Intro:
I almost didn't get to play this course. I was in nearby East Lansing, visiting the prestigious Michigan State University campus (GO GREEN!) on a trip visiting Indiana. However, I sold my soul to the devil, AKA my mom, who is actually a sweet lady, but I needed to make a metaphor, and got to play this course. And boy was I glad I did.

Pros:
The first pro was present on all holes. Two nice concrete tee pads, two Discraft Chainstar baskets, and two super detailed tee signs. These are some of the most professional things a course can do. It provides the player a complete mix of challenges, with four different layouts on each hole, none less appreciated than the other. Some people don't like two baskets on every hole, but this was executed very nicely. None of the baskets were in the way of each other, and the gold baskets were not just longer versions of the blues, but a different layout altogether.

This park was in immaculate condition. The fairways were mowed to almost ball golf fairway length (Ok not quite that short), the trails were mulched, and the shrubs and undergrowth were well groomed. This is always a plus, no doubt. This was one of the best maintained courses I played.

Most all the baskets had large ball golf-like flags with color of layout and hole number. This was a very nice touch, adding to the well groomed and manicured aspect of this course.

The course design was of course well done too, or else this would not be a 4. I honestly threw almost every disc in my bag off the tee alone. There was a good mix of short and long holes , especially with the multiple tees. There were the wooded holes, and the open bomber holes. They had lefty friendly holes and righty friendly holes. It was very nice.

Navigation was fairly easy. There were a lot of directional signs, and most of the baskets were numbered, along with all of the tee signs. There were gold tee signs and blue tee signs as well as flags, so you would always know if you were throwing to the right spot.

There were some nice man made added obstacles. This was my first experience with bunkers on a disc golf only course. They were not deep, just OB sand circles somewhere around the basket. Some people might find this gimmicky, but I liked it. I think it was a nice way to add a death putt of sorts without the use of the non-abundant elevation in eastern Michigan. I liked the little rock greens that were made, and especially the beautiful fountain around 18's gold basket, seen in the picture of the course.

There are not that many things wrong with this course. Honestly. I really loved the course and how it was designed and maintained. There are a few things I can nitpick, but I will emphasize the fact that this course is a must play.

There was not a lot of elevation on the course. Where there was elevation, they used it well, but you never had a downhill bomb, or an uphill skill shot, which sucks, because that's one of my favorite shots to throw.

Some of the back nine holes were close together, most specifically 11 and 15. They ran parallel to each other, and as of the writing of this review, one of the baskets on 15 was without the blue flag, so you could possibly run into a nice throw to the wrong basket. (If the flag gets fixed, please let me know so I can remove that part of the review)

Navigation was tough on maybe one or two holes, mainly because it was behind the gold basket, which was way behind the blue basket a couple times, so that could be a little bit of a problem.

Cost to enter the park and disc golf fee. I didn't have to pay to enter the park, there was nobody at the booth. There was not a real place to pay for disc golf either, you have to go inside the building and near the office, if there is anybody there. I ended up paying there, but it was kinda weird.

There are two pro level courses onsite, within a great park. I could honestly see this being a great tournament venue, as it has two fantastic courses. It is a great addition to the amazing disc golf scene that Michigan has to offer, and I would highly encourage you to visit Michigan!

A superb course that rivals Flip city in it's fun factor: Levithan in distance and is in a class of its own in variety. 4 different courses long to long, long to short, short to long, and what seems the most popular amongst locals was the shorts to shorts. I saw no one playing long tees which seemed like a pro level course to say the least. I played the short tees to the long baskets and that is what I'm basing my review on.

I thought the course was very challenging with distance shots, it was long, and had manicured fairways. Well defined and had varied routes to choose from.

Excellent set of tee pads that were concrete. Clean course no trash lying around.

High fun factor 5 out of 5
Beginner to pro level
4 different layouts
Epic holes
Dog friendly
Clean
Elevation
Water holes
Another different 18 hole course next to it
Well maintained
Good signage shouldn't get lost
Friendly helpful locals

The course shared a lot of characteristics with some of the higher rated courses in Kentucky that I've played.

It might be to rough in the summer? I can see an issue with thick growth, I played on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. No winds sunny. No plant growth. Primo conditions. Terra firm and I witnessed no snakes.
Bugs as early as March. But not unbearable.

A few holes were average and forgettable. Gimmick on 2 and 17 but unique. Tee signs could be more detailed but trust me I'm nitpicking.

Well worth the 4 dollars each person to play.
In my top ten courses I've ever played!!
Worth traveling to.
A destination course.

