Fox Lake, WI

Fireman's Park

2.445(based on 8 reviews)
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2 0
Stardoggy
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 12.7 years 1002 played 214 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Interesting and Strange and Oddly Fun 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 2, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

9 hole course set in a multi-use park with a pool, baseball diamonds, and children's equipment.

Discatcher baskets on all holes. They were a tad old and faded, but all caught well and were in good shape. Every hole had at least two pins and some had 3. Those positions were all quite varied, and seemed well thought out.

Tee pads were varied, with some on concrete, some on roads. Two tees per hole (white/blue) that were signified by blocks in the ground. Even the natural areas were level and easy to throw from.

Tee signs at every hole, which provided tee positions and showed all pin placements, along with all corresponding distances. They also had trays on them, which were handy for holding a cold beer, or 15 piles of bird poo. Regardless, navigation was relatively easy.

A lot of different shots here, which isn't all that usual for a park course. Obstacles and mandos are used well, which force shots on many holes. More on this below. Nice differences in distance, especially between tees. The alternate pin placements really changed the distances.

Cons:

The tee pad blocks were sometimes not easy to find, especially the blues. They're all out there, but not immediately apparent.

I was fortunate enough to play here on a Thursday at noon, with nobody around. Unfortunately, several holes play directly through, over, and around park activities, to include basketball courts, driveways, bleachers, and baseball diamonds. My favorite (this is sarcasm, folks) shot was the one that went directly between the scorer's booth and the snack stand, and over the bleachers.

Seriously, though...if there is anybody actually using this park, you're not going to be able to play several holes. There is also issues with pins/shot lines being close to private property. A terrible shot on hole 1 could legitimately end up in the city pool, hole 3's pins play pretty close to fence line, hole 7's line plays directly over a driveway, and the list goes on.

Several of the holes play pretty wide open, especially in the shorter pin positions.

Other Thoughts:

I actually had a pretty fun time playing this course. When nobody's around, it's pretty solid for a small city park course. I was fortunate to be throwing well this day (as an Int player), but beginners, wind or just a bad day could have errant throws ending up in places they shouldn't be.

Play it when it's empty, and you'll probably have fun. It's not a place to go out of your way for, but there's far worse ways to spend some time.
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3 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.9 years 970 played 542 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 30, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

The baskets are Discatchers that were all level and caught good. The first 2 or 3 were mounted a little high but that just makes it a little more challenging. There's a practice basket between holes 6 and 9. Multiple pin placements on most if not all the holes, some even having three. Tee signs at every hole with a decent map of the hole layout, distances to both pins from each tee and a next tee arrow which I always love to see. A lot of OB throughout the course, especially the later half making for some added challenges. Two sets of tees marked as white bricks as shorts and blue bricks as longs. These were actually not that hard to find. Enough trees and other obstacles to make things interesting for being a pretty flat course. The course was well mowed and taken care of. It is also permanent which is always good.

Cons:

A number of other park activities can come into play on a number of wholes. If there were any softball games going on or people in the pavilion the last section would be pretty much unplayable. Not much elevation but there's not much that can be done about that. Holes 2 and 3 run next to each other but shouldn't really be a problem since it's such a small town.

Other Thoughts:

A pretty decent little nine hole in a city park, nothing super spectacular but a solid, fun little course. There are also a few other nice course nearby to make for a fun day of disc golf.
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1 4
azimm549
Experience: 10.9 years 31 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A fun course that you can come to day after day! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 15, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

--Perfect amount of stuff to work around. It will make you form a few of your drives.
--Very well maintained with very good sign placement.
-- Some very fun shots with great OB lines.
--Good hole distance, there were non that I thought needed more.

Cons:

--Could go for some better tee pads.

Other Thoughts:

I really enjoyed the shots they gave me and I had a really good day out here. If your headed to Crystal Lake in Beaver Dam, I would def make a stop here!
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6 0
Destroyer12
Experience: 14.8 years 10 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

A fun course for families and me! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 17, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

1. Awesome Out of Bounds!

My favorite thing about this course is probably all the O.B. With the lack of trees/natural obstacles in the local area, the O.B. really helps to add challenge and risk/reward shots.

2. Varied distance/shot selection

I also really like the variety of distances (really good for a 9 hole course). Some holes require your biggest disc and furthest shot, while others are a just a well placed putter shot from the tee.

Cons:

Although there's a lot of great O.B. and other interesting obstacles, I would like to see some more trees planted here in the future. There are some young trees here already that are gonna grow up to be monster obstacles (YEAH!!) so why not add to it on some of the more open holes? (3, 4 and 9)

Grass tees can be slippery when wet, so I'd like to see some concrete tees in the future.

Only 1 pin placement per hole. I play this course about 5 times a week (since I live in town) so I'd like to have a little more variety in the future... more pin placements, and maybe alternate pro tee's as well.

Other Thoughts:

I'm 12 years old, been playing for almost a year and can throw about 300 ft max. I can go anywhere from +8 to -3 on this course depending on the day, the wind and the O.B.

The O.B. is definitely the most challenging part of this course, especially on hole 7 and 8 and sometimes 1 and 2 if the wind is bad.

When I came to this course I had no accuracy and could only throw 150 ft. But through playing this course since it was built last year (I can bike to it every day if I want) I've learned pinpoint accuracy, and much better distance driving technique, also playing every day has completely changed my putting game and made me much better overall. Thank goodness for this course!
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5 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.2 years 1508 played 475 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Fun course, but dangerous and not always usable! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 4, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Nice new discatcher baskets. Freshly painted and visible yellow bands!

