Skare Woods is a course I've been meaning to play for years now. I've been down in this area plenty of times but never made the stop. I was kind of scared off by the sound of what happened when the tornado came through a number of years back and wreaked havoc on the course. I don't know what the course looked like prior to that, but to my eyes you'd never know that happened. Beautiful park with some damn fine disc golf as is.

The baskets are Mach V's which are all in great shape and catch nicely. I'm a big fan of the Mach V's, probably biased since this is what is at my home course. One basket and pin position per hole.

The tee pads are concrete and good sized. These are all level and have good traction to them. Zero issues with these whatsoever. One tee per hole.

The course design is very good here. The terrain for the course is fantastic for disc golf. The course is mostly wooded with there being some undulating elevation in places. All of which is used expertly to create an appealing course from start to finish. There's not a dull spot out here. The flow of the course is seamless and easy to follow. No map required. The course starts and ends by the parking area too.

The course features a pretty solid mix of different shaped fairways and lines to hit. Staying clean off the tee is paramount to score well out here. The rough is not where you want to be. Hitting gaps is rewarded and placement is crucial. Great design. Loved it.

The tee signs are well done here. They feature a simple hole diagram with next tee arrows, hole #, distance and competitive/casual pars listed. All the info you're going to need to tackle the course.

The course was in great shape on our visit. Freshly mowed and very clean. Restrooms and a shelter by the parking area. Course is permanent and free to play.

The rough is pretty nasty in many places. Probably not lost discs bad most of the time, but it's certainly not out of the question either.

It'd be nice if there were multiple pin placements, at least on some of the holes. Just to spice things up. It didn't affect me since I only played it once. Just from a locals perspective.

I'm not thinking of much else honestly. Pretty flawless nine hole course tbh.

I was glad I finally made it out to Skare. I was always intrigued by this random 9 holer, out in the middle of nowhere, being a top 25 course in IL. Turns out it's really that good. I wish I could've seen what it looked like prior to the tornado. You'd have no idea today that that even happened.

Definitely worth a trip off the expressway to play this one. Honestly this is one of the better nine hole courses I've played. Not a slight to IL disc golf or anything, but this is better than many, a shocking many, 18's I've played in the state.

- large concrete tees
- full color tee signs
- outhouses, picnic tables, and garbage cans at start of course
- built in bridges over come creeks are nice
- straightforward navigation
- tight, challenging fairways on most holes with good technical challenge
- some solid elevation change incorporated, especially by Illinois standards
- area devoted to disc golf with no major safety hazards
- small creek hazard incorporated onto a couple of holes

- tee signs are a bit worn at this point, but still usable
- no practice basket
- rough is quite overgrown in thorny in many places
- baskets are just average
- no benches/garbage cans throughout course
- some irritating bug activity, as is common in forested areas

Skare Woods has been on my list for years, and somehow I've never stopped by on a trip between Chicago and Madison. I enjoyed finally getting to try this course out. It sounds like expansion plans were scrapped by an EF4 tornado (whoa) about 7 years ago which also claimed many mature trees on the existing course. While I really enjoyed this course, it's probably a 3.25 at best for me. Perhaps if I played it when all of those mature trees were still standing, I would have wanted to score it slightly higher - hard to know. It really is one of the more excellent 9 hole courses I've played, but I think it's probably on par with Central Park in Oak Brook (albeit a slightly different style of course) and I think Campton Hills is better, personally. Other reviews appear to disagree with me and that's ok. For me, there wasn't quite as much technical challenge and epic elevation change here as Campton Hills offers. I'll admit the bugs at Campton Hills are way, way worse. At Skare Woods on a September morning, they were not too bad, but I did use my bug spray eventually.

Skare Woods plays through mostly forested fairways with a few more open shots thrown in. The course is technical and has some challenge, but is fair. The concrete tees are really nice for a small course this off the beaten path, as are the high quality tee signs. The baskets are just ok, but serviceable. If I was in the area, I would play this course again. It's probably Top 5 for 9 holes I've played, but not #1.

I did enjoy the creek coming in to play on a couple of holes and the built in crossings were nice. The course was deserted when i was there, but it was 8 AM on a Thursday. Most of my cons are nits, as the elevation change, while somewhat limited, is pretty darn good for Illinois. The biggest issue I had was the rough. While this is part of disc golf, there are 2 kids of rough that really irritate me - super tall prairie grasses impossible to find discs in, and super thorny brambles that cut you up. The latter was present in places here. It didn't end up being too big an issue for me, but this is the kind of rough I'd like to see more effort to eradicate. Nobody wants to get all torn up finding their disc - or just retrieving it once you know where it is.

