Edwardsville, IL

SIU-Edwardsville DGC

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1.85(based on 15 reviews)
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9 0
Tyler V
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 16.8 years 147 played 98 reviews
1.00 star(s)

A Beginner Course For Students On-Campus That Needs Some Attention 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 31, 2022 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville hosts a recreational 9-hole course behind Prairie Hall, one of the residence halls on campus. This course incorporates land between University Drive and campus buildings, and provides a mix of lines and ace runs.

Location of hole 1 is right next to the parking lot that serves Prairie and Woodland Halls, making the course very accessible for many students on campus. According to SIUE's website, discs are available to check out at Prairie Hall and the Student Fitness Center. If you are coming from off campus, take University Drive to Circle Drive, and just follow signage to Prairie Hall.

Course Equipment is mostly the same equipment from when the course opened in 2001 from the looks of it, and most of it is even still present! The baskets are DISCatchers, with most chains accounted for. The signs that are still present are the classic fiberglass design, though this course is pretty easy to navigate without them. There are a couple of different kinds of concrete tee pads on site, with some being smooth and others having a rockier surface.

Course Design and Difficulty at SIUE is pretty friendly to newer players, with most of the holes being fairly straightforward with limited brush or water to lose a disc in. The distances vary from ace runs under 200 feet, to hole 8's 430-foot fairway. With the generous pars this course incorporates, newer players can use the course par for confidence boosting while more experienced folks can play this course as all par 3s if they choose to.

Variety is present on this course to some degree in addition to the short and straight holes. Hole 3 is a right-turning fairway that requires and anhyzer or forehand from right handed players to have a good shot at putt from where your drive lands, and hole 6 plays around part of Prairie Hall to form a hyzer shot for righties. The rest of the holes play straight but vary in distance and elevation, with hole 4 being downhill and 8 playing over a small valley. Hole 1 is its own special situation.

Cons:

Hole 1 is shoehorned around a large tree and a volleyball court. The hole was designed to have a mando around the tree immediately to the left of the tee, requiring a roller or awkward RH forehand to get anywhere near the hole in one throw. According the (likely very old) info on SIUE's website, landing on the volleyball court is a 2-stroke penalty. That being said, the sign for hole 1 is currently missing, so unless you have UDisc up, have a map handy, or look to the right on the tee, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people new to the course play to hole 2 by accident.

Safety/Questionable Design comes to mind in a couple other areas in addition to hole 1. Hole 6 plays around part of Prairie Hall into a little courtyard the otherwise looks completely unused. While I appreciate the creativity and uniqueness of the hole, the windows that face the tee make me wonder how strong that glass truly is. The roof can also eat discs for those who decide to get a little wild with their tee shot - just ask my best friend about his Sidewinder.

Course Equipment also is overdue for some attention. A couple of tee signs are currently missing, including hole 1, and those that are still present could use a refresh. The tee pads that have a more rugged surface can get slick in wet conditions as well, which effects over half the tee pads on site. While most of the baskets are still in okay shape, hole 3 has a number of loose chains. With the baskets on site already having just a single row of chains, any chains that are damaged will make a big difference is the chances of a good putt being caught.

Parking is only free on weekends in certain areas for non-students, and metered parking is sparse close to the course. Campus police are certainly not afraid to ticket cars, so if you do decide to park next to Prairie Hall, know that it's at your own risk.

Course Design is most frustrating when it comes to how the course ends. Hole 9 ends next to Woodland Hall, no where near hole 1. If you're parking in free parking, this requires a long walk to hole 1. If you park next to hole 1, this will mean walking back along half the course and then either around Prairie Hall or through the building's lobby. At least you'll get some extra steps for your daily count.

Other Thoughts:

SIU-E's disc golf course was likely constructed with only the campus community in mind, which makes some of the cons understandable. That being said, there are still many aspects of this course that leave more to be desired. My best friend lived in Prairie Hall for a year, and during the next 3 years of his time living on campus, we opted to drive further out to Woodland Chains than across campus to this course whenever I visited. The course felt a little run down or like a second thought when we played it semi regularly a decade ago, and playing it a week ago for the first time in years confirms that this is exactly what this course is.

