Riverview DGC is your standard park style course. Good by IL standards with there being plenty of trees out here and the river coming into play on the final hole. Potentially two others but it would require a pretty terrible shot to do so.

The tee signs are pretty basic. They have the hole #, par and distance. A hole map isn't really necessary since every pin is visible from the tee, minus hole 18 from the long pad. Nothing special but perfectly adequate.

The course is completely flat but every hole has a few trees to contend with. The park road comes into play in quite a few places as well to serve as an additional challenge. The design is well done here. The flow of the course is pretty straight forward and easy to follow. It starts and ends by the parking lot too which is always a bonus in my book.

The baskets are older Innova Discatchers which are all still in decent shape but caught just fine. Zero issues with these. One basket and pin position per hole.

Nice large tee pads for every hole (except hole 12). These get the job done just fine. All were level and good traction to them. One tee pad per hole.

The park was in excellent condition on our visit here. Freshly mowed and very clean. The course plays in two sections. Holes 1-12 play over by the parking lot. After hole 12 you cross the cool little suspension bridge over the river to get to holes 13-17. Hole 18 has a tee pad on that side of the river and an alternate short pad on the other side by hole 12's fairway if you don't want to risk it on the water carry. There's a cemetary which shouldn't come into play and a playground on the second section of the course too. Both should not be in play unless your really let a shot get away from you.

The course is permanent and free to play. Probably not ever going to be all that busy either.

Completely flat throughout. Like board flat. No uphill or downhill shots to spice things up but it is what it is. This is what they had to work with.

The trees along the river on hole 18's long tee are starting to get a little out of hand. I'm sure the gap was much more open years ago. It's starting to grow back and condense the line. Clipping something trying to clear the water will most likely result in a lost disc. The river is chocolate milk colored so if you land in it it's almost assuredly lost for good.

Hole 12's tee pad is no longer there. Not sure what happened to it or why. Just be aware if playing here that it's gone. Not a big deal but it did cause a bit of confusion.

This was a fun course in a quiet little park. It's not near too many other things but if you find yorself out this way I'd definitely recommend playing a round or two out here. Not a must play but well worth a visit. Won't take much more than an hour for most to play it.

This is the Dana Vicich-designed course that is used for the Swinging Bridge Open annually. It's split over two parks, the holes connected by a "swinging" bridge, which basically means a suspension bridge (or three). As stated by others, this flat park could have had a lackluster course, but instead, given the vision of Mr. Vicich, has a course that is fun to play, changes over the season based on foliage, and is absolutely the best that could have been done with the setting.

Note that most will enter via Chautauqua Park and park in one of the spaces near the pool building, with Hole #1 right there. This is a reasonable option. The other option, equally reasonable and perhaps with less of a parking crowd, is to park near the boat launch at Play Park (take Mill Road from the center of Pontiac), which is right by the basket of Hole #14; one could then start play at Hole #15 and go "round the horn" to wind up back at your vehicle. During busy summer season or for an event or tournament, this is much preferred for parking, avoiding lines at Hole #1, etc.

The par for this course is interesting and worth a discussion. Every tee pad has a very lovely sign, indicating feet and par. The total par for the course based on these tee signs, confirmed by the Pontiac official website (from which one can download a scorecard to print out) is 66 if one tees off from the near side of the river on Hole #18, or 67 if one tees off across the river on Hole #18 (that is, tossing the first throw across the river). That course par is wonderfully generous for the novice player, very encouraging as many holes require fewer strokes than the tee sign indicates. (Hole #2 comes to mind, listed as a par 4 that most can birdie, and many can eagle). When a tourney is played, the par is usually set for the 18 hole course at 57. Remember though, that par is relative and one should aim to best their own personal best score, or best those players in their tournament, regardless of the stated par.

There are trash bins at every hole. The place is well-kept by the Pontiac public works dept. (thanks, gentlemen and women).

