Plainfield, IL

Avery Preserve - Old Layout

1.925(based on 19 reviews)
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3 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
1.00 star(s)

It's Such A Shame-This Course Could Be Great! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 26, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Avery Preserve sits right along the hi-way. Closest to the hi-way is a large open field while further away is the woods area and the creek. There are a couple of great holes lurking here and potential for others. The course has Discaktcher baskets. The old school fiberglass tee signs are either missing or broken. The tee pads are just natural ruts. They haven't had much use lately.

# 4 is a really pretty hole. It's 307' throwing through the woods out onto a nice little prairie area. The course designer really dropped the ball here. This would have been a really lovely hole if they had stuck the # 5 pad close to the # 4 basket. Then the hole could have played back into the woods into the cool little opening ahead.

Cons:

Navigation is a total mess, with missing baskets and missing tee signs. I never knew where I was exactly.

The walk all the way from the parking lot is silly. If I had any interest of ever playing this course again, I'd just pull off the road and park.

This swampy land will be a breeding ground for the mosquitos. Heavy duty bug spray is a must.

I've never cared for the fiberglass tee signs. They are such an inviting target for the midnight express crowd. Might as well put planes of glass out there for the teens to destroy. I've never, ever seen them last on any course. They are always broke, faded and crummy looking.

Other Thoughts:

The course's lovely seclusion is also it's downfall as the secluded nature just leads to vandals tearing the course up. This course badly needs a local disc club to come to it's rescue and put some TLC into it. If not I'm afraid this course, with all it's wonderful potential, could fade into the sunset.
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1 0
Bryanpat
Experience: 19.8 years 14 played 1 reviews
0.00 star(s)

Terrible excuse for a course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 24, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Close to home
Great place to practice tee shots since you can't find the right hole anyway, just throw wherever you want

Cons:

Not maintained
Missing signs
Park district doesn't know they have a disc golf course
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2 0
Mark82
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Mark 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 30, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Grass was cut
Peaceful surroundings once in the backside of the course

Cons:

poor layout
Many hole signs missing
Difficult to find where the next tee was
A net was completely missing
Many tees were missing
Parking very far away

Other Thoughts:

this couse has not been maintained for some time aside from the grass being cut. I was hoping this course would be nice because it is so close to my home but after playing HALF of it, I will never play it again. And from the looks of it, not many others will either since I was the only one there the whole time.
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8 0
Three Putt
Staff member
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 29.3 years 152 played 127 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Hobo Preserve 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 22, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Avery Preserve course is set on a small-ish piece of land between West Lockport Street and Lily Creek that appears to have been a garbage dump as some point. Some entertaining artifacts litter the small wooded hillside that the course is set on. The course has a nice mixture of open and wooded holes, has a good variation of hole distances, and has some slight elevation in play. Holes #3 and #8 sit next to the creek, and both holes used the water in a significant way in the design of the hole. The course has dual natural white/red tees, although some of the reds were hard to find. #2, #3, #5, #8 and #9 had nice, well thought out designs and most of the other holes at least had some thought go into the pin placement to make it more than just a "throw at it" hole and give the holes a variety of early and late trouble. I thought it played a little tougher than your usual 9-holer; you need to place your shots in the right spot to score well here. Just for the shots alone, I could play this course regularly and enjoy it.

Cons:

When I got to the park, I had no idea where to go to find the course. You have a long walk to get to the course and no obvious sign that you are going the right way, almost like they don't want you to find it.

Once I found the course, I had a hard time figuring out where the first pin was. The course has a lot of busted or missing tee signs, so it's easy to get turned around and not know where you are going. I had a couple of "wrong tee/wrong basket" mishaps trying to figure out the flow.

The tees are dirt and not good. Not horrible, but not good. Some of the red tees we never did find.

