- Well maintained course.
- Park is multi-use but the course is well placed alongside trails.
- Multiple pin positions and tee pads on most holes.
- Tee pads and baskets are in great shape.
- Great mix of open and wooded holes.
- Overall a great variety!

- Course can get very buggy during the summer.
- Some of the newer holes need to be played a few more times to get beat in.

My personal favorite course in the UP. Very challenging but can be fun for beginners from the shorter tees.

I just completed a few day run thru of western UP courses and found this to be the best of the bunch. Just my style of tight but fair lines through the woods. Next tee signage was amazing, never had to guess where to turn. Rough was manageable, I had my share of slightly off drives but even with the tree directs I was able to get back to the fairway. Tee signs were great, didn't verify distances with the rangefinder but all felt appropriate.

Might be a con to some but I felt like I threw my straight to turnover discs on a majority of the holes. Leopard, Roadrunner, Impulse, Mako3 on most of the middle section. Not a con for me as I appreciate a hole design where you have to hit a straight gap. Brought to mind Chains Edge (which is one of my favorite properties). One of the new holes (I assume, 25 maybe?) had a super tight gap, low ceiling but uphill drive which I'm sure will be worked in with more play.

Hit your lines! I was just slightly off in my round but I can see how scorable the course can be if you are hitting your gaps. I had a couple ace runs which is always fun times... Beautiful park, looks like there is great picnicking and a few spots where I wished camping was allowed... I also ran into a course worker who asked how my round was going and stated that I was "hard core" for playing in a drizzle... Which leads to mosquitos, they were nasty but that's what you get for playing in the rain in the northwoods in the summer.

Calumet Lake DGC is a wonderfully designed and maintained course that seems to constantly getting improvements/updates. I was able to play the newest incarnation of this course. They just recently finished carving out a new hole 23 and 24, along with some other slight change ups this year. You'd never know it today. All the signs were accurate and navigation was a breeze.

Speaking of signs, the tee signs here are really solid. They feature the hole #, par, distances to either pin position and a basic but effective hole map. All the info you'd need here. It appears there's signs at both tees as well which is always a bonus. I don't recall if the tee signs had a next tee arrow on them or not. Not that it was an issue. The baskets had a bottom rung of the cage taped orange pointing in the direction of the next tee as well as next tee signs after every hole. I didn't end up using the Udisc map a single time. Very impressive for a 27 hole course.

The baskets here are Chainstars. These were all in excellent condition and caught great. One basket per hole but 2 pin positions on every hole I believe. Or at least almost all of them. The baskets are all set in either one position or the other for the whole course. No mixing and matching. Signs are posted by the 1st tee noting which positions are in play, either red or blue. By far the best management of this I've ever seen.

There's a solid mix of left, right and straight shots to be had here. The course never feels repetitive. Impressive for a course with this many holes. The course starts and ends right by the parking lot which is always nice. There's also a large kiosk near the first tees with any relevant local disc golf info.

The course starts out a little bit on the open side for the first few holes before dipping into the woods across the park road, where you'll remain for the rest of the round. I believe hole 5 was the first one across the road. From there on out it's moderately wooded. Enough trees to make you shape a shot, but fair lines from every tee.

The tees a stone blocks imbedded in the ground. These were plenty serviceable. All were level and installed nicely. Two tees on all, or damn near all holes. Not sure about all of the newer/reworked holes.

The course is permanent and free to play (though there is a donation box on the kiosk, hint hint) and the park was in immaculate shape. Restrooms located near the parking lot and close to hole 3's basket. Benches behind the tee pads on almost every hole it seemed as well.

The tee pads are a bit on the shorter side it seemed. I had zero issue with them, but if you have a massive run up these probably aren't your thing.

There's not much of elevation change at all. Nothing much you can do about it but worth noting. Water can come into play on a few holes but it didn't seem to be too much of a worry in mid July.

I'd imagine the bugs are usually pretty bad in the warmer month, but that's to be expected this far up north. The mosquitoes were hardly noticeable but the flies were there.

I was extremely impressed with this course. I ended up talking to the designer working off the fairway towards the end of the round. Extremely nice guy and you can tell him and his crew love this course. From the flowers planted along hole 5's tee box to the numerous bridges over streams or perrenially wet spots. A ton of work has been put into this course and it shows.