- short and long tees
-variety of holes
-very clean with garbage cans everywhere
-easy to find your way for first timers
-water coolers at a lot of the holes for hot days
-very scenic

-alot of mosquitoes when muggy out
-if you are a non resident it is a little pricey

We played when it was on an off rain but not to bad so I believe there were more mosquitoes out then normally but I would advice to bring bug spray otherwise you will get eaten alive. (I don't know about this for dry days however) I found it strange that they would build very nice brick wall just to be used as obstacles around the park but it was a nice addition I have never seen at a DG park. The 18th hole is very unique and I loved the idea of the fountain. I am not from the area so when my friend and I came to pay we were surprised we had to pay 9 dollars for one round but If I was in the area again most likely I would come back.

+ Multiple tees and pins maximize playability
+ Looooong teepads
+ Necessary tee signs helped navigate and explain the layouts on some holes
+ Carved/mowed fairways were in great shape
+ A big disc golf equivalent of a regular golf course in terms of layout and features
+ FLAGS - I loved the blue and gold flags that improved visibility of baskets
+ Stones marking distance to long pins (300 feet)
+ Memorable holes/amenities (18's basket placement, 2's obstacle, sandtraps)
+ Low repetition on hole layouts, but distance was often rewarded more than accuracy
+ Benches/trash cans
+ Great facilities
+ Great parking
+ Right next to River's Edge

- Rough brush off the fairways is gonna suck when it thickens (but will up the difficulty for a +)
- Although I really learned to like the options at each hole, without a guide the first round played here is probably going to be stressful for anyone
- Layout options also made it difficult for people searching for bad throws that landed on fairways that bordered shared rough between holes
- Flimsy, temporary tee signs were absent from many tees
- Hole 17's OB was a bit odd
- Hole 2's wall is silly
- Course map isn't very easy to follow

OVERALL: I really liked Burchfield's original course. Accurate upshots was not the challenge here, shaping long drives was, so I could see it being a very fun place to develop distance and good form (although you'd be spoiled with the large tee pads). Fortunately, the grand scale of the course made grabbing different drivers based on wind direction and the various obstacles really, really fun. The varying levels of difficulty kept the layout interesting as well, especially as I struggled to stay near par up to hole 18.

DESTINATION COURSE: This course could provide an excellent reason to visit the park, which has a lot more to offer than just disc golf. Also, the park is very family and dog-friendly. Lots of activities for everyone. I really appreciated how nice it was. We visited on a disc golf road trip to Grand Rapids from up north and were very happy we chose to go out of our way to play here. I have to admit, however, that I had way more fun on the 11 holes of the "River's Edge" course (hopefully won't be flooded soon) than the original for sure (despite mixed tee pads). So, put the two big, nicely maintained courses together and you have an amazing opportunity to fill a whole day with 3-4 different rounds. Your arm might be jelly by the end, but it'd be worth it.

COMPARISON TO HUDSON MILLS: Please excuse me for using Hudson Mills as my main comparison for this course, but it truly embodies a similar feel. It's a very large and well-maintained piece of land requiring a bunch of drivers, throwing grass in the air to get wind direction, and well-placed, long and accurate throws. Burchfield Park's Original layout is like an expanded and better maintained Hudson's Original course holes A-F. Similar to those holes, the majority of Burchfield's original course plays through fields with the rough being unmowed growth and several sparsely located large trees providing the majority of obstacles. Pin placement is also very similar, except Burchfield has more trees, which makes it more fun!

LAYOUT CONFUSION: The layout problems really were a bummer and I weigh them significantly in my rating.

Like I said before, I really liked the course a lot, especially after getting into the layout's quirky and sometimes confusing rhythm. We gained some momentum on our first round here around hole 8. My biggest gripe with this course isn't the layout, however, it's that quite a few of the tee signs were missing. The signs are just flimsy laminated pieces of paper stapled to wood blocks about a foot off the ground and therefore were blown away from many tees. If there were more directional markers and if every tee had a sign, the course would be "Phenomenal". However, I think these small details have been taken for granted. In my opinion, they're essential to give first timers a smooth round since the provided course map just isn't enough. The random absence of each one provided us with just enough doubt to make the layout confusing. [What tee is this? I don't know, check the map. Well it could be this one or this one. Hmm, it must be this one! Oops, it was that one... Sound familiar?] My advice is to print the map from here on DGCR. It helped to bring it up on the smartphone at times.

By the way, other people on the course definitely had the same confusing experience as we did. We asked a few groups some simple layout questions and anyone who was playing it for the first time had the same confused look we did.

Once we come back and play all the layouts and if the tee signs are all in place, I'm sure this review will go from 4.0 to 4.5 discs. Not perfect, but it has the potential to be amazing.

Thanks for reading!

One of the most attractive courses I have ever played. Great visuals on some holes, as lone photo shows the yellow basket on 18 is something to be seen.

The actual course is rated above average, minimal elevation changes and some wide open prairie holes. It is well kept, mowed and a healthy green color which is always welcomed.

