What makes a great course?

[paulpriest]

I just got down to play Highland Park again yesterday and it is both challenging and fun.  I got to thinking about what makes a great/memorable course.  So I'd like to know what everyone thinks is the BEST course they have played, either in the chicagoland, the midwest, nationally (or internationally), or all three.  Don't forget to add why you think your course is great. 

For me:

Chicagoland:
In this area the best course is now Highland Park. 

Positives: Multiple tees, laid out links style (the parking lot is centrally located), has elevation, challenging woods, and memorable holes (especially holes 4/9/17). 

Negatives: It does not have the greatest baskets (about four or five putts that would have stuck on chainstars in 36 holes), has natural tees, not all tees are well marked, no multiple pin positions and has unplayable rough in just a couple spots. 

It is a new course and because of this the tees and markings I hope will improve in the future.  On a nice day I would rather play a tournament on this course than any other in the Chicagoland.

Midwest:
I have not played many courses in the Midwest outside of the Chicago area but my nomination goes to Vallarta Ast. at Token Creek Park in Madison, WI.

Positives: Multiple CONCRETE tees, multiple pin positions, well marked, very well groomed, very attractive course, good hole flow.

Negatives: Pay to play, no elevation, wide open fairways (mostly), rough that is easy to lose discs in at points.

Nationally:

I have not played very long so never out on the west or down south or the east coast.  My pick goes to the Lakeview Course in Moraine State Park just north of Pittsburgh, PA.

Positives: Multiple tees, multiple (A,B,C) pin positions on every hole, good length, very, very challenging, requires excellent shot-making skills, excellent hole flow, great use of elevation change, has more than 14 or so memorable holes out of 18 (no simple 200-300 ft open holes), very picturesque.

Negatives: Natural tee pads, even shortest tees are not always "beginner" friendly.


So let's hear your pick(s) and what you think are the best courses.

[Mukey]

Tough but fun to play makes a great course

I much prefer multiple tees vs. pin locations. Most of the parks I've played with multiple pins don't have a good way to inform you what location the pin is in when you're on the tee.

In our area Highland is now the top. I agree on the slight negative on the baskets but disagree on the tees being marked and the unplayable rough. The tees are clearly marked on the signs and isn't rough suppose to be unplayable, otherwise it isn't rough?

In the Midwest I'd say Highbridge Hills, although one could argue it's so far north as to be almost not in the Midwest.

Positive: Multiple courses, concrete tees, powder-coated course specific baskets, variety of elevation & shots.

Negative: How far North it is

[ziggy]

there's an alarming rate of 9holers being pitched in especially by boy scouts. I admire their efforts but from a design standpoint, they need to scope this topic out when more and more add their input.

What makes me enjoy a course?

Flow - having 9 in and 9 out. There are not a lot of courses that take the ability to go 1-9, then 10-18 with #1tee, #9basket, #10tee, and #18basket by the parking lot.

Anemities - bathrooms, trashcans, benches, ability to hang bags up, lil knickknack features that they add to announce the hole, be it a nickname (the "gauntlet" at paw paw anyone?) To warn unsuspecting visitors

Throwin ability
A mix of left, right, accurate, long, control.

Maintenance - groomed fairways, clear defined paths, mulch and did I mention mulch?

Elevation - flat golf is not as fun. If u do not have much elevation, still can make it exciting by placement of baskets (putting up/down or deathdrop) or use of the slight hills (throwing up, down, sideway skippers)

Evansville, indiana uses the sideway hills really well for their limited space.

Multiple pins are nice. multiple tees are even better. Please, more tees before the pins.

Use of foliage.
Flat open footballfield holes are a joke.

Can't remembr where but played a course where they made fairways out of cornfields!

Unique characteristics..

Every course should have a landmark or view of their own that provides something memorable be it manmade (mokena's wall, springfield's capitol) or natural (mtn backdrop, lakeview).

Lot of courses out there that have pros and cons.

Iowa - ewing

Wisc - token (agree about the highbridge portion)

IL - lincoln park @ springfield or wildcat @ hamilton
(Mcnaughton has the same shot - straight over and over =[ ) or rockford

Indiana - cedar lake

[El Mexicano]

Can't remembr where but played a course where they made fairways out of cornfields!

Sounds like Justin Trails.

[Tom McManus]

Can't remembr where but played a course where they made fairways out of cornfields!

Sounds like Justin Trails.

Out of 36 holes two of them were carved out of corn fields and one of those was a 1000' hole. The other was around 800 feet with a huge elevation change.

[Jon Brakel]

To make a great course you first have to start with a good course. I define a good course as follows: Well maintained grounds, baskets and tees. Tees are flat and well defined. Course is easy to follow and avoids conflicts with other holes. Course has interesting layout and has some challenge.

To make a GREAT course add:
Course area/park is dedicated exclusively to disc golf. Separation between holes is such that you can't normally see or hear players on other holes. Course is not only challenging but has real risk/reward shots. No sub-par 3 holes AND some real par 4 holes. (I'm defining par as Jack Nicklaus does which is the intended golfer needs to make all good shots on the hole in order to make par. If one of his shots is bad, he must make at least one excellent shot to save par.) Amenities should include bathrooms, pro shop, water, benches near tees, grounds maintained specifically for the disc golf course.