Unlike many courses that play to mostly backhand throws, and hyzer bomb after hyzer bomb, this course is different; it has holes that are forehand preferred, some that play both BH and FH equally, and some that force a straight shot; this was deliberate from the designer and a sign of experience--thanks, Dana.

No benches at any holes (simple tree trunk benches at even a few tee pads might be a nifty Eagle Scout project).

Flat, no elevation change. The town of Pontiac might consider that a "sledding hill" be constructed with heavy machinery in the center of the wide expanse at Play Park, right in the fairway of Hole #14. Dana could then incorporate the hill into holes #14/#15/#16--albeit, one could not play the holes when it snows as kids with inner tubes will convene, as should be the case in fresh snow.

The place truly has few cons. I disagree with those that say the course gets "redundant"; the trees make it fun and the park is pretty.

The use of park structures in the course is astonishing. Hole 18 uses the river with a great risk-reward profile both upon crossing the river (longer crossing to aim at the basket for risk-reward option) and on the fairway drive which runs alongside the river--go right, glub-glub-glub. Hole 12 plays toward the park entrance stone structure, then over by a boulder the size of a small car. Hole 6 has a tree mando where one must go through the trees--a ten foot gap--or take a stroke and a drop zone immediately in front of the tree gap. How fun! Hole 10 runs parallel to a long chain-link fence for 300+ feet (OB on the other side if one jumps the fence with a disc), but offers a longer route inside the trees; again, risk-reward. Hole 11 is short, but has plenty of right sided and sidewalk OB to make things interesting. Hole 16 plays to a hole on the far side of an old backstop, which sounds as tacky as white pants after Labor Day, but plays wonderfully and adds great spice. Hole 17 forces a proper anhyzer and soft near-basket landing to avoid a river roll. For the tourney only, the basket is elevated in the chimney of an old fireplace. Great stuff!

I suggest to any serious frolfer to play the Swinging Bridge Open to see the course set up by Dana, understand the OBs and lines, and it gives a great new meaning to the course as a whole (note: all roads are OB). Check it out anytime for a fun round that will improve your skills.

- I'd like to make my first 'pro' about the course design, and commend Dana and anyone who helped him. I'll just say it - there wasn't much to work with here aside from sporadic mature trees, and a couple places to incorporate the river. This is probably the best designed course I've played with the least to work with, if that makes sense. It doesn't make up for all the course's shortcomings, but it makes for a fun, interesting, and enjoyable round. There were all sorts of chances for this course to be installed and be a lazy 2.5 or a 3.0 type design. It isn't.
- Gorgeous old city park, especially in the fall. I'll bet all times of year, actually. Historic pool facility from the 1920s, awesome hanging bridges across the Vermilion River. Love historic places like this.
- Nice kiosk at the start of the course, including a map, as well as a box with scorecards and parks department pencils. The scorecard has been previously uploaded on here - you can see that it's been done right. Perfect.
- Good course signage.
- Nice pads and Innova DISCatchers. All well installed.
- In general, lots of different shot shapes between holes. Mostly done by tucking pins just behind trees or lines of trees. Very intentional.
- #8 - I like the two obvious options on this hole, either holding a flex line through up the middle straight at it, or a big sweeping hyzer over the road to the right to skip into the pin.
- #10 - I was NOT expecting to see a tight hole like this until I got to it. Not a lot of trees, but enough along the fairway to require your first 100' of drive to be perfect.
- #12 - Love it. Picturesque hole with a pin location 20 - 25' from the river. Great risk/reward design.
- #17 - short hole, but skip/rollaway potential into the river.
- #18 - just short of a 200' water carry over the river for the pro tee. Really no line at the pin, just requiring you to get over the river near the amateur tee pad.

- Essentially no elevation on this course for the designer to work with, and thus occasionally repetitive. Mostly big mature trees shaping fairways, which gets a little tiresome.
- Some long walks between holes. Navigation on the course is fine, but the layout is pretty mediocre. Not much else they could do though.
- Roads and pathways throughout the course that come into play. Actually, any other activities in the park probably provide the chance for some interference.
- Really no specific holes for my cons, other than a bit of repetitiveness on #1-7.