It's a shame too. SIU-E, despite being a mid-sized institution of around 10-11,000 students, has over 2,600 acres of land, making it one of the largest universities in the United States by area. A significant portion of this land is full of otherwise unused hills, trees, and other terrain that makes for great disc golf. While the land the current course is on would otherwise be awkward to use for anything else, the sheer amount of land around this campus leaves me wondering what could have been when it comes to a course on this campus, even one geared towards new players.

The Metro East Area of St. Louis has had many golf courses built in the last decade to accompany older courses like Woodland Chains and Rock Spring, with plenty of other courses within 20-30 minutes of SIUE. Unless you are a dedicated course bagger or are a student at SIU-E, I'd recommend most of those other nearby courses before this one. That being said, hopefully this course gets some attention and repairs.
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1 0
OldGolfer
Experience: 19 played 19 reviews
2.50 star(s)

SIUE 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 12, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is a nice course, well maintained and relatively easy to play. Yes, the pars are inflated, but who really cares? It's not a championship course -- but it can be a quick, enjoyable way to get some disc golf in. Tees and pins are well maintained and the course flow is simple to understand.

Cons:

Tree on the first tee is just silly. I never drive from the 1st tee. I move to the south about ten feet ...

The real issue with the entire course is parking. I have spoken with campus police and the only free parking is on the weekend, and that parking is behind (to the south) of the main campus) and NOT at the actual disc golf course. Be warned.

Other Thoughts:

Expect a nice course, and enjoy it. Longest hole is 400+, and most holes are around the 200-200+ range. It is what it is.
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2 2
mrbro855
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.5 years 363 played 105 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 24, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

The usual good stuff: concrete tee pads, signage, and a decent flow around campus.

Good use of elevation.

Really liked hole #6... Blind throw into a courtyard to the left.....

#4 and #5 played around a hill... had an audience of 4 college students watching us play those two holes...

Cons:

Hole #1 is kinda odd .... 90 degree long throw around a HUGE tree, the volleyball court and a row of trees on the other side....from reading the previous reviews, they may have changed it from the original configuration.

Other Thoughts:

This was the 4th course of 5 on a So Illinois Saturday trip... all in all, once you got past that quirky first hole, it was quite enjoyable to play.... rates a decent score in my book!!
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6 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Decent Little throw On The SIU-E Campus! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 23, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville DGC is located on the campus near a parking lot and The Praire Hall dorm. The course plays around the dorm and finishes on the other side leaving you with quite a little walk back to your starting point. Backtracking on the course would be a better choice than the walkabout that I took.

Be forewarned that # 1 tee pad and sign are INCORRECT. Apparently # 1 was redesigned for safety purposes. The tee tee pad and sign are facing hole # 3. Hole # 1 throws back towards the woods directly across or around the volleyball courts. It's actually kind of a fun, challenging little throw over the VB court providing there are no Vb players on the court.

The course has concrete pads and small fiberglass tee signs. The baskets are very adequate. The listed pars are suitable for junior high students. If you play them, you should have plenty of opportunities for Eagles. For example, # 7 is listed as a 230' par 4. That is an Eagle waiting to happen.

The course has some fun elevation to play with so you're often getting to throw over valleys or down hills. # 4 is a simple little 178' downhill ACE run. The course does have a variety of throws needed, hysers, straight bombs, short touch ACE runs, anhysers, .

Cons:

The course sign is totally wrong. It faces the wrong way.
Distance listed is incorrect. It can totally mess up the start to your round.

Pitch and putt distances.

Junior high pars on tee signs.

Nobody seems to like the hyser hole playing around the dorm.

Other Thoughts:

I think this is just about the perfect little college course. Students can come out here with one disc and have a great time. No searching for discs. No nasty OB to deal with. No water hazards. But it's not so simple as to not be a little bit challenging. If I went to school here, first thing I'd do is figure out what those letters SIU-E stand for? Then I'd memorize the school's fight song. Then I'd research the girl's volleyball schedule and finally I'd be over her working on my disc golfing game.
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2 1
justcallmechig
Experience: 18.9 years 9 played 2 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Not enjoyable for any level 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 6, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

SIUE has a beautiful campus. I was a student there and loved walking outside the main part of campus to take in some of the land the school is fortunate to sit on.

