Rock River Park

POSs-Very pretty and fun course to play! The Spring and Summer flowers, bushes and trees, and the occasional grazing deer will appeal to most outdoor sports minded players. NOTE- intermediate or advan ... show more ›

POSs-Very pretty and fun course to play! The Spring and Summer flowers, bushes and trees, and the occasional grazing deer will appeal to most outdoor sports minded players. NOTE- intermediate or advanced DGr must play all holes on this course as a strict par 3 (9 holes @ par 27, X2=par 54), since it is mostly flat and short, but technical on holes 1/4/5/6/9. One of my favorite places since we can get in a 9 hole round in 20-25 minutes if in a rush. If you take a beginner or have kids learning the game, play the course using the very liberal signage which works out to a par 33, (9 holes, X2 rounds) = par 66.This will afford NEWBs a fun time with many chances at a birdie.
NEGs-I rate the course itself a 'C' because tee pads at this time are in rough shape crushed stone muddy and uneven. We mostly step to the side to not turn an ankle. Little elevation and no stream or water holes. Dog owners need to have some responsibility to pick up after their dogs! Park needs more signage to make dog owners aware of local ordinances and fines. A little buggy during summer-take mosquito spray. Hitch-hiker burrs will stick to you if you get off the fairway in many places. Stinging nettle on holes #1, 2 and 7 needs some strategic mowing just enough to leave the prairie type grass in places, yet able to control the burrs and nettles along outer fairways. Can lose a disc or two yearly in the copious thick long grass. Would get an 'A rating' if the city rec dept updates the tees, grooms some of the high grass and weeds in strategic places, updated a few hole markers and added a few benches.

A relatively short nine hole course tucked into the back side of Rock RIver Park. The baskets remained up through this winter, so was happy to be able to get out and play during a warm spell mid Ma ... show more ›

A relatively short nine hole course tucked into the back side of Rock RIver Park.

The baskets remained up through this winter, so was happy to be able to get out and play during a warm spell mid March.There are a few choice holes, tucked into the wooded areas, but the majority of the holes are relatively straight, short holes with narrow mown fairways in non-wooded areas surrounded by meadow that is not mowed. So while discs are easy to find in the Spring, I would expect lots of time burned looking through the tall grass as the season progresses and grasses grow tall.

The first hole's fairway is a paved walking path that required me to wait for people to pass before throwing, so not the best location. Lots of dogs at the park today and unfortunately not everyone picked up after their pets, so watch your step!

Tee pads are slightly elevated and appear to be made of some type of crushed stone - though it's a very dark material, so perhaps it's some kind re-purposed roadway material? Many of them could use leveling and currently pose a safety hazard, both due to their material (many large pieces that could roll an ankle) as well as their non-level spots. In my opinion, the tees should be re-made to be larger and should be not ringed, as they presently are, with a higher outline of wooden material as this poses a tripping hazard. In spite of the recent snow melt over the past week, the course was relatively dry and mud free with only a few areas of standing water on the path to the second tee.

You might want to wear a long sleeve shirt as I ended up with a couple of deep scratches - one from a barbed vine on the 4th hole and another from the branches surrounding the 6th hole, tucked into the pine trees. It would also be wise to wear long pants and tuck the legs into your socks as other players have reported seeing lots of ticks in the area (Spring 2016).

Be careful throughout the park as there are many spots both in the fairways and rough that have depressions/holes (likely caused by burrowing animals) that could easily cause an ankle or fall injury.

Overall, the course would benefit from having larger areas of mown fairways and "greens" to make it less likely to lose a disc and facilitate faster play.

I expect that there will be some aces posted on this course relatively soon as I was already getting close on hole 8 with just three rounds under my belt and other holes are easily within range of a modest drive as well. (update