Morton, IL

Megiddo DGC

4.235(based on 22 reviews)
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7 0
kevdiv48
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.4 years 263 played 30 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Ravines, elevation and trees. Oh my!

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 4, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Grippy concrete teepads and bright baskets.
Masterful use of elevation coupled with tight wooded lines. Variation of shorter birdie runs with nearby danger to longer multi-shot holes.
Sturdy stairways and bridges to navigate steep terrain.
Multiple tees on some holes.

Cons:

Unforgiving drop off's for errant shots
Muddy and slick after rain

Other Thoughts:

Megiddo DGC at Westwood Park is an excellent technical track carved out of dense woods with multiple ravines and stream crossings. Extensive work was done to add stairs and bridges throughout to make navigation manageable. All shots are moderately to tightly wooded except for the middle of hole 13's fairway.
For comparison, the play is very similar to Camden II in Milan, IL at the edge of the Quad Cities.
Overall Megiddo fits well in the slate of the great Peoria area courses. While challenging due to the consistent technical lines, it is a step less daunting than its neighbor Northwood Black. Well worth a play at this fine course.
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19 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.9 years 970 played 542 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 18, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course plays entirely in the woods. More specifically up, down and across some huge ravines and creeks or creek beds. If you're into technical wooded golf then you're not going to find anything better than this. I love wooded golf and think this is one of the most fun courses I've played to date. The baskets are orange DGA's which work fantastic under the canopy of the woods. It's a little thing that could easily be overlooked but the orange baskets are SO helpful here. These catch great too. There are concrete tee pads on every hole with at least half if not more having 2 per hole. These are all level, have great grip and are plenty big enough. The elevation. Wow the elevation. You will be going uphill and downhill so much and zigzagging around the creeks so much you'll have no idea where you even started the course. This is an extremely physically demanding course. I can't state this enough. Probably pound for pound the most physically demanding I've played to date. Save maybe a couple. The tee signs are similar to Northwoods. Hole number, hole layout map, distances, each tee location, and pars. All the info you. Well done with these. These are located on the short tees only. You'll need every type of shot in your bag to score well here. You'll need to be accurate too. You'll also need some luck. The flow of the course is pretty straight forward. There are a number of blue and/or white arrows pointing to the next tee in confusing spots. The distances are all toward the shorter end of the spectrum. There are a few 400 hundred something foot holes but most are in the 200 to 300 hundred foot range. Which is perfect here. I can't say enough good things about the design of this course. To get 18 well thought out holes here is no small task. Well thought out is the key word. I don't feel like any of the holes are "filler" holes. The course probably isn't ever super busy and it is free to play. I've paid to play so many lesser quality courses that it was refreshing to play something like this for free.

Cons:

My main con here is that there are a number of places where there isn't a bridge to cross a creek. I took my cart here, and while it is doable I wouldn't recommend it. With that said it would even be treacherous in a few spots with just a backpack. This is nitpicky but is worth mentioning. Just know that it rugged. I honestly can't think of any other cons. Loved this course.

Other Thoughts:

This course is crazy. I loved every minute of it (well except carrying my cart up the steps to 18 after a long round). You'll be tired after playing here. You might even be sore the next day. But it is totally worth it. This course is a must play for anyone who loves tight, technical woods golf. But I think everyone will like this one. I'd highly recommend this one. Definitely worth a visit if you're nearby or even travelling through. Pair it up with Northwood for an absolutely epic day of disc golf. But this is a FANTASTIC stand alone course if you're short on time.
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13 1
MikeK
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 28.8 years 330 played 128 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 14, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

+Challenging and fair with lots of trees and shade
+well-balanced between hyzers and anhyzers
+lots of elevation changes
+excellent concrete tee pads
+secluded, peaceful
+a lot of fairway shapes combined with elevation changes, valleys, hillsides to create many unique holes
+excellent workout, you will burn massive carbs each round
+stairs throughout help players over the steepest ravines

Cons:

About the only con for me on this course is its propensity to get muddy enough to be almost unsafe in a few places. Just not quite enough grip on some of the steep slopes when it gets too wet. I know it's not that bad most of the time, but enough of the time for me to keep me from rating it a perfect 5. Also the elevation changes here, while thrilling, are not the most extreme (they aren't ski-hill thrilling in other words). I'm being a bit nit-picky, but these two things are what make me say, "great course, but not quite the greatest ever."