This course is obviously off the beaten path, but I'd highly recommend this to any serious disc golfers. Just a pleasant place to play a round. I was disappointed I didn't have time to stay and play it again. A must play if you're anywhere nearby.

Calumet Lake DGC is a 27-hole gem located just off of US-41 on Michigan's scenic Keweenaw Peninsula. It's an easy 15-20 minute drive from the Houghton/Hancock area. A Disc Golf sign on the main road helps point the last 1/2 mile or so to the course.

The variety of holes on this course is quite good. The first few holes are fairly open and play near the lake. It would take an errant throw for the lake itself to come into play, but there are some nice views. Holes 3 and 4 play over a small creek that runs into the lake. After this the course moves into a mixed coniferous/deciduous forest. There are a great variety of left-turning, right-turning, and straight fairways cut through the trees. Several baskets are very close to tree trunks to create additional putting challenge. Near the end of the course, a few holes open into a meadow dotted with fruit trees. Apples were falling off of the trees when I played in mid-fall, which added to the aesthetic for me. Another creek runs through this area and is in play on a couple holes, though it was basically dried up when I played.

This course is overall more of a technical challenge than a long distance marathon, but there are several longer holes above 400'. Most of these longest holes are in the woods, making them tough par 4s. Better players will have plenty of birdie chances in the middle of the course, but it will take a well-shaped drive to reach the basket on any hole here. If and when you go off the fairway, the rough is thick enough to punish you, but thin on the ground so it is unlikely to claim your discs.

The baskets are Chainstars, all in good shape. A couple are elevated. One basket per hole, but they are moved periodically between two pin positions. The current pin position is clearly marked on the kiosk and first tee. It looked like the two pin positions are not meant to create short and long layouts, but rather provide two different challenges at similar difficulty levels for returning DG'ers.

The teepads are patio paver arrays, all flat and in good shape. New in 2022, all holes also have shorter kick plate tees. Also, holes 1 and 7 (I think) have two separate long tee locations and you are supposed to throw from one or the other depending on the current pin position. This is clearly indicated with some signage at the tees. All other holes have just the one long and one short teepad.

The tee signs are colorful and show all of the information - hole number, par, distance to each pin position, any OB or Mandos, etc. The same style signs are shown at the short tees with the distances from those. The tee sign posts also have bag hangers. Trash cans and benches are installed at regular intervals near the tees.

Navigational signage is also good. Each basket has one rung in the bottom taped to point towards the next tee, and there are Next Tee signs as well. In the couple of places where there is a moderately long walk between holes, these signs are nice enough to alert you of that.

Other than maybe a few non-DGers checking out the lake, you aren't likely to run into any safety concerns here. The course is very well maintained, including some flower gardens and other aesthetic touches. One extra that I really enjoyed was colorful painted arrow-shaped signs nailed to trees near tees on many of the wooded holes. These signs each have text on them that names another disc golf course that is either local (e.g. Michigan Tech DGC) or famous (e.g. Flip City, Maple Hill, and even Hillcrest) and gives the distance to the course in miles (Hillcrest's is in kilometers). This is a fun touch, but it also told me that the designers/locals here are paying attention to the larger DG community...or at least are also avid DGCR users.

The front of the course has a practice basket and a kiosk. The kiosk has a large course map. This course map was not correct when I played, see Cons. There is also a permanent vault toilet near the beginning of the course, and even a water bottle filler at the first tee.

It looked like a redesign had recently taken place, and the map on the kiosk had not yet been updated. I actually recommend not looking at the kiosk map in detail for this one until it gets updated, as it's likely to add confusion. The course itself has great signage that is fully up-to-date.

The low areas near the lake can hold water. Hole 2 was a little damp when I played, and is probably quite muddy in the spring.

The elevation changes here are only gentle. The course is not perfectly flat, but I can't remember any holes where elevation change played a major role.

I love this course. The course design uses the space available very well, and the locals have done a great job adding all the extra touches that can make a course special. Before I noticed the map discrepancy I was thinking it might even be a 4.5, and it's not out of the question that I will up my rating if I return and find the map fixed. If I could give a 4.25 now, I would. The addition of a second set of baskets to have both pin positions always playable would, for me, definitely cement this one in at a 4.5. I'm not sure there is quite enough elevation here to push this course to 5.0, but all of the other ingredients are present.

