In 2021 Chicagoland was named the #2 top cities to play disc golf in according to UDISC (you can read the article here). I can attest to that, being a Chicagoland native and having played disc golf here for the past 18 years. I have also traveled across the U.S. from the East to West Coasts, and have seen what several cities have to offer.

Aside from my immediate family living here, it is disc golf that keeps me here. The local disc golf clubs are great and the scenery is gorgeous. You might be one who thinks Illinois is mostly flat and full of cornfields, but the disc golf courses featured below are anything but that.

In no particular order, these are my Top 5 favorite disc golf courses in Northern Illinois to photograph:

The Canyons | Dellwood Park in Lockport, IL

Dellwood Park in Lockport, IL, has deep historic roots. In the 1920’s there was an amusement park and dancing hall onsite, it was a must-see stop on the Chicago & Joliet Electric Railway (1905-06). The grand opening of The Canyons disc golf course was on September 20, 2014. It was designed by Steve Matul (PDGA #8) and Sean Callahan (PDGA #41210). Originally 18 holes, it has since expanded to 27 holes.

I love the scenery here from the vast open holes on 8 and 11, to the tightly wooded fairways. The variety of holes and elevation are what make this course so unique. In the summer it feels like a tranquil escape on the lower part of the course that runs alongside Fraction Run (the creek).

Watching the seasons change here is a real treat. As the landscape changes with leaves turning colors and falling, you can really see the true identity of the landscape. Each time I visit I try to find something new.

FAIRFIELD PARK | ROUND LAKE, IL

Fairfield Park feels like a fairytale. Maybe that is mostly from the nostalgic feeling I have here from playing and photographing this course before its current redesign (in 2014). My memories here are mostly making big putts, and photographing sandhill cranes and dragonflies.

To sum it up in one word, Fairfield Park is a sanctuary. The small pond, creek, forest and tall grass provide the perfect ecosystem for the wildlife and plants here. You almost forget that there is a Disc Golf course here because it blends so well into the landscape. You can literally get lost just watching the wildlife here.

FEL-PRO RRR | CARY, IL

Local disc golf pro and course designer, Dana Vicich, re-designed Fel-Pro RRR in 2020 as a DiscGolfPark.

Upon my first impression of visiting this course, my jaw dropped to the floor just driving into the parking lot! I think it was June when I saw Fel-Pro RRR for the first time. The parking lot had an abundance of Northern Catalpa trees that were in their prime with giant leaves and long bean pods, it felt outer-worldly.

The elevation here starts on hole one (pictured above). The course is split almost in half: where half of the holes are wooded and the other half are out in the open, but there is plenty of elevation and obstacles on every hole.

KRESS CREEK | West Chicago, IL

The Kress Creek disc golf course in West Chicago, IL, was established in 2011 and has greatly evolved over the years. The course designers had a minimal budget when they built the course and they did a great job building it with the resources they had.

The local community has really put a lot of love into the park by installing permanent tee pads, and making the park as a whole more friendly to recreational use with a playground and walking trails.

Kress Creek has some of the most visible distance out of all of the courses in my top 5 here. I love the elevation, with wide open skies and the distance between open land and the forest here. These two elements in photography (elevation and distance) can add so much more context to the subjects.

ROLLING KNOLLS | ELGIN, IL

The Rolling Knolls disc golf course in Elgin, IL, was also designed by Dana Vicich. It was established in 2017 and just looking at the landscape, historically you can tell that it was a ball golf course. It has a great variety of par 3’s and 4’s and the name of the course is well suited to the terrain, as there are plenty of rolling knolls. The wooded edges make for nicely etched fairways.

I especially like photographing this course because a few of the baskets are located at the top of the knolls (hills) making it the perfect for photographing silhouettes. I also love watching the light on the landscape change here. Since it is partially shaded you can find some really interesting pockets of light.