Other Thoughts:

Megiddo is an incredible course that requires players to dig deep into their shot arsenal to master its tight lanes and tricky slopes. Couple of signature holes for me here that I'll always cherish: hole 4 starts as a RH hyzer down a creek bed, then finishes with a RH anhyzer crush up a hill to a plateau green with plenty of trees throughout. Hole 11 is a par 3 that can easily produce scores in the range of 2 through 8, with OB lurking on the left past a tall tree-lined fairway and a steep hill on the right that requires an accurate straight drive. Did I mention the 50 foot drop off a cliff from the tee? Finally Hole 15 is another beauty, a long, gradually downhill tunnel that keeps turning ever-so slightly left the entire fairway.
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13 0
SneakyJedi
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.8 years 143 played 83 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Wonderful Woods, Exhilarating Elevation 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 10, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Delightfully challenging course with great variety of fairway shapes and shots required to score well.

- Elevation change along fairways is frequently intense, and many greens are precarious.

- Multi-use park seems to be well maintained, and disc golf portion is separate and mostly secluded.

- Course equipment, including two sets of tees on about half the holes, is in good repair and does its job well.

Cons:

- Significant elevation change makes for good golf, but can be fatiguing to navigate, surely even more difficult in wet conditions.

- No relief from tight, wooded holes for duration of round.

- Navigation can be difficult in a few places during your first round.

Other Thoughts:

Megiddo Disc Golf Course at Westwood Park had been on my wish list for too many years. So when I learned I would be playing the course for this past years Ledgestone Insurance Open, I was exceptionally excited. I had heard great things about the course, and it definitely lived up to expectations. This is a fantastic, technical course that will provide a challenge for just about every level of disc golfer. The shorter, white tees were a great challenge for the intermediate level players during my rounds while still being a ton of fun, and I would imagine the longer, blue tees (present on 10/18 holes) would provide all the challenge desired for more advanced players.

This course does a fantastic job of presenting a constantly varying set of fairway shapes and distances, playing up, down, and across hills to greens of various levels of precariousness. The course is well balanced and well paced. The longer, more challenging par 3s and par 4s are broken up by shorter, more birdie-able holes. The first four holes give a great example of the variety present throughout the course. Hole 1 plays left-to-right with a dangerous downward slope on the right side, Hole 2 plays right-to-left with the creek bed meandering through the fairway all the way to just short of the basket, Hole 3 is a shorter, straight, downward shot again with drop-off just short of the basket, and Hole 4 is a massively up-hill par 4 that requires a well-placed right-to-left shot around the hill side to have a chance to make your way up the hill to the basket for a birdie 3. I used just about every shot in my arsenal throughout my rounds here, with Hole 11's big, downhill, right-hand-backhand flex shot being one of my favorites.

There is an almost constant threat of a roll-away or drop-off in at least one direction while putting on this course, making up-shot placement a not at all trivial endeavor. This is non-stop woods golf, and while well balanced, there isn't really an opportunity to just air out a big drive, this can start to feel a little oppressive if you aren't having a good round/hitting your lines. I would not bring a newer golfer to this course. Most of the fairways are quite fair, if at times rather tight. The only exception to this, in my opinion, is Hole 17. It doesn't seem to have a well defined route to the basket, which is a shame because the basket is elevated on top of a fallen tree and could easily be one of the better holes on the course if the fairway was cleaned out a bit.

I have mixed feelings about the DGA Mach V baskets, it feels like I get more spit-throughs and bounce outs with putts to the center portion of the chains than most other baskets, but these are in good repair and do their job well most of the time. The concrete tee pads were very nice, and there are benches present on several holes. The original tee-signs are rudimentary but adequate. I had the good fortune of having the excellent temporary tee-signs for the Ledgestone tournament up during my rounds, hopefully they are able to remain in place for a while. There aren't any extra frills here, but the course doesn't really need them, the quality of the golf speaks for itself.

There were some difficult spots of navigation during my first play through. If you aren't paying attention as you walk up to Hole 1, it is very easy to not notice Hole 3's tee pad across the path from it, and wonder in the wrong direction after Hole 2. It is also very easy to head up the wrong path from Hole 11's basket and end up at Hole 16, which then requires a lot of back-tracking to get back to Hole 12. I would suggest checking the map beforehand for at least these two spots on your first trip. The elevation present here makes for some great and dramatic golf, but you do have to walk up and down all those hills as well. Stairs are present in the steepest locations, but there are some others that were still hard to navigate, even in dry weather. I would imagine this course could be quite difficult to play after a significant rain, doubly so if the creek level is up.