The cool features about this course are the extras... Mandatory wall on #2, various Sand Traps marked OB, the new island hole on #17, the closing work of art basket on #18. Baskets tucked behind trees, placed in ground bowls, all kinds of fun holes.

With 2 tee pads (long & short) as well as 2 sets of baskets (blue-short, yellow-long), this course offers any length you want to play. Very cool way to make the most of 18 holes.

This course is some what set-up to let you drive wide open, and then it narrows considerably at the hole, making for tough approach shots on some holes. Nice concept.

Most of these are minor, but cons none the less...

Lack of signage at hole #1 left some doubt on where to go. Hidden behind trees, was unsure at first but once I found no more problem.

The cost, just not a fan of getting hit double to play. First you need to drop $5 per car to get in park, then another $4 per golfer to play. For just 18 holes it might be a negative, played 36 since I already paid. Not a fan of getting double hit to play, either I pay to get in park or pay to play, but both can be a negative.

Little confusing to a new player or new to course, trying to find where to go to next tee. They have some nice signs to get you from one tee to the next. First time thru a little overwhelmed, second time it was much easier and no problem at all.

From the signs, it appears this course is now called "The Devil's Den". Maybe opted to name it after putting in River's Edge 18 hole course.

Heard a lot of people on course, saw people on course, but didnt run into many groups while playing. Seemed to space everyone out nicely and flowed great!

Aprox 30 minutes from my house and I plan to play this course a lot more. Very fun course, variety for all skill levels. Very creative use of land and of OB's to make round more challenging. Hats off Burchfield, job well done!

Aesthetic- plays through a multi use park but the disc golf seems secluded from the rest of the world. which is great

Navigation-Very easy!! tons of next tee signs paths are very well worn/cut grass to lead the way.

Signage- Big bright and easy to follow. lists all four distances between the two tees. some are in poor repair though.

teepads- long and concrete, maybe about 1/3 bigger than they need to be.

baskets-grippy discatchers with powdercoat. how could it get better?

Originality- #17 is an island where you have to land in the "sand trap" or be OB (not the original layout) but very short.
#18 has one of the more beautiful "greens" in DG. #2 has a 10' wall mando.

Pin placement-Impecable. protected pins abound and keep the game seriously ineresting...

Repetition- this is hard. the course is great, but there isn't much challenge without much elevation change or trees. the challenge in this course is the course itself and the length it's capable of.

Risk v Reward- As said above, there isn't much

the original course is better than the newest course but when it's completed, Rivers Edge will give the original a run for it's money!

-2 pads and 2 baskets on every hole makes for multiple ways to play the course
-long tee pads
-scorecards
-nice baskets
-sand traps
-massive course

-no tee signs
-the rough is ruff, legs get torn up quick (one of the worst roughs I've seen
-its pretty much a wide open course, big gaps for lines
-lots of pricker bushes and usually the basket isn't far from them
-also poison ivy flourishes in the shady areas if allergic
-hole one can be confusing if you haven't played before..goes up the hill not down

I think this course charges too much. Like flip City is one dollar and so is Mason , also some courses like Coldbrook are $5 per car both are fine. I don't mind paying but this course is both and 4 times the charge of Flip City. They don't have a course that warrants this yet. Like charge by car or make it pay to play. This course isn't top of the line and they charge like they are the best. I liked the course but it needs a few more things and some years to get worked in before its top notch. We played Grand Woods and here today and everyone agreed Grand Woods is a better course.

- 2 sets of tees/pins per hole, meaning you can play 4 rounds on the same course and play differently each time. Which also means the course can cater to people of various skill levels.
- Course design allows for many elevation changes to come into play.
- A park employee was making rounds selling assorted snacks and drinks, very nice on a hot day.
- The great landscaping and layout gave it a very traditional and authentic golf course feel.
- Pay to play keeps course traffic down to much more manageable levels

- The scrub brush surrounding some of the fairways is very easy to lose a wayward shot in.
- We had difficulty finding the first tee, and most of the maps on the holes were not installed when we went through.
- The layout can be confusing at times and the map on the scorecard doesn't offer many landmarks to be a reliable positioning reference.
- The bathroom by the first hole is air-conditioned, but there seems to be no public drinking water available on the course, save for by the parking lot and said air-conditioned restroom.

I went out to this course on a very hot ( mid to upper 90s) and sunny day to see how it was. The scorching heat really got to us on the back 9, as we drank most of our fluids well before that point. The course doesn't really offer much shade or protection from the sun, so better hope a nice breeze is blowing through on those hot days. We went about 2 weeks after they finally started letting golfers play, and realize that a lot of the kinks are still being worked out. Even after managing to lose a disc in the brush, I still had a great time. That being said I think that this is a really nice course. If you can spend a day out here its well worth it. 4 dollars to play means 1 dollar per round with 4 different ways to play each hole if you can fit it all in. Fantastic value, great setup, will definitely be coming back again soon.