Willow Brook Disc Golf Course

[Bruce Brakel]

The baskets went in today.  The course will be open for casual play tomorrow.  It's like i've had another baby.  And given it up for adoption too.    

Here's a list of the distances and pars, including the two standard extra holes for use in big tournaments:

Willow Brook Grand Opening -- Players' Guide to Disc Golf Course

Out of Bounds: All greens and sand traps are played as out of bounds. Never throw from a green or sand trap, but bring the disc in bounds 1 meter and take a one throw penalty. Ponds and creeks are out of bounds. Roped off areas that have water in the middle are out of bounds. The rope line is the out of bounds line. Give close calls to the thrower. Cart paths and bridges are not out of bounds unless otherwise specified. Play where lies.

Please keep golf carts on the cart paths as much as possible using the rule of perpendicularity. Never drive carts through roped off areas. Never drive carts on greens or golf tees. If there is shallow water on the cart path, stay on the cart path but drive slowly. Avoid driving in other areas where there is mud or standing water.

Except on hole 3, the white out of bounds stakes are casual for disc golf. The farm field is not out of bounds. The neighbors' yards are out of bounds.

All tees should be marked with paints on the paved cart paths, except 15a. Some holes have more than one marked tee due to past tournaments. Consult the guide. Distances were measured with a wheel following a natural flight path or walking route to the basket.

Front Nine Feet Par Description

Hole 1 780 4 Tee: Near steps up to men's golf tee. Basket: Short of green, left of cart path, in cluster of trees. The roped off area in the middle of the fairway is out of bounds. If there is any pond in the roped off area or exceeding the roped off area, it too is out of bounds.

Hole2 915 4 Tee: Between blue and white tees on cart path. Basket: Left of green in roped off area. The roped off area near the pond is out of bounds. The ropes near the green do not define out of bounds but are there to keep the carts on the path. On or to the left of the paved cart path that runs by the basket is out of bounds. The cart path that runs from the tee out to the fairway does not define any out of bounds.

Hole 3 285 3 Tee: At white tee on cart path. Basket: Right and well short of green, near the pine trees. White stakes mark o.b. line. On or left of the cart path is out of bounds also.

Hole 4 1060 5 Tee: Good luck finding this one if you are not reading this! Drive past 3 golf green. Hole 4 golf tees are ahead on right. Drive past those following the cart path. When the cart path forks, make a left and go to the top of the hill, following the cart path. Basket: left of golf green in pine grove. Water in creek is o.b. even if not flowing. If they rope off the wet area on the right side of the fairway, it is out of bounds. The ropes near the green merely keep the carts on the path and do not define out of bounds.

Hole 5 600 4 Tee: At white tees, on cart path. The hole is a dogleg right. Basket is pin long on right. The pond is out of bounds. The ropes do not define out of bounds. The white stakes do not mean anything.

Hole 6 725 4 Tee: First post after cart sign, 50 feet forward from white tees. The hole is a dogleg left. Basket: On right and 180 feet short of center of green set in the trees. The pond is out of bounds. The ropes merely keep the carts on the path. Drive slowly in shallow water and stay on path.

Hole 7 1125 5 Tee: At drain cut 35 feet forward of white tees. Basket: Right of green. The creek in front of the tee is o.b. Sand trap near green is o.b.

Hole 8 340 3 Tee: At blue tees on cart path. Basket: See how the cart path crosses the bridge and goes left? The basket is 60 feet to the right where the cart path goes left. The creek is o.b. The ropes do not define o.b.

Hole 9 400 3 Tee: Near golf tee at top of the hill. Basket: In the trees about 400 feet away, down in the valley, on the right.

Hole 9a 970 5 Tee: At end of cart path. Basket: in the pines behind the golf green. Water in fairway is out of bounds. Roped off areas in fairway are out of bounds.

Front nine: Par and distance depends on whether we played 9a. Tournament players may take a quick break for flush toilets, beer or other needs at the club house. If you play through a group at the clubhouse, no penalty.