Megiddo is an excellent course with a ton of fun and challenging shots. If you like woods golf and elevation, I can't imagine anything too much better than this.
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7 0
34blast
Experience: 26.8 years 50 played 30 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Excellent wooded hilly course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 16, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Tight challenging wooded course
Huge elevation changes
Clean park
secluded
Not busy at all
Ample parking
Good tee pads
Good signage
Good bright orange baskets
Every single hole is challenging

Cons:

Not a con to me but nothing really wide open
Not cart friendly
Probably not very beginner friendly

Other Thoughts:

If you like tight wooded challenging courses, this is your ticket. There is nothing wide open and all holes are challenging. The course is a bit of strenuous hiking. The hills are very steep, but they make lots of stair cases. I used quite a few different discs, probably most of my bag besides my longest distance drivers.
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3 4
RFLHXS
Experience: 15 played 3 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Favorite 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 2, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Excellent hole layout with many challenging holes. It offers a rigorous hike with the many hills to traverse. Many if the holes play through a meandering creek but I've always loved playing in a creek and getting a little dirty.

Cons:

Could be marked a little better for someone playing it for the first time. More trash cans for all the litter bugs would be nice.

Other Thoughts:

This is by far my favorite course if I want a real challenge.
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3 3
TeebirdDan
Experience: 20.8 years 90 played 24 reviews
4.50 star(s)

stairway to heaven 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 21, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

this course is so neat ,almost every hole has hills and ravines ,. and staircases .Fairway shapes are twisted n cool just a awsome course .not the longest but challenging enough to make any player happy that likes woods golf .

Cons:

ill have to come back to this one ,really had no complaints there is a really weird pro tee used in tournaments here that my friends threw . the regular pad on this hole is sweet enough anyway .

Other Thoughts:

`love how this course looks n plays ,like how all the ledgestone courses have the pretty orange baskets
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12 0
wfisher74
Experience: 11.8 years 35 played 7 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 18, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

The holes use the terrain and naturally flow for the most part throughout the woods. Due to the way they set it up you don't tee off going up a steep hill once that I can remember, and lots of down hill bomb chances (with very tight lines). Ace runs are there on a few holes, again much tighter lines than we have in Quincy but not scary tight in every case. This course was so fun, even with the tree hits aplenty. Baskets were nice bright orange and easy to pick out from afar. Signage was stellar, along with arrow markings to direct you to the next tee. Tee pads were very large 12-14' maybe larger and slightly trapezoid shaped, I was never anywhere close to stepping off and I was taking wide strides on my x-steps. Stairs and bridges were built where needed and where they really didn't need to but did anyways. Paths to the next holes were well beaten and easy to spot. They also used the naturally fallen trees as stairs, benches, hole features and other uses all over the place. You can tell there is a dedicated person or more likely people that tend to this course. They laid out holes so that you really cant see too many holes around you. While you can see some baskets from time to time, the other holes are protected by creeks, hills, and other features. We could hear another group playing once in awhile, but never saw them except when we were teeing off on hole 1 and they were playing hole 2. Very good mixture of right to left, straight, left to right and s-shaped fairways, with many having multiple lines to choose from, allowing one to throw the way and the disc they most prefer, but still being similarly same size windows to shoot through regardless of which line you choose. I found myself choosing using forehands almost as often as backhands off the tee, but that was mostly because I felt most comfortable with that line on that hole, but could have chosen the opposite just as easy.

Cons:

Tough, trees, very tight, trees, lots of stairs (as you tee off downhill quite a bit), Creeks and creek beds to climb down into and then out of, did I mention trees? NO CARTS, I knew this before going and took my backpack bag. Many holes are hidden from the tee and sometimes even from fairways, due to large trees, slopes, or hills blocking your view of the basket. Having 2+ people would be very helpful to have as spotters for those blind holes and for after tree hits. I also carried a lighter bag than usual, about 14 discs total. I am super glad I did as this course is a great hike and workout just walking it was a tough walk. Lastly one needs to take all beverages they would want at hole 1, but if you forget something you go right past the parking lot after hole 2. The loop is basically all 18 holes (except for hole 1 & 2). All of these cons are SO easy to ignore while playing though. We were in constant amazement of the views, the tees and basket placements, the wildlife. It wasn't until looking back could I really find fault with things and that was knit-picking.

