Disc Golf Course Review

(2.252 Rating) A half parkstyle half woods course in a compact format.
- BASICS - Average sized concrete tees and Pro 28 DISCatcher baskets. Had either of these elements been a half peg lower in quality, I would have given this course a high 2.0 rating, instead of a low 2.5.
- BEST IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD - There are 2 other niners within 10 minutes of here, and I've rated this one the highest of the trio. It's way better than Jacksonville Community, which is strictly a beginner's course with no fixings. I also thought it was better than Elwell. Elwell has a better design, but that one lacks 18 holes and has less park dynamics. Thus, If players are in this general area looking to throw, I'd recommend here first, before bagging the others.
- HOLE VARIETY - I thought this aspect was averageish. There's an even mix of wooded and park style play.
- TIME PLAY - I had 40 minutes of daylight left and logged a 39 minute round. Woot woot!

Some design quirks.
- SPACING - I'm not certain, but it appears that Eastwoods was designed by a first timer. I'm cool with that, but there are some rookie mistakes. Several baskets and tees are way too close. Obviously not much of an issue when there's 2 or 3 groups on the course, but if there were ever a big league here, yelling "fore" will occur often. Holes (8) and (9) cross. Basket (11) can easily be black aced from tee (12). Tees (13) and (15) can be hit from either tee (12) or tee (14). This is not the worst spacing I've seen, but 90 to 95 percent of the courses I've played have better spacing. Hole (5) is also blind and can be hazardous to cars leaving the parking area.
- PARKING - The parking area is super small. Maybe 4 or 5 cars can park safely. I subtract very little score for this.
- AMENITIES, SIGNAGE & NAVIGATION - The course was very new when I threw it. Basically no amenities beyond the noted basics. Tee signs are just a 4x4 post and a number. A couple numbers were even missing or hadn't been attached yet. No benches, no alt placements, no alt tees, no course map. Players coming here will need a navigational app or they may play a few holes wrong or even miss one.
- LACK OF CHALLENGE - The difficulty was set at the perfect level to just barely appease veterans and not overwhelm beginners. I think even par will net around an 850 rated round, or so. Myself as an MA2, I was intrigued a few times, but bored other times. I scored the gameplay at around 40 percentile. The gameplay is better than the typical Church and School course, but the land isn't dynamic enough to compete with the top 18ers in Huntsville or Birmingham.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Eastwood is not blessed with a big city budget, nor does it have sprawling acreage to work with. There was trash present in several areas including lots of broken glass by basket (18). It's not a hideous environment, or anything close to that notion, but I found it to be just sub 50 percentile on my ledger for course aesthetics.

I had fun throwing Eastwood, and that's what matters most. No need for those in Birmingham or Huntsville to stray this way unless they are a course bagger like me. For those in Anniston or Gadsen, I do think it's worth the 30-minute drive to check out at some point. Anyways, a 2.25 level course to me. I waivered back and forth on whether to score it a 2 or 2.5. I ended up massaging a couple amenity attributes a bit higher than they should be as the course was still super young when I saw it. Thus my score is inflated a touch, propelling it across the 2.25 threshold. A couple years ago I surely would have dropped a 2.0 on it. It reminded me of regional courses such as Henagar Log Cabin in North Alabama, Shannon Park in Rome and a young Humble Tree northeast of Birmingham.

Prides Creek DGC is a standard park style 18 hole course in a multiuse park that plays alongside the lake for the majority of the round. The grounds are well maintained and the course steers clear away from other activities for the most part. The course features some rolling grassy hills and enough trees to force you shape a shot on many of the holes.

The baskets are Gateway Titans. Not my personal favorite baskets but they get the job done. These catch fine and are certainly durable enough. There appeared to be two baskets a hole on some of the holes.

Concrete tee pads on every hole. These are average sized but poured nice and level and had good grip to them. There's a single pad on every hole with the exception of holes 8 and 9 which had two each. This was a bonus to have two pads on these two specific holes as they both require a water carry and are two of the harder holes on the course. Good call to offer a shorter option on these holes.

The design is pretty well done out here. Good flow and the course sticks to the edges of the lake which does maximize the views throughout the round for sure and maximizes the best quality of the land the course is installed on. The lake.

The course stays away from most other activities the best that it can. Nobody can stop people from picnicking by the lake or fishing, but besides things like that it's basically disc golf exclusive.

Nice tee signs. Basic map that shows any OB and mandos as well as other nearby landmarks which gives you a good sense of the hole. Additionally there's the hole #, par and distance. Solid.

There's plenty of chances to lose a disc out here with the lake being right there on many of the holes. Which should be a given.

