Rockton, IL

Woodlands

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1.795(based on 14 reviews)
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7 0
rocthecourse
Experience: 17.1 years 106 played 17 reviews
0.50 star(s)

This course is bad. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 6, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

There are 18 baskets and over 18 concrete tee pads.

You will probably have the course to yourself.

Um, did I mention the 18 baskets..

Cons:

The number one con for this is course is the complete lack of maintenance. A perfect example is hole 18s basket(which can be seen from the parking lot.) The bolt that holds the cage to the pole is missing so the cage is sitting on the ground. Instead of taking a few minutes to go find a bolt the park workers just mow around the basket, I tried to fix it with some zip ties but they will only last a little while.

While on the subject of baskets some of them have been beat half to death, basket 1 for instance.

The "fairways" are way too narrow. There are places where the fairways are only a few feet wide, I mean literally 3-4 feet wide. Add in a super low ceiling on many holes plus branches that have grown across the fairways makes for a miserable disc golf experience.

Many of the long tee pads are hard to find or overgrown. Some of the fairways for the long tees are completely overgrown.

The course flow and navigation are not very good. There are some "next tee" signs but not enough. Plus many of the baskets are blind from the tee so you have to walk to figure out where to throw to. Many of the tee signs are missing, and a lot of the ones left are at the long tee placement.

Poison Ivy everywhere, literally everywhere. If you play here you will end up in it multiple times.

You aren't going to find any discs here because no one is playing this course.

Other Thoughts:

The one thing I keep thinking as I played my two rounds here is that the course doesn't have to suck. I don't know how it played back in 2003 when it first went in but as of right now it's bad. I don't even think it would take that much work to make this into a decent course. Who ever is in charge of this course needs to go take a look at Valley View in New Berlin, WI and try to be more like that, or just hire Terry Miller to come and redesign the course. They could even try to work with the local disc golf clubs to organize some work days.

For a rating I am giving this course a 0.5. I have to rate the course how it was when I played and the course was pretty bad. It's hard to explain just how miserable the disc golf is at this course. If you like having to throw an 80' tee shot to set up for an 80' approach shot then this might be the course for you. I even threw a forehand roller off one of the tees because that was the only shot that had a chance of getting down the fairway because of a large branch that blocked every other shot.

If you are wondering if you should play this course- I would suggest skipping it. There are better courses in the area. If you are a bagger it probably doesn't matter what I say you are still going to play it. To you I say take some pictures of the course map by the parking lot, you will need them to navigate. Also, you really only need a putter and maybe a mid. And bring some alcohol wipes to wash your hands and discs after they go in the poison ivy.
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4 3
Hinduannex
Experience: 12 years 17 played 4 reviews
1.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 9, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Accuracy needed on every single hole.not a hole for people who are only huge off the tee
it levels the playing field for us smaller men
some cool holes but not as many as the poor ones

Cons:

Damn near everything.
poorly designed
poorly thought out
poisin ivy and thorns EVERYWHERE

Other Thoughts:

STRAY AWAY FROM THIS COURSE
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3 2
evan.t.king
Experience: 16.9 years 15 played 1 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Not for beginners 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 24, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great course to work on your control. I started using my ROC (mid-range) for most of my shots after the first couple holes because it pretty much carries any line I put it on.

Cons:

Very confusing if you've never played the course before. If you are just starting out, don't play this course; chances are you don't have the control to make the experience enjoyable.
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4 1
LmidgitD
Experience: 21 played 4 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Rocton 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 8, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-Technical (which I enjoy)
-No close roads or interfering rec sport area
-Not the busiest course
-Concrete tees
-Nice shot selection (Straight 200ft, 90 bend @ 250, blind anny @ 230) Lot of fun (Don't quote me on the distances though)

Cons:

-No tee signs! You may get lost, just take your time and don't bother looking for all the advanced tees your first time out.
-Bugs and mosquitoes are going to kill you. Bring bug spray.
-Lot of poison ivy. Not fun
-Hornets nest in porto-potty. Beware! lol
-The advanced tee that is up the 50ft hill is impossible to know where the basket is. (Again, no signs)
-Some tees are sideways, some tees are dirt.

Other Thoughts:

A fun course to play, but needs signs and a little landscape love. Good course to play though.
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2 8
timinater
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

WOODLANDS 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 2, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Longer shots and a little more open and much
more challenging from the pro tees. They are marked by rocks and some wooden stackes.
Also more elevation comes into play, one of the most challenging courses you will ever play from the pro tees.wcp or ssa is a 52

Cons:

Yes some of the tees are put in sideways, But come on people I think you can figure it out.Brush is thick and some narrow fairways
The parks dept promished me this year that they will brush it out. It does need signs which is a work in progress.