Other Thoughts:

The views from the get go are great. Hills, bridges, trees, trees, and more trees. Ravines and creeks run throughout the course and come into play on too many holes to keep count including Hole 1 and 2 which you can see from the first tee. At the time of our play the creeks were fairly dry and easy to play from. I could see that the creeks could rise fast with a good few days of rainfall.
One could play it 100 times and have a different, approach and putt every time. Trees cause you to be accurate in both distance and direction but cause constant change in your shots. The 15ft putt I have one day will not be like the 15ft putt the next time, or the next due to each and every hole having trees surrounding each basket in almost every direction. Unlike our 2 courses where the baskets are fairly open almost all the way around. It would also make us all better players for sure, but the variety every time out would be so much fun to have in our backyard. Not to mention the wind was non existent on all but 1 hole, and that was a very small breeze, and 80% of the course was in the shade making it great for those hot sunny days. Today's forecast was 78F with 8mph wind, and we were never sweating, even with all the hiking and like I said, never really knew there was wind until one of the more "open" holes.
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5 1
Cdarbly
Experience: 3 played 2 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Amazing course! Best I've played. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 5, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Really great use of natural terrain, almost every hole has a ravine or some sort of feature to deal with. Some reachable short holes but still technical, some legit par 4's.
I really like the terrain, it's hilly but doesn't really feel like a straight hill climb.
Definitely my favorite course.

Cons:

Slippery when wet, not much grass due to how wooded it is. If you miss the fairway there is in many cases a pretty steep dirt drop off, but still accessible on all fours.

Other Thoughts:

The only course I've played that requires wood features to exist. They did an excellent job designing it. It has a ton of sweet bridges and stair cases, seems like they just keep adding to it.
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11 0
sisyphus
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.6 years 397 played 383 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Caution When Wet! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 20, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Megiddo (aka Westwood, but not to be confused with the 'other' Westwood) is an astonishing piece of property on which to have built a disc golf course. It feels like they've taken a little bit of West Virginia, and dropped it in the plains of central Illinois. Then, the designers took advantage of every ravine for some gorgeous lines through the challenging woods. When the most 'open' hole (8) slopes 435 feet (from the short tee!) down an access road, never more than about 75 feet wide, to a brutal, side sloping basket position (with OB just at the edge of the 'circle', beyond), you know you need to be a technical billy goat to really shoot well here.

There is updated signage, large, level, trapezoidal concrete tees, beautiful orange DGA baskets with deep cages and the 'blade' top for added visibility. They've built literally hundreds and hundreds of stairs and dozens of bridges. They HAD to. When wet, the course has such steep slopes, you'll be focusing as much on staying upright as you play, as you will on making a good shot. The stairs are greatly appreciated (side note on how to play Megiddo when it's really wet: wait 'til it dries out!).

There are holes that give you a clean line all the way to the basket, and many that will force you to find the best landing zone to save par. There are holes that pretty much require a spotter (I'm talking to YOU, hole 4!), and some nice ace run opportunities (3, 6, 16). There are holes that shape in both directions. I personally like the fact that you're given many more downhill lines than uphill (in fact, I can't remember a true uphill hole). But (especially for plains states players) you will remember Megiddo for its tight tree-guarded fairways, and the climbing you'll be doing, even when you hit the 'best' lines.

The course is not intended for casual players. At all. While you're not really likely to lose a disc (the ground cover is minimal), beginners will just be frustrated here. It will challenge Intermediate to Advanced players. Beware! You throw a bunch of unique holes, and start to 'feel the burn' toward the end, and you'll still be finishing on the drop shot ace run 16th, climb a steep hill to 17, with its one of a kind basket position (IN a fallen tree!), and then climb literally four flights of steps up to 18, where first timers might not know there's a serious, 15 foot deep ravine just before the green!

Cons:

If you aren't in fairly good condition, you won't enjoy the hills here. And I'm actually a little serious about wet conditions: we played the Ledgestone Open this summer with a few downpours, and there were times and places where you could barely STAND to throw, or make it up or down to the next hole. The next areas needing stairs are on 11, 16 and on the path to 17. They've done an amazing job already, but you might notice spots where they know it's rough, and the tournament had a couple of ropes out there.

