Lebanon, IL

Horner Park - Old Layout

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3.135(based on 12 reviews)
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1 0
STÜBBIFIED
Experience: 6.8 years 25 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

New Layout 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 11, 2015 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

New layout for added challange

Cons:

Still needs some work, tees are somewhat marked and navigation is a little rough

Other Thoughts:

there is no longer a large toss across the pond. due to some saftey concerns I have been told
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1 1
daveinblvl
Experience: 8.8 years 3 played 1 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Not up to Par 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 10, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

The holes in the woods are good. The park is well maintained.

Cons:

Signage is mediocre, at best. No tee boxes. Unable to locate all holes.

Other Thoughts:

Being new to this sport. (only played a handful of times). We found this course to be very "user unfriendly". Never did find holes 5 and 6. While we enjoyed the holes in the woods and found them to be very challenging, we would have liked to have been able to play all 9. Would like to see more improvements to this course.
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1 1
Moosejuice
Experience: 12 years 87 played 19 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 28, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

This was a fun course but the locals were adamant against players retrieving discs from the lake and players seemed oblivious to this concern. So instead of using floating discs, players threw discs in the lake, then waded in to retrieve them which annoyed the locals, many of whom were fisherman. Or players would tear branches from trees to use for dragging discs from the lake. Using floating discs and bringing golf ball retrievers would have gone a long way toward preventing closure of this course.

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2 0
#19325
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.8 years 351 played 175 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Lovely Lebanon 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 22, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Horner Park is a very scenic with nice rolling terrain and a long narrow pond as the center feature. There are several holes that play in the woods. Several have nice elevation and play on a steep grade. The park is very quiet and a great place to play disc golf.

The signage is very good. Along with the good descriptive tee signs there are several navigational signs.

Brand New Innova Discatchers.

There are some really fun holes. #1 is a great start throwing over the water. #17 is another that plays across the water. See cons though.

The current loop has #1 & #10 starting right by the parking lot.

This is a pretty small town with McKendree University down the street It's been a very popular activity for college kids according to the park manager.

Cons:

The tee pads are a big issue. It's hard to enjoy playing disc golf on natural tees that are muddy. Many are not flat.

Many of the holes are very close together and have conflict with other park goers.

The water holes are being removed in 2014. See cons.

Other Thoughts:

The course is closed in the winter time for a light festival that runs thru the park.

I talked to the park manager. He said they are reducing the course from 18 holes to 9 due to a problem of disc golfers wading in the water. They had a drowning this past year and it's a sensitive topic. It was not a disc golfer but too many disc golfers swimming for discs became and issue.

The pond looks fairly innocent but it's not. It's 40 feet deep near the damn and it's full of fishing line. Do not go into the water!!
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2 0
Golden Tuna
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.1 years 185 played 31 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice little course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 17, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a fun course that offers a variety of shots from challenging to relatively straight forward. There are Pro and Am tees, which make the course attractive to all skill levels. I like that how the water hazards are used. The holes are positioned around them in a way that creates a mental challenge more than a throwing challenge. The park is well kept and maintained and the course is easy to navigate, even for a first time visitor.

Cons:

There are a couple blind shots where you risk hitting walkers or golfers on another hole, but that can be pretty easily solved by walking up a bit to take a look.

Other Thoughts:

Overall the course is still maturing and I expect it to get even better as more work is done to address some of the rough edges.
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3 0
TheGoldenPutter
Experience: 15 years 52 played 9 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 13, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

+Course is set in a nice park that plays around a pond, a park road thats OB, and in the woods with a creek running through.

+Elevation changes are present in the woods where the creek has created a valley which is played around. (4,5,6,10,11,12,14,15) However nothing too big, it does add a nice element and the challenge of sloped greens.

+The pond that is in play at holes 1,2,3,17 isn't that challenging to get around but it adds a little mental challenge and a nice scenic + to the park.

+Nice variety of hole shots. Straight, big hyzers, touch shots, anhyzers, rollers, flicks. Driver, mid, putter. Yes basically everything.

+Had a few par 4's that required some good upshots. Highlights were hole 6 which is a strong uphill L-R off the tee then another L-R upshot slightly downhill back into the woods. #14 was a RHBH hyzer into the fairway, then a big downhill L-R to get to the tucked in basket with the creek just behind.

+Creek is big enough to hold water and create an hazard, but not to big to swallow your disc.

+Baskets in good condition
+Two sets of tees that offered different shots
+Nice tee signs on both tee areas.
+Navigation wasn't a problem because of helpfull signs. I brought a map but didn't need it.

+Had a "fun" challenge level. Enough to make you come back but no "round breaker" holes that punish bad shots.

