Guy Trip to Wrigley and Area Disc Golf Courses

[tmgoff]

Each summer for the past decade I've traveled with three of my buddies to various places around the country for ballgames and disc golf. This year, in July, we'll be hitting Wrigley and are looking to compile a list of recommended courses in that area to hit. We've set aside about 4 days for discin' so we've got plenty of time. We'll be traveling up to southern wiscon too so if you know of some great courses around the Milw. area please share your comments. Anything with in, say, a 50 radius from Chitown is in play.

 

[biscoe]

haven't been there but it sure sounds like lemon lake is the one to hit in that area- 4 courses on site- worlds will be there next year i think (could be 2011)

 

[sdecker]

WILSON!!!

 

[Greg Layton]

If I were you, I'd spend the vast majority of my disc golf time in Wisconsin. The courses I've played (and the reviews I've read) in the Chicago suburbs are flat and uninteresting. The geography of northeastern Illinois simply doesn't work for disc golf. I haven't played down around Joliet yet, but judging by the descriptions you're going to see "Mostly Flat and Lightly Wooded" courses just about everywhere you go in the area.

I'm envious of Wrigley aspect of your trip... I've been there at least once a year for the past five years but I don't think I'm going to make it this year.

 

[mengde]

hit up West park Community Park and Highland Park in the joliet area

 

[tomjulio]

Agreed that the courses around Chicago suck.
BUT just north of the city by about 60 miles away in Kenosha, WI is UW Parkside with 27 holes(18 hole beauty and a 9 hole monster)

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=810

Firmly my recommendation.

 

[trifocal]

I've always been a Sox fan, so this is gonna be slanted. Wrigley Field takes some time to approach by car. Then you must find parking. Then you have to get out of the neighborhood after the game.
If you are set on going to see the Cubs....try and use the" El."

My suggestion would be skip Wrigley...skip the Sox and just drive on up here to Madison. We have 3 excellent courses that are close to down town.... Hiestand Park, Vallarta -Ast and Elver Park.( 15 minutes ). Madison has jazz and blues clubs playing live music almost every night. Other assorted pleasures. You can play them all in a day easily, find any number of micro breweries and not have to spend 3 hours parking and unparking your car.


If you absolutely have to be in the area...there is an 18 Hole Course in Munster, IN. its just off 80-94 as you come into Illinois from Indiana. Exit Calumet Ave. South. I have not played it.

 

[trifocal]

The course in Munster is Matt Lavasko Park. This site says Hammond. Close enough. Its about 40 miles from Wrigley. Don't make a trip to Community Park. Lavasko is 3 minutes off the interstate. 80-94...Calumet Ave. South. First left turn is Riverside Dr. Take that.

 

[kmunt09]

My suggestion would be skip Wrigley
QUOTE]



No way man!!! Even as a huge cardinal fan I must admit that Wrigley Field is an amazing place to watch a game. The hassle is worth it, because the atmosphere is unlike any other.

Ballparks aside......GO CARDS!!!

 

[A.Mutt]

Wrigley and Wrigleyville area are certainly worth seeing if you're a baseball fan. I lived for a short time about 8 blocks south of the stadium and I spent considerable time in the suburbs. Based on the terrain I would say head north when it comes time to throw some discs.

 

[trifocal]

My suggestion would be skip Wrigley
QUOTE]



No way man!!! Even as a huge cardinal fan I must admit that Wrigley Field is an amazing place to watch a game. The hassle is worth it, because the atmosphere is unlike any other.

Ballparks aside......GO CARDS!!!

Wrigley Field is great, if you enjoy paying MLB ticket prices for a sports bars expeirence. The atmosphere at Wrigley has changed considerably over the last 20 years. I lived at Melrose and Broadway...just south of the Park in the mid 80's. You could park on the street then. Street parking today? no.
What I'm saying is don't expect to get a round of golf in the burbs ( Unless you play ball golf at the Waveland Ave Course... 9 holes, 3 hours. 18 holes, 6 hours. ) and a ball game in on the same day. Take in Wrigley, sure but take the "el"...you'll thank me later.

"Lets play two today." Ernie Banks.

 

[whitechocolate]

Pulled up your profile and saw you have played, The Oaks (Mokena), Sunrise Park (Bartlett), and UW Parkside. I also saw your wishlist of Jericho Lake (Aurora), Eagle Ridge (Oswego), and Pioneer Park (Kirkland).

Just be aware that you will probably not find what anyone would consider "champion caliber courses". With that being said...