- #6 - great look of a hole, but ridiculously demanding. Not sure if I love it, or hate it. Rollers aside, the best chance for two is to nail the 6' tree gap 50' out. Otherwise you're probably getting an easy 3 if you take one of the wide routes, leaving yourself a 40'-70' approach.
- Probably right around a 3.25 rated course, I'll give it the bump up since I was so impressed with the design for what was there. You'll have a fun time here, even if it's not the most technically demanding course.

This course has some decent shots on it. 18a across the water is pretty nice and adds some decent challenge. Most of the holes have decent pars. There is a decent mix of long and short shots , as well as some pretty good tree obstacles .

Hole 16 the basket is right behind a backstop, while I am in favor of interesting obstacles I feel this is just excessive. If it has rained any time in the week before you go in the summer be prepared to be eaten alive. Not much in the way of elevation changes or obstacles in general. If you miss your line you can easily recover because it is mostly just open field.

This is a public park so occasionally there will be people at one of the pavilions that scatter the park. The course is laid out such that they are not in the way, but do keep an eye for little kids.

The park was extremely well-kept. Grass was mowed and no litter in sight. Due to the number of trees, leaves may cover the ground during some months, but in May everything was beautiful.

Baskets and pads were in excellent condition. Mandos were clearly marked. Fairways were obvious. Very little guess-work from the tee. Basket was almost always in view from the tee.

I thought the course was challenging enough for an intermediate player. There were definitely opportunities to get birdies. There were plenty of OB to make the course as difficult as possible for this setting.

While many hate this style of course, I'm a sucker for a good little park-style course. the odds of losing a disc are virtually nil, and the round is relaxing.

The layout was pretty cool with the closing few holes being across the river. (swinging bridge) There was definitely some level of change between the two sections of the course.

There is no elevation, except for some subtle changes on the hole before the swinging bridge and one hole on the front. For the most part, the course is very flat.

The course does get repetitive after a while if you play that way. I played the course during a tourney, so I was throwing hyzers 95% of the time from the tee. Only a few holes had mandos to prevent this. If I was playing casually, I might try to experiment with different lines for fun. However, in the tourney setting, you go with what works.

The two Par 4s across the river were long, simply for the sake of being long. To me that's pretty boring, but some people really seem to like that.

I think this is a fun little course. There aren't many courses within 25 miles so it definitely has the potential to introduce a lot of new folks to the game. This is a great course for that target as it is pretty easy, while still requiring some level of skill if mandos and OB are played properly.

For the most part, the course is fairly shaded. There are some holes across the river that in the open, but I'll bet this is a comfortable place to play, even in the summer.

One of he strengths of the course in my opinion was pin-placement. I'm not sure if there are multiples on any holes, but for the tourney, the pin-placements were very good. On flat courses, you have to add challenge with trees that protect the pin and such. This was done very well.

I went OB in the first round on a hole that has a fence down the length of the right side. Very tough hole for a righty. Disc just didn't come back enough. Those 2 strokes cost me, but it was still a great time. The players in this area were very friendly and welcoming to a Southern guy like me. Dana ran a smooth tourney and it was a great experience. I'd recommend next year's tourney to anyone in the area looking to play in a cool, well-organized tourney.

Riverview is a pretty nice little course. If you're in Chicago, I wouldn't drive all the way out just to play it, but if you're on the way to Chicago or simply passing through Pontiac, it's well worth the stop. Not too far off the interstate. Definitely a good place for a quick, relaxing round...without having to worry about losing a disc.

This course has all new Innova baskets, nice concrete tee pads, and looks like relatively new signs on each hole. It plays through a lot of old stand trees and the park seems well maintained. Very scenic park, that has a river running through or around most of it but the water only really comes into play on a few holes (12, 17, & 18). You have to cross the river to get to hole 13-17 on a foot bridge. They used what they had very well. 18 is the most challenging hole, but only from the pro tee with around a 200ft shot accross the river on a dog leg right hole.

