Now 18 holes with two sets of color coded tees and targets. Beer and food on site (part time) Wide variety of shots and distances. Please support this wonderful new course by sponsoring a tee sign!
3.5 rating from me. May go to 4.0 or 4.5 once the tee pads and signs are installed properly.

Some tough walks/climbs. The temporary nature of some holes (due to being a ski area) forced some design decisions that, otherwise, may not have come into play. Short (pink) targets are far more visible than the distant blues. (Bright flags are being considered)
The course is new and has a long list of projects before it can be considered complete, but the amount of work that has gone into the course in the short time since its commission is not to be ignored.

Carly's Playground disc golf course

Early review

The Mount Holiday dgc was redesigned in July of 2011 from a 9-hole course to an 18-holer with two sets of tees and two sets of pins and renamed "Carly's Playground at Mount Holiday". The course was produced primarily by local Traverse City player, Todd Lewis, as a memorial to his daughter Carly Jean Lewis, who was taken too soon, only weeks earlier. Sponsorships are being sought for all 36 tees.

Carly's favorite phrase was "Love Wins", which became her trade mark. Lewis was a very popular young lady and a disc golfer.

As with any new 'epic' course, it takes time to get everything in place. This review is intended to assist with helping disc golfers get around the course 'as-is' and also to shed light on future plans.

Pros: Two sets of tees (Pink & Blue) and two sets of Mach 5 targets (also Pink and Blue)
The brand new HOT Pink M5s are the first of their kind (Carly's favorite color). They were installed in late September of 2011 and are incredibly visible from quite a distance. Some alternate pin positions will also come into play using older sleeves.

Each fairway can be played 4 different ways at any given time. Pink tee to pink pin is the shortest configuration and is intended to play fairly easily for recreational players. Blue to Pink and Pink to Blue are a bigger challenge. In many cases, the blue pins are intended to be par 4s. Blue to Blue was designed to allow a high-level player to push his/her game.

The lodge is open, but only part time. Restrooms and a tavern (beer & food) are available during operational hours. Feel free to mention (nicely) how cool it would be if they were open on a more regular basis. Please stop in and support the bar. It can only help our cause.

Both the front (shady) and back (sunny) start on either side of the lodge and end at the base of the hill behind the lodge. A practice basket has been placed in the grass by the parking lot.

The front 9 is mostly shady for afternoon rounds. Back 9 is mostly sunny for evening rounds.
For morning rounds, it is suggested to play the shorter, back 9 first, so you can finish in the shade in the hotter part of the day.

The possibilities for "gorilla" or "safari" holes on this course is simply mind-boggling. WCDGD is currently working on a "sick" 9-hole Championship 'skins' layout for tournament play.

Cons:
The tees are a work in progress. Many are still 'natural' and not yet leveled. Carpet is being collected for the tee areas. Some tees will be affected by winter skiing activities and will have to be removed during those months.

The tee sign backings are currently recycled from the older layout. Temp signs have been printed, laminated and placed while waiting for the new signs, which are in the works. Until then, some distances are merely guidelines. Apologies.

Big climbs. Yes, it's true. But...it IS a ski slope. If you want long, downhill throws, you'll have to hike up the hills to do so. The course was designed under the impression that the ski lifts would be running for another amenity, so we did not use the biggest, most inviting fairway on the property, which would have been dangerous to those on the lift. A CTP hole is being considered here.

There are a couple of (hopefully) minor proximity issues with a couple of fairways, specifically 9 & 18. 12 & 13 are also a bit close. A highly errant shot from the blue tee of #7 could encroach on the #5 pink tee. And an over zealous approach on #4 blue pin could encroach on #5's blue tee. A netting barrier is being considered for the 2012 playing season.

The course might have stayed away from all ski areas, but that would have required cutting a LOT more trees, which we thought best to avoid.
Course Overview:
(Some positions have been modified since taking measurements)

Front 9: The Shady side

#1-PP230'/PB305'/BP320'/BB390' Welcome to Carly's Playground. The Pink tee goes off directly west of the lodge's back patio. The Blue tee goes off from the parking area, through a wide opening of a new fence. Both pins are fairly open, forgiving, down hill shots. A gold pin will likely rest on the far side of the trail & up the hill. Pink tee may move a bit starting in 2012.


#2 (formerly #3)- PP255'/PB450'/BP300'/BB480' The Pink pin position remains the same (straight & open), while the pink tee has been backed up a bit. The Blue tee remains the same, but the Blue pin becomes a tough par 4 located 200' right of the pink pin, down the road and up to the left. Watch for blackberry thorns by tree at road entrance! Thorn area may become O.B. to reduce bleeding & disc loss.

#3- PP165'/PB225'/BP195'/BB255' Pink tee up a hill to the left; a straight shot to pink pin and blue pin is directly behind and down the hill. Blue tee is on the road. Primary route is a hyzer into the woods, but a tricky anhyzer/flick is also available. Expect the occasional "gray ace" when thowers crash the pink as they go for the blue. Pay up!

#4- PP125'/PB315'/BP180'/BB365' This is where the climbs start. The pink tee is on the side of a hill and requires a very short uphill shot (miss that stump!) to the pink pin with a drop off behind. The Blue pin is considered a par 4 for both tees. An aggressive shot on Blue pin from the Pink tee will have to fly over "the abyss". The blue tee demands a tough UP shot to set up a placement shot at the top of the hill. A well-executed drive will net a putt at the Pink pin and a clear upshot to the Blue. An alternate blue pin with a drop off is under consideration.