+Front and back 9 make a loop to parking lot

Cons:

-Amenities weren't the best. Natural tee pads that could get sloppy with rain. One bridge to cross the creek. No benches, no trashcans close.

-Poisen Ivy. Its present. Pretty bad in the woods. I would suggest long pants/socks.

-I would have liked to see a little more challenge from the pond. Personal yes but the pond could have added more.

Other Thoughts:

>This is a fun and enjoyable course. Has a good amount of variety and some highlight holes.

>Not the toughest course in the area. Red tees are beginner friendly and blue offers some more challenge.

>Didn't have a big wow factor. 6 and 14 were my favorite holes, but nothing else really stood out. This is what kept my rating back.

>So to wrap it up, I would say if your looking for a fun easy going round of DG this is a great place. For more challenge I would recommend other STL area courses like Jefferson Barracks, Carrolton, Endicott, or Souix Passage.

********************************** IF you found this reveiw unhelpful, found a mistake, or have a sugestion, please send me a personal PM so I can make my reviews the best as possible.
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1 1
KDXE200
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Lebanon, Il 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 24, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Nice local coarse
Sink or Swim on some of the holes
Nice park

Cons:

allot of water/mud to deal with on the back 9
Helps to know the coarse or have some with you that does

Other Thoughts:

we lost 2 disk on Hole 17 :-(
the back 9 will not see us very often :-(
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3 0
dehaas
Experience: 22.5 years 92 played 10 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Rough around the edges still 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 7, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Course is located in a well kept park, and at this point the course has kept clean. There is a good variety of shots (short, long, water, elevation, lefty, righty) so each tee plays different than any other holes on the course. Course has red (rec) tees and white (pro) tees with the shorts being very very beginner friendly and the long tees adding the need for distance plus accuracy. Primary parking lot is close to hole 1 and 10, so in the event the course is crowded you can hop in wherever it is quickest. There are also a lot of signs helping with navigation. Each tee has a sign at it, and there are signs directing you to the next tee in the instances where it might not be obvious.

Cons:

The two biggest opportunities of this course are a few blind shots and the tees. Holes 11 and 12 typically play a RHBH hyzer shot over a road in which walkers like to use. Hole 11 is especially bad, as the walkers are usually coming up a hill right into the line of fire from the tee. Hole 12 is similar but not as dangerous. Hole 14 plays up a hill and then makes a dogleg right back down the hill. Hole 6's short tee is maybe 60-70 feet to the left of 14's basket. From what I've seen so far most people are taking a full blown rip trying to make it down the hill on their second shot. Bad shots from 14's fairway can put people teeing off from 6 short at risk. These tees could be moved slightly to make the shots less dangerous.

The tees right now are natural, with cinder blocks marking the front of the tees. Natural tees are ok, but a handful of them slope right to left or left to right. A little uphill or downhill slope is ok, but teeing off on a sideways grade isn't cool. Move the tee back or forward a bit so you have a flat place to throw from. Hopefully this is resolved at some point if concrete pads are poured.

Also be prepared to encounter thorn bushes if you wander off of the fairway. This isn't necessarily the course's fault by any means, but hopefully anybody who reads this before playing the course will be prepared for them.

Another con that isn't the courses fault is that the lake in the park is very unforgiving. The water gets very deep very fast, and has rock at the bottom of it. Discs that look to be 4-5 feet off of the water's edge may not be seen once you actually get up to the bank looking for it. The rock bottom also makes it more difficult to use a disc retriever for the wet discs that you can actually spot.

Other Thoughts:

During the winter months the main gate to the park is locked for a Christmas light display. There is a small parking lot outside the park before you get to the main gate that the winter golfers use. You can park there and walk into the park and be right at hole 4's tee. The basket for hole 3 is right there too for some putting practice before you start your round.

Overall I enjoy playing this course, it's a great addition to the ever expanding list of courses in southern Illinois. A lot of the holes don't look overly difficult at first glance but require you to be very accurate to score well. There are a lot of baskets on inclines, so your nerves will be put to the test on the green. It is not uncommon at all for a birdie putt to turn into a 4 or 5 if you catch a roll away.