The course is mostly flat and doens't have a lot of challenging lines (not their fault they did great with what they had). They do have some Mando routes that help some. This is a picnic park also and hole 16 plays through a ball diamond (doesn't look like it is used regularly) so it could cause some issues with use. Tee sighs have par and distance but no photo/drawing of the hole. They are on the score cards make sure you grab one!

This is good course! If they had more to work with it would be a great course! Well worth the stop if you are in the area. Most fun hole is 18, you have to go from the Tee shooting accross the water! The Course is Fun enough that if I am close and have time I will go back.

Another new park in central Illinois! Awesome!

This is the stereotypical public park course. The park is very clean and taken care of and is a very good fit for disc golf. The designer of the course did a very good job of maximizing the land usage, and I have to give him kudos for that.

There are multiple lines for most holes and each hole is slightly different from the rest. Also, concrete tees are always a plus!

The only hole that really stands out as being an above average hole is hole #18, where you have the option of throwing over the river. I didn't risk it because it's a terrifying throw, but the adrenaline rush as we were contemplating it was there.

Because it is a public park and not solely for disc golfers, be aware of other park goers.

This course to me doesn't stand out as being incredibly memorable, by any means. But it is a good course that's directly on I-55, which means it could be a great break for someone on a road trip.

The course plays through a flat grassy park with scattered mature trees. There is a variety of hole lengths, with most falling between 200 and 300' though a couple have a little more length to open up on. Most of the holes offer multiple lines, though several have defined lines with a mix of left and right turning shots and several straight ones.

The tees are concrete, with enough room and some texture. The flow of the course is easy to follow for the most part. The baskets are brand new and in great shape. The park is beautifully maintained with nice views of the river. The last hole offers a fun shot across the river along a cool swinging bridge.

The park doesn't offer a ton of opportunities for creative design. The course makes the best of the trees, but it does get pretty repetitive with most of the holes offering similar shots with no elevation. There are no tee signs, so you have to guess at distances, and a couple holes are difficult to see from the tee. The spots where you need to cross the bridge could use some signs. The last hole is a disappointing use of the fun water crossing, a shot that allowed you to bite off a little more distance with some more risk would be a more interesting hole.

This is a nice easy course with no rough and little punishment for errant shots. Beginners can have a good time here, the lengths are pretty reasonable, and it's an easy walk. More experienced players won't find many different challenges to keep things interesting.

The last seven holes of this course were absolutely phenomenal. Great usage of the land and the course really become awesome with these holes. Hole 18 was a neat finishing hole over the water with a 90 degree turn to the right. Hole 12 was a unique hole with a brick structure and a huge rock coming into play with the river long and left. Hole 14 was an awesome bombers hole that really allowed you to get the disc out there. The hole still had a nicely protected green with out of bounds to the right. Hole 15 had a neat green, while hole 16 was one of the more unique holes I have ever played as the green was protected by an old baseball diamond fence. The course had a nice flow and had AWESOME concrete pads.

The first 11 holes - the course was very distinctive between the first 11 holes and the last 7 holes. The designer probably did the best with what he had on the first 11 holes, but not a lot stood out with these holes. Hole 3 was probably the only interesting hole amongst the first 11. Hole 10 was pretty unsafe being so close to the fence/road. This hole would be an easy fix if the tee were simply moved about 50 feet to the left. If I hadn't been playing with someone else I would have never found hole 12's tee as that is located on the actual path near the old swimming pool. In addition, because of the newness of this course it does not currently have course signs and I'd consider this a con.

All in all this was a fairly enjoyable course with a great finish. I always prefer courses with a great finish - I'd honestly probably rate this course lower if the holes had been reversed because I really feel that courses should have a strong finish. Keep in mind that a "3" is considered a good rating. I would change my rating on this course to a 3.5 if two things happened: course signs were installed (which would alleviate the concerns about 12's tee location) and the tee on hole 10 was moved to the left. The designer did a good job with the land available but making those two changes would change my rating of the course.