Cons:

Lack of distance and challenge in general.
The most difficult shot on the course is off of the first tee where you face a large tree that's nearly impossible to throw around, towards the target.
The proximity to Prairie Hall makes safety an issue. There are other students walking around campus. Also, discs can get easily beat up from hitting the building, especially around hole 6.

Other Thoughts:

With the land SIUE and Edwardsville is sitting on, they can come up with a better course than this. I hope to visit again and find a better challenge.
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2 4
joy4all
Experience: 15.2 years 82 played 13 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Not that good 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 10, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very green grass here and wide stone pads. Thats the only pros i can come up with.

Cons:

This course is more negative. First off its a maze just to get to course through campus. Street signs are small letters. Tee pad faces #2 basket. Volleyball sand courts in the middle of 1 and in 2. 3,4,5, offer no challange. 6 shoots into v notch of building dorm. Why would u ever set a hole up where glass could be broken by a disc if a newb misfires. The street plays real close on 4 8 9 with tons of cars. 9 does not lead you back to start of course but 1/4 mile away if not more. Students walking aimlessly everywhere with ipods on not aware of disc flying. had to wait for kids clearing quite a bit. waliking paths for pedestrians surround this course.

Other Thoughts:

With all the land SIUE has they choose the worst location possible, i really mean the worst. COURSE CAPTAIN SHOULD SEEK RELOCATING TO BETTER AREA ON CAMPUS.
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4 2
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Pretty bad 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 6, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays through a pretty college campus with some small rolling hills. Several holes have a little bit of elevation change that adds a little interest, the long hole over the ravine is the best of them. There are some scattered trees on a few holes that add a little bit of shot variety. There are decent sized concrete tees and basic tee signs. The grounds are nicely maintained.

Cons:

Let's start at the beginning. Hole 1 was redesigned, apparently for safety, but now it plays perpendicular to the tee through thick trees that make a kneeling drive or a roller the only ways to get to the hole on your drive. It also plays directly over a sand volleyball court for a little extra excitement. The rest of the holes are pretty much wide open and easy, with no real challenge or variety. Many holes play very close to roads, parking lots, sidewalks and buildings, making for lots of safety issues and conflicts with the large numbers of students that can be walking through the area. The tees have an odd texture that with even a little bit of moisture gets really slick. A few signs were missing, it's not terribly hard to figure out where to go though. There is no public parking anywhere near the course, the lot by the first tee is permit parking and you risk a ticket if you park there. The course plays away from the parking lot and never comes back, so you pretty much backtrack the entire course to get back to where you started, if it's not busy the course plays pretty much the same backward as it does forward.

Other Thoughts:

This is a nice feature to have on a college campus, and is a good exposure for the sport to get new players interested, but unfortunately it's poorly designed for any level of player. New players will find the hole lengths ok, but there aren't enough obstacles to make it interesting, and less accurate players will have even more safety issues. More experienced players won't find any challenge or variety here, it's only worth a stop to check off your list, or if you happen to live in the dorms right next to the course.
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4 1
wocketpocket
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Easy and open course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 1, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

--A mixture of types and distances of shots.
--Very quiet in the summer. Many deer.
--Open, easy holes. Almost all holes are short and ace-able by any skill level (with the exception of 8 maybe).
--UPDATE: The gaping storm drain by hole 6 has now been covered by a mat. Good thing, as I was always paranoid about losing a disc down that hole.

Cons:

--New baskets, but the older style with only one layer of chains.
--Parking is a major problem, especially during the school year.
--Hole 1 needs to be reconfigured.
--Most sign posts are gone.

