Naperville, IL

Knoch Knolls Park - Old Layout

2.15(based on 26 reviews)
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6 0
davetherocketguy
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.7 years 114 played 105 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Beginner Friendly 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 26, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Older baskets in decent shape for the most part.
- Variety. I know I am going against some of the reviews posted here but this course does have some semblance of variety given the space used.
- Concrete tee pads. I've played this course off and on over the years and these pads are a very welcome improvement.
- Well maintained park setting.
- Some folks don't like this but I appreciate that many of the holes have wood mulch around the baskets. The mulch seems to grab puts and keep them from rolling away.
- One of the criticisms of this course is it's up and down the single hill there. Personally, I'm glad they made use of this very small hill in an attempt to make it as interesting as possible. I'm really not sure what else the course designer could have done with this land.
- For whatever reason, the play seems to flow nicely here. I have played many times on holiday weekends and while there seems to be a lot of people waits on each hole are rather minimal. Not sure if this is something with the design or just the fact it is only nine holes.

Cons:

- Signage is poor and in some cases non existent. I see someone has gone through a lot of trouble to mount signs in the concrete tee pads but for whatever reason many of them have worn off or popped out altogether - not sure which. Either way they were unreadable. Unfortunately, other than the signs on the concrete pads there is nothing here to indicate where the next tee is - at least not that I noticed.
- Tall grass next to the fairways of #2, #3 and #4. This is prairie disc golf at it's worse. Almost as bad as a water hazard. Discs that land in these areas are very difficult to find. Keep this in mind when playing here and maybe brightly colored discs are a good option.

Other Thoughts:

This is the kind of course that is great for introducing someone to disc golf. Sure some of the holes are similar to each other but really, it is challenging enough to be interesting but easy enough not to discourage the first timer. Although, loosing a disc in the knee high prairie grass is a little aggravating. I could easily come here and play numerous rounds and use this course to work on a variety of shots. If you are in the neighborhood swing on by for a short round.
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8 0
Jukeshoe
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.6 years 315 played 266 reviews
2.00 star(s)

It's a Hard Knoch Life 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 24, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Situated on a small wooded knoll, Knoch Knolls weaves in and out of the wooded knoll and the open areas on either side. The open shots have grass fairways with tall grass roughs. The woods have some bushy schule in a few places but well-worn paths minimize the chance of losing discs.
- Good use of the wooded knoll. Most holes play up or down the knoll. Several holes play into or out of the woods with a loss or gain of elevation. The holes incorporating the woods force players to hit specific lines to the basket. Punishment exists, but most recovery shots should still result in a par.
- Decent concrete pads ensure good footing while teeing off. Signs, where present and readable, are above average. The signage is set into the tee pads themselves.
- A decent mix of distances adds a bit of variety.

Cons:

- Several missing tee signs.
- The tall grasses will make finding errant throws an unpleasant task at certain times of year.
- Players with any sort of overhand or tomahawk sort of throw should be able to avoid most of trees by simply going over them. The best elements of design on this course force players to go through the trees. While going over the trees is certainly a viable tactic, it exposes a weakness in the design's
attempted difficulty.

Other Thoughts:

- The course feels almost the the beginning of an okay 18-hole course, but quickly becomes a study in "variations on a theme" as the course works back and forth over the same relatively small patch of ground. Nothing to avoid, with several decent shots, but also nothing to write home about.
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7 0
Three Putt
Staff member
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 29.3 years 152 played 127 reviews
2.00 star(s)

We keep spending most our lives living in the Chuckers Paradise 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 24, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Knoch Knolls is a pretty OK-ish nine-hole recreational course. It basically is one wooded hillside that you throw around and back-and-forth on. Other than hole #3 the distances are pretty short, but there are the woods to navigate that keep things interesting. It has a variety of hyzer, anhyzer and tunnel shots that help mix up the round. The tees are concrete and the tee signs were inlaid in them; a cool idea but most of the tee signs are washed out. For the Chicago 'burbs, it has good elevation. It will rate high for "fun factor" for most recreational golfers.

Cons:

Once you come around the corner on hole #4, the tees and baskets are too close together. You can easily hit the tees on the adjoining holes, and the woods often make these blind throws where you don't know anyone is there.

Most of the shots are fairly short and not terribly challenging, so if you are looking for a challenge this is not going to be your kind of course.