Be careful throwing slightly to the right on hole 2: there's a culvert you can fly into. A couple of places (on 11 and on 13 were notable) where they've started to build up log bridges, but more permanent structures are needed. Other than that, there aren't a whole lot of cons to this course.

Other Thoughts:

It's really tough to assign a simple numerical rating to this course (I hope folks are reading these reviews!). It deserves at least a 4 for what they've built, and the fun challenge of the course design. Yet I personally found it to be pretty grueling (that's partly due to my age and lack of being in shape...). I have to rate it amongst one of the better courses I've played, but can't claim it's a 'favorite' because of how tough it is (to survive!) when wet. Dry, it might be a 4.5 course, but I have to rate what I played.
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4 1
IndyTyler
Experience: 14.7 years 166 played 8 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A great technical course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 8, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Great concrete pads and great signs on the short tees.
incredible use of land
incredible stairs and bridges built
amazing terrain

Cons:

DGA/Discraft baskets

Do not use a cart at this course. You will hate yourself for it.

Other Thoughts:

This course is one of my favorite courses I've ever played. It is physically demanding with lots of elevation changes. It is a fair course. None of the tee shots really strike me as luck shots. You have to hit your lines here. Very well designed. I played it again yesterday after playing it last year at Ledgestone. It looks like the club is still doing a lot of work. Hole 6's stairs are amazing. Keep up the great work guys. It is an amazing course. GO PLAY IT!!!

I will rate it higher when the course is complete.
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1 17
americanhero9d
Experience: 25.8 years 23 played 2 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 14, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

-New course
-Challenging for beginners, but will help improve game
-hole maps have good detail

Cons:

-A few strange pin placements on hills
-Course not completely finished.(being don't by volunteers)
-No stairs or bridges on several holes
Not beginner friendly

Other Thoughts:

Heavily wooded, pro favorite course. Will change this review after playing this course again later in August
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12 1
ToddT
Experience: 96 played 10 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 18, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is an excellent course that will only get better with time. The course terrain is some of the most demanding I have ever played, and the course itself is probably the hardest I have played as well.
- Course plays up and down hills traversing a creek the majority of the time
- Excellent elevation changes to make some shots very memorable
- Forced lines
- Good mix of right and left turning shots
- Signs and arrows to the next hole on most holes
- Excellent baskets, Mach 5's.
- Excellent Tee pads just poured this year

Update:

Updated signs and trail upgrades thanks to the Ledgestone!

Cons:

My cons would be pluses by some.
- Extremely hard course
- Course is a bit overgrown and needs to be trimmed down some
- Gets muddy and slippery very easily
- Almost rolled my ankle a dozen times
- Not very clear lines on several holes. Just needed to pick a few foot opening and hope for the best
- Too many small trees that need to be cut down
- Multiple paths are just muddy slopes
- Physically exhausting course

Other Thoughts:

Despite it being exceptionally difficult and rough around the edges, this will now be my top rated disk golf course in central IL.
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13 2
MidwestZest
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.8 years 103 played 72 reviews
4.50 star(s)

I...uh...it was...uh...words...anything...come on brain...say something! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 17, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Just for starters - this WILL be a top 3 or 4 course in the state by the time all is said and done. As it is, it's nearly right up there with Camden II, and has a very similar feel. It's going to be very hard for me to describe how great of an experience playing this course is.
- Wonderful terrain for a professional disc golf course. The course winds through ravines and gullies, playing both up and down the hills. GREAT scenery.
- Mostly amongst trees, making you pick lines and hit them. Mostly threw a lot of strong, specifically shaped putters and mids on most of the course. However, there are a couple holes that let you rip a solid distance driver.
- The bridges and stairs that have been installed so far are wonderful. When you see that locals care for a course as much as this, it goes a long way to how you feel about the course.
- Good tee pads - a few with dual. Looks like they may expand this in the future. Great baskets.
- Definitely a solid array of left and right turning shots required.
- There are too many favorite holes to count on this course. In fact, 4 or 5 of these holes could be the 'signature' hole on about any course you've ever played.
- #1 - Great starting hole, that certainly plays longer than it is.
- #2 - Wow do you need to pick a perfect line here, and stick it. Probably not worrying about getting it close to the pin, you just want to land in the open 'fairway' for a good approach shot.
- #3 - Easily one of my favorite holes. Slightly downhill, flying over the winding crick.
- #4 - Long, turning right to left, and then up a steep slope to the basket overhead. This one will break in over time, and become a signature hole.
- #6 - Awesome, straight as an arrow tunnel-shot. Very scenic.
- #11 - Phew. Got a straight, downhill laser-beam in your bag of tricks? Hit the landing spot, or you may be standing in some shallow water.
- I LOVED the walk from 11 to 12. It's long, but you get to walk straight up the spine of the spur to the next tee pad. Wonderful.
- #13 - Lots of lane choices here. Do yourself a favor and stay left.
- #14 - A great downhill shot that follows the gully they whole way. Good pin placement on the side of the hill just a bit up from the little creek bed.
- #16 - Is a lot like #11. Straight downhill, across a little creek. Just not as long. Might be one of the coolest short holes to get an ace on.