Other Thoughts:

This course needs to expand and take advantage of the wooded areas at SIUE. All in all a good course to practice on. I go here mostly because it's close to where I live. There are numerous better courses out there.
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2 1
urdone00
Experience: 43.9 years 136 played 15 reviews
1.00 star(s)

what the? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 17, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

none

Cons:

typical college disc golf course designed and installed by someone who never has played the game

Other Thoughts:

you wont get the time back that yuo wasted playing this poor course, go to rock springs in alton or woodlands park in collinsville instead.
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4 0
hognosesucker
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 24.9 years 443 played 85 reviews
1.00 star(s)

ah...the badness 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 12, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

-elevation, holes 2, 3, 4, 6,7,8, and 9 all have a little bit of it
-big concrete pads...BUT see cons
-the discatchers look almost brand new
-hole 7 is a good over the ravine long shot (430')

Cons:

-this may be the one of the most poorly designed courses in the area. It flows nicely, but ends a LONG way from the parking area, hole 5 (blind rhbh hyzer that brings the dorm into play), and some will probably get hurt on hole nine because the pin drops behind a small hill that if overthrown is going into the walking path that is heavily used.
-tee signs missing on 2, 3, and 4
-Hole 1 is the most ridiculous excuse for a hole ever. The suggested route looks like it plays to 2, but it actually goes around a grove of trees into 2's fairway, do yourself a favor and throw a skinny roller on the farside of the tree by the tee to shorten it and not cause any danger.
-The concrete pads are big and dyed a pretty red color, but are slippery as hell, don't take a big runup or you'll fall.

Other Thoughts:

I wouldn't bother playing this course, it's short, poorly designed, and somewhat dangerous. It's a shame they did this monstrosity when they had plenty of good land to work with including elevation and forested groves...the stuff that makes a good course.
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6 0
REDARMY
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.8 years 53 played 34 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Garbage 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 18, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Not a lot...

Nice big 4x8 pads.

A trash can at 5's tee and a porta-john between 1's tee and 2's pin.

The course is used so rarely that tee pads and baskets are in pretty good shape.

Hole 8 is the one good hole on the course. At over 400 feet, shooting over a valley and water (a tiny creek), it lends this course one shred of credibility.

Lots of cute wimmins running around the place.

....

Cons:

Street signs around the campus are dark and hard to see, adding to the frustration from the odd road layout.

No mention of the golf course in any university signage, and no mention at the proper parking lot, if you find it, that you may be ticketed (the two campus cops I ran into before teeing off said late Saturday afternoon is a safe time to play).

No course map, no info kiosk, no scorecards, nothing to point you towards the first tee.

No signs between tees.

Nary a bench in sight.

Although the tee pads are very big, the gravel placed on top of them makes the surface a death trap with a hint of moisture.

The oft talked about hole 1: Good news is, it's been moved from its previous location between the residence halls. Bad news, it's been moved about 120 degrees from its original location, so the teepad points in completely the wrong direction. Between the tee and the pin, there is: 1 giant tree that completely obscures a straight shot, a sand volleyball court to the right that blocks hyzer shots, and a clump of trees to the left that blocks anhyzer routes. Ironically, this may be the only true par 4 on the course. It's only 256 feet, but you need at least two shots to get around all of the obstacles in front of you to have a straight shot to the pin.

No tee sign at 2. The post is there, but it appears the sign has been removed by vandals.

No sign, or post, at hole 4 either, but you don't really need one. The 'hole' is a ridiculous 175-ish shot straight in front and slightly below you, with nothing in between to add challenge. Just a stupid empty-your-bag and try for an ace hole.

Hole 6's tee is in the firing range for 5's pin if someone throws a big hyzer. With both tees facing the same direction, you may be about to tee off at 6 and not even see the disc that's about to conk you in the back of the head.

The sewer drain near 6's basket looks eager to eat approach shots that fall short of the basket.

Grip-locked shots from 8 will head towards the road parallel to the fairway to the right, or mis-played hyzers will go into the parking lot to the left.

Over-eager shots on 9 could possibly bean the students coming to and fro on the path directly behind the pin.

After hole 3, the course basically goes farther and farther away from the parking lot. With no place in between to park, you are left with a 3/8 mile walk back to your car.

All pars over-estimated by at least a stroke. Par 4 250 footers and hole 8 as a par 5? Stupid.

Other Thoughts:

Bottom line? Abysmal.

THE worst excuse for a course in the St. Louis area, and a course that should be avoided at all costs unless you REALLY have nothing better to do.

Even the 9-holer at Roxana is better than this course. Better yet, take the extra 15 minutes and drive north to Rockspring in Alton, or south to Woodland in Collinsville. Both 18-hole courses and FAR, FAR superior.

