So many public courses in public parks are 18 links between 200-250 feet with AN tree as an "obstacle". This is a real golf course. I mean, if you're a casual player, you should not be expecting to throw par at every course you go to. In fact, you probably shouldn't expect to come close to par if the course is worth the drive. One the truly monstrous holes there are two tee boxes & if you play all shorts, the course is perfectly reasonable, but still challenging.

Because it is popular, the undergrowth is largely worn away (no poison ivy every time you throw into the rough like some places).

There are bridges over the creek, I didn't see any other standing mud. I mean, #12 is called Swamp Monster, what do you expect if you don't clear the creek? I could see the course being muddy from March until June or so, but what course which isn't in Phoenix isn't muddy in the spring? No amount of directed drainage will fix spring thaw & spring rains. Buy boots or go play in the desert in the spring.

This course (like so many around the USA in public parks) is recentlessly right handed player biased. All the hard dog legs go to the left. The fourth link is unplayable as a leftie (if someone came in and maintained the tree limbs it might be). If you honor the bizarre double mando practically inside the putting circle of the sixth link, it is also unplayable as a leftie (but then, a double mando at circle's edge isn't exactly reasonable, regardless). I'm pretty balanced backhand & forehand and these are still unplayable because the flight patterns of a disc FH vs BH are totally different & so a LHFH does not mimic the line of a RHBH.

The once amazing signage is in bad repair. Unfortunately, the signage is needed. In several places you come across the long tee before the short & without a map (there is one on this site which is satellite based & will get it done if a bit vague) you won't know what you're doing. Many baskets are blind, so you can't judge distance or even in exactly what direction you should throw. For example, the double mando on the sixth link: if you don't know it is there, there's no sign to say so, & so you are left wondering why the tee pad doesn't point at the basket. Turns out, the reason is you're expected to be throwing a very gentle hyzering RHBH past all the trees with metal fencing around them so you'll skid up to the circle between the mangos. Which, aside from being impossible left handed, is not at all clear from the top because of the signage.

I realize most people pay for UDisc these days, but for those of us who don't get to play often enough to justify the expense, the signs need updating.

The location of the warm-up basket is odd. It is near a parking area, but it is near the parking between links twelve & thirteen. Links one & eighteen are at the other end of the road. Not a big deal, just odd.

Aesthetic - Very nice, park setting, rivers, wooded, rolling hills. Not a big fan of the vandalism on the signs, but this is an open free park.

Challenge - Yes, this definitely has challenge. I consider myself more rookie and had a pretty good first round, so maybe not too challenging, but awesome long runs, water wasn't really water hazards like a lake or pond to lose a disc in. I liked that the course was planned, and if you found your line, you can play it, unlike some courses with random trees everywhere, that is challenge.

TeePads/Baskets- Teepads concrete, 2 per most holes, baskets were great, kinda funny on the low lying areas where you can tell they probably stood taller but now the flooding of the area made them only about 6 inches off the ground, but they are fine.

Signage - Reasonable amount of signs for a complex course to navigate for first timers like me. If you use just the signs and print no maps you will probably get a bit lost, but will eventually find your hole, but you'll wander a bit that's for sure. Graffiti on some of the nicer signs spoils the mood of this woody area. Ssome signs have name of hole, #, distance, picture of hole, everything, sometimes there are markers at basket telling where to go next.

Variety - In Michigan, there isn't much more you can ask for, except for less mud (or more water holes if you're into that sorta thing). Mombo long run with few trees to get that long throw, tight technical shots, uphill long, downhill short, forehand, backhand, S shots. It's a good course. Somebody really thought about this course, the stood at each of the pads, and said tree here and here, not here, let them have a clear line here and there. I like the less randomness. Well planned.

Fun - Depends on who you are. Don't bring your non-die-hard spouse to this one. Not because of the challenge, because of the challenge and the wet/slippery/mud. But shoot even when she headed back to the car, I still had a blast and kept going, it was great... but it wasn't as good as if she stayed and played, always better to share.

