Illinois Top Courses

[ziggy]

IMO,
dont bother with litchfield.

its a poorly designed 9 holer. 7 of the 9 holes have water involved, guaranteed to lose 1 disc each round on a windy day.

[Chainmeister]

Never played there but if you are driving down to play in the St. Louis area don't forget to stop in Litchfield, Mile marker 52, to go to the Ariston Cafe. Ariston is an authentic route 66 road house with real homeade cooking.  MMMM good!

[Ken_C]

1) Channahon
2) Mokena
3) Rockford 1
4) West Park  Joliet
5) Oswego now that it has 18 holes
6) Sterling
7) Crystal Lake
Aurora
9) St Charles only 9 holes
10) Lombard


Check out Oswego it has a little of everything.


1) Sterling
2) McNaughton
3) Mokena
4) Rockford
5) Morton
6) Bradley
7) Channahon
8 ) West Park (Joliet)
9) Bevier (I can't leave out the Bev!)

[Mukey]

1) Sterling
2) McNaughton

Sterling over McNaughty? Whoa...

[Classic_ROCer]

18+ hole courses in IL I have yet to play.
Effingham
Milan
Moline
Quincy
Rock Falls
Rock Island

Brett,

Don't waste your time at Nims Park in Rock Falls unless you're going to play it to say you've played all of the 18 hole courses in Illinois.  My nephew could par some of those holes.  He's 6...    Thank God that Sinnissippi is across the river... 

[jack]

Don't waste your time at Nims Park in Rock Falls

Never say an unkind word about the Nims! How many courses can you go to and say "I'm not leaving until I get an ace!" and then leave satisfied 15 minutes later? Or, better yet, how many courses can you play with only two putters and still shoot under par playing everything as a par 2? Nims golf rules!

[Classic_ROCer]

Don't waste your time at Nims Park in Rock Falls

"I'm not leaving until I get an ace!" and then leave satisfied 15 minutes later

Getting an ace at Nims is like dunking on a four foot rim...
a) You can't brag to your friends about it and
b) it's not getting you any closer to the Big Boy's league.  Unless you're six... 

[CEValkyrie]

Updated list.

Top 10
1.   Foundations Park DG Complex,  Centralia, IL
2.   McNaughton Park, Pekin, IL
3.   Highland Park, Joliet, IL
4.   Wildcat Springs, Hamilton, IL
5.   Lincoln Park, Springfield, IL
6.   Northwoods Park,Morton, IL
7.   Woodland Park, Collinsville, IL
8.   Sinnissippi Park, Sterling, IL
9. Community Park, Channahon, IL
10. The Oaks, Mokena, IL
___________________________
Honerable Mention (Any 18+ hole course i've played in IL not in the top 10)
Antioch
Aurora
Bartlett
Bloomington
Calumet City-River Oaks Golf Course
Canton
Chicago-Edgebrook Golf Course
Crystal Lake
East Peoria
Effingham
Eureka
Freeport
Galesburg
Geneseo
Joliet-West Park
Joliet-Lockport
Joliet-New Lenox
Kirkland
Lombard
Macomb
Moline
Normal
Olympia Fields
Oswego
Peoria-Bradley Park
Rockford-East & West
Rockton
Round Lake
Shorewood
Springfield-Douglas
Streamwood
Summit
Washington
Waukegan

18+ hole courses in IL I have yet to play.
Dallas City
Milan (2)
Quincy
Rock Falls
Rock Island 

[Tenny Schimo]

Waukegan did'nt make the  honorable mention list 

[CEValkyrie]

Waukegan did'nt make the  honorable mention list 

Doh! Fixed.

[damonshort]

you've got Moline listed twice. I think Prospect is the only course in Moline.

[CEValkyrie]

Updated list.

Top 10
1.   Foundations Park DG Complex,  Centralia, IL
Wow! This can play as tough/long as any course in IL. Long/Short tees & Long/Short baskets. Possible improvements include cement tees and a bridge or 2 across the creek. Gateway Dave, If you read this how about donating 18 more Gateway Titans to keep 2 sets of pins in at all times ? . There is a easier 9-holer in the same park.

2.   McNaughton Park, Pekin, IL
As tough as any course in IL (Long Tees). Short Concrete tees, Long Dirt Tees.  Has withstood the test of time. The back 9 is as tough as it gets. Possible improvements include cement long tees. You could argue this is still #1 in Illinois.