Here's some suggestions:

Eagle Ridge is one of my favorite in the western Chicagoland area. It's mixed open and wooded holes, terrain changes (for our area), and well maintained by the park district and the local disc golf club. Jericho Lake is nearby which makes it convenient. It is a decent course but mostly flat like Illinois. Neither course has extremely long holes, but you not talking about courses with a bunch of under 200 foot holes either.

Pioneer Park is about 45 minutes further west. If you want to go that far, you should just go play Anna Page Park East and West in Rockford. Way more bang for the buck. Pioneer Park and Jericho Lake are the same caliber type course.

The Joliet area has some of the better over courses in a shorter driving area. Highland Park (Joliet) is the newest and probably the most challenging. I had to take the misses there just to see and throw a couple of the ravine shots because most of the courses in our area do not offer elevation changes like this course does. West Park (Joliet) and Community Park (Channonhan) are the other more "popular" courses in that area. Shorewood Park (Shorewood) and Trinity Links (Lockport) are 2 others 18 holes that are worth mentioning but not overly challenging. There is a 9 hole course at Lewis University in Romeoville that has so decent elevation changes too. Also if you happen to stop there don't expect to run into any other disc golfers. I have never seen anyone else there.

If you headed towards the north part of Chicago towards the border of Wisconsin, with the fact that you played UW - Parkside, my best suggestions for 18 holes are Fairfield Park (Round Lake) and Bevier Park (Waukegan). Fairfield has a lot of open holes with a slight elevation change. It does start off a COMPLETELY open course so do not be suprise if you decide to go. there are some back wooded holes that are definitely fun to play. there are also a couple longers holes for those with arms, i want to say 600 and 800ish without looking it up. Bevier park was a 9 hole that got expanded to 18 over the years by the local disc golf club, with six of the holes across the street at the adjacent park. there are red arrows attached to the baskets to direct you for all 18. got a mixed of wooded and open holes, a small creek come into play on 16 and 18. The 9 hole course in the area I would recommended is Adler Park (Libertyville) and Warren Township (Gurnee).

for more info on the oswego/aurora courses check out www.foxvalleymetrodiscgolfclub.com

for more info on the northern Illinois courses (round lake/waukegan)
check out www.discontinuum.org

if you any more questions or need help feel free to PM me.

 

[sdecker]

Thanks guys. I played all those courses with the OP. UW Parkside was great but we were headed up to see a Brewers game at the time. We'll probably play it again this year, or something similar.

Whitechocolate, great post. Any other suggestions from anyone? We'll have multiple days to disc up there.

On a side note -- Chicago area is a great place to eat. There's freaking EVERYTHING there.

 

[Three Putt]

Highland Park in Joliet is very good. It's new, went in last fall. It's worth the time.

Anna Page in Rockford is pretty good. Two courses in one park, both of which are not great but above average. It can make for a nice day. It might be too far away, however.

Other than that, it's pretty ho-hum. Usually when I go to Chicago I leave the plastic home. It's a great town with a lot of fun things to do, but disc golf is not one of those things. The courses blow.

So do the Cubs, BTW.

 

[Geoffro]

My suggestion would be skip Wrigley...

Sacrilege!

Anyway, on your way out of Chicago heading to Wisconsin, if you take the I-90 (toward Madison) you'll go by Rockford, Illinois. Page Park has two 18-hole courses that are worth playing.

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=727
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=726

Go Cubs.

 

[Three Putt]

My suggestion would be skip Wrigley.

Sacrilege!

I thought at the time that I was in college road tripping to baseball stadiums, Wrigley was WWWAAAYYY overrated. Wrigley has this weird yuppie tourist vibe. The first game I went to there my Dad and I were from St. Louis. The people in front of us were from Minneapolis. The people behind us were from Nebraska. We never did talk to anybody who was actually FROM Chicago other than the beer guy.

In the same town you had Old Comiskey Park, which was dirty and gritty an full of real Chicago baseball fans. Well, not full. The place was half empty. We had great seats!

In the same general part of the country you had Tiger Stadium in Detroit and County Stadium in Milwaukee. Tiger Stadium had as much baseball history as Wrigley. County Stadium was a 50's ballpark, but compared to the astroturf cookie-cutter stadiums of the 70's it was heaven. Besides, the food was great! I ranked all three of those places as a better place to watch a ballgame than Wrigley with all its faux baseball fans.

Alas, all of those places are now gone. Wrigley is all that is left.

 

[Greg Layton]

I ranked all three of those places as a better place to watch a ballgame than Wrigley with all its faux baseball fans.