Goose shit everywhere. One of the reasons I don't care for courses next to lakes or even ponds. All over the fairways, all over the tee pads, all over your shoes and usually your discs. Everywhere.

The holes all feel pretty similar. There's a couple unique ones, I guess, out of the 18 here. But it's miss a tree or two and don't throw it in the water. Repeat. It's not even that pretty of a lake tbh.

The last few holes have you walking an unnecessary distance to get to the next tee for no added benefit other than a little bit more distance. There's not even any water involved on these either.

You'll need to pay to enter the park. $5 a car as of this review. Pretty steep for the quality of golf you get in my mind.

This was course 1000 for me and while it was a fine round of golf it wasn't anything like I was expecting based on the rating on here. I've played courses that bordered lakes before. Quite a few actually. This was one of the least impressive on that front. In fact I played a better course along a prettier lake later this day. The fact that this course is the highest rated on DGCR in IN is hilarious. This course is the definition of average but with a view of a glorified pond. Worth a play I suppose but it was a letdown for me.

Kiwanis/Rotary DGC, or East Fork Lake Park if you wanted to google map it, is a really solid 18 hole course that has clearly been redesigned at some point. There's all kinds of older tee pads you'll encounter out here that don't seem to make any sense and, honestly, made this kind of confusing at first until I realized what was happening. Some of the older pads are still in use as short options which was a great idea. There's others just sitting there serving no purpose too of course. You can tell that a lot of work has been put into the course recently though.

The design is pretty damn good for what there is to work with out here. Hole 1 is a filler type of hole to get you into the woods from the parking lot but other than that it's a entertaining experience out here. Holes 2-7 and 13-15 are in the woods and are just plain fun. Hole 9 is a short but specific water carry, and hole 8 has an elevated basket. The rest are park style things but they did a great job of utilizing the better features here.

The baskets are white DD Veteran's. These are all in great shape and catch nicely. One basket and two placements per hole from what I remember.

Good sized concrete tee pads on each hole. Some of the holes have two tees. These are a combination of new and preexisting short pads. Regardless, all are poured well and decently sized. No issues with these.

The park itself is very pretty being perched on the shore of East Fork lake. Very clean, very well maintained and probably rarely ever busy as far as the disc golf goes.

The tee signs are very good. Solid looking hole map showing each pin placement and a next tee arrow. There's also the hole #, par and distances to both pin placements and any OB applicable is also shown on the map. My favorite part was that they had holes drilled out by the two basket distances and a bolt was inserted into what basket was currently in play. Such a simple thing that doesn't get used enough imo.

There's a couple odd transitions between holes where a map is definitely helpful. Nothing too crazy but with the old tees still present in spots but not in play it can make for a confusing situation in spots.

The park probably gets busy in the summer being right on the lake which may cause some holes to be unplayable if there's people hanging out around the lake.

A couple filler feeling holes out here, but there's only so much room here.

Two holes throw over the park road and numerous others play right alongside them. Just be cautious of your surroundings and you'll be good but it is a little sketchy in a couple areas.

This was another one of those pleasant surprise courses on my recent trip. Not a must play course or anything but it was a really fun one that I'm glad I ended up playing. Never played the old design but judging from some of the old pads I seen and the location of the course sign I'm thinking they did a good job with the redesign. Well worth a visit if you find yourself near Olney IL.

Richland Middle School is home to a decent little 9 hole course. The course plays along the outskirts of the wooded area on the west side and in an open grassy area on the very southwest corner of the property. The fact that it does play along the treeline saves this course from being a typical wide open school course.

The baskets are some kind of blue temporary models. They are mounted into the ground though which was kind of surprising, but in a good way. The blue makes them more visible than most at least. One basket and pin position per hole.

There are basic tee signs for each hole. They have a very rudimentary hole map, hole #, par and distance. The best part about these is it gets you to the intended tee area. All signs were present and in good shape.

The flow of the course is pretty straightforward here. The course starts by the SW corner of the parking lot and plays basically clockwise around the western section of the school. There's no long walks between holes either. Very simple routing from hole to hole.

The design is about as good as can be expected for what there was to work with out here. The fact that they hugged the treeline makes this course much more enjoyable than it otherwise would be while at the same time staying away from after school activities.

Free to play and well tended to grounds here. The course is also permanent and would be a nice little spot in the winter months if you were local.

The tees are natural. Not a huge deal for a course like this. The holes on the southwest corner (3 and 4) are in a clearly flood prone area judging by the look of the terrain and my muddy boots when playing. The rest of the course is not an issue though.