Lots of fun, interesting, creative holes (mainly on the back nine).

Great variety: Holes range in length from about 180' to almost 600', and uses just about every available obstacle.

A river literally runs through it, and has been brought into play on a few holes in some imaginative ways.

Several long holes (such as 3, 14, 16 and 18) that are fun to play, and not just boring crushes.

Hole 2's tee is not where you'd expect. Most designers would have placed the tee in the area bounded by the park road, but the tee has been placed up on the riverbank, forcing you to throw back across the road to the pin (there are good sight lines and not a lot of traffic--I don't see this as a safety issue).

Hole 6, while short, has a well-placed young tree close to the tee that basically forces you to throw through a narrow gate of mature oaks if you want a legitimate deuce attempt. A very creative solution for a short hole.

Hole 10 is a real risk-reward gut-shot that forces you to make a hard decision: play safe or risk terrible punishment. There's more on that in the "Cons" section below, but I at least applaud the desire to bring some decision-making into our sport. If that makes this review sound indecisive, so be it, but I believe there can be both good and bad in the same hole.

Hole 12 is another hole where I'm conflicted--again, see Cons below for the flip side, but there are several quirky elements to this hole that I like, namely the crumbling brick wall, the boulder to the right . . .and the ever-present river to the left. Hyzer out here at your own risk.

There's a long, narrow, swinging, wooden bridge that you must cross twice to access several holes (it's perfectly safe). Great call to bring this element into the round. It gives you a close-up look at the greenish, slow-moving waters of the river. I'm guessing the green color might be due to algae, and it's probably not always this green, but it gives it a very unusual appearance.

Hole 14 is almost 600', which is open for the first half, then requires you to navigate some mature trees, an old wooden fence, and the road on the right for the approach. A very good hole.

Hole 16 is also a two-shot hole, with a cemetery on the right (hate to sound redundant, but see Cons below). The part I like about the hole is the second shot, which requires one to navigate a big old chain-link backstop fence that used to belong to a now-abandoned baseball field. All players will end up having to navigate around or over this thing. You'll need a delicate touch with that hammer throw, or perhaps enough creativity to even make up a new shot, to get over it . . .especially since the pin is only about 30 feet beyond it. A fun, albeit frustrating hole.

Hole 18 is the best hole on the course by far, which is exactly what you want for a finishing hole if the land will allow for it. The tee shot must go across the river, which is about 150 feet to carry the river and bordering vegetation--no biggie, just pretend it's not there (yeah, right). The hole then takes a sharp right turn and carries another 350 feet or so to the pin. The river parallels this last leg, and the vegetation is about 15 feet high, so you can try to cut as much of that fairway off as you dare. Play it safe and get a 3 or 4, or go for the pin and play for a 2 or 3 . . . but if you turn the disc over too much it will disappear forever in the greenish murky depths. Just a fantastic risk/reward hole, one of the best in central Illinois.

(By the way, there is a Rec-level tee on the other side of the river for those lacking intestinal fortitude. This is probably necessary for new players, but it definitely robs the hole of its glory. This tee should rarely be used, and certainly not by any self-respecting competitive player!)

Holes 1-9 are just ok. That is not the designer's fault, as he did a very good job with the available land. They have a "crowded" feel, and there are a few occasions where a basket is too near to the next tee pad. Players will need to be watchful, especially once the course gets more players, and even more especially during tournaments when the course is full.

Hole 8 could be a safety issue--there is a pavilion to the left of the fairway which doesn't come into play, however, picnickers park along the road right next to the basket because it's the shortest walk to that pavilion. Cars will be hit on this hole.

Hole 10, while interesting and a real test of courage (as mentioned above), could be a big safety issue. It is 300+' along a neighborhood street lined with houses and parked cars. The hole is bordered by a fence, but the fence is not high enough to stop most shots. It's only a matter of time before someone or someone's car or house gets hit, and that will lead to problems. It's a pivotal spot in the course, as a hole is needed there in order to link up with the rest of the course, but perhaps a shorter hole would have been better, with the tee more out in the open. It's not as challenging that way, or even as interesting, but it's a lot safer.

