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!