New Buffalo Grove Course

[Jon Brakel]

The new Buffalo Grove course has concrete tees now. I don't know when they went in but this is the first I've noticed them. They have sleeves in for the baskets surrounded by a small circle of limestone. I'm going to go over there Saturday and walk the course to see if I can find all the locations. From the road it looked like they were following the basics of the plan that Tom Christensen laid out 10 years ago.

[Mike S]

Rocky and I went and checked out this course last week...  We set up a skillshot for each hole and played the entire course.  VERY short, seems like it was definitely meant for kids.  First four holes are 200' or so.  5-7 are somewhere around 250.  8 is a very short 90 degree dogleg hole, and 9 is about 310' or so.  I think we each shot something like -6 the first time around.

That was from August, and about half the concrete tees were in at the time.  The rest had spots dug out for the concrete but they hadnt poured it yet.

[Jon Brakel]

All nine of the concrete tees are in now as well as all nine sleeves for baskets surrounded by a small circle of limestone. Part of the course is what Tom had laid out 10 years ago but at the time that wheel chair baseball wasn't in the plans. Holes 5-7 are pretty much what Tom had in mind. Considering the amount of area they had to work with it is not a bad course. I think it will be a nice beginner course or a nice practice course. Good ace run course also. It is more challenging than Squirrel road! 

[Mike S]

Considering the amount of area they had to work with it is not a bad course.

That is what I dont get.  Great, they made the best possible course they could in a 100 X 50 yard area with multiple uses.  Why even attempt to do it?  Arent there countless other parks that are more suited to disc golf?

[Jon Brakel]

Considering the amount of area they had to work with it is not a bad course.

That is what I dont get.  Great, they made the best possible course they could in a 100 X 50 yard area with multiple uses.  Why even attempt to do it?  Arent there countless other parks that are more suited to disc golf?

While I understand the problem, considering how hard it is to play Willow Stream I welcome these baskets in the area. I'd rather have a really challenging par 60+ course in a single use area that the beginners and occasional users wouldn't want to play, I do appreciate baskets in the ground in some kind of interesting design. I don't think that BG has a better park. I keep looking for parks in my area that can support a good course but I haven't found one yet.

[Bruce Brakel]

Even Squirrel has an interesting nine hole course, just not the nine hole course the designer planned.  At Squirrel you can get a good course if you play from tee N to basket N + 4 for every hole.  Sometimes for these lame nine holers you can make up really good courses once the baskets are there. 

In your area you actually need more lame nine holers to build a bigger base of players that will create the demand needed to get courses in your flood plain management district properties.  You have a gazillion acres of championship disc golf waiting to be developed, but it won't happen until your "forest preserve" districts feel the demand.