9-Hole Gem: Emricson Park
I don’t know about you, but when I’m traveling the world looking for new courses to play, I often overlook the nine-hole offerings just because I’m looking for “4 star or better” rated tracks. But I’ve also come to realize that it is important to play these smaller courses for several reasons. First, it is important to support these courses to show local governments and agencies that installing disc golf onto smaller parks is a good idea. Second, you’ll find that while these courses tend to be shorter, they are just as challenging. And finally, these courses can serve as a sneaky alternative on the weekends when foot traffic might be higher at your 18-hole tracks. In the coming months I am going to explore many of the 9-hole offerings in my region and share them with you. First up is Emricson Park in Woodstock, IL.
This course is relatively new to the area. It’s nine holes that take advantage of the terrain and elevation available on the property. The rubber tees are way too small, but there is plenty of room on either side to launch your drives. The course uses DGA Mach III baskets, which are some of my personal favorites and seem to catch the discs quite well. There is ample parking, and a pro tip is to park at the bottom lot so you’re equidistant to basket one and eighteen. As with many 9-holes, this is in a public park, so you always must be aware of pedestrians and other park folk. This property is clean and well-kept and has restroom facilities.
This course was full of surprises with the biggest one being that there were four holes that came in over 400 feet, with the longest being hole 4 at 586 feet. Hole 4 has a walking path that dissects the fairway, so you must be aware of walkers, especially during your approach where you are looking uphill and there is a blind spot. And if you want to add some challenge, you can try to stay left of the trail in the much narrower tree lined fairway. On the shorter side, there were plenty of ace-run holes, with the most notable being the 186-foot hole 8. The basket is placed so that a RHBH hyzer will give you the best chance for a hole-in-one. But pull it too far right and you may find yourself in the pond that lines the right side of the fairway. You can also go straight at it, and if you’re a lefty, there are plenty of lines there too.
Another nice element on this property is the scenic walking views you get between holes. Each basket is equipped with an arrow at the base of the basket that points to the next hole, which is very helpful. And with a pond on site, the course winds around this water feature, but there are no shots where you really run a risk of losing a disc unless you have an errant throw. I’ve heard on several occasions that disc golf is just ‘hiking with purpose’ and I’ve always liked that comparison. This course reminds you of this, and I recommend enjoying the beauty as you navigate around the park.
Overall, this course was very fun to play. In fact, I took my wife the following week there because it was the perfect kind of course that she likes to play. A clean property, plenty of open and long holes balanced with some tight lines that use the available trees and terrain to create a fun, challenging, and scoreable track. On site facilities, plenty of parking, and good signage are also a plus. We will certainly be playing more rounds here in the future.
Do you have a favorite local 9-hole? Is there a secret gem that you play on busier weekends? Let’s hear about them in the comments below. Thank you for reading, I’ll continue to cover these 9-hol gems, so come back to read more. Until then, may your discs fly true and your putts find chains.
