course that features some solid variety and challenge for intermediate level players.

The front 8 here are 4.5 star caliber holes, #5 is a long downhill shot through a tree lined fairway, with the creek forming a water hazard around the basket... one the coolest holes I've ever played. #3 and #7 are also phenomenal downhill shots.

The challenge is consistent throughout the course with either trees, distance, elevation, or tricky angles to contend with on pretty much every hole. I loved the amount of distance here, and most players will need a driver off the tee on almost every hole.

Course flow is nice, tee pads are roomy, and the baskets and signs are in good shape. There are rotating pins, but the current pin placements are not listed on the signs. In all but one or two instance you can see the pin from the tee, so this isn't an issue. The park is located just off the river, so there is some great scenery here.

This course comes up short of a 4-star because of the final 10 holes. They're fairly challenging, but they aren't particularly interesting and remind me of a standard multi-use park course. This area is pretty much completely flat and there is less distance than the first section of the course. #18 is a decent hole (long bomb, with huge OB area to the right), but nothing else from #9-#17 was memorable.

Small beef, but #18 ends like 300 yards away from the parking lot.

Sinnissippi is one of the better 18ers I've played in Illinois. It's worth the drive from Chicago if you're a serious player or looking to rack up your course count.

Holes 1-8 vary in elevation and most have foilage.
Some have Water Hazards that are very fun to play.
Each hole has cement tee boxes and a sign telling par and distance, along with direction the hole is in (very helpful going up hills.) Great baskets.
The park is very scenic, and nature is all over. Last time I went, a fox walked within 25ft of me.
Lots of animals, a great shelter, 3 softball diamonds, and a couple good playgrounds. Good parking lot.
The first 8 holes are the funnest to play, specifically hole 5. Hole 5, in my opinion, is the best hole in Illinois. That hole alone is enough to go to the course, the other 17 holes add to that.

Holes 9-18 are rather boring, as you are just going across the flatness of Illinois.
Also, You have to make a decent walk if you want to go from 18 back to 1.
The park is often crowded.
In the front 9, its pretty easy to turn an errant throw into a missing disc, due to the poison ivy and stinging nettles, heavy wooded areas and steep, loos dirt hills.
Other than that, theres not much bad to say.

Best home course ever? yes, yes it is.

1) The mature Oak trees make this course what it is. They force certain shot shaping on many of the holes, but at the same time you can pick your favorite line.

2) Nice views of a river on a few of the holes. This would be even more evident in the fall or early spring because the leaves will block some of the views.

3) Tee signs have Hole #, distance, par, and a decent layout of the hole. I like this especially because I play so many different courses.

4) Many of the baskets are risk/reward because of the potential for some rollaways, trees located close to the basket which force a certain type of shot on your drive if you want to park it.

5) For you WI people this is like Miniwaukan on steroids . . . it has a little elevation change, some more risky basket locations, more distance, more variety, but the end all is that is has so many mature oak trees. These trees make this course what it is.

6) Benches and garbage are available along with restrooms located by the shelter near #1.

7) The challenge on this course comes from the Oak trees. Every hole ha some trees to think about and avoid and that is what make the course what it is. If those mature trees weren't there it wouldn't be a great course at all.

8) Distance variation on this course ranging from 196 to 481. This variety helped make this course what it is because it forces you to think about multiple types of shots and even the variety of forcing approach shots on some of the longer holes.

1) Some of these holes get repetetive although the trees force specific shots on certain holes so at least they are not just wide open.

2) Long walks between some of the holes get a little old but they are necessary to avoid other areas used by other people.

3) There really isn't any water brought into play on this course. Sure there are a few baskets near a creek, but the only way the water is brought into play is an overshot drive.

4) The tree density on this course is about the same on every hole. I would have liked this even more if there were some tighter wooded holes.

I wish I could have seen the alternate pin positions as it might have added to the allure of this course. I had no idea where they were except the positions they were in.

Perhaps this course had less of an impression on me because I had just come from the Quad Cities where they have a little bit of everything on every course. I did enjoy the course, but it didn't live up the above 4 rating people seemed to give it. This by no means this is a bad course, it just didn't seem to have enough for me to give it that high of a rating. I think I could understand why the locals love it, but at the same time It is by no means a phenomonal course compared to the other courses I have played in so many states. But for Illinois it is by far the best I have played. SO you local fans of this course, enjoy it! If you are from another area with awesome disc golf this course will underwhelm you. With all of this said I have to give it a 3.5, it is close to being a low end 4 disc course but it is not currently. The repetition and lack of wow really hurts this course because of the back 9. The first few holes are great but then it just becomes an average park-like course. Perhaps the temporary tournament holes make this course better when in play.

