Oak Brook, IL - Central Park

[stpitner]

This 9-hole course hasn't had their grand opening yet, but we have found out that the tee signs have finally been placed in the posts.  It's a short, technical course, but they were very kind on the posted pars.  Listed par for the course is 39.  It's really worth checking out, especially as they prepare it for the grand opening.  There are plans to add woodchips on all of the tees, and there is still some brush that needs to be cleared out.  There is a mando on hole 6 that makes the hole just absolutely evil.  It's a very nice, straight tunnel shot on hole 7.

Every hole is either lined with trees on either side of the fairway or you are throwing into the trees.  There are all sorts of challenges on this course that will make you either have a great day or just want to kick and scream the entire way through the course!

Directions:
From the North: From I-290, take Rt-83 south to the 31st street exit.  Head East and turn left onto Jorie Blvd.  Turn left at the first stoplight (after the flashing light for the fire department).  Take road to park district, entrance on right.  Follow parking lot loop around until you see the beach volleyball courts.  1st tee near the courts.

From the South: From I-55, take Rt-83 North to the 31st street exit.  Head East and turn left onto Jorie Blvd.  Turn left at the first stoplight (after the flashing light for the fire department).  Take road to park district, entrance on right.  Follow parking lot loop around until you see the beach volleyball courts.  1st tee near the courts.

meh, just pull up maps.google.com if you are coming from the east or west lol.

Just be ready for lots of shots to wind up stuck in big huge evergreens.  Unless you're great with accuracy, bring a baseball or whatever you normally would to help knock a disc down out of the tree!

[stpitner]

I just came back from throwing at this course.  We couldn't throw hole 6 because there was a guy digging out a hole for the teepad.  Then we found out that he had already dug out the hole for holes 7 and 8.  I'm not exactly sure how they are going to set up the tees, but the dig was about 4 - 6 inches deep.  My guess is that they are getting ready to pour concrete tees.  I have been told that they are going to install rubberized tees, so perhaps they will put the rubber on top of the concrete?  Will be interesting regardless!  I don't like where they spray painted the tee corners for hole 9 though.  The original spray marks seemed to point more towards the gap in the trees but the new one makes you feel like you point right at a tree.  We shall see!

[stpitner]

yay, the tees are almost done!  They placed a wood base in all of the tees, and then they lined the entire tee with slats of wood all the way across the tee.  They were screwed down instead of nailed down, which is good.  Tonight when my co-worker and I went out and played tonight they had placed rubber down on holes 1 and 2.  The rubber looks VERY secure.  It's some sort of washer and screw combination? something like that.  there was probably 50 or more of those all the way around the tee.  The tee is VERY nice.  The sounding area around the tee is gravel.  I don't know if they plan on putting any woodchips or anything additionally around the tees.  Hopefully the dirt mounds from digging out the tee boxes will be moved as well.  It doesn't get in the way too much, but it might if you run up onto the tees (but a lot of them are slightly elevated so it still might be tough).

I'd say by May 1st this course will be fully ready!

[Cannon Boy]

Looks like your a one man show for discontinuum at this course.

[stpitner]

lol, a couple other people from here have stopped by the course.  The good news is that the rubber is down on all of the tees now   They placed dirt all around the tees, not sure what they play on doing with that.  Perhaps they will plant grass there again.  Some of the tees don't really have all that great of a run up, but at the same time you don't want to run up onto the tees for some.  They are all very challenging holes requiring VERY accurate throws.  It's becoming even more difficult now as well with the leaves blooming.  Hole 2's fairway opening keeps shrinking and shrinking!

[Cannon Boy]

I might check this course out sometime.

[CEValkyrie]

Can you add this to the PDGA Course Directory page Stpitner? I would but have not played it. It's easy to do.

http://www.pdga.com/course/course_edit.php?action=insert&id=0

[stpitner]

Can you add this to the PDGA Course Directory page Stpitner? I would but have not played it. It's easy to do.

http://www.pdga.com/course/course_edit.php?action=insert&id=0

It USED to be there, but then it somehow was removed, and you could only get to it in a goofy manner.  I'll see if I can find it hidden on their site somewhere and try to update it (because it used to say woodchips for tees... which it was... but now it's rubber tees)

[damonshort]

Finally made it over there today. Actually I'd forgotten about it til Brett mentioned it Sunday.

This is a very cool 9-hole course (although that sounds like a contradiction). Mostly tight fairways with some nasty rough; I looked for a disc on #5 for about half an hour before I realized my drive went farther than I thought and was sitting in plain sight 

If this were 18 it would easily be the best course in the western burbs.

[CEValkyrie]

I agree with Damon. It's one of the best 9 hole courses in the state. It's a very difficult course & i've heard the course record is a -2 so far. Very thick rough when you get off the fairways and some very tight fairways. One of the holes is very tough with a mando. Some very nice length to this course as well.

[stpitner]

Man I wish I could have seen the guy that had a -2.  I think my best is +6, and I play there probably 2-3 times a week at least if not more.  Now, my other question is was that score of -2 before or after spring time when all the trees bloomed.  The course thins out quite a bit when all the trees don't have any leaves.  It's still a pain to play though!

Just a word of caution, my wife had a bought with poison ivy recently, and we're pretty sure it came from the Oak Brook course.  Just be sure to be careful when you go reaching for your disc!  She wasn't 100% sure what hole is was on, but we're guessing it was on hole 4.  Just know what poison ivy looks like and avoid it

[El Mexicano]

Finally got to play this course this morning. Nice park and nice pin placements. I shot even my first time around and a -1 the second time. Hole 6 has a nice mando which carded me a 4 the first time and almost hit my jump putt the second time around . Overall I give it two thumbs up!!! I hear Lombard league will be coming here on Saturdays in the Fall. 10am

[airspuds]

i will be here on thursday after 10 am job interview about 12

[stpitner]

i was just out there today during my lunch hour enjoying time with the cicadas lol.  I birdied 7, 8, and then hit the number on top of the basket at a try for a birdie on 9.  It was a lovely finish

Kinda funny listening to the cicadas all get a LOT louder as you approach them.  They'll buzz you a couple times around hole 2's tee.  I'm hoping that the little tree on hole 8 that makes it tougher to hit the cut-through holds up, it's not looking too good out there.

If you're offline you'll have many spots where you have to deal with a lot of those exoskeleton's hanging everywhere.

I don't know if I'll be able to join you tomorrow... it depends on where the group wants to go.

Where are you interviewing at?  I work at the end of Kensington (off of Jorie).

[tacimala]

Man I haven't seen a single cicada yet downtown. All this fuss for nothing if you ask me!

[stpitner]

oh just play oak brook... they are there in the hundreds of thousands, if not more, no joke.  the noise can freak you out if you don't know what it is!

[Mukey]

Man I haven't seen a single cicada yet downtown.

With all the old growth trees in downtown I'm really surprised you haven't seen one

[mirth]

speaking of cicadas, I have yet to see or hear one anywhere around where I live (or play DG)

[Mukey]

They seem to be really hit-or-miss on whether they're by you. I've seen a bunch in the Oakbrook/Downers area, but none in Joliet or Mokena last weekend.

[J.R.]

I haven't seen any in Highland Park, which is the only place I've been able to go play.

My girlfriend told me tonight that they don't come out in the city until June.  I'm not sure what her source in for that.  We'll see.