If you're passing through or in the area, I definitely think Skare Woods is worth a stop. I'd play again passing through the area once I hit other nearby courses.

Unlike most nine-holers, Skare Woords is worth going out of your way for. As the name indicates, the course winds its way through a patch of woods, but there is one hole that is open enough and long enough for distance throwers to break out their drivers. Here's what made my rounds here enjoyable:

*Hole Variety - Skare Woods features nine interesting holes. I would consider three of the holes to be high caliber (4,6,7).

*Seclusion - Skare Woods is located in a very quiet area and the disc golf activities do not seem to interfere with anything else going on at the park. It's like its own little disc golf world! The course makes for a very enjoyable hike through the woods where it's just you, the course, and Mother Nature

*Flow - it was easy to navigate the course. The layout and flow makes it possible to complete two rounds here in about an hour

*Amenities - the tee signs were descriptive and accurate (see exception in 'cons'). The tee pads and baskets were solid, and there are benches and garbage cans scattered throughout the course.

*Holes 2 and 5 are somewhat boring... both are very short with minimal risk/reward
*A few of the tee signs are blank
*Although there are three solid holes here, none of the holes stuck out to me as "WOW" holes

I truly enjoyed my round here, and will stop by and play this course every time I'm in the area. If you're in the Chicago area, this one is worth taking a day to go try out.

Just to echo what's been said...what a neat park!

It's easy to find, though a bit remote between Dixon and Rochelle.
Clean, with a decent outhouse off the lot.
Great signage.
Benches, garbage, and recycling at multiple tees along the way.
The tees are in great shape, large, easy to find.
The baskets are in great shape and friendly.
It's a neat mix of technical, birdable, and one good big (513 feet) throw.
The hazards are there, and do influence your shots, but I don't see this as a park where you'd lose your discs.
The park is clean and maintained.
There was a guy there when I got there, and a guy arriving as I was finishing. I can't speak to actual crowds bc I was there at 1030 on. Thursday. Maybe crowds on the weekend?

If it was crowded, I can see a couple spots where interference could occur. The compactness in a couple spots. Not really a con, but more of just a possibility.

It's still just 9 holes. I saw mention in other reviews that it would be expanding. As of 4/1/16, it hasn't. It's a straight 9. I played twice around to make it 18.
There's an easement running along the fairway before #9. It's pretty squishy. That likely dries out in the summer, but for now my socks got wet thru my shoes. Of course, it was my fault for a terrible drive that put me there.

I think the biggest drawback is the drive out there from DeKalb. It's not a bad drive, but just a tad far for a small (even though cool) park.

I think the good folks of DeKalb and Ogle Counties are lucky to have this neat little park there. I don't have a basis for comparing yet, but hope to get to Pioneer in Kirkland or Jericho in Aurora to get some better ideas. Skare is miles ahead of Prairie Park in DeKalb. I loved throwing the 513 foot dogleg left on 7, and throwing down the hill and over the little creek to 9.

It's a great park for newer players, and fun and fast for the more experienced.

Skare Woods is a well-designed, well equipped 9 hole course. The terrain is predominantly wooded, with a few holes in more open areas. The course has good signage, concrete tees and newer DGA baskets. Most tees have nice benches. There is no chance of getting lost, as the way to go is obvious.

There is a good variety of distances and shot types required to score well. The variety exhibited by just 9 holes is impressive. 513' Par 4 hole 7 is mostly open off of the tee, with a late left dogleg into a more wooded area. This helps break up the otherwise par 3 layout. Elevation is well used, when available; as is a small creek that comes into play on a few holes.

No serious cons here. Only 9 holes and northern Illinois terrain are the main things holding it back.

On the wooded holes, the fairways have been recently carved leading to a few small stumps that need to be cut and an overall rough appearance. This will certainly change as the course breaks in over time.

I pass through Rochelle once or twice a year when visiting my wife's family. We will be stopping at Skare Woods each time, if at all possible. It's a really fun course that's not too far off of I-88.

This course will be expanding to 18 holes in the next year or so.

Once you find the first tee, it's easy to navigate with great signage.
I think the locals are taking some pride in this course.
Had it all to myself.

I enjoyed this course even though as a new player it intimidated me a bit. So my shorts were straight, short and safe. But I did enjoy the walk through the woodsy course as I played. Which is one of the reasons that this sport appeals to me. Insect repellent might be a good idea.