As it stands today, this is easily the best course on the Keweenaw - and it is a challenger for best course on the entire Upper Peninsula. Calumet Lake has great amenities and offers a challenging but approachable round from beginning to end. Out of 21 courses that I played on a 10-day trek through eastern/northern Wisconsin and the UP, this course was the one that most exceeded my expectations. If you are anywhere near the area, Calumet Lake DGC is a must-play!

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2022: Tweaked some verbage above. I'm not sure if more holes have been redesigned in the past year, or if I just was paying more attention this time - but the kiosk map is definitely way off (previously I was thinking that only a couple holes were incorrect). Short tees (kick plates only, but with tee signs) have been added to all holes since my last visit a year ago. The layout currently loops back to the parking lot after hole 9, so if you're short on time you could play #1-9 for a 9-hole round or #10-27 for an 18-hole round. No change to 4.0 rating. This is a strong 4.0 and as I said above, I would give a 4.25 today if I could. And if the kiosk map were updated and a second set of permanent baskets were installed, this could definitely be a 4.5 caliber course in my book.

- Nice Discraft Chainstar baskets all in great shape
- Alternate pin positions on all but a few holes. Today the pins were in the blue position and I would love to play this at some point when they are in the red position. Seems like each of the holes would be completely different.
- Navigation is easy peasy. I don't think I have ever seen so many "Next Tee" signs on a course as I have here. These were clearly installed by a disc golfer who hates getting lost in the woods like myself. Get lost here and that means you've had a severe head injury or are completely blind.
- The first 5 or 6 holes are along a small lake and are very scenic. The rest play through a wonderful U.P. forest. Then, once you get to 19 it opens up a little to a meadow type area and the course winds through that until hole 26. Its really neat to see the change in ecosystem like that and still feel like its all the same course.
- Tee signs are very informative and distances seem to be accurate.
- Loads of variety here. Every shot will be needed and then some.
- Really nice use of elevation changes throughout the course. While the land doesn't offer steep changes the course designer made the most of rolling terrain quite well.

- While constructed nice and flat the tees are made from patio pavers and are just way too small IMHO.
- Once you go back in the woods it's nice, but the holes seem to be a tad repetitious.
- If I am being REALLY picky I'd have to say that the #22 and #23 fairways are a little too close to each other.

I am seriously having a hard time coming up with legit cons for this course...lol

This is certainly in my personal top ten of courses I've played. It's just so much fun to take advantage of the work and passion someone else has clearly put into it and is still putting into it to this day. Calumet looks like a place that is constantly being worked on and improved. I can't wait to see what improvements are in store the next time I play here.
This was just sheer joy to play from start to finish and can't wait for the next time I get to play it. If you're ever in the Houghton/Hancock area this place is a short drive away up US 41 and is well worth you're time.

Ideal setting for summer disc golf. The great summers of the peninsula make for very pleasant summer playing conditions.

The course sits just outside of town. The feel of a rural area but with the necessary necessities from nearby Calumet.

-A good mix of northern tree species make for aesthetically pleasing tree lined fairways.

-Open front half allows you to loosen up a bit before the course becomes tighter.

-Utilizes the lay of the land and baskets are positioned
well for challenging woods golf.

-Solid course layout/design in a remote area of the U.S.





My rating is actually, a high 3, closer to 3.9. But the rating is in .5 increments.

Some holes could be designed to force a player to throw drive, approach, approach, put type golf.

Most of the holes are pitch and putt style, though challenging because the fairways are snug.

Course designer was unable to utilize the lake, which would have put this in the 4 plus rating category.

What a sigh of relief to play a solid course in an area that is relatively new to the dg scene.

Course designer, who also acts as a guide for the course has put a lot of work and passion into this land.

I could easliy see the Keweenah peninsula having an upper tiered course(s) one day. It would compliment this one very well and make for a great dg tourney set up. Plenty of camping and sightseeing in this area really sets this course apart from others in the U.S.