Other Thoughts:

While I can't rate this course very highly, I also don't have a lot of bad things to say about it. It is what it is, and that is a pretty OK-ish nine-hole recreational course. It has a loyal following of recreational players and gets tons of use. For that it should be commended. It's not going to host a PDGA event or be a top-rated course on DGCR, but it is providing a spot for a lot of people in the Chicago 'burbs to develop a passion for disc golf. If every town had a Knoch Knolls, disc golf would be better for it.
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6 1
booradly
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.9 years 165 played 24 reviews
3.50 star(s)

the knolls 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 23, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-a good course for beginners
-if you don't have a big arm you can still shoot par/less then par
- lots of chances to ace
-a quick play
-nice well kept park
-nice tee pads

Cons:

- tons of people on the course during the weekends
-it is really short
-more of a "if you are in the area" type of course

Other Thoughts:

-i like to play this if i have had a long day and do not want to walk to much
-i like to play this one and the course in woodridge together because they are both close to 75th street
-if i am going just to play this course i will play it at least 2 or 3 times every time i go to make up for how short it is
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4 0
LeddZepp8687
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.9 years 115 played 19 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Quick yet fun 9 holer 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

-Quick play
-Easy to navigate
-Good mix of shots
-Concrete pads
-Well maintained
-Little to no chance of losing a disc
-Good possibility of acing

Cons:

-Usually pretty busy
-Not incredibly challenging
-Small chance of getting hit by rookie players in spots

Other Thoughts:

Am I the only one on here that enjoys this course for a quick, confidence boosting play? I try to make it here once a week with some friends before we go out to the bars, Its a quick play so we can get around it twice easily. No crazy shots or obstacles but I enjoy playing around this course twice. I've only been here on the weekend once and yes, it was packed but manageable. I've nearly been hit a few times by careless players who don't pay attention to see if you are done playing your hole but whatever. Hole #2 is super ace-able, I've come extremely close almost every time I play here.

If you live in or close to naperville, Its worth a play.

Also, The 7-11 on washington between foxcroft and 87th sells disc of all makes. If the middle eastern guy is working the counter ask him if he has any extras in back. He had all kinds of good stuff stashed out under the counter that he said he wanted to buy for himself, Which I thought was hilarious.
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3 1
Arocep
Experience: 20.9 years 82 played 2 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Knoch Knolls 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 1, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great all round course for novice and intermediate players. Solid mix of shots, for both right and left handed throwers. Concrete tee pads and good signage incorporated into the tees. The course has been kept up very well the past couple years.

Cons:

Course is pretty short, and doesn't offer much for difficulty. Usually very busy/crowded. A lot of "chuckers" rather then golfers.

Other Thoughts:

Despite it being a shorter easier course Knoch Knolls is a great place to shake the rust off of your game or work on accuracy. With the solid mix of throws it makes for a great warm up round or lunch break round.
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2 2
JadosStalin
Experience: 12.8 years 24 played 3 reviews
2.00 star(s)

At least you wont lose any discs.. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 1, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The most positive thing I can muster is that this is a good warm-up course if you're to embark on a multi-park day of playing. Everyone has already stated that this course is good for beginners, so I can skip that misnomer. The slight elevation makes a few shots tricky and the path is tight, weaves well, and allows even large groups to move rather quickly throughout. There is also zero chance of losing your disc save a well-timed throw to Knoch Knolls Road and a passing car.

Cons:

There really is no incentive to strategize your shots, as you can simply whip your discs with a Hulk arm and even the mightiest of wind gusts wont put you too far off course. Again, this may be a positive for beginners and while I am nowhere near calling myself adept at this sport I never felt that even my worst throws landed me anywhere off-track. I'm no glutton for punishment but I at least like to see a good approach as something I achieved instead of something that would have happened even blindfolded.

Other Thoughts:

While I've only gone on cloudy weekday afternoons, I did not experience the overcrowding everyone else seems to have encountered. But I do see the potential for a theme park-like queue forming at the tees on weekends or early evenings. Bottom line: I'll only be going to Knoch Knolls again if its the start of kicking around the handfull of nine-holes in the area.
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3 1
Bltsandwich1
Experience: 12.8 years 5 played 5 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Ok suburban course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 2, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Elevation
-Tunnel shots
-Variety of distance
-Clean park
-No risk of hitting other park goers (there is a bike path but no risk of hitting anyone unless you have an ungodly long drive that goes awry)
-No problems with drainage

Cons:

-Busy due to the large # of Naperville players
-Not punishing enough of bad shots especially for a course that favors accuracy
-Easy to lose discs (I haven't but I found one on the first day out, and have passed many groups looking in the brush off the hole 3 fairway. If you keep your eye on your disc you should be okay.)
-Fairly boring especially after 6-7 rounds (this is my home course)

Other Thoughts:

Not worth a drive if you are going out of your way, however if you play this make a trip out to Castaldo Park for a good combined experience.
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2 1
earth2sean
Experience: 12.6 years 6 played 6 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Home Field 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 22, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Lots of elevation change, plenty of trees and brush to punish inaccurate throws.

Cons:

not much length to really let things air out. Gets SUPER crowded at times. When there are kids soccer games going on, the bored siblings will often get in the way on hole 1. If there's no one else on the course, this isn't that big of a deal cause you can just jump to hole 2, but on a busy day, it is pretty annoying.

