Alpha, MI is a small village in the southwestern part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Alpha DGC is a 9-holer that I think it's fair to say plays "around town". The first three holes play on a lawn in front of the town hall, the next four play in a separate area around the edges of a baseball diamond, and the last two play in a third area near a tennis court. The whole layout circles around a brewery and a couple of other buildings. It's not far between the three areas - take a photo of the map posted at the first tee and navigation will be a breeze.

This is a nice short course that is good for beginners to play, and for recreational players to practice approaches and putts. The best hole here is probably #4, which has a few trees to force a well-shaped throw to the basket. The baskets are Black Hole Gravity models that are painted red and in like-new condition. The tee signs are laminated pieces of paper that have a hole number, distance, par, and sponsor information. The tee pads are natural, but since the distances are stand-and-throw I don't really see this as a big issue.

The distances are extremely short, with no holes longer than 200'. One hole is only about 85'. For anyone beyond beginner level, I would not even call this course a "pitch and putt" but rather an "ace run and putt". I believe this is the shortest 9-hole course I have ever played.

There are no real elevation changes or other hazards on the course. Besides #4, the only other hole with a significant obstacle to work around is #9 - and that obstacle is the fence of the tennis court. All of the other holes have wide open looks at the basket from the tee.

That tennis court and the baseball diamond could present potential safety concerns if they are being used. You should honor the signage and skip these holes if that is the case. A couple holes also end a little bit too close to the street for my liking.

There aren't any trash cans or benches. There was a porta potty when I visited, but that may have been a temporary addition for an event going on at the brewery.

The brewery website proudly points out that Alpha is the smallest village in America with a brewery. I was hoping to complete my Alpha experience on the Friday night I visited by sampling the beer and food at the brewery - but this part of my plan was foiled because there was some kind of members-only mug club event going on. I should have researched my brews as well as I research my disc golf courses! But let me tell you, based on my 30 minutes or so in town it appears that the Alpha Michigan Brewing Co is THE place to be on a Friday night in Alpha, MI. The entire population of the village was enrolled in that mug club and enjoying the event, as far as I could tell. The brewery doesn't really have a parking lot, but people were parked along the streets for several blocks around (this is also where you park for the course).

This course is just a very basic pitch and putt for beginners. It doesn't have any major issues, but also isn't going to hold the interest of experienced disc golfers. For baggers travelling through the area, it's a quick stop. I wouldn't play here again unless I was with a group that also wanted to check out the brewery.

Merry Christmas!

Alpha DGC plays alongside the Alpha Michigan Brewing Co. and around an adjacent park across the street. The course starts southwest of the brewery in an open lawn area and continues in a generally clockwise direction, ending southeast of the brewery.

The baskets here are beautiful, brand new MVP Black Hole Gravity's. Really enjoyed these baskets. The bright red really pops out, even though all the holes are around 200' or under. All were mounted nice and level and catch great. One pin and pin position per hole.

The flow of the course is pretty straightforward and easy to follow. A bit of a walk from hole 3 to hole 4. You cross the road going north and hole 4's tee will be over there. The rest is pretty seamless. The course starts and ends near the brewery parking area.

They had temporary laminated tee signs on every hole. Apparently they're intending to get permanent ones at some point, but these were serviceable. Basic hole diagram, par and distance. There was also a course map on hole 1's sign which would be very helpful if you don't have Udisc.

The course has natural tees. Since the course is so new and most likely gets very little traffic, these were all in good condition and are really all that's needed here.

The course is permanent and free to play. Probably never busy and honestly a decent little place to work on your short game if nothing else. All you really need here is a putter. Maybe a mid too if you're anoodle arm like me.

Pretty bland course to be honest. They used the few trees they had available pretty well, but it's just a short little pitch and putt with not much in the way. Hole 4 would be the standout hole, since it's the only one that really has trees in play.

Hole 3 was just kind of a weird filler hole at under 100 ft. Hole 9 has you throwing over or around a basketball court. I doubt it's ever really used but still.

Hole 7 has the road behind the basket come into play if you overshoot the pin by 25 ft or so. Not a busy road but I'd imagine many people will be ace running pretty much everything here, so the risk factor is there.

There's nothing real special about this course, but it is a quick little spin. Won't take more than 30 minutes to play max. A solo round probably half that almost. If you're nearby I'd say give it a shot. But clearly this is nothing to go out of your way for. Great course for kids or newer players but will be pretty bland for most. Better than nothing in an area with not too many courses.