Calumet Lake DGC is roughly a 20 minute drive from MTECH/Houghton. Calumet is a legit town with fast food, gas stations, and other services visitors to the UP may be happy to see. Maybe an odd thing to include in a course review, but if you're traveled through the UP at all you'll realize civilization is pretty sparse and you don't want to try running on fumes to make it "just a little further" before stopping. Towns can sometimes be a splattering of summer houses and seasonal businesses.

Anyway, the course is a pleasant surprise. It's a 27 hole course set in a large park. Everything past hole 5 or so is dedicated solely to disc golf. Parking is pretty good, though it's a bit closer to a few baskets than I'd like to see. It could also fill up quite easily on a major draw day like a tournament but I believe there was "overflow" parking a bit down the road. I never had a problem with it the 3 or 4 times I played the course.

A set of bathrooms are available near the parking lot. They are permanent vault toilets. They are in good repair and were fine when I visited.

The course looks to be designed with two setups in mind, a "Red" position and a "Blue" position. There is a large wooden announcement board next to hole one telling you what the current setup is. I played the "Blue" course.

The first 9 holes are a real treat, some of the best I've played. Hole 1 starts with a tricky set of offset brush/wood outcroppings that need either a laser-beam shot or an S-curve to navigate. . From there it plays next to a lake in open lawn (with a few trees for obstacles). One of the best features is a gully/creek you end up throwing over. Not a huge risk of losing a disc due to the shallowness and size, but enough of a nuisance that you'll feel pretty good about not having to walk down it and fish plastic out when you make the throw.

After 4 relatively open holes, you go to the woods and pretty much stay there until you reach hole 20 or so. The wood holes generally give open lines and never felt overly punishing or unreasonable. Due to the course layout, there's not too much brush to lose discs in as it's mostly just border stuff separating fairways. Some of the holes in the woods have an interesting rolling/undulating quality to the ground which makes skip shots dicey at best.

Once you get to the final 9 you begin to break out of the woods to what I would describe as a meadow. The hole distances begin to stretch out here. I'm not sure any of them are under 300 feet at this point, but I threw these for fun rather than score so I could be wrong. They're definitely not ace runs in any case.

There are several opportunities to go back to your car/parking lot as you progress through the course due to the course layout.

There is some sort of teepad for all holes - I am thinking pavers. They were flat and fine.

Some benches available here and there for sitting. Excellent signage though I personally felt a few of the basket descriptions were a bit off position-wise. One of the best treats of the course was somebody put up white arrow signs pointing to the next tee on darn near every hole. They REALLY helped with navigation. Somebody sharp put these up because there was no question on where they were directing you.

The course is "Under construction". All 27 holes are playable, but 1-16 are the ones that are fairly polished, with cleared brush, no stumps, flattened ground, etc. After that you'll start to see shrub stumps, raw dirt, and more foliage. Generally they are not bad to play on, but if you're going to lose a disc it'll be on the last 9 holes.

I did end up skipping 26 I believe. 25 and 26 more or less share two sides of a meadow. At the time I played it hadn't been mowed for quite some time and it was pretty wild. To drive a point of how wild it was, I threw a drive maybe 300 feet past a slight change in elevation that landed dead in the fairway. I trudged up through the weeds to more or less where I saw it land and began to search for it. After a minute or two I found it, along with a 2nd disc about 5 feet away somebody else had lost. In the fairway. At that point I finished 25 and walked 26 to a more playable hole. Worth noting that 27 had literally been mowed the day before by some sort of neat all-terrain mower they had (I'd skipped the final 9 the night before due to fading light and happened to come across a fella working on the course).

Once you're in the woods you're a long ways from bathrooms and whatnot. The course does bring you back to the parking lot a few times but when you're in the rest of it, there's no real shortcuts to get back. Not the end of the world, but plan accordingly.

The bugs exist. Honestly I didn't think they were very bad given the time of year, but the first 4 open holes can deceive you into not putting on bug spray. Put on bug spray. After using it they weren't an issue.

The middle 9 are kind of unremarkable. It's a lot of similar wood shots asking for a gentle left or gentle right finish. If you can get by the trees, they play pretty similarly. Would have been nice to see a more demanding dogleg here and there. Maybe the Red course incorporates this.

Fair number of blind baskets, a lot of them due to slight elevation changes or being tucked behind some trees/brush.

