Pros:
WHAT TO EXPECT: Well maintained muti-use city park course, within 10 minutes or so of I-74. Definitely a great beginner up to intermediate challenge level course consisting of short to medium length hole distances, lightly wooded to very open shot shapes, and mostly what you would expect from Park style golf.
AMENITIES/COURSE FEATURES: Situated next to Bradley University, there isn't much in the way of course dedicated infrastructure. There was a couple port o johns and a handwashing station on the lower 9, several park benches and a couple trash cans spread out through the course, a few pavilions on the upper 9, and the course features a wide but shallow creek that bisects most of the lower 9. There is a paved walking path that circles through the park and multiple sports fields on the upper 9.
TEES/SIGNAGE/BASKETS: Medium sized textured concrete tee pads that were level with the ground allowing you to run up from behind or off to the sides, Signage was ok, not great, not bad. Tee signs were simple and basic but provided all the information needed. Baskets were Chainstars, that caught softer putts fine. (Firmer putts on the pole from close range seemed to risk spit outs, but not horribly bad). Multiple pin locations possible on most holes.
DESIGN: For the most part, typical multi-use park style holes that use roads, paths, and fields as hole shaping borders. Almost entirely a birdie or die course for those with advanced skill, and maybe even down to the recreational level as most holes are under 350 feet. Course uses the property to the best extent they can (on the lower 9 especially) utilizing the creek as much as absolutely possible. Definitely favors the RHBH player as there are no less than 6 holes that force long guarded right to left shots, and many of the shorter holes shape right to left. The lower 9 holes also plays counter-clockwise around the creek making every LHBH hyzer shot have to fly over OB. The upper 9 takes a few liberties with rather short distances by making them extreme angles from tee to green, again, favoring the RHBH with tight OB. Nothing that stands out as an amazing hole, also nothing that screams terrible hole. Just your average park style design that is limited by space and existing structures.
EXTRAS: This course is divided into two very different 9's (an upper and a lower) The lower 9 is flat, plays around a creek, and mainly guards itself with roads, walking trails and the creek with the few trees that exist. The upper 9 is much more drastic in elevation change (though not daunting or anything), and focuses much more on shot shaping and desired line of the disc.
Cons:
SAFETY: This is an extremely busy park, even during Ledgestone. You are near Bradley University, there are roads, walking trails, soccer fields, people having picnics, just a really busy park to play in. There are tons of blind tee shots that will require you to walk forward almost all the way down the fairway to ensure the coast is clear.
PACKED COURSE: Due to the skill level intended by this design, this course is always full of casual players. Each time I have been here it has always been long waits between holes.
NAVIGATION: Unless you have played here knowing where to go is very difficult in several places. The course map sort of helped point in the right vicinity but overall didn't get the job done. Even U-Disc didn't keep us from overshooting a tee pad by 100 yards by pointing us down the wrong walking path. The layout is not intuitive and doubles back on itself several times. There are no navigational aides that help, signposts have a blue and white dot, maybe for the alternate pin locations.
UNINTERESTING: I can see why casual players would enjoy this course, especially the right handed ones. But more skilled players will eat this course alive and probably not come back. None of the holes are memorable, and the park isn't really aesthetically beautiful to the point it is memorable. I have played this course multiple times and less than 3 weeks ago, and most of the holes are already unmemorable.
Other Thoughts:
Bradley is hard to rate. It is an OK park course that neither moves the needle towards greatness or blandness. It does well what it is intended to do and succeeds in targeting the casual player with a well maintained and somewhat fun to play layout. Courses like this are necessary to get more people into the sport. If I was in the area and could only play one course, it would be a tough decision between Meggido and McNaughton but this wouldn't crack my top 5. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this course, it's just not my idea of fun at my current level of my disc golf journey. I will rate this course as a 3.0 because it is good at what it does, but isn't close to a top tier championship course, and rightfully it doesn't try to be.