Hole 12's tee is difficult to find (a problem that I'm sure will be rectified once the tees signs are in). Look for an existing old sidewalk area next to the old swimming pool, marked with red flags.

Hole 12 could also become a safety issue. It's a very interesting hole, and fun to throw, but again, safety could be jeopardized. You must throw across a sidewalk leading to a frequently-used bridge. Sight lines are decent, so it might be ok, but if your drive is long, you will be headed into the street. Also, there is a boulder to the right of the pin that has some sort of placard. I didn't read it, but it's strange that they allowed this to be in play.

Hole 16, while a fun hole, plays alongside a cemetery. Some locals said this would eventually be a mando hole, which will work just fine for experienced players. But again, most players will ignore this and take the easiest route to the basket, which unfortunately is right over the edge of the cemetery. Safe to say, there will be discs ricocheting off headstones on occasion.

The course, in fact the entire park, almost appears to be an island. The river runs almost entirely around the park on all sides, adding interest and enjoyment to the experience.

The designer has used the river wherever possible. There are some holes early on where one might think the river could have been used more, but those areas seem to be used heavily by fisherman. It was a good decision to avoid that conflict. As mentioned, the river does come into play on a few holes, and it will make you think before committing to your decision.

The course is now complete with very nice, new concrete pads in place and was in excellent condition.

The course plays through a very family friendly park and flowed very well throughout the park with good use of the natural features.

I am beginner and this course was very beginner friendly with a few longer holes to challenge everyone.

While there are not tee signs, if you utilize the map, the course if very easy to navigate and the new Innova DISCatcher Pro Baskets are easy to see.

The Tee Pad for #12 is the concrete area near the pool. Don't get confused (as we did) and start to utilize the Alt pad for #18!

#12 and #18 are really neat holes and the tee shot on #18 over the river is quite visually daunting for both beginners and pros! The Alt tee pad for #18 is back over the bridge - if you chicken out ;-)

No Tee signs is the only very small draw back I have for this course. I always enjoy having a tee sign with a map of the hole at the start of each hole, but that might just be personal preference.

We planned our stop to Pontiac on our way back to St. Louis from a weekend trip to Chicago. My sons and I really enjoyed this course. This is well worth the trip as the small town of Pontiac was very beautiful and has many restaurants and a nice downtown area that you could also visit after your round. We will definatley add a stop to play a round at Chautauga Park Disk Golf Course each time we travel between St. Louis and Chicago. This course will be spectacular in the fall with all of the colors but leaves could be a big problem in finding disks - will have to see.

The course is located in the middle of Pontiac. It's fairly flat with the Vermillion River splitting the course. There are a lot of large trees scattered throughout. Most of the course plays in the shade.

Excellent concrete tee pads. Plenty spacious. They took care of the slick pads by grinding the front of them.

Brand new Innova Discatchers.

Tee signs with hole # and distance.

This is a very beginner friendly course. The only place to lose a disc is in the river. It's a nice walk in the park.

This course is very easy to navigate once you find the first tee. There is a course map, score cards, and pencils located on the information board near #1.

Holes #11 & #18 are really nice holes. 11 is a cool stright shot between trees and a rock fence. The long tee on 18 plays across the river as a par 4. Awesome hole.

The swinging bridges at this park are awesome.

Hole #12 has a huge boulder to the right hand side that comes into play and the river on the left.

There is a decent variety of with several par 4's. There was a lot of thought with the design and I felt they maximized the potential of the land.

The tee pads were laid and coated. They are going to be slick in rain. They did take care of front part of the tee.

The tee signs do not have the hole description.

This course is pretty wide open.

Pontiac is only 5-10 minutes off I55 and worth the stop.

Go eat at Bernardi's downtown. Great food!
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