- Great variety
- Solid elevation (mostly on front 9)
- Uses terrain brilliantly
- Great use of small bodies of water to create hazards wthout making disc swallowing monsters.
- Well manicured and planned out holes
- Beautiful Scenery
- Great risk/reward holes
- Very rewarding birdie opportunities
- Good distance variety
- Multiple pin placements
- Solid baskets
- Concrete teepads (sometimes are slick)
- Great disc golf community.

- Some holes play near/ around the water. Most discs are retrievable, but some are gone forever.
- There is a lot of poison ivy and stinging nettles to watch out for.
- Concrete teepads get a little slick when they are wet.
- Teesigns are outdated and need to be updated for some of the new basket placements.

Sinnissippi Park is a beautiful park that has challenging and fun disc golf holes. All holes play through large mature trees, with very minimal chance to lose a disc. The front 9 plays through some rolling hills where the most challenging aspect is managing the elevation . Miscalculations can leave your disc skidding or rolling 30 feet down a hill. This provides awesome risk reward instances. The back 9 does not have as much elevation, so it does not punish bad shots as severely, but it is still more beautiful and more challenging then the average course. The course has various pin positions which keeps it fresh and heightens the replay value. During the Sinnissippi open this year, the locals moved the pins to other positions for the second round which made for a great touch on an already great tournament. My one gripe with the pin positions is that the tee signs are not up to date and do not list all the current pin positions. Furthermore, it would be helpful to have some sort of indicator to show what the current pin position is on the tee sign. Besides the tee signs, more slip resistant concrete and trimming of the poison ivy and stinging nettles are the only things needed to push this course to a 5/5. I thoroughly believe this is a destination course and if you have not played it I highly recommend it.

- Course is set within a multi-use park, and makes good use of the land. There are some softball fields, public shelters, and a walking path, but they are not a big factor.
- This course is pretty much divided into two parts - the front 8 are set in a hilly, moderately wooded area that has water in play. The last 10 are set in a moderately wooded, flat field. It is almost like two different 9-holers combined to make an 18-holer. I have heard the back 9 were designed to be wheelchair accessible, which makes sense due to the flat terrain.
- The front 9 makes great use of elevation changes on almost every hole. A good mix of downshots and upshots, some of which are pretty significant. A small cliff to the right of #2's basket is a huge risk as well.
- There is a little water in play on the front 9, especially on #5 which has an island green (more or less). The creek is in a perfect spot to suck in discs that fall a bit short, a true choice of whether to lay up or go for it is needed off the tee. Solid bridge to cross over.
- While the back 9 is flat, there are plenty of trees to make it interesting. There is usually more than one way to get to the basket, but a "recommended" path is pretty obvious. Personally, I felt like the designer made great use of the trees to have both pretty clear fairway shots and tricky back doors.
- All types of shots are useful at this course. While the holes are pretty much open enough where any shot is serviceable, having a good forehand or anhyzer can really help to score well.
- Large mix of hole lengths, from very short to pretty long.
- Good signs and pads, decent baskets. Tons of alternate pin placements are an added bonus.

- A lot of roads and walking paths to avoid on this course. Seclusion is not a factor on most holes.
- While the back 9 is enjoyable, it is really just tacked on to an existing course. Not many unique features or exciting holes, just flat land with various types of trees.

- An all around solid course. I really enjoy playing the front, and don't mind the back. There are a good mix of technical shorter holes, due to elevation and tight windows, and longer holes that still require good accuracy. The scenery is also nice, always good to see the train rolling down the river.
- A more experienced player might find the course a little short or easy, everyone else should fit right in.