Back Nine Feet Par

Hole 10 570 4 Tee: At white tees on cart path. Basket: 150 feet past center of green, by big Christmas tree and pricker bushes.

Hole 11 825 4 Tee: 20 feet forward from white tees on cart path. Basket: Left and short of green past pond between trees. The pond is o.b.

Hole 12 710 4 Tee: 35 feet past white tees at bridge. Basket: Over hill, beyond pine trees on left side of fairway. Plays 800 around trees, 710 up left side of fairway. The creek by the tee is o.b.

Hole 13 1080 5 Tee: At white tees on cart path. Basket: Past pond on right, on peninsula in trees, 130 feet short of green. Pond is o.b. If the pond is roped, the rope lines are o.b.

Hole 14 720 4 Tee: At white tees on cart path. Basket: Around to the left on hill. The rope at the base of the hill is to prevent carts from driving on the hill or taking the service drive. Take the cart path to next hole.

Hole 15 390 3 Tee: The tee is by the golf tee. Basket: 90 feet or so past large pine tree on right side of fairway. The white stakes mean nothing.

Hole 15a. 420 3 Tee: Turf tee. Look for flags quite a ways down the fairway set in the pine trees. Basket: Set behind the green. It is about 320 to the front edge of the green. You think you can throw 400 with a tail wind? Prove it! Warning: Just ahead of the tee are some pot bunkers. They are not o.b. but they could tip your cart. Go around.

Hole 16 350 3 Tee: At white tees on cart path. Basket: Right of golf green.

Hole 17 750 4 Tee: Forward of white tees on cart path. Basket: In orchard on right well short of the green by 400 feet. The big sand trap is o.b. The creek is too.

Hole 18 1190 5 Tee: 50 feet forward of white tees on cart path. Basket: At big bush to the right of the green. Water in fairway is o.b. If roped, the rope line is the o.b. line.

[tjdub26936]

Willow Brook Grand Opening -- Players' Guide to Disc Golf Course

Bruce omitted the disclaimer that this is 260 miles from Chicago.

[kcunning]

And I just went through the trouble of pulling up a map of Willowbrook Il and tried to figure out what golf course this was built on, while my excitement built seeing as Willowbrook IL is only about 20 minutes from the house.  What a let down.

Does sound like a great course though.  Enjoy.

[DiscCrazy]

What is the cost to play?

[Bruce Brakel]

It's only 40 miles from my house, so I'd be happy to meet you there. 

I think its going to be $10 weekdays and $15 weekends.  That includes 1/2 of the cart.  Currently they are not planning on selling walking rounds, but you want to get the cart anyway.  Usually for a threesome if they are not too busy, the third guy can get a cart for paying for 1/2 of a cart. 

It is a golf course.  Call first.  Sometimes they close for an outing or the course is fully booked by people who made tee times. 

If you've played Edgebrook, forget about it.  This course is so much better than Edgebrook.  Edgebrook has two or three good holes.  Willow Brook has two or three lame holes.  Willow Brook has ten or eleven holes where you get a big, fun downhill tee shot or fairway drive.  You love those shots.  It has holes with risk/reward options.  Holes that challenge you to lay up of the pond or go for it.  All of the water is fair and honest.  You won't skip 20 feet past a basket and there's a river there.  I almost never lose a disc to the water in singles.  In doubles I take a risk sometimes. 

Michigan should be your disc golf vacation destination state; we have so many good courses.  If you decide to do southeast Michigan, you don't want to miss Willow Brook. 

[DiscCrazy]

I would be more than happy to meet you there sometime. I do live in Chicago but travel to Michigan a lot. I have a large group of friends that play in your area. I told them about the course and they are planning on playing it next week sometime. I can't wait to go back and play the course. I have played it before, at the Big D Doubles tournament two years ago. It is an awesome course. I really like the long shots but also the technical shots once you get close to the baskets. Lots of fun