2) Practice basket located in a large open area in between Hole #6 and #9. Plenty of room for putts from inside the circle to as far as 50-75'.

3) Nice signage including Par, Pro Par, Distance, a simple yet readable diagram including locations of all OB, significant trees and obstacles. The signs also have a stainless steel tray which can be used to write your scores down at each tee. It is obvious they got some sponsorship money to do these tee signs right and the sponsors are listed on one half of the sign too.

4) Distance varied on this course from 210 up to 490'. There are three really short (210-220) reachable holes. There are four medium lenght holes between 240-270, and then two long holes of 405' and 490'. It gives the players a little of everything. Beginner need to learn approaches, long drives, and tight technical holes too.

5) Decent variety of shot requirements. There are hyzer shots, straight wide open shots, a bomber drive, some short technical throws, there is a nice S curve hole (#6), and some risk/reward on #8. The only thing missing here is an anhyzer shot.

6) Grass tees remain in good shape, but will eventually wear out. The turf on the course is in good condition throughout, except for #2 tee. #4 tee is actually thrown from an asphalt rectangle in the middle of a field.

7) Nice perched basket on Hole #2 with the mounding. You can miss the basket on a putt and suffer a roll away or a tough comeback putt.

Cons:

1) Lacks an anhyzer shot on the course. I like a true variety with every course I play.

2) Grass tees will wear out in no time if this course gets much use.

3) The walk from #7 basket to #8 tee is actually dangerous because some people will be throwing right back at #7 basket to try and get a clear shot to #8 basket. The safety of the placement of #7 and especially #8 is a serious concern because of the proximity and the fact that some discs may be thrown over the ball fields fences. Holes #6-8 will be unplayable in my opinion during any baseball activities. That is the biggest con I can say, because sure, they have a course, but its use is severely limited by the other activities in the park.

4) Telephone pole and support wires (on barrel pull or tug of war area) are in play on #4. It is something you need to avoid but again I prefer natural obstacles.

Other Thoughts:

This is a well done course that is fun to play. My biggest concern is the inability to safely play Holes #6 - #8 many times of the year. I do not know how often the baseball fields are used, btu I would assume in a small town, these fields are packed full every weekend for at least 3-4 months of the year. There also would be countless practice times where the fields might be in danger and especially the right fielders! The safety of Hole #6 is countered by how great of a hole it is with a tight s curve through obstacles. Normally I do not like manmade obstacles, and I do agree this remains true here, but it is great hole if noone is at the park.

Be sure to look where #7 basket is when you are standing at #6 basket. Obviously you need to avoid the ball field, but don't throw over into the school or the driveway either. I do not remember if it is marked OB, but it should (the only issue then would be how in play the right field of the ball field would be).

I am unsure if the parking lot/turnaround by #9 basket is OB because it is not marked on the sign, but I would assume it would be OB as most roads are considered to be OB.

Another tip, if you try and throw right at #8 basket, be sure to miss it long (not short) so you can drop right next to the basket. Otherwise you will be throwing from the fence or from the tee again. You may very easily still get a 3 if you miss long, but you are looking at a 4 or 5 if you miss short. I actually dueced it with one disc (15' from basket) and missed short the next time and ended up with a 4.

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4 0
roclover
Experience: 14.8 years 152 played 8 reviews
3.50 star(s)

I Like It 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 18, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Good signs make it easy to navigate from hole to hole and find pin placements. Good variety in long and short holes with scattered obstacles. Holes 5-7 were my favorite with lots of obstacles and tricky out-of-bounds.

Cons:

Not usable at all times. If another function is happening in the park, disc golf is not an option.

would like to see more obstacles on some of the open holes.

However, it seems that not many people use the baseball diamonds or B-ball courts, so it's not really an issue.

Other Thoughts:

I didn't have any trouble with the fences or private yards... but I do throw quite low and used mostly midrange/control discs. I think that for the area that this course is set up in, it's great. Sure maybe not the best location for a course, but where else would you put one in Fox Lake? It's close to home, and honestly better than Crystal Lake, Waupan, and Markesan in my opinion.

ADD: I just played again recently and am excited to say that I threw a new record distance of 490 ft on hole #4 for and easy deuce! (disc used was a beat up destroyer with a slight tailwind. From the tee it almost look like it was an ace! How sweet would that have been!!!)

ADD 2: I've played this course well over 12 times and have only once run into people using the ball diamond. It seems that this park is mostly abandoned and the DG course is one of the few things (aside from the pool, which shouldn't be an issue if you've thrown a disc more than once) that is used on a regular basis.
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3 1
Keithzilla
Experience: 19.8 years 65 played 5 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Not great, not terrible either. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 22, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Good shot variety. nice little course for families and beginners. nice tune up course.

Cons:

swimming pool and baseball fields come into play. errant shots could end up in a private yard.

Other Thoughts:

not near the worst course ive ever played, but lots of potential for improvement here. the course isnt bad, the surroundings are the problem. it will still test your skills a little, and anyone can play it and have fun.
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4 6
bigtime
Experience: 16.5 years 37 played 1 reviews
0.00 star(s)

Bad news for Fox Lake 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 8, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

The locals have some baskets to play on

Cons:

The course is horrible,too many fences to throw over.
Too much private property comes into play
If a baseball game is going on dont bother playing
If kids are at the park playing forget it!!

Other Thoughts:

This course is an example of why a professional should be contacted to lay out disc golf courses. This course could give disc golf a bad reputation in Fox Lake. This is the worst course I've played
This course is not worth the drive
I'am all for disc courses going in but this park is not the right location for a disc course
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