It might serve as a good place to introduce new players to the game if it weren't for the missing tee signs and the god-awful worst hole I have ever seen, aka hole 1.

To shorten the walk back to your car, cut through the Prairie Residence Hall, and grab a snack or a soda from the vending machines, since you will have worked up an appetite or a thirst during the hike.
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8 0
mmunter
Experience: 15.7 years 149 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Not amazing, but a nice place to play 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 24, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course is settled on a corner of campus behind/around a pair of residence halls. The course is well maintained with tee pads at every hole and a trash can half way through.

A few holes play the elevation changes nicely. For example, Hole #8 is about 410 ft over a little valley with an OB road on one side and an OB walking path on the other.

Cons:

Unfortunately, the course is not well designed. The SIUE campus is the largest in the nation (strictly in terms of acres owned), but absolutely none of the lakes, woods, ravines etc located on campus are incorporated into the course. Most holes are short and open with one or two trees between the tee and hole.

Hole #1 is the worst disc golf hole I have every played. The basket is perpendicular to the tee with a huge tree with low hanging branches right between them. Behind this tree is another large clump of trees. The suggested path on the tee sign has you going through a narrow fairway through the clump of trees, the problem is that there is no clear path through them.

Hole #4 is a waste as well: 170 ft downhill and wide open. A complete throwaway hole.

To get back to Hole #1 after you finish Hole #9 you have to back-track almost the entire course.

Other Thoughts:

NOT A COURSE TO TRAVEL TO! However, if you live in the Edwardsville area it is great to have a place nearby to play. It is just unfortunate that such a great location has been wasted. It is painful to play along the edge of woods and prairie grass without having a single hole dive into them.

5 legitimate ace opportunities for the average recreational player.

There is not a place within a half mile of the course for the general public to park. You need a campus pass to park in the residence hall parking lot nearby. Beware of tickets.

Also, the tee pads are not actually concrete. They are some more like concrete with small river rocks mixed into it. While this looks nice, it is somewhat slippery even when completely dry outside and absolutely unusable when damp.

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2 1
japetus
Experience: 6 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

SIUE 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 6, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great course to work out the kinks in your game. All types of shots available. In the summer, hot girls sunbathing out on hole 6. Hole 4 a VERY good hole in 1 opportunity! Great tee pads.

Cons:

Not many risk/reward. Hole 1 should be re-done. Hole 9 not a good finisher. Could get a ticket for parking!!!!

Other Thoughts:

It was the first golf course I ever played, so there is a level of memories there!
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5 0
CaptainKickAss
Experience: 22 years 23 played 10 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Eh. Just eh. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 3, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

Hole 8 is really quite pretty, by far the best hole on the course. The longest of the nine, you tee off from the top of a hill and over a valley which has a small bit of marsh-type area off to the side. It is not uncommon to see deer grazing in the middle of the hole. You are also fairly close to the road, which offers a tempting OB. Overall, a very well maintained course.

Cons:

To be quite honest, some of the holes are just stupid. It is not clear how much thought was really given to placements of tees and baskets. Otherwise, holes tend to be fairly short, and lack variety.

The course wraps around two of SIUE's residence halls, and are even incorporated as an obstacle on one hole...a hyzer shot into a courtyard type area surrounded by windows. With that much glass around, accidents...especially for newer players are bound to happen resulting in broken glass or at the very least some very freaked out freshmen. Either way, not the best scenario to help grow the sport.

Hole 1 and 9 are nowhere near each other either, so be prepared to hike back to the parking lot after your round. Parking in general is also a bit of an issue, as the nearest parking is actually for the SIUE residence hall, and without a proper parking tag, visitors may get ticketed.

Other Thoughts:

This campus is absolutely beautiful with tons of unused land. Why they chose to design such a halfassed course in this particular location is beyond me.
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3 4
Chucktown
Experience: 16.9 years 18 played 12 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Simple and Fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 21, 2007 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good course for a beginner because it is not too long, grass is always cut, elevation changes, some good shaped shots on the first couple holes.

Cons:

not many cons, students may be in the way walking from class, only 9 holes.

Other Thoughts:

Well manicured, well executed in a small space.
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