Madison Meadows in Lombard is a good course. It lacks almost all of what I've listed that would make it a great course.

McNaughton is a course that has some great disc golf. Good separation of holes. Pretty much exclusive to disc golf use (there's some fishing in the ponds). Has some risk/reward shots. Not real sure on the par 4 situation there. I think for good amateurs and above it is pretty much a par 3 course. Lacks pretty much all amenities except for air.


Flip City is a course that comes to mind that would fit the bill of a great course. It has a couple of par 4 holes. It has some great risk/reward with some baskets on steep hills, edges of hills, side hills etc. Separation of holes is pretty good. There are places where you can see other fairways but for the most part they are well separated. It is/was lacking in some amenities but I haven't played it in a few years so there might be new stuff. Bill is always trying to improve the course. There was no water when I played it...you had to bring your own. But he did have porta potties. He didn't have a pro shop or benches either but there were stumps and rocks to sit on in many places. At the time he said that he couldn't have a pro shop because of local ordinances. But I think it has enough of the good stuff to call it a great course. On top of it all is that it is a place that is all about disc golf. Not only is it dedicated space for disc golf but it is run and maintained and owned by disc golfers. It is a disc golf experience.

[CEValkyrie]

#1-->Land
The land is the #1 criteria in my book.  Every great course I've played has plenty of room to be creative and offer a variety. Elevation, water, & rough add to that greatness. I do not prefer a well groomed over a rough natural setting. Both are great in my book. Ask me 30 years from now when I'm hobbling around and you may get a different answer.

#2--> Design
A great course offers a wide variety of shots and layouts. A great course flows well and does not have long walks or back tracks to get to the next hole. Great courses do not have conflicts with other holes or tees near baskets. Courses with Long/Short tees as well as multiple pin placements are a bonus. I enjoy a mix of the old school par 3 with the new school par 4/5 mentality. Too much of either can become monotonous. I absolutely love risk/reward type holes and holes where you have options on how you want to attack them. Do I want to try to make the tough shot on my drive to make my approach easier or do I want to try to play safe on my drive then make the magic happen on the 2nd shot.

#3--> Tees & Baskets
Both of these enhance the enjoyment and make it a great course. Level tee pads of either cement or rubber.  Correct length is a must. Some type of new school basket from Mach 3, Mach 5, Chainstar, Innova Pro, or Gateway Titan.

#4--> Tee signs and course marking
This is probably one of the most frustrating aspects of the game to me. I hate spending more time looking for holes than playing the actual round. Great courses have accurate descriptive tee signs and markings that make it easy to navigate.

#5--> Amenities
Restrooms, water, trash cans, & benches add to the enjoyment


Here is a link to my courses played. I've marked my favorite courses.
http://www.dgcoursereview.com/profile.php?id=1910

[deucemeister]

      Highland is hands down the best in this region; the geography is ideal and the course designers are the old school disc golfers who were keen on biuilding a champiuonship layout without any park district interference. There are no wide open holes or gimme deuces here and plenty of 4's to be had.    Most of the new courses are a comprimise so they can also be playable for novices, but novices should steer clear of Highland as it will eat your lunch.  Gary did a great job with what little budget was available and refurbishing the old West Park baskets worked well, albeit with the unfriendly Headrick nubs protruding..
    My favorite course of all time is De Laveaga in Santa Cruz.   

[ChrisE]

I live up in Grayslake, and have not been down to highland parks cours.  Is there only one course in Highland Park, or which is the good one?  and how do you get there?

[Mukey]

I live up in Grayslake, and have not been down to highland parks cours.  Is there only one course in Highland Park, or which is the good one?  and how do you get there?

Whoa drift-zilla!   

Take a look at the Highland Park, Joliet, IL thread under Courses and it'll have all the info, and pics are in the image gallery also
(I've still gotta take pics of the Long tees tho, and a few unsteady pics need replacing due to I-wanna-play-this-course-itis)

[Bruce Brakel]

I agree with Brett that you cannot have a great course without great land.  Flip City, Renny, Boyne Mountain, Indiana Pennsylvania University, the Tobbogan, Timber Ridge, Hickory Hills, Ewing -- these courses all have great land. 

Keriakis has good land but they jammed 18 holes onto something like 10 acres.  Errant shots should go into the schule, not into the next fairway.  So even if you have good land, you need spacing. 

A great course should have holes that force shots and holes that offer a choice of shots.  It should have holes that where you have to think and holes where you have to chuck.  Too many courses are designed by a righty backhand player who is only designing holes that he can throw.  That guy needs to work with a lefty backhand player and a tomahawk guy and Zeuss.  A great course has a hole or two no one can throw so its all about minimizing your damages. 

And then a great course needs everything else: dedicated land, toilets, a pro shop, food, improved tees, good targets, scorecards, etc.