An excellent, well-manicured park course with elevation, lots of large, mature trees and OB creeks and walking paths throughout the course. There are at least two pin placements for each hole which give each hole at least two unique looks. There is also some unused land that borders the river at the edge of the course which is used to create some fabulous temp holes for tournaments and special events. Some of my favorite holes:

#1 - A straight, slightly downhill 400-footer to two pins with rough and a waking path close behind. A great opening hole.
#2 - Both pin positions are on the edge of a huge drop-off that ends at a creek. If you leave your drive short, that 30 foot putt is a great risk/reward opportunity.
#3 - A big downhill shot through a huge clump of trees to a pin on the edge of a creek or tucked around a corner next to another part of the creek.
#5 - Another big downhill shot, this time with a more defined fairway with trees on both sides and a manicured green bordered by a creek on 2 sides and thick rough on the back side. A two here feels like an eagle.
#7 - The biggest downhill shot: over 470 feet through a tree-lined fairway to two excellent pin positions.
#16 - A 400-500 foot slightly downhill hole through a narrow window on the right or left. Choose your poison - a big anhyzer through a small gap with a low ceiling, or a slow hyzer through a smaller gap with a very low ceiling.
#18 - Another 400+ foot hole with an OB road all along the right side of the fairway and huge trees all along the right side of the fairway. Throw too far right or turn it over and you are OB. Throw it too far left to avoid the OB and you are fighting through trees to get to the pin.

The park has two decent pavilions on the two sections of the course if you need to take a bathroom break and there are benches and trash cans throughout the course.

A couple holes on the back nine (hole 9 and 12) are not of the same caliber as the other holes on the course. Hole 9 is basically a wide open field shot, between 322 and 398 feet (depending on pin position) with some OB lurking on the right, and hole 12 is mostly wide open with a couple large trees guarding the pin. Some of the land used for temporary holes might be a good place to put permanent holes to replace one or both of these to make the course even more extraordinary.

The walk between hole 18's basket and the parking lot is a little long. But there is ample shade, which is very helpful in the summer months.

The park is not solely dedicated to disc golf, with baseball fields, picnic benches and playgrounds dotted throughout the course, so on weekends you may have to be careful of where you throw.

This course is a little "off the beaten path" in northwest Illinois (about 1 hour from the Quad Cities and 2 hours from Chicago off of Interstate 88), but it is well worth the trip. It's a beautiful park, with lots of well-designed holes and lots of challenges, even for the most experienced players. If you want to score well here, you'll need to throw a wide variety of shots, drive over 300' with accuracy and make your putts when you have the chance. A score of 54 is good for an amateur level player, while more experienced professional players would probably be pleased with a 48 or 49.

Tricky and well thought out. It requires Power and Finesse throws, left and right fades, this course makes you a better player. With the course being elevated and a wind off the river, always challenging, and scenic.

The restrooms are poorly maintained and no soap, TP, no mirrors, and that's when unlocked. Women usually complain about the restrooms lacking. This detracts from the usability of not only the course but the park too.

I realize the Sterling Park district has budget concerns, but could pony up some dough for better signage, working drinking fountains (they are right near a natural spring) fix up the bathrooms, and plastic trash cans at every tee, or every other tee.....this way people would be more prone to stop littering....and the guy on the ZTR mower could pick up the cans and bottles and throw them in a proper receptacle
instead of mowing over them.
The course is awesome, one of the best courses in the nation, I'm glad this course is my home course. It's been marked as a favorite, wish listed by so many, thee standard by which all other courses are judged by the masses... it's baffling why there aren't more tournaments held there.

The course plays through a pretty park with some nice hills on the front 9 and mostly flat terrain on the back. Much of the course plays through stands of mature trees, with some occasional brush if you throw way off line. There are some nice water hazards on a few of the holes to add a little risk, my favorite hole by far was hole 5 playing steeply downhill with a creek just left of the basket and a sidewalk ob a little to the right. It's fun to try to get as close as possible without going ob, and discs that get wet aren't too hard to retrieve.

The front 9 is more technical, with lots of shorter holes that require accurate line shaping through the trees. The back 9 tests your distance game a little more, and most holes still have enough trees that a poor drive can easily lead to a bogey. There are some holes that force a left to right or right to left shot, and a great balance of uphill and downhill shots that make for good variety throughout the course.

There are decent tee signs, and good concrete tees that seemed plenty large and grippy. The baskets are older, but still seemed to catch just fine. There are alternate pin positions that looked like they would change up how the course played quite a bit. The course flow is very good, there was no question of where to go next while navigating the course.

I prefer to have the current pin position marked on the sign somehow so that you don't have to walk ahead to see where the basket is and where to throw. I liked the alternate placements, I just like to see a little better signage for them. Many of the tees had some erosion around them, making for awkward steps on long run ups or a follow through off the front of the tee.

