Sterling, IL

Sinnissippi Park

4.055(based on 42 reviews)
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3 2
AHagglund
Experience: 17 years 77 played 19 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A regional standard 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 8, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

1) The first 8 and the last 5 holes are the highlight. As has been mentioned, Hole 5 is probably the standout, though I think I like the tee shots on 7 and 18 more and would play these holes all day if I could. Holes 20 through 23 can all produce big scoring swings as they are relatively short but require tight lines and pose major hazards to errant shots.
2)Probably the biggest plus for this course is that it can be played and enjoyed by players of all skill levels--a tough feat to pull off from a design standpoint. I would rate its difficulty as intermediate, but presents enough length to give the stronger players places to stretch out their arms, but it is not so punishing that it will be frustrating for the rec players.
3)It's a well-maintained course. And because it's mostly open, it doesn't become overgrown with poison ivy and nettles during summer like some of the other good courses in the area.
4) Pin placements keep the course fresh. I don't know how often they are changed, but it seems to be every couple of months.
5)I feel the length is appropriate, and most of the longer holes play downhill

Cons:

In spite of everything good about it--and there is a lot-- this still feels like a city park course to me. There are a lot of unique, exciting holes, but they are mixed with an equal number of the mundane flat, straight holes where you throw around a tree or something that are prevalent in city park courses.
-A concealed walking path cuts across fairways in a couple places. (5 and 23 are the most glaring examples) On 5 in particular, a low laser-beam type shot could really hurt someone.
-Hard to know what placement the pin is in (see other thoughts). A lot of the pin placements are similar to one another, maybe 30-50 feet different and since the course is relatively open it's tough to gauge distance. Even as many times as I have played the course, I still choose the wrong disc 3-4 times when playing a new layout. Also, on the back 6 the pins will occasionally be in positions not indicated by the signs

Other Thoughts:

Simple solution to helping players identify what position the pins are in: update the bulletin board whenever the layout is changed.

I always have a good time playing here, and I plan to keep coming back.
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4 1
IHearChains
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.9 years 211 played 34 reviews
3.00 star(s)

decent, but some design limitations 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 22, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has several holes which are long enough to test the big arms, and some holes which are more technical with elevation and woods in play. I liked the downhill island hole (#5) and there were a couple of other really fun holes on the front 9. Hole 22, having a wooded cliff 10ft to the left of the basket really tests the skill in landing a backhand shot flat with no skip (I thought I had a solid shot for an easy deuce, but failed the landing and ended up with a 4).

Big trees, nice tee pads, good facilities, ample parking. The park is clean and well-maintained, very little garbage on the course.

Cons:

There were problems with course flow, a couple unnecessarily long walk between holes. Especially on hole 23 where you have to backtrack the entire hole to get to 24. Finding the next hole in holes 21-24 are not straightforward if you have not been on this course before.

Holes 22-23 play along a very steep cliff and I think there will be some erosion issues from people bushwhacking down to find their discs. One year in, and there were already a lot of trees damaged from people using them to pull themselves up the hill. I played on a dry day but if that was mud it would be very tough to get up and down to find an errant disc.

There are many holes which play across or along walking paths, and usually its a minor safety hazard because at least there is a view of oncoming walkers. The basket on hole 23 is right next to a walking path and I would be shocked if there are not injuries to pedestrians here because it is a keyhole shot down a cliff toward the walking path, and the trees block the views so there is no way to tell if pedestrians are about to step into the path of a shot.

There is a lot of redundancy on this course. It is 24 holes but a lot of them are similar.

There are too many holes that are purely a test of distance drives. For most people they will be be an easy 3 and rarely a 4. Too far for most people to have a birdie chance, and no real obstacles to cause any 4s. (Edit: Note that many holes have more than one placement but only one hole length is listed on here.)

Other Thoughts:

I saw a red fox stop in front of my car as I was driving into the park. It just stood there and looked at me.

This is a decent course, but at the time I write this the average DGCR rating is 4.15 and I think that is overrated.
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