The baskets are pretty terrible here. Thin, single chain models that don't catch worth a damn. Hole 8's cage was busted at the welds to the pole and there was no basket for hole 1. We played to hole 5's basket to start, which was where the tee sign made it seem like it was supposed to be anyway. It worked fine that way. Just know that the Udisc map will be off from the start but from there on it's correct.

Not available when school is in session obviously.

This is kind of your typical half assed school setup. Not worth going out of your way to play obviously but can be played quickly if you happen to be near here. Honestly though, I'd play this one from time to time if I were local due to the lack of courses that close. Passable sums this one up nicely.

Nice baskets, tee pads / tee signs.
Bathrooms nearby
Short course with many of the holes being around 200 feet in distance.
Very beginner and kid friendly.
Good use of water and trees.

Many holes are near walking paths so you have to watch for people.
Aside from the creek and some trees, there is not much challenge for intermediate / advanced players.
Very flat

Great beginner course to introduce new players to disc golf.
Even though it is any easy course, it is pretty fun.
Once you get the basics down here I recommend going up to Morse Park North to play the OG / Wildcat / Roughrider courses for a challenge.

-Free and Easy to Get To Parking
-Very Easy...Once You Get The Feel For It
-Close to North Side of Chicago

-Liner Course, It Does Not Circle Back
-It's All Straight, Often Requiring Short Throws
-Great Protentional For Hitting/Getting In The Way Of Pedestrians
-Holes Not Marked, Only 8 Have a Concert Tee

This is an interesting course which often feels very much like an after thought. It runs like a straight line from north to south between the very busy Mc Cormick Blvd. and the North Shore channel river/bike trail. Due to this, wild out of control throws WILL cost you AND you'll have a long walk back to your car after you finish 9.

Large pieces of art line the course and adds an interesting dynamic. Sometimes it's a pain, sometimes it's kind of cool.

There's no serenity here, the sound of traffic fills the air constantly and the course itself feels like it has more sculptures on it then trees. There are even several large patches of construction still in progress. However, it's one of the few courses very close to Chicago's North Side (Chicago is notoriously disc golf light, especially on the north side), so if you feel a need to throw...it may be your best option.

Note: the first tee is covered by a very large piece of art, so you'll have to tee off from the grass next to it.

Nice baskets and a good variety of challenges. Very well kept park.

Hole 8 tee sign is missing and there is a bit of a walk between some of the holes.

Beginner friendly course but has some challenge for all skill levels.

Haubstadt Johnson DGC is a mostly wooded and moderately hilly 18 hole course in a beautiful little park. There's only three holes that are out in the open, holes 11,12 and 13. These three play around the area by the baseball diamonds. The rest of the course is short but tight wooded holes through the woods.

The baskets are red, silver and blue Dynamic Veteran's. These are some of my favorite looking baskets. They catch nicely too. One basket and pin placement per hole. No complaints with these.

Concrete tee pads on each hole. Not the biggest by any means but good sized for a shorter length course like this one. All are poured nicely, level and plenty grippy enough. One tee pad per hole.

The design is solid out here. Minimal walks between holes minus the ones out in the open section. There's a great mix of left, right and straight shots out here. I'd say it's almost evenly split actually. The elevation is present throughout here. Rollaways are a real possibility with some of the pin placements so you'll need to approach the pin with caution on quite a few of the holes. Just an all around solid mix of different feeling holes despite mostly playing through the same terrain.

The tee signs are nicely done. Generic hole map that also has a next tee arrow to go along with the hole #, par and distance. Perfectly suitable signs.

The course was in pristine shape when we played and looks to be well taken care of in general. Free to play and permanent.

The open holes kind of ruin the vibe of what is otherwise a really fun wooded experience. They also are the only part of the course where navigation isn't straightforward. We got turned around after hole 10 and headed to 14 instead. I get it, there's just not enough room to fit 18 holes in the woods but it's still a con.

There were a couple holes that were borderline poke and hope shots off the tee. There's lines but a couple are extremely tight bordering on luck.

As other's have said, the course does feel cramped. The fairways are very close to each other but there is pretty much always a treeline between you and the neighboring fairway.

This was a very enjoyable course. I'm glad this one was recommended to me or I would have completely overlooked it. This one is absolutely worth a spin if you find yourself nearby or even just traveling through. Great putter and mid course for more experienced players and it won't take too long to get a round in. Not a must play but one you will be glad you did play afterwards.

The Spillway DGC is a long, long "championship" caliber course located just outside of Pana IL next to Lake Pana. The course is heavily wooded and very hilly. There's only two open holes on the whole course, holes 1 and 8. There's also a fairly large creek that runs through the west side of the course by holes holes 2, 3 and 4. The creek actually runs almost the entire length of the fairway for hole 3 creating lots of OB potential.