Other Thoughts:

With some concrete tees, some new tee signs and a directional sign from the parking lot to the course, most of my gripe with this course would go away. The shots were solid, the setting (other than #6 and #7 where you tee by the road) has a nice woodsy vibe and the creek adds something to the design and the aesthetic. Even the ancient garbage like the abandon rail car skids by #6 gives the course a certain hobo vibe (all they need is some burn barrels.) There is the potential here for a very nice course, and if what you are primarily concerned with are the shots there already is a nice course here. With some upgrades to the tees and signs, the ratings would more closely reflect the quality of the shots.
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10 0
Jashwa
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.8 years 173 played 86 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Almost good 2+ years

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

Pros:

Avery Preserve DG course is located on the outskirts of an enormous, beautiful park. Here are the main "pros" of the course:

*Fun Holes! Good distance variety and a lot of interesting lines to hit

*Very pretty area. I came here in December and thought it was scenic. There are lots of unique natural features of this course I can only imagine how it must have looked a couple months ago in autumn.

*Water comes into play (kind of)

*Located out of the way of the rest of the park... there is a nice, isolated feeling about this course. You won't have to be mindful of other park users, and you won't have a lot of distractions. Just you, your buddies, the nice scenery and disc golf.

Cons:

Avery Preserve is an unfortunate case of a disc golf course getting snubbed by those responsible for maintaining it. There are lots of cons:

*There are natural teepads here that are poorly marked, uneven, and with trees behind them that don't allow for good runups.

*There is horrible signage. There is no sign that even acknowledges this course's existence, so unless you read about it here or see it from the road, you will have no idea where to go. Once you are on the course, only a few of the holes have signs, leading to confusion.

*There is so much poop on this course that I found it necessary to mention it here. I don't like it when people don't pick up after their dogs, but I suppose that can also be attributed to the complete lack of garbage cans on the course.

Rant: The people responsible for maintaining this disc golf course should be ashamed of themselves. The park around this course is huge and very beautiful, and it makes absolutely no sense to approve the installation of such a course in such a potentially awesome location without devoting at least a minimal amount of effort in maintaining it. As it is, Avery Preserve is an eyesore to disc golfers and non-disc golfers alike. It does not generate much positive benefit for the community and it detracts from the overall quality of park. With minimal effort (heck just make a sign that says that the course exists for cryin out loud!) the people responsible for this course could make it a positive asset to the park and the community simply by generating awareness. With a bit more than minimal effort (garbage cans, tee pads, hole signs, expansion), this course could attract a lot of devoted disc golfers who in turn could want to further improve it for their own sake, but as it is no avid disc golfer would choose to play here. Unfortunately, if another governing body in the area is debating installing a course, they may conclude from Avery Preserve that disc golf is not a good investment of their funds, despite the fact that it really could be an awesome course.

Other Thoughts:

Properly maintained, I'd give this course a 3 or a 3.5. Expanded (and well maintained), this course could notch a 4. As is, it's nothing more than a practice course.

If you visit this course READ THIS:

*Parking is unmarked. It's pretty much a ditch along side of the road, located right next to baseball fields. Hole 1 is through the trees that are beyond right field of the field closest to the road.

*Once you've played hole 6, turn right 120 degrees and walk. You will eventually get to the tee for hole 7.
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6 0
Jukeshoe
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.6 years 315 played 266 reviews
2.00 star(s)

A-very Nice Find...Once You Locate It 2+ years

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

Pros:

- Located near the DuPage River in a small, non-descipt parkland, Avery Preserve combines patches of mature woodland, open grassy fields, and Lily Cache Creek's edge to create a fairly challenging nine-hole course suitable for beginners but catering to more advanced players.
- Good use of the scrubby woodland to sculpt airways (#'s 2, 3, 5, and 8). Hit the lines provided or waste a shot getting out of trouble.
- Good use of water. The river comes into play best on #8, where it lurks to the left of the fairway. Several small trees with low branches wait to kick discs off into the water.
- Good variety in distances. Nothing gets too crazy long, but a few holes approach 400'. Enough short shots to be beginner friendly without becoming cheap or throwaway.
- Decent variety between wooded and open holes.
- Dual tees marked by the typical Chicagoland area old school concrete circles. White designates short tees, while the reds specific longs. Some of the reds were difficult to locate and/or missing.

Cons:

- Navigation is a bit dicey here. For beginners, the course is completely unmarked. Cross the ball fields towards the stand of trees with the gap in it. Pass through the gap to #1's tee. Compacting the difficulty in actually finding the course is the difficulty in navigating the course itself. Many holes lack any sort of signage other than a pole with the missing placard. Finding #5's basket is especially difficult, with #6's basket seeming to be the likely candidate and #5 tucked away behind a large patch of trees.
- Tees. Rutted in places, nothing more than grass in others. Nothing spectacularly bad, but certainly not good.