Other Thoughts:

I designed the pro tees on this course and for the most part will only play them.From the pro tees the course is 4933 ft
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7 1
Brado
Experience: 31 played 8 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Don't Waste Your Time 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 11, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

It has raspberries growing on the course and you can eat while looking for your disc that you lost in the thick overgrowth.

Cons:

Not a "throwers" course.
Too narrow of throwing lanes. (when they're that short they don't qualify as a fairway)
Poor signage.
Too much overgrowth.

Other Thoughts:

Guarantied you'll spend at least 15-20 minutes looking for a lost disc.
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9 1
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Strange 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 8, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays through a forested area with narrow fairways cut through the trees and underbrush. There are some rolling hills that add some elevation and challenge to a few holes. There is punishing rough, if you throw off the fairway it'll cost you at least a stroke or two every time.

The course is a good place to practice shaping shots with superclass discs or working on your accuracy on approach shots with putters, you'll need to hit your line if you don't want to search for your disc in the dense trees and underbrush off the fairway then try to find a way to throw out. There are concrete tees on every hole, many have dual tees where the shorter one is a little harder turn and the longer adds length but is a more gradually turning shot adding a little variety. There is a course map at the entrance to the course that is handy for navigation.

Cons:

The course is very strange, and not very well designed for any level of player. It is ridiculously short and tight with many oddly shaped fairways. Dave got it right when he said it's a super class course, those are the only discs that would really make this course enjoyable to throw. Many of the holes feel very similar once you get into the course, which makes it a little boring.

The flow is not great, there are some odd spots where it's not clear where to go next or which way the tee is actually facing. This is even worse on the pads that appear to be facing at a right angle to the actual direction of the hole, so you can move side to side but have no room to even take a step forward on the pad. There are a lot of blind holes, so you'll need to scout the fairways to know where to throw, and it's often a good idea to leave a spotter. There is no signage other than the map by the first hole, so it is helpful to shoot a picture of that to take with you on the course (the scorecard box was empty when I played, there might be maps there sometimes).

I like rough that makes you pay for errant shots, but it's a bit overboard here. The fairways are so tight that you're bound to end up in the schule fairly regularly, and then you get to push through posion ivy and thorny bushes along with generally dense underbrush to find discs. It takes away a little of the fun factor when every poor shot means you're going to lose some blood....

Other Thoughts:

Beginners will find the course very tight and punishing, it's easy to lose discs if you get off the fairway and it's easy to end up off the fairway. More advanced players will find the course too tight and short to provide challenges other than just playing a short approach down the fairway, then taking a long putt on every hole.

If you want to really test your approach skills in tight wooded fairways, or work on your accuracy with lids, stop by this course. Otherwise, it's a frustrating course without a lot of variety that's not worth going out of your way for.
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6 1
#19325
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.8 years 351 played 175 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Short and Sweird 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 18, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This is a very small neighborhood park. It is very secluded and is very quiet. It has some nice wooded land with minor rolling terrain in a few places. The fairways are cut thru the woods and are nicely mowed and grass covered. The fairways are lined wiht thick rough and woods. This is a very unique piece of land for disc golf.

Concrete tee pads. Longer natural set of tee pads.

This course is ridiculously short for an 18 hole course. It measures 3,600 feet and is great for beginners.

There are a couple of decent holes on this course.

Cons:

Concrete tee pads are very short. Long tee pads are very hard to find and are natural.

The overall design is terrible. There are just way too many odd shaped and poorly designed holes. They totally missed the potential this land had to offer.

This course will not be enjoyable for any skill level above novice.

It can be very difficult to navigate.

Other Thoughts:

I would not suggest driving out of your way to play this course.

Check out my Illinois Top 10.
http://discontinuum.org/index...1486.msg68704#msg68704
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5 1
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.2 years 1508 played 475 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Tightest course I have ever played! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 1, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Concrete tees are better than dirt.

2) Short distances of holes are certainly challenging. Even though I think many of the holes are unfair . . I still enjoy trying to make those throws. The good ones are very rewarding when you hit that impossible gap with a left than right turn!

3) There are some good holes on this course, but there are too many tough ones that offset the well designed holes. When you get to the tee and can see your basket you can breath a sigh of relief.