If I were in the Keweenaw/Copper County area and I had to pick one course to play, it would be this one without a doubt. If I were driving through the area and I was looking to make a detour to play a course, I wouldn't hesitate to put an hour drive into getting here, maybe even 90 minutes. It's a very legit course in a pretty remote area.

The course is a work in progress, and it's quite evident. I saw folks working on clearing brush and fairways twice when I went out. Piles of cleared sticks and brush were everywhere, waiting for disposal. I liked that I was able to get a "Beta" version of all 27 holes, even though the last 9 were in rough shape. I'm curious to see how it all comes together. At the pace they seem to be going at I'd say they'll have most of the rough edges smoothed over this year and it will likely be polished by the end of next.

I really dithered on what score to place down. When I'd gotten to hole 7 or so, I was willing to place this as one of the top 3 courses I'd played, it was that good. The fairly standard 2nd 9 diminished my view a little bit. It still stood in my mind as a good course, but I was surprised that they sort of lost that spark. The back 9 may make or break it. They look promising - again, they seem to want gentle left or rights, but the holes travel a little longer and there's a little bit more interesting terrain to work with.

I guess the only other notable thing was that there were a number of holes in which the basket chains were bunched up and tangled at the top instead of hanging freely. It was easy enough to fix (the chains were simply held up by the bottom ring getting draped on one of the top bolts) but it was a bit annoying to have to walk up and fix the basket, then walk back to throw my approach/putt. Only saw it during one of my visits but I hadn't seen this sort of behavior on any course before. Hopefully it's a case of transient players being young as opposed to a regular thing.

Aesthetic--Course starts in a more public portion of the park but then leaves to a walking trail type area. Likely won't see many DGers but be wary

Baskets--Chainstars-- IIRC they were orange banded which helped to be able to see. I would have liked to see the basket position marked somehow on the teesign or on the kiosk. We did end up walking a few fairways

Teepads-- Some good, some bad here. Some were really short some were really long some were concrete, some were pavers. Teepads not in use typically had a large branch over them so that was easy to distinguish how the course was playing.

Variety--I really liked the variety of this course. Really dug the opening through the rolling fields near the lake and some of the variety through the woods. More on this later.

Routing and nav-- Easy peasy. only sticky point was crossing the road to hole 5 and the distance between holes near the end where they were actively adding more holes and the long walk between 16 and 17 (i think)

Variety--Towards the end, it seemed like the holes got a bit repetitive. With each hole averaging 300-400 ft this is a very demanding course. I may be bitching because this was our fourth course of the day. There may not be a ton of validity here.

They are actively working on adding holes. I would guess 3-5 more currently to make a 24 hole course in the end (I believe).

I would almost argue, however, that these holes aren't necessary. they looked interesting through a small meadow in the woods but they also seemed like an afterthought and a space where one truly epic hole could fit, they were trying to cram 3-5 more holes. I would advise not to get hung up on numbers (24-27) and focus on great golf!!

Great variation of holes
Beautiful scenery
Multiple basket locations

Could use longer teepads

A very well designed course by people passionate about the sport of disc golf! If you make your way to the Copper Country, this course is a must see. Best in the area, and maybe the UP after the guys finish with the extra holes they are working on. Well done!

Location - Located in a pretty public park along a small lake, with a few of the first holes playing along the open areas by the lake, and the rest taking place in the surrounding woods. This is the most wooded of the three courses in the county

Very challenging - the majority of the course has very specific lines to be hit. They are fair, but demand a well placed shot. A couple of the wooded holes have some more leeway around the main line, but most have one lane to hit, bad shots will be punished accordingly

Beautiful beginning four holes - these are the only open shots you'll have, so enjoy throwing some longer ones while you can. They're very picturesque, being by the lake, and have a few tree areas sprinkled around, and a creek to throw over, so it's not just empty and mindless throwing. Two of the first four are over 400 feet, so here's where you can really use your distance drivers. You can choose straight, anny or hyzer for either. Grass is nice and short as well.

Nice distance variety - some long 400+ holes, and a good couple of ace runs, plus everything in between

Well taken care of, garbage buckets at many holes, short grass, etc.