Cons:

- Muddy in a lot of places if it's rained at all recently. This will likely never change, as the course plays in the woods along natural drainage beds.
- Thus, some more stairs and bridges (or step-overs) are still needed. Also, some benches or trash cans would be helpful.
- Signage is poor. Never really lost or confused on hole layout except for on #4, which needs some clarification.
- #7 - Kind of awkward "L" shaped hole. Not much going on here other than frustration, and probably slim chances at a deuce. Might break itself in eventually.
- #8 - This is the long bomb. Long from the short tee, loooooooong from the long tee. I appreciate it's inclusion on the course, but its length (and a roll-away prone green) is all it has going for it.
- #17 - Probably needs one less tree in the fairway; we'll see how the course matures. Fun basket placement though, probably 5 - 6 feet off the ground with the pole installed straight through a fallen tree. FUN!
- #18 - Unfortunately, after such a wonderful course, I found #18 a little wonky. It's difficult, don't get me wrong, with plenty of chances for round-killing roll-aways. But just didn't seem to wrap up my epic experience here. Great bridge though.

Other Thoughts:

- THIS IS A HIKE IN THE WOODS. Not a con for me, but could be for some. Lots of elevation, steeper slopes that you have to walk on to get to a disc if it goes astray. Much like Camden II and Wildcat Bluff - steeper and more cumbersome than nearby McNaughton.
- Love this course, and I look forward to rating it a 5 in the very near future. Perhaps by next summer even? It's that good, and right in the middle of a wonderful group of great Peoria area courses. Just missing some finishing touches, signage, and that 'break-in' factor for me.
- I will echo a comment from dmbrun2's review from this July. There may not be a better opening 4 holes to a course in all of disc golf. If nothing else, it's pretty close to right on par with whatever you think is better.
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3 6
Donkeybong
Experience: 9 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 18, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

You have a reason to buy new shoes when you are done with this course. WOW. this one is rough. Great course. extremely hard and not for newbies like me.

Cons:

Still not 100% complete. need more bridges and stairs. very difficult terrain.

Other Thoughts:

This course will be a great course once I get better. It is challenging and could be a problem in early spring. creeks running through it everywhere.
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17 0
Aestheticflight
Experience: 31 years 151 played 12 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Megiddo, Best course in the peoria area 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 23, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

I love a great woodsy course and this one is one of my very favorite. It has lots of elevation changes and hazards which make it my kind of course.The rough for the most part is not that rough.

Accuracy is all important on this tight course. There are holes that are long too, but control is the name of the game here. If you want to shoot par you had better sometimes think in stages rather than just throwing for the pin all the time.
Great tee pads, multiple tees on a few holes with more coming which will make it better suited for beginners to advanced players.

Mach V baskets and good signage with pointers to lead to next tee.(some of these need to be better fastened down because they move)

Cons:

For some folks the footing may prove challenging at times due to its hilly nature.

I am not complaining I am a woodsman and like this sort of thing.
The creators have done a lot of work on the pads and bridges and stairs.

Still there is certainly a high probability that the tricky footing at muddy times may be unsuitable for everyone.
This is not a course to bring Grandpa and Grandma unless they are woods wise and sure footed.
Better signage is needed to point to #13, I think anyway.

Other Thoughts:

Fun, challenging and not too busy. I love this course and "Risk and reward" style golf.
For the advanced player there is a lot of short 2 able holes (with an accurate throw) but get off line a bit and you may have some exciting recovery shots if you hope for par, or a four even.
Most holes are reachable and tempt you to try.