Cons:

1) Not at all beginner friendly. For a neighborhood park you would expect it to be a place for families to go enjoy, but it is not an open park and all shots are tricky lending itself to only true dg addicts.

2) Too many blind holes, I got lost like 4 times and had to walk up a bunch of the fairways to find the baskets because you can almost never see them from the tee. The teepad orientation and small size also confusing things because you think you are throwing lengthwise on the pads but you arent, you are throwing the short length of some of the tees.

3) Concrete tees are small. Orientation is horrible on some of them. You have about a 3 foot length to work with but a 4 foot width! How does that make sense?

4) Rough is way too punishing. Because of the impossible angles be ready to throw out of thorny areas and dense underbrush.

5) Apparently poison ivy is rampant, but so are the thorny bushes and buckthorn. This makes for a touhg day off the fairways.

6) #1 basket is messed up. There were also a few holes with missing rings creating a poor catchy basket.

7) Some of the long tees almost seemed easier than the short tees because of how sharp the curves are on the short tees.

8) No tee signs and the flow of the course is tough to figure out. Definitely print this map it will help you on 5 or 6 instances.

Other Thoughts:

Sorry guys I just didnt see a whole lot to intrigue me on this course. Sure it tests your skills which I always enjoy, but many of the shots are near impossible angles, and bends. This really takes away from the enjoyment of the course. There are too many shots with bends that are impossible to turn your disc around quick enough no matter how you throw. Like others have said I agree thumbers and tamahawks might work well on some of the holes but they all bend somewhat so it is risky to try and go up and over all of the underbrush.

THIS WOULD BE A PRIME COURSE FOR WORST SHOT DOUBLES!
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9 5
Dave242
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 29.8 years 393 played 271 reviews
0.50 star(s)

D+ = Designed for Frisbees 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 2, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a very unique course like none I have seen in the around 200 courses I have played. The well manicured grassy fairways are cut through very dense underbrush. These very narrow and twisting fairways do not lend themselves at all to the flight path of a golf disc.

As such, this course is best suited for play with catch discs....lids....superclass discs. I would rate this course highly for the fun-factor of playing it that way. I feel bad that I have to rate this course very low when compared to courses designed for true disc golf.

What I personally like and how this course stacks up:
1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == B (The only way to "go for it" on this course is up 'n over - thumbers and tomahawks - into blind landing zones. The risk is being unable to throw out from your lie.....and losing your disc!)
2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I throw 300' accurately, 360' max. == D (The holes that are lond enough to be a challenge have a shape that is not throwable)
3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == C- (less than half the holes require you to do more than throw a putter 150')
4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == B (Feeling completely secluded in nature is the best feature of this course)
5) Bonus points for multi-shot holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == N/A

Other Thoughts:

It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well the course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. Since I have played a decent number of courses (125 18-hole, 64 9-hole as of mid 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.

I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me....that's the fun of things here. See my profile for my rating philosophy.
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5 2
Dahminator
Experience: 18.8 years 24 played 24 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Woodlands park review 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 16, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Its located in a very nice area. Consists of many tricky shots and like others have said, is more "technical" than long.

Cons:

Not many holes where you can just launch on. Nearly every hole is in the woods, which I was never a fan of. Also was difficult to find locations of several tee pads.

Other Thoughts:

I don't recommend going out of your way to go here unless you are a fan of "woods courses".
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4 1
duain
Experience: 25.9 years 75 played 14 reviews
3.00 star(s)

thumber course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 2, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

very tricky. lots of woods. prairie land used very well.

Cons:

there is no signs or flow to the course. had to walk each fairway to find the basket.

Other Thoughts:

every shot is tight and tricky, unless you thumber it up and over and duece everything. there is no opening up your drive on any hole. most fairways are S shaped. its almost like playing in a wooded prairie. great for practicing thumbers or a lot of upshots.
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2 1
Robert Scott
Experience: 27.8 years 52 played 28 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Rockton, IL 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 28, 2008 Played the course:once

Pros:

Short holes in a nice area.

Cons:

There is a nice sign at the start with all the holes/tees marked, however if you don't remember the sign there are no others to tell you were you need to go to the next tee. Hole 1&18 were the only ones mowed the others had grass knee high or higher. Tee pads are very small 2 ft/3ft.

Other Thoughts:

With a little work this would be a good course.
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1 8
WIpilot
Experience: 16.9 years 4 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Nice Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 12, 2008 Played the course:never

Pros:

The course is set in a fairly small park and uses the land well. The holes are not long but vary technical and is fun.

Cons:

The tee pads are small and have no markings to tell one from another.
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