Bertha Brock County Park reviews
12
0
Extremely hilly woods course in dire need of maintenance 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Aug 13, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
Bertha Brock County Park is located just west of Ionia, MI (about halfway between Lansing and Grand Rapids). The park offers several of the usual amenities and also boasts a popular campground. There is a large, thickly wooded, and very hilly area in the back of the park that is dedicated to a couple of hiking trails and an 18 hole disc golf course. Once in the park, large "DISC GOLF" signs direct you to the course parking area (a large dirt field between two one-way roads).
The elevation changes here are constant, sometimes extreme, and always interesting. Almost every hole has some degree of elevation change, and the hole design uses it well. If you like "valley" holes, this course has no fewer than 5-6 of them. A few holes have extremely risky greens, with steep treacherous downhills lurking just 10-15 feet behind the baskets. I just added the elevation designations to the hole info, and there are several holes where the terrain is so variable that I had to really think about what designation to give. For instance, hole 17 plays down a steep valley then back up, but then down another hill to the basket. Hole 18 is another memorable one that starts on a steep uphill for about 150', then plays basically flat and straight ahead for 150', then turns sharply right 90 degrees and continues another 120' to the basket.
The variety is also pretty good here. The hole lengths range from about 200' to about 450'. There are a good mix of left turns, right turns, and straight shots. All of the holes are in thick old growth forest, with the trees requiring considerable shot shaping to get around.
The tee signs here are nice. They include the hole number, distance, par, and a map of the hole. An additional feature these had that I really liked was the elevation profile of the hole, showing the degree of uphill/downhill from the tee to just past the basket. This feature allowed me to play it safe on the risky greens mentioned earlier, many of which are not apparent even on 100'-150' approach shots.
The baskets are Chainstars. They don't stick out very well in the woods, but they are in good shape. There is also a practice basket at the front of the course. Each basket has a small purple rubber sleeve wrapped around one of the metal supports that points towards the next tee. I think a couple of these were pointing the wrong way, but overall they did a good job directing from hole to hole.
The front of the course also has a kiosk that contains a small map of the course. The tee areas have the little trash cans that hang on the tee sign poles.
The elevation changes here are constant, sometimes extreme, and always interesting. Almost every hole has some degree of elevation change, and the hole design uses it well. If you like "valley" holes, this course has no fewer than 5-6 of them. A few holes have extremely risky greens, with steep treacherous downhills lurking just 10-15 feet behind the baskets. I just added the elevation designations to the hole info, and there are several holes where the terrain is so variable that I had to really think about what designation to give. For instance, hole 17 plays down a steep valley then back up, but then down another hill to the basket. Hole 18 is another memorable one that starts on a steep uphill for about 150', then plays basically flat and straight ahead for 150', then turns sharply right 90 degrees and continues another 120' to the basket.
The variety is also pretty good here. The hole lengths range from about 200' to about 450'. There are a good mix of left turns, right turns, and straight shots. All of the holes are in thick old growth forest, with the trees requiring considerable shot shaping to get around.
The tee signs here are nice. They include the hole number, distance, par, and a map of the hole. An additional feature these had that I really liked was the elevation profile of the hole, showing the degree of uphill/downhill from the tee to just past the basket. This feature allowed me to play it safe on the risky greens mentioned earlier, many of which are not apparent even on 100'-150' approach shots.
The baskets are Chainstars. They don't stick out very well in the woods, but they are in good shape. There is also a practice basket at the front of the course. Each basket has a small purple rubber sleeve wrapped around one of the metal supports that points towards the next tee. I think a couple of these were pointing the wrong way, but overall they did a good job directing from hole to hole.
The front of the course also has a kiosk that contains a small map of the course. The tee areas have the little trash cans that hang on the tee sign poles.
Cons:
The biggest issue with this course is lack of maintenance. When I played, the course was extremely overgrown. I walked up to the first tee to find myself at the bottom of a 216' slope covered in shin-high weeds. The "fairway" was a path about 1' wide winding through the weeds. If the entire course was just covered in these weeds, that would have been bad enough. Unfortunately, some of the holes were even worse. I think the low point came at hole 7, where the "fairway" off the tee consisted of that same 1' wide path, but this time it was completely overgrown with prickly bushes up to waist height. I felt like I was on some kind of jungle safari, trying to push my way through these bushes. The rough was also thick in many places, sometimes with these same bushes. I did not throw any terrible shots, but my tee shot on hole 6 redirected the wrong way off a tree right next to the fairway and fell deep into a thicket of these bushes maybe 20-30' off the fairway. It took me about 20 minutes to find the disc, at the cost of huge scratches up and down my legs.