Great job with the design of this course in utilizing the hills and woodsy setting.

It can be fun to play, but at the same time if you don't demonstrate good control of your flights you could find yourself doing a lot of hiking up and down steep hillsides retrieving your discs.
Another result of going off the fairway is that you will get a lot of exercise. These hills aren't huge but they are steep enough that if you have to do much extra hiking about for bad throws the fatigue factor could come into play for many of us.

I love to throw from the tops of hills and there are many nice holes here to please me. Of course that means walking up hills, there is plenty of that too.
There are a great number of bridges and stairways that have been built and I imagine there are more of those to come.
At the time I played there were no benches yet, I imagine they are coming (And will be welcome).

My Short descriptions:
Hole 1- Pad near Megiddo sign, Slight uphill into woodsy fairway, breaks gentle right a bit.

Hole 2- Blind hole, Pin far side of creek, about 12' from creek bank. Flight path crosses creek 2x. Beware of Large drainage pipe to right of pin downstream.Creek water usually low, not much chance of loosing disc.Leaving Pin walk uphill to gravel road go right, 3 on left.

Hole 3- Short fun hole, a bit tightish over winding creek through woods. Pin on level of pad roughly.

Hole 4- Great hole. Blind, crosses creek 2x, you should scout it the first time to plan your landing for a uphill into the woods approach shot.Great hole. Think two well placed throws for a three.

Hole 9- This little 225? footer gives you ideas of an easy two, and it is,but for right handers especially, you had better execute well or you will be doing as I did the first time and ricochet off a tree and have to descend to the bottom of the steep hill on left side of flight path faced with a ridiculously crazy recovery shot if any chance of par is to be had.
Hole 11- Wow, love this hole! Great down hill, tight fairway, creek all along left OB on road on far side of creek. Another small creek at the base of the little rise to the pin. My favorite hole on the course.

Hole 14- Pin is roughly same elevation as Pad up the ravine breaking right. I like this hole, one of the "must twos" for a low score.

Hole 16- A short must "two hole". One of the two easiest on the course.

Hole 17- I like this hole, very twoable with an accurate drive.

Hole 18- Great hole, brutal and tight and feels longer than it is. The final approach to the pin is on the far side of a ravine which makes for a tricky hazard if you are shooting to be near the basket.Great heart breaker final hole.
I'm sure many will get to this hole hoping for a good round and end up picking up some extra strokes here.
****************************************************

My hat is off to the designers and workers who have created a gem for Illinois golf lovers. It is in my opinion the best course in the area.

I love a course which allows someone with a control type of game to compete well with the big guns. This course is that type of course I think.

It is a bit rough at the edges as it is a young course (10-2014) but I believe with time it will mature into a great course.

Right now it is very tight in spots, some may say "way too tight and unfair", but as I have witnessed time and again, courses mature and become more and more open with use and vandalism by people who damage trees and even cut them down to make the hole easier for themselves. :( So I approve of starting a course crowded and tight knowing that with time it will open up.

The course is only 5 min off I-74 which makes it really easy to stop in and play if you are driving past Morton (Peoria), Illinois.

Highly recommend this one to everyone who likes a challenging woodsy course.

Here is a link to some large images I have taken on 10-14. More to come as I can get them. There is also a link in the Links/Files tab on the Megiddo page here. https://www.flickr.com/photos...648599249200/
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7 3
Loomis
Experience: 16.8 years 519 played 14 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Holy Monkey B@lls!!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 28, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Challenges: It's there. This is a rough and tumble course with long tunnel shots and lots of elevation changes.

Bridges and stairs: Someone put more money into stairs and bridges and it works. Thank GOD they're there.


Cons:

Mud: After a rain this course is a soup of mud. The walking paths aren't all fully fleshed out and it can be slick. It's a work in progress so this won't be a MINUS that much longer.

Par: Some of the pars are a wee bit off. Most of the holes are Par 3 when they're marked Par 4.

Tee signs: Again, work in progress. What they have works fine for now.

Sight lines: You won't always be able to see the pin from the pad. You have to trust the tee sign. This is especially true for HOLE 4.

Bugs: You are the prey here.