Great Chainstar baskets with neon orange bands to help with locating them, catch great, needless to say

Great signage w distance, par and hole map, and bag hooks, as well as next tee signs, which are very necessary, as I would have had a lot of trouble finding a few holes by myself without them. The next tee signs are only laminated to the wood, so it's worth noting to the course manager/designer that they may need replacing/upgrading in the future, given the harsh winters, they are vital to navigation in my opinion.

Front 9 and back 9 both start and end right by the parking lot, so if you only want to play 9, you dont have to hike forever to get to your car. Very nice.

Tees - ****UPDATE 5/29/2016 -I have upped a half disc on this rating because brick tees have been added. Theyre not very long but prevent any of thr slips and falls that happened with the dirt/sand. Also rough has been cleared well****

they're just dirt/grass/sand (depending on which hole) with a wood plank in the ground to mark the throwing boundary. This doesn't bother me much, but on one that had a bit more loose dirt/sand I slipped and shanked my drive. The dirt and grass ones were fine though, although a couple wooded ones were a little cramped and could have used a bit more space

Not many heavily curved left or right holes - most of the holes here were incredibly straight, and while the pin placements weren't always dead center, the hole fairway was pretty much dead straight. There were a few gradually bending fairways, but for the most part it was just go straight ahead. A little more directional variety would've been nice

A lot of holes have some brutal and thick rough to search through if you miss your line

Not much elevation change at all - this didn't affect my rating, cause the whole park seems to be flat and there isn't really anything to work with. It's still worth noting though.

I was very happy to get up here and play this course. Had a blast both rounds (played one full and one 9). It's very pretty, challenging, and much different than it's sibling course (Torch Lake DGC) just down the hill. If you want a technical wooded course, this is the one to play though. This course holds up nicely among many I've played regionally, and I believe is the best in the area.

-The Calumet Lake course and general area is very scenic - the first 4 holes are open and near a small lake and the other holes run throughout mature pines.
-It is very easy to navigate, good signage throughout the course.
-Discraft Chainstar baskets.
-Clean and well maintained.
-Holes 1 and 10 start near the parking area, holes 9 and 18 end near the parking area.
-A Portapotty is located between # 1 tee and the lake.

-Natural/dirt tee pads as is typical in Upper Michigan.
-I would have been nice to have more elevation change throughout the course.

The first 9 holes opened in early June of 2015 and the back 9 opened in early August. It a very scenic and well maintained course.
-There are some holes where you can let it rip, but accuracy is far more important than distance on most of the holes.
-There are three holes over 300', seven holes between 250' and 300', and eight holes between 190' and 250'.
-The course was designed for intermediate players in mind. Beginners will probably struggle due to the tight fairways.
-We plan to add a practice basket and a main signboard at some point.

1.) Now, 18 holes!

2.) A course that poses many challenges and obstacles. Hole one makes a slight S bend through a fairway of trees. Holes 3 and 4 challenge you to throw across a stream. Holes 5-18 are in the woods across the road from the first 4 holes. These particular holes are in an area that is all wooded with tight fairways. Just the right kind of challenge. Challenging where you must have accuracy and correct form, but not too hard where you want to chuck all your discs into the garbage after your round.

2.) Course is extremely well-maintained. I think it helps that the course runs through an actual park.

3.) Signage and navigation is easy to follow. "Next Tee" signs are at every hole.

4.) Baskets are in excellent shape.

5.) One has the option of doing either the front 9 or back 9, if you can't do the full 18. Holes 1 and 10 start near the parking lot, and holes 9 and 18 end in the parking lot.

6.) Buckets at every hole for trash.

1.) Tee pads are simply dirt; however, they were leveled out nicely whenever I have played.

2.) The wooded holes have tree stumps still in the fairway. I don't think this is a con per say; however, some people might. I think it gives the course some character.

3.) Although baskets are in excellent condition, they can be difficult to find. They don't stick out.

4.) I tend to like courses where I can really crank out a good drive off the tee. Some of the holes on this course allow you to do this; however, most of the holes are a little over 200-250 feet. Not enough room to really let one fly, in my opinion.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed playing this course. One of the better ones in the Copper Country region. I'm happy to see that the course is now the full 18, and I will be spending more time playing here. Be prepared to have to spend some time finding some of your discs! Make sure to write your name and number on them beforehand.