There were other signs of neglect as well. The trash cans were overflowing. Several trees were down across fairways, or paths between holes. Some of the trees looked like they had been there a while. Some of the tee pads were also covered in branches. There were some rocks partially buried on many fairways. If visible these could add to the aesthetic of the course, but under the brush on a steep slope they present a trip hazard. Another reviewer mentioned the possibility of playing only the front nine or back nine, and indeed I could see the parking area from hole 9's basket...but it was through probably 750' of hilly forest with brush covering the ground in between and no clear path through.
In summary, I don't think this course has seen a mower, or any other kind of care in 2021 (it is mid August as I write this). I don't think it sees many disc golfers either. Mine was the only car in the parking area when I pulled up, and it was still the only one when I left 2 hours later on a Friday evening.
A couple of the holes felt a little too tight for me, but that could be re-evaluated with the brush cleared.
The tee pads are just carpet. I didn't have any trouble with traction on them, but the course was dry when I played. Several of the pads were also not flat.
If you like open holes and chances to air it out...this course has neither.
I'm pretty sure there were only a couple of picnic tables near tee areas to stop and take a break. This course is a major workout, so more seating would be a nice perk. I would not have used it during my visit however, as I was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.
There were other signs of neglect as well. The trash cans were overflowing. Several trees were down across fairways, or paths between holes. Some of the trees looked like they had been there a while. Some of the tee pads were also covered in branches. There were some rocks partially buried on many fairways. If visible these could add to the aesthetic of the course, but under the brush on a steep slope they present a trip hazard. Another reviewer mentioned the possibility of playing only the front nine or back nine, and indeed I could see the parking area from hole 9's basket...but it was through probably 750' of hilly forest with brush covering the ground in between and no clear path through.
In summary, I don't think this course has seen a mower, or any other kind of care in 2021 (it is mid August as I write this). I don't think it sees many disc golfers either. Mine was the only car in the parking area when I pulled up, and it was still the only one when I left 2 hours later on a Friday evening.
A couple of the holes felt a little too tight for me, but that could be re-evaluated with the brush cleared.
The tee pads are just carpet. I didn't have any trouble with traction on them, but the course was dry when I played. Several of the pads were also not flat.
If you like open holes and chances to air it out...this course has neither.
I'm pretty sure there were only a couple of picnic tables near tee areas to stop and take a break. This course is a major workout, so more seating would be a nice perk. I would not have used it during my visit however, as I was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.
Other Thoughts:
The course is closed on Wednesdays after 4 PM, due to proximity to a gun range. Technically only the front nine is closed, but I would recommend avoiding the entire course.
There is a $2 fee to enter the park as a whole. It's payable at an unmanned station between the park entrance and the course parking area. If you need to go to the bathroom, stop at the porta potty behind the pay station because there is not another one at the course.
In playing this course, I could see why it has a strong rating on here. The combination of elevation and good technical course design would make for a very appealing round. However, given the current state of the course I cannot recommend it to anyone except for serious disc golfers who are ready for the physical, technical, and natural challenges that it throws at you. Wear long pants!
Even if the brush were cleared and the course was in perfect condition, I think my rating here would max out at about a 3.5. The holes here reminded me of Tower Park in Greenville, about a half hour's drive northwest...but besides being well-maintained, the latter option also has two open holes and concrete tee pads. Or even closer, Ionia State Recreation Area still provides solid elevation change and technical challenge while also adding many water hazards.
There is a $2 fee to enter the park as a whole. It's payable at an unmanned station between the park entrance and the course parking area. If you need to go to the bathroom, stop at the porta potty behind the pay station because there is not another one at the course.
In playing this course, I could see why it has a strong rating on here. The combination of elevation and good technical course design would make for a very appealing round. However, given the current state of the course I cannot recommend it to anyone except for serious disc golfers who are ready for the physical, technical, and natural challenges that it throws at you. Wear long pants!
Even if the brush were cleared and the course was in perfect condition, I think my rating here would max out at about a 3.5. The holes here reminded me of Tower Park in Greenville, about a half hour's drive northwest...but besides being well-maintained, the latter option also has two open holes and concrete tee pads. Or even closer, Ionia State Recreation Area still provides solid elevation change and technical challenge while also adding many water hazards.
5
5
McGuire419
Experience:
2 played
2 reviews
Sadly disappointed 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Oct 30, 2012
Played the course:once
Pros:
Signage. The signage here is great. Really nice job on it.
Decent variety of shots
Location is nice
Decent variety of shots
Location is nice
Cons:
I disliked the feel of going up one hill just to go back down.. it felt very repetitive to me. Way too many trees still (I know the course is in its infancy). Some of the holes felt forced. Also there were all kinds of rocks randomly scattered everywhere. I know a few people that day rolled their ankles.
Other Thoughts:
Went super excited and left rather let down. Fallasburg is just so much better in my eyes (even in its infancy). The elevation changes that seem great at first quickly become repetitive and just boring. Id say a good course to play if you come for fallasburg with it. I wouldn't make a trip just to play this course.