Other Thoughts:

Great course which is tough and fair. It's physically demanding and is probably not quite ready for carts. Not a beginner course. You need a lot of patience and confidence to enjoy this round. If you are easily frustrated or can't throw straight, this is going to be a handful of hours trying to get through this course.

This course is going to frustrate a lot of people. But they are still going to love playing it.

This is a great compliment to Northwoods which is five minutes away.
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8 2
dmbrun2
Experience: 12.9 years 97 played 10 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Unreal 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 20, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

The creek is in play on a lot of holes which adds another element of difficulty.

The first four holes is one of the best openings to a disc golf course I have ever played.. I was speechless after finishing hole four.

Shot selection is unbelievable.. So many two part holes, it makes you hit lines, and place shots on almost every hole.. You will need every shot in your bag at this course.

The views are spectacular.. So many holes are signature holes.. The use of elevation was awesome, which leads to the next pro

The stairs and bridges were first class, and made the course so much more enjoyable. The teepads are great.

This course is difficult, most intermediate players will struggle to shoot under here which makes it a nice change of pace to other central Illinois courses. The lines are hard, but fair.


Cons:

The navigation was a little rough at this point, but I'm sure they are going to work that out.

A little rough around the edges, but this course will be beaten in quickly

Other Thoughts:

I do not live in the area.. I am from Mississippi, and I can honestly say this is one of the best courses I have ever played( and I've played some great ones).

This will give centralia a run for its money as Illinois best course sooner than later.
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15 0
ElementZ
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.9 years 212 played 197 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Unlike anything in central Illinois 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 21, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Wow. Just wow. This course is magnificent. I was amazed that a course like this is in central Illinois. If you're reading this, that means you're either thinking of playing here or you've played here and you want to know what I think. If you're in the former, make a trip and check it out!

This course has many pros. I hope I can capture them all in this review.

+ Very challenging and unique. The ravines and trees and height differences and little streams make this course very tough and also exciting. It's a fair course with a little bit of pinball action that rewards pulling off great shots and definitely punishes bad shots. You will step up to the tee and have to think about what line to take. The design is great. It's definitely an advanced course and not a beginner course.

+ It's very clear that there are people that care about the course. With the freshly made stairs, bridges, benches, tees, mud-stairs, etc... this course gets a lot of love and it's clear that there are people who put in a lot of work. Navigation is also not an issue because there are arrows pointing to the next hole after every basket. Big plus.

+ The orange baskets are a spectacle. They really stand out in the woods and are aesthetically very pleasing. They also catch very well.

+ Physically demanding. I played a round with my family and it was even fun for my mom who just walked along with us. Hiking in terrain like this is infinitely more fun than just walking in a flat park.

Cons:

These cons are things that I'm sure will get fixed with time, which is why I'm going to drop a 4.5 for this course.

- There are definitely still spots where improvement is needed for easier navigation. E.g., more stairs and more bridges. This will make some of the walks less strenuous, especially when it's muddy after rain.

- Better maps at the tees. Currently the signs consist of hole number, distance, and a very rough depiction of the hole.

- Some of the holes are a bit monotonous. It'd be great to get some more open holes without so many trees. Currently there's only one pretty early on. Also some holes are a bit awkwardly designed, but this is only 2 or 3.

- It was a bit crowded, but that's to be expected when you have such a great course.

Other Thoughts:

Big thumbs up. Absolutely worth a visit as it's the best course in central Illinois (in my humble opinion) and should be climbing into the top 10 in Illinois very soon. It's definitely the most challenging. Be ready, good luck, and have fun!
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7 0
discgolf4lif3
Experience: 18.1 years 85 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

must play 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 21, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

very challenging for all levels of players

good mix of lines

lots of elevation

Orange DGA Mach 5s

direction markers

course keeps you on your toes till the very last hole

several risk and reward holes

requires all the shots

makes you work for the birdie or scramble for par

Cons:

not enough bridges

not enough stairs

no trash bins

no teepads

lines need cleaning up

Other Thoughts:

Although the course needs work it is a must play if in the area! This course is a workout. Make sure to bring plenty of water, bug spray, and some hiking boots. Cant wait to see this course 100% complete with top pros playing it! Was well worth the drive! Plays alot like Camden 2 in Milan, IL

I would give it 4 out of 5. I can easily see this course being top 10 in IL. This is one of hardest courses I had the privilege of playing. My buddies and I are already making plans to come back ASAP
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