Other Thoughts:

This is my home course, but I feel like the lack of length and the tight, encroaching brush and trees really make it unfriendly to a newb needing to let things air out a little bit and make some mistakes.
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4 0
notapro
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.7 years 568 played 281 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Beginner/Intermediate 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 11, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Course is set in a small portion of the park, wrapped through and around a wooded, hilly area. There are some soccer fields by hole #1 that can get some use, and some holes are by a bike path, but there shouldn't be too much interference.
- A lot of the holes here play into or out of the forsted area, with some sort of slope involved. Hole #2 is a sharp RHBH anhyzer (or super duper tight hyzer) downhill, #5 is a slight downhill shot with a hyzer finish, #6 is a blind RHFH shot uphill out of the woods, #7 is a blind downhill straight shot, and #8 is a blind straight shot coming back up. These holes are fun and pretty interesting because of the elevation changes, as well as some of the different lines.
- Other holes play next to the forest, such as a blind anny with the woods on the right, or two holes that start in the open field with the basket located slightly in the woods. #1 has enough trees to force a RHFH hyzer line, and #9 has a rollaway potential into the trees. #3 is probably the toughest hole, a long blind anny in a mowed fairway with a slightly sloped green at the end.
- The variety of lines here help to keep things interesting, hyzer, straight and anhyzer are definitely key to stay out of trouble. A few holes are long enough to break it up as well.
- Good teepads and baskets, the teepad inlaid signs are getting rubbed blank on a few holes. Navigation is easy, though, as the hole numbers can be easily read.

Cons:

- Biggest problem here are some extremely short hole lengths. Half of the holes are under 250' and three are under 205'. Not a lot of space to work with here, the holes are crammed together in a small space, and the lengths do suffer.
- Almost every hole has one and only one path to the basket, not much creativity needed. Point and shoot.

Other Thoughts:

- This course has some cool features, with some fairly steep elevation changes and tighter lines on some holes. Complemented well by some longer holes out of the woods, including a 419' blind RHBH anny with thick schule off the fairway. On the whole, probably a beginner's course, but there are some spots with tough punishment for a newbie. Worth checking out for some fun holes, but experienced players won't be blown away.
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2 4
phildafunk1
Experience: 16 years 46 played 6 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Meh 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 6, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

For a quick 9er, it's not too bad.
I play here a lot. It's only 12 mins from home and doesn't usually require too much digging out of the bush like Oswego

Cons:

Too crowded. Too many blind shots for the unfamiliar players. Also, it can be hard to see if people are done with a hole, since it's so crowded, it is an issue

Other Thoughts:

Meh.
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5 2
Au Gratin O'Brien
Experience: 21.8 years 5 played 5 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Knock Knolls 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 15, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is the course I learned how to play on, back in the day when it was still dirt tees and you'd maybe see one other group out there. They've really done a good job taking care of the course since I started playing. Why shouldn't they though it's run by the Naperville Park District.

Cons:

9 holes and extremely crowded!!!! I would probably give this place a better rating if there wasn't so many people playing it all the time, but not much. Almost every hole favors side arm throwers, which provides for little shoot creativity. Bugs are an issue, and a lot of beginners or people who just don't care play here all the time. It's a shame because the course could be a real nice quaint little nine hole charm, but it's not.

Other Thoughts:

Good if you've never played just to get out there and learn the game. Although, I highly recommend traveling outside of Naperville for disc. There's a lot of better course that are not that far of a drive away.
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3 6
flashniggs3000
Experience: 24.9 years 132 played 6 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Home Town 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 9, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is the first disc golf course that I played. Although the course is very limited, it does offer a veriety of challenges.
Hole 3 is by far the best hole on the course.

Cons:

For a town such as Naperville, one would expect a little more.
Everyone keeps asking for another 9 holes on the course.
They definitely have enough room for another 18 at least.
Little challenge on open holes
Too crowded on the weekends

Other Thoughts:

Naperville, lets go!
I thought you always wanted to be the best?
Guess not.
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7 2
mykeg44
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.8 years 72 played 45 reviews
1.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 16, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Knoch Knolls is a passable suburban course with a little shot variety and good use of a hill that runs along the majority of the course.

I wouldn't quite call this a beginner course as numerous holes have some moderately challenging angles and trees as obstacles, but intermediate level players and above will not have too much difficulty here.

The concrete teepads with built in signs are pretty unique and are especially nice given this course's propensity to take on water.

The course is in a DG-only area, which is always nice.

With the exception of #3 which has a large area of tall grass to the right of the fairway, there are no areas to lose a disc.

Cons:

My biggest issue with this course is the land used. Although it's located along the Dupage River you are unable to see the river from any point on the course. I mountain bike the trails on the other side of the river and some of the elevation and views are among the most scenic in the area, but this course incorporates none of that. Instead you get a great view of some McMansions and the street for most of the couse.