#5- PP217'/PB200'/BP235'/BB250' Blue tee is a bit close to the #4 blue pin, but you'll see why. A couple of nice downhill lobs into a fairly tight tunnel. Pink pin has a clear anhyzer. Blue pin is actually a shorter tighter hyzer. Red tee requires a walk around the back-side of the Blue tee. There is a very tight sight-line to the blue pin, but a high spiking hyzer is the preferred shot. The pink pin requires a slightly hyzered shot to level out downhill. From Blue tee, please walk back and around toward the red tee go to reduce erosion damage.

#6- PP???'/PB???'/BP370'/BB495' Blue tee is located a few feet from the previous red tee but goes off in a different direction through a newly created corridor, with a slow 90 degree left turn up hill. The red tee was shortened and, IMHO, does not take advantage of the strong personality of this fairway. (Needs new measurement) The pink pin is up the slight grade to the left. The blue pin (par 4 for both tees) requires another 150' carry up the path.

#7- PP250'/PB475'/BP310'/BB535' Blue tee is flat and requires a slow right-turning shot to the pink pin. The pink tee is located on a nice little mound in the woods to the left of the Blue. Picnic bench planned. The shot on the pink pin is straight, but must split the "goal-post" trees. The blue pin(s) are over a rise and down the hill to the same position as the earlier #7 pin. A blue alt pin is left, more in the open but closer to a hard drop-off behind. There may also be a gold tee up and behind to the right of the Blue tee.

"Stairway From Seven" The walk to # 8 is the toughest on the course. To ease the burden on your legs try a less severe walk through the woods. From Pink pin...don't go toward the blue pin, but rather, up to your right. Follow the path around and into the woods. There should be "next signs" to guide you. From the blue pin, start up the hill and veer right into the woods. There should be a nice bench soon to rest your weary legs and enjoy the scenery.

#8- PP215'/PB245?'/BP225'/BB260?' Both Pink & Blue tees are fairly open. The Pink pin sits behind the crest of the hill. About 1/3 of the pin is visible from the Pink tee and only the very top is visible from the blue. The Blue pin is farther back and to the right. Short and you're on the hill. Right and you're in the woods. Too long and you are down a 15' drop off and will have a challenging upshot. Blue pin requires new measurement.

#9- PP340'/PB495'/BP400'/BB545' Blue tee to Blue pin was left exactly as it had been... a long, open downhill shot. Pink tee and pin are both shorter and to the left of Blues.


Back 9- "The Sunny Side"

#10- PP249'/PB299'/BP340'/BB370' The Pink tee goes off directly behind the left side of back patio and the Blue from directly left of the patio, with an open downhill drive. The Blue pin is about 50' longer than the Pink. Both are about 25' from the large lone pine.

#11- PP229'/PB???'/BP315'/BB370' The only water hole on the course. The Blue tees over the pond and up the hill. The Pink tees from the right side of the pond and goes under the pines to the Pink Pin. The longer Blue pin is a tough birdie. Few will drive this uphill hole. Blue tee still requires some expansion.

#12- PP215'/PB250'/BP240'/BB280' Walk toward the maintenance shed. The Blue tee will go off near a telephone pole toward Holiday road. The Pink Pin is tucked into an alcove in the woods and can be approached from the left or right. The Blue pin is farther around the corner and a birdie can be had by approaching with an anhyzer or power flick. The Pink tee has a far shallower angle to both pins and goes off from behind the maint shed.

#13- PP220'/PB222'/BP263'/BB265' The Blue & Pink tees align on this tunnel shot out of the woods to a slight downgrade. The Pink pin sits to the right of the large tree and the Blue sits to the left and behind on a mound. WATCH YOUR STEP on the mound!

#14- PP190'/PB325'/BP217'/BB353' Both Pink & Blue tees go uphill from different angles to the Pink pin on a steep rise. The Blue pin (blind from both tees) sits in the open about 150' farther up the fairway and is considered an easy par 4.

#15- PP112'/PB142?'/BP165'/BB177?' One of the shortest holes on the course, primarily to take advantage of the limited shade on the "sunny" side. The Pink tee punches through some tight woods for an ace run on the Pink pin, but provides another 'gray-ace' opportunity when shooting for the Blue pin, which is on the same line. The Blue tee requires a finesse anhyzer to park the Pink and a straight to hyzer shot to reach the Blue pin, which is in the open on the far side of the trees.

#16- PP170'/PB256'/BP222'/BB295'/GP235/GB360' The Pink tee is in the open and the Blue is pushed close to the woods for more afternoon shade. The Pink pin is a very tricky position to the right on the down-slope of a hill. An ace run could cost you 2 strokes or more. IMHO, the Blue pin position could not be improved upon from the original layout and remains one of the most scenic pin positions on the course. The ground also fades away on this position. Not as steep, but twice as deep.

#17- PP???'/PB???'/BP???'/BB385' The Pink tee is slated for repositioning, probably a walk left under the ski lift to some pines. The Blue tee is at the top left of the ski lift. Both Pink & Blue pins are downhill, Pink being wide open and Blue requiring a bit of a right turn. Over-shooting can result in a long uphill return.

#18- PP219'/PB322'/BP390'/BB493'/GP622/GB725' Blue and Pink tees align down a steep corridor of trees. The Blue pin is a long-straight par 4. The Pink pin is currently off the path and IMHO does not offer a valid line to the pin. We hope to also have a Gold tee that will bring the hole to over 700' from Gold to Blue.

Have fun. Play safe!

Course design by World Champion Disc Golf Design & Signature Disc Golf Design.