Pros:
(0.833 Rating) A small sports complex course with a hoard of issues.
- QUICK PLAY - If the low 1.0 rating I dropped somehow didn't register that this is a very sub-par course, perhaps this "quick play" pro will. Players making the mistake of getting out of the car and throwing hole (1), are going to want to get back into the car and leave this place as soon as possible. I finished in 20 minutes and was on to the next leg of the Bermuda triangle in Fox Lake, which I didn't throw thankfully, as there was a car show going on.
Cons:
Being tempted to drive here to add to the course bagging totals.
- LACK OF CHALLENGE - I had to start my cons somewhere, so I guess I'll start by noting the blah gameplay. Staring down hole (1) and getting a firm look at the basket and also much of the layout as well, I quickly realized that I should have grabbed two discs instead of the entire bag. (1) is completely open and about 170 feet long. Hole (2) is basically the same, except it aims east instead of west. To be fair regarding the lack of trees, I'm going to guess that there use to be ash trees here and that they were all killed off by the emerald ash borer. Anyways, a tree didn't register in my attack of the basket until hole (9). Posting a 27, would probably be a sub 800 rated round.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Randolph Park is very similar in looks to the many small town parks in the upper Midwest. Its flat, lightly wooded, has a pair of baseball fields and is surrounded by homes built in the early to middle 20th century. It's pleasant and quiet, but it's nothing special. There are a couple eyesores with the remaining dead ash trees and a non-functioning pool. I scored it 20 percentile for this category.
- HOLE VARIETY - As alluded to above, almost no trees. The hole distance variation is also limited and ranges from roughly 160 to 280. Also flat and no water unless the pool counts. Among the 600 plus courses I've thrown now, the variety here is easily in my bottom 10 percent.
- SIGNAGE AND NAVIGATION - More signs have disappeared since the last review in 2021. I saw only 2 remaining. The layout flow is weird as well. Players will need a navigation app to play correctly. According to the app map, most tees are next to the prior basket.
- AMENITIES - The tees are grass with no line. Baskets are MachIIs. No benches, extra tees or alt basket locations. Like most small town parks in this region, there is a bathroom and big shelter with picnic tables.
- HAZARDS - In a very active park setting, I don't see how the course is playable. I played at dawn and had no issues, but other park users could be in play on just about every hole. Sidewalks, roads, parking lots, ball fields, a pool, etc., will all come into play for beginners.
Other Thoughts:
To the casual course bagger that may be reading this, please don't come here. The nauseating taste in my mouth lasted for several weeks. Hardcore baggers like me are probably the only players throwing here as it appears it failed to hook any locals, to no surprise. If I were the Mayor, I'd attempt to sell the baskets to a local with a 10 acre plot of land. Anyways, a weak 1.0 course to me. Years ago, I may have considered a 0.5, but I've unfortunately seen much worse dozens of times now. Reminds me of courses such as Kenny Dixson in Florida, FDL High School in Wisconsin, Wayne County in Tennessee, Dawnville in North Georgia and Brighton Park in Mississippi. Most have probably never heard of any of these examples, and they should keep it that way.