This course is looonnnggg. The course totals come in at 10,500 feet and a par of 71. Just a massive course from the long tees, which are currently the only tees in place. There looks to be plans for shorter red tees but these are nowhere near done at the time of this review. There were red flagged areas on many of the fairways which looked to be shorter positions. Even with the shorter positions it's still going to be a long course unless there's also plans for a second basket on each hole.

Currently the baskets are beautiful, brand new Innova Discatcher Pro 28's. These are top of the line baskets and catch great. The yellow bands really make them stand out in the woods out here. One basket per hole. It appears that there will be multiple placements, at least on some of the holes, but I can't be certain with the lack of tee signs at the moment.

The design is pretty well done. Still very rough around the edges but you can see what the final goal is intended to be. If a couple more trees can be removed to open up the lines a bit it'll go a long way, especially near some of the pins. The flow of the course is pretty good too. You'll definitely want a map for the time being, but it's doable without one if need be. The course starts out with a bang. There's two 1000+ foot holes out of the first three. Hole 4 is nearly 1000'. Thankfully it gets back to more normal lengths by the back half, mostly.

The tee pads are a mixed bag at the moment. There was probably a third of them that were concrete while the rest were either gravel or still being framed up. All are marked though.

There's a lot of cons currently. I'll leave the unfinished aspects out of it though.

My biggest issue with this course is the sheer length combined with the heavily wooded nature of the design. The top pros would get eaten alive out here. The wife and I aren't pros by any stretch of the imagination but we're not noobs either. It took me 99 throws to finish the round out here. 99. That's 28 over par. The wife finished at 117 throws. 46 over par. 46. That's worse that any other course either of us have ever played, and that's a lot of different courses. I sincerely hope that shorter tees are in the works or this place will never see any traffic. This was in ideal cool spring conditions too.

I don't see how this course is going to be maintained in the warmer months. It's just so massive. On top of that there needs to be numerous bridges put in to safely navigate the numerous creeks and ditches that run throughout the course. I was joking at the end that the course is all about cross a creek, walk up a hill, cross a creek, walk up a hill. Half joking honestly.

Some of the holes just felt like overkill. Lots of the actually but I'll name a few. Hole 3 is just way too long to have a creek running the length of it. You're going to have to keep crossing from one side to the other if you're not straight up in the creek. Holes 12 and 16 are already longer right turning holes that finish uphill. Is there really the need to push the pin to the back side of the open area that the powerlines run through? That's an additional, and unnecessary extra 70 or so feet.

At no point does the course loop back to the lot so you'll need to pack everything you need beforehand. Expect a long round out here. It took the two of us over two hours to play it without stopping for a break.

There's thorns and all kinds of other nasty stuff off and even in the fairway out there. I haven't bled on a course like I did out there in a long time. There's also lots of tripping hazards at the moment, but I'm sure that'll be cleaned up soon enough.

This course has potential and I'll gladly update my review if I play it again in a couple years. As of right now it's just too raw and unforgiving for me to recommend this one to anyone. The bones of a great course are there but it's a ways off at the moment.

Tower hill DGC is a pretty long and basically wide open 9 hole course in a tiny town. There's nothing but farm fields in all directions on three sides of the course so the wind will be the main challenge out here. There are a couple trees to contend with otherwise the course is just flat and open.

The baskets are beautiful red and blue Dynamic Discs Veteran's. These are about the best looking baskets on the market in my opinion. They're all mounted nicely and catch great. One basket and one placement per hole.

Concrete tee pads on each hole. These are all really large for a course this size and poured nicely. Awesome tees honestly. One tee pad per hole.

There's a course kiosk right by hole 1 with a full course map on it. You can always take a picture of this to use as a map which is nice to have for first time players. The flow of the course is easy to follow even without a map though.

The tee signs are pretty simple but effective. Basic hole map, hole #, distance and both rec and advanced pars. The best and most useful part is that they're easy to spot on the large posts.

Very vanilla course. Just a bunch of wide open shots in a wide open field. There's not a single unique shot out here. It all just kind of blends together.

In the late summer when the crops in the bordering fields are up there's going to be a real chance to lose a disc. Especially with how windy it can get out there.

The holes are really long for a small city park course like this. The shortest hole is 248' but there's also five holes that are at least 400'.

This course is a quick play if you happen to be in the area or travelling through. I wouldn't go any sort of distance out of my way to play it though. Very bland and forgettable course.