Other Thoughts:

- #6 has a couple of old train car bottoms moldering next to the basket. Don't throw underneath them. They've been there long enough for trees to grow between them.
- Avery Preserve has a bit of a secluded nature vibe (the holes next to the roadside notwithstanding), making it a nice alternative to some of the more stereotypical "park style" suburban 9-hole courses.
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5 0
ArcheType
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.9 years 38 played 25 reviews
2.50 star(s)

A nice change of pace 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 8, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-This course has a good amount of shot variety, and several unique holes. Barring 2 or 3 simpler holes, the rest are very original, and don't feel like anything else in the area.

-The wooded holes really force good line shaping, the lines are tough. One or two holes feel like open field bombs, but the rest have serious risk/reward and are surprisingly challenging.

-Two sets of tees make several holes feel very different, and add a new challenge.

-The signs were nice, minus the two holes with missing signs. The baskets were also in very good shape, and caught just fine.

-The course was well kept, no garbage/litter anywhere. It was also mowed nicely.

-The creek actually adds a realistic challenge on some holes, instead of just being there like other courses in the area.

-Also, all the baskets are back in!!!

Cons:

-The parking situation here sucks. As others have said, you have to park by the baseball fields then make a long walk over to the course.

-The flow here is very iffy, some holes flow very well to the next, while others are tough to find for a first time player.

-The tees are natural, and some are particularly rough/uneven.

-The missing tee signs are annoying, and a bit of an eyesore.

Other Thoughts:

This course is surprisingly tough for a 9 holer, which will probably annoy some less experienced players. I actually enjoy that fact a good bit. With how many pitch and putt courses you can find in the area, its nice to have a course that challenges your game. While this course has a lot that could be improved, as is, its solid, and fun.
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3 2
scotto370
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

New player.First time on course. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 26, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Heard that there were a few baskets missing.It looks like plainfield park dist did a good thing and replaced the missing baskets.Enjoyed how a few holes played along the river.

Cons:

Parking needs to be a little better.You can actually park on the drive way of Vulcan stone on the west side of the course.ONLY ON SUN.Hole #9 also needs a sign.
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2 3
MPowers
Experience: 16.8 years 26 played 2 reviews
2.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 27, 2008 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Good course design. Had good ideas and could have been a fantastic course. Has a good history (boyscout project).

Cons:

Holes missing, spent quite a bit of time looking for places to park. Spent a lot of time looking for a disc in the intensely thick brush.

Other Thoughts:

I played this as a rather inexperienced player and if I went back now I could probably play it better. Hopefully they'll get missing holes back.
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9 0
notapro
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.7 years 568 played 281 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Intermediate/Expert 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 26, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Pretty even mix of long and short, and open and wooded holes. All of the open holes involve some sort of forest entrance, I think two curve left (more or less), and one goes right. The shorter wooded holes have pretty significant obstacles or a decent tunnel, or a monster creek. Many different challenges are present throughout the forest, mostly straight, with one or two significant curves.
- Two sets of tees on most of the holes provide an extra challenge. I stuck to the whites on my first round, but was able to find most of the reds easily. Some of them, if followed correctly, make a huge, huge difference.
- Great seclusion on the forest side, with good scenery and wildlife. Even though you are close to a highway and right off a road, it can feel like the middle of nowhere.

Cons:

- Unfortunately, there are missing tee signs and even a missing basket as of 6/26/10. The first hole is just a pole with some sharpie on it, #9 has no sign, and #4 only has a painted pole.
- Navigation could have been tough, but we managed to see the various baskets and signs throughout the forest on the way out, so we knew where to go on the way in, more or less.
- Some tees are right next to the road on the open side of the forest, which is always a bad thing.

Other Thoughts:

- I liked this rugged course, as it offered a lot of different shots. Good distance needed on the long holes, and great accuracy needed on the shorter holes. I see how it could be very, very frustrating to less experienced players, especially if you don't know where to go.
- To find the first pin, there are two things to know. Make sure you are in the gravel lot just to the west of the power lines - no roads or pavement, just gravel. Then head directly west across the softball fields to the opening in the forest, hopefully the pole will still be there for ya.
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6 0
mykeg44
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.8 years 72 played 45 reviews
2.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 20, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is a pretty unique course for the area, and has a totally different feel compared to a lot of the other small multi-use park suburban 9-holers nearby.