There are several places on the front 9 where picnic areas and walking trails conflict with the course and a couple of these are blind adding a little more safety hazard. Be prepared to wait on walkers on a nice day.

The back 9 is less fun and interesting than the front, especially going from fun hills to flat terrain, so it's a little bit of a let down. The course could really use a few tight holes that really force you to hit a specific line to test more of a player's game.

This is a very fun course that makes great use of the park. I would definitely recommend a stop here if you're anywhere near, it's worth a little extra driving. I liked the front 9 better than the back, but it's a challenging and interesting course with lots of variety.

Beginners might be a little frustrated with some of the more punitive holes and the distance on the back 9. More experienced players will find many aspects of their game tested here, and will enjoy the variety and challenge this course has to offer.

This park, besides being beautiful, is one of the best courses I've thrown. The front 9 are simply the best. Hole 5 is easily the coolest hole I've ever played. Elevation changes make the first 8 holes fairly challenging. Really liked holes 3, 5, 7, and 8.

Not too many cons here. Back 9 is kinda flat compared to the front, but still challenging. Walking path is a must watch for peds, or bikes. Grass was well maintained, but there was garbage laying around, which I didn't understand since there are trash cans all over the Park. Basically just lazy people who toss their garbage wherever. Respect the park if you come to play!!

Overall, great scenic, challenging course. Can't say enough about hole #5.
If you've got a full day to play, I recommend starting at Krape Park in Freeport, then hitting Sinnissippi , followed by Nims Park in Rock Falls, like 5 minutes away. Nims is a compact little 18 holer, with absolutely no challenge, but a chance for Ace on every shot.

This is still one of my favorite courses and I've played many in several states. I am probably biased since this is where I learned how to play. It's probably the best manicured course and also one of the most beautiful.

Love the rolling hills on the front nine. The back nine is flat, but still provides plenty of technical challenges. In fact, I find the back nine harder than the front.

Indeed, hole number 5 is an interesting hole. I also like hole 7, quite long in some arrangements but you can let it fly.

I was really bummed when they put that walking path in. Great for walkers, bad for disc golfers, bad for the scenic views.

I would skip Nims Park. This course is too good to waste your time there.

-Great rolling hills on holes 1-8
-Beautiful park alongside the Rock river
-Concrete tees
-Well designed holes
-Not repetitive
-Multiple pin sleeves keep things fresh
-Hole 5 is amazing (Throw down hill over a walking path and creek onto what amounts to an island green created by a bend in the creek)
-Back 10 have more length than the front (which isn't all that short either, just no muti-shot holes)

-Concrete pads are mostly narrow and not of consistent size or shape
-Back 10 holes are relatively flat
-Some holes throw over a walking path and can create delays as the path is heavily used on nice days
-Park closes at dusk and a sign claims that they will lock the gate on you if your not out in time

If the entire course resembled the first 8 holes it would be nearly a five. The temporary holes added for the Sinnissippi Open are awesome, playing along the edge of the bluff overlooking the river.
While you are out here play Nims park if you want a laugh. It features 18 holes in a park that has room for maybe 5. You only need a putter on this course. Hole #'s are spray painted on trees with an arrow indicating which basket to play to (many are in view at all tees).

Sinnissippi has a wide variety with multiple pin positions and concrete tees. The first 8 holes vary drastically compared to the last 10.

UPDATE: New tee signs added summer of 2011. Very descriptive featuring all 4 pins on each hole.
UPDATE: 6 new holes have been added summer of 2012.

The 1st 8 holes play in the southeast corner of the park. There are some nice elevation changes and semi wooded holes. Hole #2 has a nasty drop off to the right of the pin. There are some fun downhill and uphill throws.

Hole #5 has my vote as THE SIGNATURE HOLE in all of Illinois. There is a nice gap to throw thru to a pin that sits on an island green and is surrounded by water most of the year. The hole plays downhill. Most discs are pretty easy to retrieve in the water. This hole is AWESOME!

The last 10 holes are long with scattered obstacles. There are several holes where a roller is very useful. Players that often play this course are very good at rollers. All of these holes take quality shots to get 2's. Holes 16 & #18 are tough par 4's depending on where the pin is located.

I would absolutely love this course as a home course. It's really fun to play and you won't have to worry about looking for too many discs. It's a nice stroll thru the park and is very popular. It is a challenging course and you will learn how to play disc golf playing here.