Over time the course will mature and only get better, but as it stands right now the golf is pretty good. The course just needs some polishing up...tee pads could be improved, and I'd like to see a kiosk, benches, and more garbage cans added. All of that will come with time though.
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2 0
Ninascott2001
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

fun course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 24, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Good markers to let you know where to go next
Not crowded

Cons:

"Park" is closed during the late fall winter months, which means you have to park outside the gates and walk in
Also, during this time, the town has its "Winter Wonderland" display which means lots of obstecles which is interesting
Some holes are too close to water, so if your an ametuer I would watch out for these espicially hole 17 and hole 2 on a windy day

Other Thoughts:

Lots of walking. Great scenery. Allo 18 holes are completed and are very fun to play. So happy that there is one in Lebanon and close to home for me.
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3 0
scbuckifan
Experience: 17.2 years 9 played 5 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Good New Course in Lebannon, IL 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 1, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

The first 9 that has been put in is well done. The holes seem well thought out and utilize the land very well. All types of shots represented with Hyzer, Anhyzer, long, short, uphill, downhill, wide open drives and tight, tree lined. Water and forest - you have it all here.

The Red (Amateur) Tee markers have the course playing very short and the Grey (Pro) Tee markers don't make it too difficult at all, even for the intermediate play. When going over the water, accuracy is a must not necessarily distance. The same is said for the 3 holes in the woods (4-6). The only issue is finding the Tee Markers but more of that in the Con area.

Ample parking and #1 departs the parking area and #9 ends up very near #1 Tee. Bathrooms are near the parking area. Ample trash cans along the way.

#4 is a great visual hole - enjoy. Gotta play it from the Grey Tees!

Course plays in and around mature trees so lots of shade is available to help with the current heat wave!

Cons:

You MUST print and take the map the first time you play or you will NEVER find the Red and Grey flat stones that mark the tee areas. There are not other markings to indicate where to go. Once you play the first time, you will have no issues navigating the course.

The main problem I see with the course as laid out will be with hole 4 (even though this is a great hole). You have to cross over a small creek bed several times and there is no bridge to cross from 4 Tee to 4 Basket. Currently it is so dry it isn't an issue but if there is any amount of water in there, it will be difficult at best to cross safely and without getting your shoes wet! There is a natural bridge to get from 5 tee to 5 basket; 5 basket to 6 Pro Tee; and 6 Pro Tee to 6 fairway.

Also, while hole 4 plays steeply uphill on the approach and putt (you better keep it up near the basket or it comes back down hill!) with any moisture, it will be extremely dangerous to try and climb up the dirt hill. This hill is steep and going up and down with it slick will cause injuries for sure over time without some type of steps being put in place. I see this as a safety hazard in the future. With it so dry right now, no issues but in spring and fall - look out!

As mentioned previously, Basket 7, 8 and 9 are just too close to the road way. Even with the road playing out of bounds, if any cars are on or parked near the road, this is another big safety hazard that should be dealt with.

7 Basket can be moved farther right and away from the road and the same would be true of 8. 9 Basket needs to be closer to the water and away from the road.

Other Thoughts:

This is an excellent 9 and plays well even for a brand new course. Well worth a stop if in the Lebanon, IL area. I am looking forward to seeing the back 9 holes when they get put in - hopefully this will be sooner rather than later.

Just be careful with Holes 4, 5 - esp. if wet and muddy!
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3 0
SmokintheChains
Experience: 11.9 years 8 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Nice course...most of the time 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 17, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The 9 holes that are established are set up well. Good mix of shots needed to play. There is plenty of shade on most of the holes to help keep you cool.

Cons:

With it being a new course, most of the people who visit the park do not know what disc golf is. Therefore it creates some problems. Number 8 fairway is often used for practice for baseball teams during the afternoon. Also if the park is hosting a baseball/softball game or the pavilion is being used near the number 9 basket, expect there to be cars parked very close. Several times I have had to skip hole 9 because of cars parked within several feet of the basket. Also the flags that someone kindly put up with measurements on them have mostly all been removed by the people who mow the grass. How nice of them. Also most of the spray paint marking the tees is gone due to mowing.

Other Thoughts:

The lake is deep, so be prepared to lose a disc if its more than a foot or two off the shore. Also watch out for poison ivy as it is thick in places on holes 4, 5 and 6. The course has great potential if it is well maintained and tee areas are designated by sign posts and/or concrete. UPDATE: There are now concrete pavers indicating the tee boxes. Red for amateur and grey for pro. Also the tee boxes were moved slightly from where the spray paint lines were.
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KoenigStern
Experience: 8.6 years 31 played 6 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Potential still in progress 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 4, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Different shot selections

Cons:

-Holes in woods are hard to traverse when park is wet.
-Not that great of flow

Other Thoughts:

I can't really say much about this course. I honestly liked the old layout much better. The current 9 hole that has been started on is disappointing. The holes playing in the woods are hard to traverse when there has been any rainfall. I see a lot of potential in this park, but the person designing it must not really be invested in it. It's a shame I couldn't design it...
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