The area is disc golf only, and some areas of the course rank among the most scenic I've played. I play here pretty regularly and have seen some cool wildlife due to the seclusion in the back section of the course along the steam.

The course also offers a good amount of shot variety. There's a decent selection of long/short, right/left turning holes. Many shots have red tees that add considerable difficulty to the course.

I have never seen this place have more than three or four groups playing at a time. Usually there is less than that, and often nobody there at all.

Cons:

Right now this course has two major flaws. First, navigation here is a nightmare. It took me 2 or 3 times coming here to get the hang of it, so if you are by yourself and don't have anybody to ask, you will have problems.

A lot of course reviews on this website will list bugs as a negative and usually I try to avoid that since any place outdoors can get buggy during warmer months, but the bugs at this place are unreal. The river attracts a ton of mosquitoes, flies, and gnats, and the spiders in the brush that line many of the fairways are like something out of Arachnophobia.

Missing/broken tee signs.

The dirt tees and some of the fairways are usually muddy if there has been any recent rain.

This is a tough course, so new players may get frustrated by the tight fairways and the large amount of brush that could easily eat a disc.

Other Thoughts:

As some reviews have mentioned, there is a walk from the parking lot to the first tee (about 300 yards), which is a minor inconvenience, but I thinkl it adds to the seclusion of the course and I don't have a problem with it.

The parking lot is the second on the right once you cross over the I-55 bridge (coming from Weber Rd). It is NOT the parking lot with the big Four Seasons Park sign. It's an unmarked gravel lot in front of some baseball fields. If you see the baskets, you've gone too far.

Despite its flaws, this is an solid place to play a round or two. From a scenery standpoint, it's one of the best plays in the area, but the rundown condition of the tees and signs keep this course rating down. Since it's a nature preserve I doubt concrete tees will ever be installed, but some new tee signs would bump this place up a notch.
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5 0
Tao-te-CHING
Experience: 25.8 years 25 played 2 reviews
1.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 2, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very challenging holes that test your accuracy.

Cons:

- Extremely long walk across baseball and football fields to get to the first tee
- If the course gets a hard rain then 2 or 3 holes are unplayable due to flooding.
- the shrubbery on many of the accuracy shots are way to thick. If you miss your line it makes it very difficult to find your disc, which makes for a grumpy disc golf player
- some of the holes have old railroad tracks that are an eye sore and make it very easy to lose a disc underneath them.

Other Thoughts:

I've given this course several chances because I used to live close to it and each time I come back I find one more reason to never want to return
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8 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Hard to find, fun to play 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

The course plays through a flat area with some open space, and some dense brushy woods. The holes play into and out of the woods, testing accuracy on your drive or approach, and punishing errant shots. There is a creek in play on a couple holes, and it adds a cool risk/reward element on this part of the course.

There is a nice mix of shorter reachable holes, and some holes that leave room to air it out but still require control. The woods and surrounding fields were used well to define fairways requiring various types of shots to score well here. A couple blind holes added some extra difficulty throughout the round.

There were two tees on most holes, and the longer set of tees looked like they added distance and difficulty to the holes, and often gave a very different looking shot. There were tee signs at each short tee giving distance from both tees, and hole location. The baskets were in decent shape and caught fine. The grassy parts of the park were mowed, and the entire area was clean and felt taken care of.

Cons:

The course is not at all obvious to get to. The closest parking lot is the gravel lot by the baseball fields, and you have to walk quite a ways to get to the first tee. If you didn't see where the course was from the road, it's not immediately obvious where to park, or which way to go from the lot.

The course was pretty buggy, make sure to bring bug spray. The tees are natural, and some were not very level or smooth. This made for poor footing in spots, and the long tees didn't look any better. There are only signs at the short tees, so if you're playing the longs you'll end up walking past the tee to look at the sign, then back to the tee (if you can find the markers flush with the ground).

Other Thoughts:

This course is not very beginner friendly, with challenging holes and lots of places to lose discs. It's a great place to challenge your accuracy for more experienced players, and will quickly get you in trouble if you stray from the fairway. I enjoyed the challenge and the variety of this course, better tees and some signage at the parking lot would easily raise my rating.