3.   Highland Park, Joliet, IL
Got my first look at this course this weekend. Rough around the edges but I decided to stick it at #3. Since it's new there is still lots of work to do but i'm impressed! We did not play all the Blue tees but a round of all Blues would rival the difficulty of any course in Illinois. This course has potential to move up the list with cement tees and new baskets. Wide variety.

4.   Wildcat Springs, Hamilton, IL
Awesome place to play. 2 new added holes this year. Awesome terrain and good mix.  Possible improvements include another set of tees or alternate pin placements.

5.   Lincoln Park, Springfield, IL
Added pin placements since I last played and difficulty level has stepped up several notches. Long/Short cement tees. One of the best maintained courses in IL.

6.   Northwoods Park,Morton, IL
Another great place to play golf. Long/Short Tees. 17 & 18 are the best 2 finishing holes in Illinois. Great mix of holes. Possible improvement would be the addition of cement on the long tees.

7.   Woodland Park, Collinsville, IL
Wide variety and fun place to play. Long/Short cement tees. Water on many holes. Possible improvment would be course directional arrows. Very hard to navigate if you have never played there.

8.   Sinnissippi Park, Sterling, IL
Great course. Front 9 is awesome! Multiple pin positions. Back is long but flat. If the land near the river were allowed to be used (Where the alternate holes for tournies are placed)  this course could move up the list quickly.

9. Community Park, Channahon, IL
Frank continues to improve this course every year. Long tees all have cement now. Shorts have had cement for a while. Most of the baskets have been upgraded. The BEST kept course in IL. The landscaping Frank has done is awesome! Each year this course gets a little more difficult. It was not even on the radar of my top 10 2-3 years ago.

10. The Oaks, Mokena, IL
27 holes of manicured golf. Rubber fly pads are awesome.
___________________________
Honerable Mention (Any 18+ hole course i've played in IL not in the top 10)
Antioch
Aurora
Bartlett
Bloomington
Calumet City-River Oaks Golf Course (No Longer Exists)
Canton
Chicago-Edgebrook Golf Course
Crystal Lake
East Peoria-ICC
Effingham
Eureka
Freeport
Galesburg
Geneseo
Joliet-West Park
Joliet-Lockport
Joliet-New Lenox
Kirkland
Lombard
Macomb
Moline
Normal
Olympia Fields
Oswego
Peoria-Bradley Park
Rockford-East/West & Temporary
Rockton
Round Lake
Shorewood
Springfield-Douglas
Streamwood
Summit
Washington
Waukegan

18+ hole courses in IL I have yet to play.
Dallas City
Milan (2) Camden 1 & 2
Olney
Quincy
Rock Falls
Rock Island 
Saint Elmo

[treeMD]

you really need to play both camden courses in milan. the original course is real fun and the new course is just incredible! 

[CEValkyrie]

you really need to play both camden courses in milan. the original course is real fun and the new course is just incredible! 

It's definitely on my list to play. I'm hoping to do so next spring or summer. I was waiting for the 2nd course to be completed then that storm hit.

[duain]

18+ hole courses in IL I have yet to play.
Dallas City
Milan (2)
Quincy
Rock Falls
Rock Island 

i see rock falls is on your list. all you will need is a putter and maybe a mid on this course longest hole is 170. most holes are between 60 and 130 feet. all straight shots with some trees. its a good warm up before playing sinnissippi. the baskets are taken out during winter though.

[CEValkyrie]

18+ hole courses in IL I have yet to play.
Dallas City
Milan (2)
Quincy
Rock Falls
Rock Island 

i see rock falls is on your list. all you will need is a putter and maybe a mid on this course longest hole is 170. most holes are between 60 and 130 feet. all straight shots with some trees. its a good warm up before playing sinnissippi. the baskets are taken out during winter though.

I have heard it's very short. I was hoping to play it before the Sinnissippi Open it didn't happen. I will get to it next year. That list is the 6 remaining 18 holers in IL I have not played.

[CEValkyrie]

Updated list.

Top 10
1.   Foundations Park DG Complex,  Centralia, IL
Wow! This can play as tough/long as any course in IL. Long/Short tees & Long/Short baskets. Possible improvements include cement tees and a bridge or 2 across the creek. Gateway Dave, If you read this how about donating 18 more Gateway Titans to keep 2 sets of pins in at all times ? . There is a easier 9-holer in the same park.