I agree with the fact that the majority of folks in Wrigley are idiots. However I take issue with the assumption that just because you're not from Chicago and happen to be watching a game at Wrigley that you're some sort of a fake fan. I, like many, grew up watching the Cubs on WGN from a young age. I can still name off the lineups of the terrible Cubs teams of the early to mid 90s.

My wife (then GF) took me to Wrigley for the first time in 2004. I was from Kansas, yet I was/am far from being a fake fan. Hell, I was thrilled to have some of the worst seats in the house (parallel with the top of the foul pole all the way down the third base line). The view of the field from when I walked in for the first time is something I'll never forget. It brought tears to my eyes to finally see the field I'd seen so many times on television.

I know that stereotypes are effective because they're usually true but they still piss off those that don't fit the mold.

/rant

And now back to your regularly scheduled disc golf thread.

 

[Three Putt]

Slow down there, man. I've gone to hundreds of games in stadiums all across the country, often involving two teams I couldn't care less about. But, I'm a baseball fan. I get a score card and watch the game. I have nothing against baseball fans watching baseball.

I lived in Chicago for a few years, so I know a little about this. Most of the faux baseball fans I was talking about ARE from Chicago. To them, Wrigley is a place to go and be seen. Games are an excuse to ditch work. They go and talk about whatever, twist around in the seat to talk to the person next to them and completely block the view of the people behind them, stand up to go to the restroom while the pitcher is getting ready to deliver the 3-2 pitch...just idiotic stuff that people who are there for reasons other than to watch a baseball game do. Most of the out of town folks are at least there to watch baseball.

BTW, I think Royals (now Kaufmann) Stadium was a better place to watch a ballgame than Wrigley. Back in the 80's when the Royals were good, that place was packed every night and the sight lines are great in that place. The only place with better ballpark food that I've been to was Milwaukee. The Royals are so bad now that the place is overlooked, but Kansas City has a great ballpark. Plus...I heard the loudest crack of the bat I've EVER heard in that place. Bo Jackson, 10th inning homer to beat the White Sox. The sound still rings in my ears. I'm not sure what park of Kansas you are from, but I hope you got a chance to go there.

 

[tomjulio]

come on guys, this is a friendly disc golf forum here. You are all getting out of control. If you MUST discuss baseball, it's fans, and lack of said intelligence I suggest you head over to the very well run and moderated forums at:

www.CubsFansAreA-Holes.com

 

[Greg Layton]

Slow down there, man. I've gone to hundreds of games in stadiums all across the country, often involving two teams I couldn't care less about. But, I'm a baseball fan. I get a score card and watch the game. I have nothing against baseball fans watching baseball.

I lived in Chicago for a few years, so I know a little about this. Most of the faux baseball fans I was talking about ARE from Chicago. To them, Wrigley is a place to go and be seen. Games are an excuse to ditch work. They go and talk about whatever, twist around in the seat to talk to the person next to them and completely block the view of the people behind them, stand up to go to the restroom while the pitcher is getting ready to deliver the 3-2 pitch...just idiotic stuff that people who are there for reasons other than to watch a baseball game do. Most of the out of town folks are at least there to watch baseball.

BTW, I think Royals (now Kaufmann) Stadium was a better place to watch a ballgame than Wrigley. Back in the 80's when the Royals were good, that place was packed every night and the sight lines are great in that place. The only place with better ballpark food that I've been to was Milwaukee. The Royals are so bad now that the place is overlooked, but Kansas City has a great ballpark. Plus...I heard the loudest crack of the bat I've EVER heard in that place. Bo Jackson, 10th inning homer to beat the White Sox. The sound still rings in my ears. I'm not sure what park of Kansas you are from, but I hope you got a chance to go there.

I've been to Kauffman, Old Busch, Miller Park, and Wrigley.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA200007160.shtml

Kauffman was a blast. I went there in '00 and sat in the upper deck right behind home plate for $10. I remember being amazed by how it looked like every lazy outfield fly was going to be a homerun. I want to get back soon to see all the improvements that have been made. Hopefully they finally have a team this year to match the jewel of a stadium that they have. That area is a hotbed for baseball that's currently hibernating.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN200308240.shtml

Amazing atmosphere at Busch... it was neat to have the Arch in the background, too. This was part of a weekend that included me seeing Kansas State play at Arrowhead Stadium and concluded with a Radiohead concert. Probably one of the top 5 weekends of my life.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL200704080.shtml

My only time in a stadium with a roof, and if I appreciated it because it was freaking freezing.