If you enjoy a challenge, this course has some fun holes that will test different shots. Stop by here and play a round if you're in the area, but it's not a good enough course to warrant driving way out of your way to get to.
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4 0
berserker333
Experience: 25.8 years 26 played 2 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Hard to find, Tough to play 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 12, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Well manicured and maintained
Decent quiet location
Nice water features
Accurate tee signs

Cons:

Parking and location of first tee unmarked
9th Tee sign still shattered
Path to 8th Tee unclear to first timers

Other Thoughts:

This is a very demanding course that will challenge your skills to their limit.
getting birdies are difficult and eagles are rare.
Hole 3 is ridiculous as a par 3 200' left u-turn.
Course seems to be homegrown as all the tees have sponsers listed.
This was laid out by golfers who apparantly put a lot of thought in to each hole to be a skill shot and not for chuckers. You be punished for underestimating this course.
If you have skills play on, if not, go to West Park and have fun instead of bashing your head into the wall on this one.
Park by the Baseball field parking lot and walk west along the north side and go through the break in the trees to get to the first pin. Pay attention to the signs for the next tee position or you will be hunting around a bit to find your way.
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6 2
Dave242
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 29.8 years 393 played 271 reviews
3.50 star(s)

B+ = You Be Feelin' Positive After Playing This 9-holer 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 7, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

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

1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == B (The dense underbrush whether early on some fairways or late on others will add a stroke to your score if you mess up. Good variety in how the underbrush is used in the course design.)

2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I throw 300' accurately, 360' max. == A (This course suits my skill level well. Some reward good accuracy, some reward good length.)

3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == B+ (Quite good, but a few too many holes start out wide open so it is more about shot placement, not shot shaping per se.)

4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == B+ (The stream that runs at the back of the course is a very nice touch! You feel very off in nature on all the holes except the ones in view of the road - 1 & 6?)

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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1 6
braddrag
Experience: 15 years 97 played 2 reviews
0.50 star(s)

Forgetable 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 22, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Some nice open shots

Cons:

Hard to find
Confusing Layout

Other Thoughts:

We had to drive past three times as we could not figure out where to park for the course. You have to walk across a field just to get to hole 1. Hole 8 is hard to find as you have to go past 2 and edge around a stream.
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1 7
TheWCG
Experience: 15.8 years 371 played 14 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Hot Garbage...... 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 15, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

They have disc golf baskets!

Cons:

Lots of sun, Lots of small thick brush, minor walk to the course.

Other Thoughts:

I live in Naperville which is not that far of a drive and I was disappointed that I even came down to play the course. If I lived extremely close to the course I might like it a little better. There are too many other courses in the area to play that are way better. In my mind..... If I was driving by the course I might stop to play but other than that I wouldn't make the effort.
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2 2
Smoost4T
Experience: 21.8 years 23 played 4 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Avery Preserve 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 9, 2008 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Interesting Shots
- Mix of wooded and open shots.
- Favors both Forehand and Backhand players

Cons:

- Thick grass
- First timers may be confused by the layout
- Metal junk by hole 3
- Parking is a 5 minute walk

Other Thoughts:

Holes used to be missing from people stealing them.
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5 0
ForehandMAN36
Experience: 21.7 years 192 played 12 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Let's Play Two! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 10, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

* Nice mix of shots (left,straight,right)
* Healthy portion of obstacles
* Tee Signs explaining shot (ones that have not been damaged)
* Nice flow
* Played here many times and is never busy so a quick 2 rounds is easily possible
* Enjoyable enough to make you ant to play a second/thrid round
* Clean, vegetation well maintained and minimal littering.

Cons:

* No tee pads, just grass
* Hole 9 tee sign shattered
* Hole 1 tee sign missing
* Long walk from parking lot

Other Thoughts:

Hey, the pros definitley outweigh the cons. Play Hole #8 from the pro tee, it's a much funner shot than the normal tee and the normal tee for #8 is downright one of the worst holes I've ever played. So play the pro tee. This is a course that should be played if you are passing through or close to this area. Hop on 59 and also hit up the Shorewood course and make a day out of it.
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