2.   McNaughton Park, Pekin, IL
As tough as any course in IL (Long Tees). Short Concrete tees, Long Dirt Tees.  Has withstood the test of time. The back 9 is as tough as it gets. Possible improvements include cement long tees. You could argue this is still #1 in Illinois.

3.   Highland Park, Joliet, IL
Got my first look at this course this weekend. Rough around the edges but I decided to stick it at #3. Since it's new there is still lots of work to do but i'm impressed! We did not play all the Blue tees but a round of all Blues would rival the difficulty of any course in Illinois. This course has potential to move up the list with cement tees and new baskets. Wide variety.

4.   Wildcat Springs, Hamilton, IL
Awesome place to play. 2 new added holes this year. Awesome terrain and good mix.  Possible improvements include another set of tees or alternate pin placements.

5.   Lincoln Park, Springfield, IL
Added pin placements since I last played and difficulty level has stepped up several notches. Long/Short cement tees. One of the best maintained courses in IL.

6.   Northwoods Park,Morton, IL
Another great place to play golf. Long/Short Tees. 17 & 18 are the best 2 finishing holes in Illinois. Great mix of holes. Possible improvement would be the addition of cement on the long tees.

7.   Woodland Park, Collinsville, IL
Wide variety and fun place to play. Long/Short cement tees. Water on many holes. Possible improvment would be course directional arrows. Very hard to navigate if you have never played there.

8.   Sinnissippi Park, Sterling, IL
Great course. Front 9 is awesome! Multiple pin positions. Back is long but flat. If the land near the river were allowed to be used (Where the alternate holes for tournies are placed)  this course could move up the list quickly.

9. Community Park, Channahon, IL
Frank continues to improve this course every year. Long tees all have cement now. Shorts have had cement for a while. Most of the baskets have been upgraded. The BEST kept course in IL. The landscaping Frank has done is awesome! Each year this course gets a little more difficult. It was not even on the radar of my top 10 2-3 years ago.

10. The Oaks, Mokena, IL
27 holes of manicured golf. Rubber fly pads are awesome.
___________________________
Honerable Mention (Any 18+ hole course i've played in IL not in the top 10)
Antioch
Aurora
Bartlett
Bloomington
Calumet City-River Oaks Golf Course (No Longer Exists)
Canton
Chicago-Edgebrook Golf Course
Crystal Lake
East Peoria-ICC
Effingham
Eureka
Freeport
Galesburg
Geneseo
Joliet-West Park
Joliet-Lockport
Joliet-New Lenox
Kirkland
Lombard
Macomb
Moline
Normal
Olympia Fields
Oswego
Peoria-Bradley Park
Rockford-East/West & Temporary
Rockton
Round Lake
Shorewood
Springfield-Douglas
Streamwood
Summit
Washington
Waukegan

18+ hole courses in IL I have yet to play.
Dallas City
Milan (2) Camden 1 & 2
Olney
Quincy
Rock Falls
Rock Island 
Saint Elmo

Updated my IL list of courses yet to play. I did not add the 9 holers to this list, just the 18 holers. I have no played 96 of the 121 active courses on the PDGA Course Directory.

[CEValkyrie]

Taking another step in the quest to play every course in Illinois.

Town   Distance   Course   Holes Day 1 Sun., March 29th           Depart--Gridley, IL          Urbana, IL   79 miles   Lohmann    9 Mattoon, IL   57 miles   Lakeland    9 Charleston, IL   12 miles   EIU   9 Terre Haute, IN   55 miles   Deming   18 Olney, IL   83 miles   Kiwanis Rotary   18 Effingham, IL   45 miles   Effingham   18 Total Day 1   331 miles      81 holes Day 2 Mon., March 30th           St. Elmo, IL   21 miles   Eagle Point   18 Vandalia, IL   17 miles   Vandalia   9 Carlyle, IL   16 miles   City   9 Carlyle, IL   6 miles   Coles Creek   9 Centralia, IL   12 miles   Foundations   9/18 Arrive—Gridley, IL   211 miles       Total Day 2   283 miles      72 holes           Total   614 miles      153 holes

[mirth]

Technically, Terre Haute isn't in Illinois... :p

[CEValkyrie]

Technically, Terre Haute isn't in Illinois... :p

You are correct. I've heard it's an ok course and figured i'd play it while I was there. It's on the skip list as well as Effingham since i've already played it. We'll see how the weather looks and what kind of physical shape we are in that day.