Randall Oaks

[WkeBrd3]

Rumor has it that Randall Oaks Golf Course in West Dundee is installing a 10 hole disc golf course. Can anyone confirm or deny this? I'll be driving past it today, so I'm thinking of stopping in to get the 411.

[DiscGolfSchodt]

That is a very nice looking park. I always thought it could be a killer DG course

[El Mexicano]

10 holes?

[CJI]

My wife was at the park a few weeks ago and called me immeadiately when she saw a few baskets! She spoke with a park ranger  who basically had no idea what disc golf even was, but the good news is the baskets are in!

[El Mexicano]

Is the course in a park or is it a Fly18 course on the actual Golf course?

[CJI]

In the park

[jack]

I happened to be in the park for a picnic on Labor Day and noticed the baskets. At the time, the Discatchers were only half assembled. All 10 baskets appeared to be in the ground, but the chain assemblies had yet to be installed. Talk about a goofy way to put in baskets! The park district appeared to be in the process of installing teeboxes with flypads, similar to the ones at Oak Brook. I didn't walk the whole course. From the little bit I saw, it looked like a fun course through the oaks with some elevation change but nothing that was going to be super challenging.

[Sigma]

My friend was at the course today, from what he said there is still an 'opening soon' sign on it but all holes and teepads are installed. He was raving about it. It's a pitch & putt, but the topography changes are unlike anything else in the area. (Possibly similar to St Charles., haven't played that one.) He wants to start Wednesday doubles there, but we haven't talked to anyone involved in the creation about it. We're going to be there tomorrow (Thursday), hope to see some faces!
(By word of mouth, this course is apparently a test run for the park district, to see whether installing 18 additional holes would go over well. Also, there is a fairway you have to cross to get to a tee.)
  -Brian

[Sly]

How's the flow of the course, are there any signs at the tees?
I may be out there today.

Thanks!

[Sigma]

It sounds like they had to work with a bottleneck, the course is a star formation, with 3 baskets in vicinity of eachother near the center and hole 9's basket less than 30 feet from hole 8's teepad(not the other way around).  It was my impression teepads tee signs may not have been installed yet, but my friend mentioned there is paint on the grass directing players around the course.  Hole 10 is apparently a highlight of the course, it would be a downhill ace run but there is this tree with low-hanging branches blocking the hyzer route. I have to work probably 'till 5 today, but hopefully I can make it there at 6.
  -Brian

[can't putt]

Randall Oaks Disc Golf Course

While not yet officially open, the course is playable.  Tee signs are not in, but the course is easy to follow.  Ten holes with Discatcher baskets.  Tees are brick pavers.  Park is scenic with large oaks, although quite a few of the holes are in an open, grass area.  Course is very spread out.  Fairway #4 has to be crossed to get from 9 basket to 10 tee, or you can take the long way around the #4 basket.  With all the space they had available, I simply don't understand why the design included crossing a fairway.

The first tee is hard to find, as it is not visible from any parking area.  Click on the link above, choose "Hybrid View" and zoom in.  The basket icon is correctly located on the first tee.

While the couse offers a few fairly nice holes, I think a lot more advantage could have been taken of the available terrain.  The course plays like Bartlett minus 8 holes.  Not a destination course by any stretch of the imagination but a family friendly beginner course.

Note that they are trying to grow grass around the tees.  If you go, please jump over the straw to allow the grass a chance.

[CEValkyrie]

Dan & I started our day off at 9am. Tyler met us.

The tee pads are nice but short.

The course is ok but i'm not too fond of the design. Holes 1 thru 4 are good and the green on #5 is cool. The park does have some nice land but too bad most of it cannot be used due to picnic & shelter areas. I'm not sure why you have to walk right by the basket of #7 to get to #5 and near #4 after playing #9. Tyler talked to a park worker who said the course will expand to 18 at a later date. I don't see how that is going to happen. They wasted a lot of space with the 10 already there.

[tjdub26936]

The Daily Herald had a story on the first page of the "Neighbor" section about the Randall Oaks course.  Decent article, basic explanation for people not familiary with disc golf.  One interesting passage:

"Mark Simon, superintendent of parks, said there was a lot of thought and planning put into the course.

'It went through at least six revisions,' Simon said.  'We got a lot of help from a company called Midwest Disc Golf.  They were able to give us some good, practical advice on safety and how it's played.

'There is a lot of use at this park and you need to be really careful that it doesn't affect other uses,' he said.  'There was a lot of thought and caution in laying out the holes.  It pretty much skirts the perimeter, or areas that aren't highly used.'"

Is Midwest Disc Golf mostly Mike Kamm?

It seems to me that there are four scenarios for a new course in the Chicago area:

1)  A park distric wants a course and solicits advice from Brett or someone else who knows what they're talking about.  For whatever reason, they fail to take that advice and design a mediocre-to-bad course.

2)  A park district wants a disc golf course, but the land available or shared use limits the potential of a high caliber course, regardless of the quality of advice they receive.

3)  Local disc golf organizations approach a park/forest preserve district with ideas or proposals and are shot down for budgetary or political reasons.

4)  All the stars align and an individual with a good-to-great relationship with a park district is able to design and push-through a genuinely great course.  This is obviously the exception.

It's probably all about relationships.  Establish them, nuture them, and agressively (but patiently) look for oppotunities, and take advantage of them.