After playing the first 8 holes the last 10 are very flat. This is a semi let down as the front is so fun. They are still good holes but not as interesting as the beginning of the course.

There is some erosion around the tee areas.

If you get a chance to play the tournament here in the summer and the 6 temporary holes are added do so. They add another aspect to the course. They are sweet!

Fadegear Bags are located in Sterling.
http://www.fadegear.com /

Check out my Illinois Top 10 list.
http://discontinuum.org/index...1486.msg68704#msg68704

The front 9 is completely shaded from a tall canopy. One or two holes feature a blind shot from the tee, but the only obstacles are tree trunks. Steep dropoffs on the first 3 holes go into the Rock River. A creek adds dimension to a few holes as well, especially on #5(beautiful).
The back 9 is more open and longer. Smaller/low hanging trees come into play here.

Large picnic area at beginning that was being used for a family reunion, and all the kids were running around through several holes.
A bad drive on the back 9 could be in danger of hitting cars driving in/out of the park.

One of the best courses in Illinois!!

Nice park. Good elevation changes and shots.

Front nine has a couple holes that you literally throw across a walking path. Seems like a bad design for public safety

There was a cool shot into some big old pine trees where the pin was actually up inside the canopy of the trees.

DROVE 88 MILES JUST TO PLAY AT THIS COARSE. THE FRONT NINE WHERE GREAT (4.75) LITTLE HARD TO NAVIGATE. ONE NEEDS TO MEMORIZE MAP AT HOLE ONE. BACK NINE ARE(3.0) OK FEW TREES AND OK LENGTH.

SOMETIMES HARD TO TELL WHERE TO GO NEXT. LAWN MAINTANCE WAS NEEDED (MAYBE JUST BAD TIMING ON MY PART)

WE WENT ON A SCHOOL DAY IN THE MORNING, THE FELLOW GOLFERS WERE VERY NICE.WOULD GO AGAIN

Very fun course to play. Front 9 has some elevation changes combined with water and alot of oak trees. Back 9 is more open and longer with pine trees coming into play. Excellent ground for rollers. Good variety of holes.

Tough to say anything bad about this place. Its a par 54. The park definitely has enough land to redesign the course and make championship par 60+ course.

Bring your A game! This one is not for the casual disc golfer. This is hardcore, man!

I am not used to elevation changes as dramatic as the front 9 of this course provides, so this was rather challenging.

Special props go out whenever the groundscrew is dedicated and vigilant like this one to not only mow the holes like they do but also to alternate the pin placements on a timely manner.

Hole 2 is usually a very, very cautionary hole because it's placed close to a steep cliff. Yet another example of elevation change at work!

Hole 5 is an island. If you par this (par = 3 shots) you should be in good shape the rest of the course. If you bogey this hole, then you are in contention....

Good mix of holes. The front and back halves differ dramatically! If you have a rough front nine, you can make up ground on the back nine.

There are multitudes of lost discs to be found here.....you just need to know where to look.

There are a few blinds drives that, if you've never played this course, you'd need to take a look-see.

You can lose a disc on the front 9 VERY quickly. For example, on Hole 1, a few years ago I launched my red 170 g Quarter K and it sailed straight....past the basket.....past the shrubs....and right into the drink. Water hazards are paramount on the first few holes.

If you get behind on this course, you might not be able to make up ground. There are only a select few holes that allow you to birdie sans a magnificent shot.

There is a walk/jog path that goes thru the front 9. Beware the old ladies who will come across your throw on holes 3 - 7.

Nims Park is not far away. That place will make you feel good about yourself ( you can play that park with your putter because each hole is a par 3 150 - 200 ft course). If you are in the general area, then stop by! This course will test you!

The Marathon station down the road sells discs. There's also a decent selection of fast foods near the course.

its can be very challenging the fron 9 is very technichal lots of elevation changes the back 9 is very open and long good mix of holes some water hazards have played this course for over 10 years never get sick of it 3 pin placements for each hole

needs more holes

love it would rather play here then anywhere else

large trees, elevation changes, a shot over a creek, 3 pin locations on all holes, baskets are changed around every third week.

the walking path

Very nice course in a beautiful park with lots more to offer for the family if you bring them with.

Challenging. Plays next to Rock River, which provides for a unique terrain. Large trees. Interesting layout and use of land. Easy to navigate. Accuracy and shot variety a must to play well.

The teepads although long are very skinny.

Alot of fun to play and worth making a detour to play.