As mentioned above, any intermediate level player will not find much challenge here, and other than #3, you will not need your driver.

Due to it's location in the heart of one Chicago's most populous suburbs and the fact that there are no other courses in Naperville this place can get packed.

Because of the hill that many shots play up and down, there is almost always mud present on many holes.

Other Thoughts:

Due to the traffic it gets, Knoch Knolls is one of the better known courses in the area, but unless you live nearby I would recommend skipping it.
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2 5
Jakjedi
Experience: 15.7 years 4 played 2 reviews
2.50 star(s)

No Knoching 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 30, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Course has history. Some trees have scars older then most discgo players.
Also has a few short fun technical holes.

Cons:

Good practice course cause its short and sweet.

Other Thoughts:

Could use another 9 holes and it would be great.
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7 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Ok place for a quick round 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 4, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays through an area of the park that is used only for disc golf. There is one hill, though a number of the holes make good use of the little bit of elevation, playing up and down to add a little interest. There are two open areas, with a strip of woods in between. Most of the holes play into or out of the woods, with no holes that felt completely open and boring.

There was an ok mix of left and right turning holes, so that a variety of shots is called for. Most of the holes were aceable, with one longer hole with a little room to air it out. There are nice concrete tees on every hole, with a small hole sign set into the back corner. The signs are accurate, with a hole picture and distance, and the course is easy to navigate overall.

Cons:

This is another fairly easy 9 hole course without any really stellar holes, pretty similar to most of the Chicago area courses. The holes weren't necessarily bad, there just weren't any that have anything special or exciting. The course was crowded, though most of the people playing seemed friendly and willing to follow course etiquette.

There were a couple spots that were pretty muddy with no recent rain, it seemed like the lower part of the course could be pretty bad when wet. There were a ton of bugs, make sure you bring some spray. There was also some tall grass on one of the holes that made it easy to lose a disc on an errant drive, even one that barely missed the fairway.

Other Thoughts:

This course is an ok place to take beginners, with only one hole that isn't reachable even for shorter throwers. There are a couple places where lost discs are possible though, which might frustrate some new players. More experienced players won't find a lot of challenge here, other than a couple holes that make good spots to practice your approach game.

Don't go out of your way to play this one, it isn't anything all that special. It did seem to have lots of local kids playing, it was cool to see so many young players taking up the sport, and this is a fine course to learn on.
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1 3
Evan
Experience: 15 years 10 played 3 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 24, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

good for starters, first course i have ever played, if you dont have a lot of time and you want to get a quick 9 in this is the place to come. scenery is nice and it is very easy to find your way from hole to hole.

Cons:

too short, some holes arent laid out very well and you always run into other people

Other Thoughts:

come here if your new or need a quick game
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8 6
Dave242
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 29.8 years 393 played 271 reviews
1.00 star(s)

C- = a little below average for a 9 holer 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 15, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

What I personally like and how this course stacks up in my list of 9-hole courses:

1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == C (The holes are so short that even a bad drive will never result in a 4)

2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I throw 300' accurately, 360' max. == C- (Only one hole is remotely rewarding to get a deuce on)

3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == B (Good variety and good use of terrain and woods. This is the best aspect of this course design)

4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == C+ (No feeling of seclusion. The beauty is maybe slighty above average)

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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3 0
Adam Bigott
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Home, semi-sweet Home 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 25, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Hilly for the area
Has a nice flow from hole to hole
Even amount of hole that turn right and left
Sort of shaded in some parts
Empty in the early mornings

Cons:

Hole 3 eats discs like none other
Short
Scores for everyone fluctuate on this course
Locals are less than nice and have stolen a disc or two of mine
Can be incredibly crowded at some times

Other Thoughts:

As my "home" course I would love to tell you that I love it, but I don't. It is a good course to go to if you are close but if you aren't then you are probably wasting your time or trying to play as many possible courses as you can. It is a beginners course and trust me there are plenty of beginners there.
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1 1
kizzle54
Experience: 16.9 years 10 played 7 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Low Skill, Short Length 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

Well maintained park.
Good for beginners.
Nice Cement Tees w/ hole layouts
Very Quick, played all nine by myself in 35-40 minutes even with the course crowded

Cons:

Very Quick
Always seems to be crowded
More of practice course really...
Very easy course, 3 is a 415 ft par 5?

Other Thoughts:

I just play every hole as a par 3 because the course doesn't have many challenging holes. Hole 5 is a pretty neat one, shooting into the woods, and 3 is a good one to crank out a drive on. Try it once or twice, but it really isn't worth a regular trip.

One last thought... I play Whitehall, MI course regularly, and I just don't see how this Knoch Knolls park can justify its par 4s...
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