Westview Gold Course plays host to a longer, open 18-hole disc golf course that will test your distance accuracy as well as your handling of elevation changes. This course is the longest of the three courses in Quincy, and provides some different challenges to compliment the other two park style courses.

Location of Westview is on South 36th St./IL 96, which is easier accessible from Broadway, the main drag of Quincy that connects I-172 to the downtown area, all of which makes this a pretty straightforward course to get to. There are plenty of gas stations in town, as well as food options, in case you have needs for those before or after your round. There are some refreshments for sale in Westview's pro shop as well. If you're making a day out of disc golf, Bob Mays and Moorman are close by and will keep you busy. Between Hannibal, Palmyra, and Camp Point, you can make a full day out of the area, which is full of fun, decent to great options for course bagging.

Course Equipment is limited as the course continues to be worked on. The baskets are white banded Patriot baskets from Dynamic Discs, and are both in pristine shape and easy to spot. There are no tee signs yet, though the pro shop already has disc golf scorecards with a map for those who don't have UDisc. The tees are currently natural and spray-painted, with a flag at each one to help them be more visible. While not ideal, the golf course setting means the grass is pretty much always mowed, and it was easy to throw from each one despite recent downpours of rain. The flags are also a nice touch for a wind read before your drive, and I wouldn't mind seeing those stick around as the course matures.

Course Design at Westview is open and hilly, with the lack of tree cover playing a real factor on windier days. The course plays along the back 9 of the ball golf course, mixing between playing along or across the ball golf fairways and along the edges of the property. This is a longer course at 7,728 feet, and those without a decent driving distance in their arsenal will find it tough to birdie most of the holes here.

Elevation is one of the main challenges at Westview, as the property has some rolling hills across the disc golf course. While plenty of holes play pretty flat, you will find yourself throwing either up hills or across valley areas throughout your round. Hole 1 plays decently short for a 500 foot hole, as the downhill fairway will have many folks like myself surprised at the easy of making an easy par. Hole 16 is another hole that plays downhill around the green that can potentially lead to very long comeback putts. Holes 2, 11, and 17 all play uphill, challenging you to really pump a drive to take as much of the work out of your first shot as possible for any chance at a birdie. Holes like hole 8 also have some sneaky elevation, with 8 having some valleys in the fairway that can lead to a rollaway or a tough lie for your second shot. Hole 18 is another valley shot through trees that is a tough two drive hole to get a birdie or par.

Distance, as previously stated, is the longest among courses in the area, with many holes playing longer than on paper due to the hills. At a par of 60, many holes will prove challenging to score a birdie on unless you have accurate distance of 375 to 400 feet. On a positive note, the distance may lead you to throw some discs that other local course may not require due to their relative shorter distances. Fairways and mids tend to rein supreme for intermediate and advanced players at courses like nearby Moorman, while distance drives will tend to get more love at Westview. That being said, some of the par 3s, like 14 and 15, are reachable for many players, and the par 5 on site is a great birdie opportunity at 714 feet of wide-open fairway.

Shot-Shaping isn't a particularly prominent factor on site, but some holes have do require some finesse. Hole 15 is a right turning drive that will require righties to either have a decent forehand, or a turnover that won't cut too hard given the slope of the land around the green. Hole 16 also will require some accuracy, as there are some tight gaps through the tree cover along the fairway. Other holes will have obstacles close to the tee pad that may limit options as well, but that being said, this is a course where you will mostly be comfortable and able to throw your preferred type of drive.

Difficulty at Westview is higher than the other local courses but shouldn't be overwhelming for most players. Anyone with 400-foot distance will be able to breeze through the majority of this course, while intermediate to advanced players will be able to challenge for some birdies while having par be more than achievable on most holes. Newer players working on distance may not find this course as fun as Moorman or Bob Mays, both of which have much more reachable greens.

Pay to Play – Westview is another example of the increasing trend of ball golf courses adding disc golf to add another revenue stream to their business. It's an interesting course environment to play in, and seems to be getting more popular with smaller golf courses as we also see more golf courses finding their way on pro tour coverage. Fees here are $5 per round plus $10 if you want a golf cart. Some folks see pay to play as an immediate con, which is why I'm putting it here. I don't factor pay to play into my ratings; that being said, the pay to play factor will see me playing Moorman and Bob Mays much more often than Westview when I'm visiting In-laws in Quincy. Golf carts may make the experience more enjoyable, but I have yet to convince myself to drop $10 to drive to my 350-foot drive or 60 foot approach shot.

Openness of the land is also a detractor at Westview, as there are limited trees or other obstacles to add shot shaping or challenges to the course. This seems to be one of the main challenges to ball golf courses that add disc golf in my experience, and while others have more trees to work with, the plot of land Westview chose is pretty sparse. The trees that are present seem to be underutilized as well, with holes 3, 16, and 18 being the only holes that truly make trees a factor in otherwise open holes. Other holes like hole 4 do have trees around the green, but the openness of the fairway on this hole and others really make them a non-factor. Elevation can only make up so much of a deficit of other obstacles, and more utilization of the pockets of trees and bushes on the land would have really added to the design of the course.

Course Equipment/Navigation is limited and confusing, and hopefully will continue to receive improvements. Without the flags, the tees would be nearly impossible to spot from a distance. With how open the course is, the fact the tee flags don't have numbers on them will have you double checking UDisc if you have it to make sure you're going the right way, as multiple tees and baskets are visible from every part of the course. In addition to tee signs, next tee directions would be a huge benefit as well. Some baskets had arrows spray painted by them, but I'm pretty sure these are not by every basket, as I only noticed them starting at hole 15. Seeing as the next tee arrows and tee pads are spray painted, I will also just assume for the purposes of my rating that this is being kept up with as the grass grows, though that may not be the case. More permanent tee pads, as well as signage, will greatly help this course be navigable as well as enjoyable.

Safety/Courtesy of Design is something I wondered about as well on the course. The course plays along as well as across many ball golf holes, and it is not always clear what direction the ball golf course is playing at a given point. Between that and the hills on site, there could be blind spots where disc golfers and ball golfers don't see each other before throwing/taking a stroke. The course was empty when I played, but if there are other folks around, just be cognizant of surroundings. I also wasn't a huge fan of how close to the property line and backyards hole 5 plays. I think the design on its own is fun, but I could see an errant throw or tree kick leaving your disc in a backyard.

Overall, Westview is a course that, while fun, leaves a lot to be desired. Ball golf courses are on the rise, and while I don't have anything against them, I have yet to play one that is worth the price of admission in comparison to other free courses nearby. Westview continues that trend, with Moorman and Bob Mays being down the road and being free for, in my opinion, a more fun round of disc golf, especially at Moorman. If the ball golf course I have played had more equipment in place or had more trees that they took advantage of in their design, I would probably feel very differently. As it stands, disc golf really seems to be an afterthought once the baskets are in place, with not enough consideration into what makes for good design on a disc golf course in comparison to a ball golf course.

If you're a fan of ripping drives and don't mind a fee to play, Westview is a great option for you if you're in or around Quincy. While far from perfect, there are still fun parts of this disc golf course. Hopefully new equipment goes in soon to elevate the navigation and enjoyment of a round here.