Locatability - Finding the park, parking, no problem. There are lots of maps,

Maintained/Bugs - I went at end of March early April. Grass had just turned back to green (from dried out winter), not a bug in the air. Not sure if the bugs get bad later in the year though. I've read about downed trees in other reviews, but comparatively speaking to other wooded courses, and yes there are a lot down here, but for the most part, they weren't in the way at all. At this point in year, I thought maintenance was great, almost no leaves, short grass, so none of that super nasty thick grass off the fairway like some courses. Only thing, it gets wet.

Congestion - In this area of Wayne County, there isn't a lot of good courses, so Cass Benton being really good shines super bright. It would be congested because of how well-designed it is no matter what, but being since this is about the only place without driving really far, it is congested

Whats holding it back from higher rating - I don't think this course can get a better rating, its locked in Michigan, in Hines, so flooding/mudding.

Kid Friendly - I think kids may have fun for a while, mine were fine. But, this is a long course, and they may not make it for the long haul because this is a long course. I'd say this isn't the best course for kids, but this is Hines Park, and assuming you don't mind leaving the course when they get tired/bored, there are other things to do here.

Older/Less Active Player Friendly - No way, I'm active, not the best shape, and with the hills here, I missed a putt because I was out of breath going up a hill after my drive.

Rookie/Average Friendly - Yes, lots of challenge and things to work on here, definitely something to look to. Tons of fun for you and your buds.

Pro Player Friendly - For sure, here is a place you can test your skills. One of very few courses in SE Michigan you can get a change to drive nearing 800 feet out in the open. Plus with some tight technical shots, should be very enjoyable as long as you bring your old pair of shoes.

1.) Course is located in Hines Park in Northville. This park is not only home to a disc golf course, but there are also running/walking trails, mountain biking, lakes, playgrounds for children, etc. This course can bring a wide variety of people. I personally like this, because I can do more than one activity while being at one destination.

2.) Terrain and elevation varies throughout this course. Several holes are located in wooded areas. I would say all of the holes have trees on the fairways. A challenging course, but you're also not frustrated at the end of your round.

3.) In addition, you are not going to be pitching and putting on this course. I used every disc, besides one, in my bag. This course forces you to make some critical decisions, and I enjoy that about a course.

4.) Players have the option of throwing at the pro or rec tees.

5.) Tee pads are concrete.

6.) Baskets are cemented in, and they are also double-chained. Chains grip nicely to your disc.

7.) Trash bins at almost every hole. Picnic tables are also available at several holes.

8.) Course is also free to play, which is rare when you're playing in a county/metro park!

1.) Navigation is a slight downfall. If you don't have someone that is familiar with the course, chances are you will get lost. There are some moderate hikes between holes (not a con in my book, but it is when you don't know where you are going). Make sure you have a map with you. I recommend "next tee" signs to help guide people throughout the course, since there really isn't a nice "flow."

2.) Signage. When I did see a sign, it had the basics: hole number, par number, feet, a map of where the tee and basket is (which is exactly what I want to see when I see a sign) However, many of the holes did not have a sign.

3.) Personally, I would like the baskets to stick out more, especially when several holes are in a heavily wooded area. Even though I had my boyfriend to help me find the baskets, there were many times I couldn't see it.

4.) Park gets crowded VERY QUICKLY! My boyfriend and I got to the park at 9:30 this morning. There were already a few groups out when we got there. By the time we left at 11, there were more than dozen groups playing. If you don't want to wait, the best time to come and play is early in the morning.

I thoroughly enjoyed playing this course, and it makes it better that it is only a 15-20 minute drive from my house! One of the better courses I have played in this area.

I also noticed that a couple baskets were designed to be very low to the ground (especially hole 15, the huge bomber down the hill). Does anyone know why designers put these baskets that low? I don't mind; I'm more curious if anything.

Good variety of holes and provides a good challenge.
Some very fun hole such as #3 and #16.

Graffiti and missing signs.

Still a very good course despite the graffiti and missing signs. I would highly recommend this course.

-Great variety of holes, ranging from long and open, long and wooded, short and wooded, short and open, and everything in between. If you play this course from the long tees, which I always did and I HIGHLY suggest you do too, this course offers some incredible variety that will require you to throw long and accurately.

-Great difficulty from the long tees. Unless you have a cannon surgically attached to your arm, good luck getting a birdie let alone par on 2 and 16. Lots of holes have steep dropoffs next to the basket, so plan your putts and approaches carefully!

-Some of my favorite holes are on this course. Granted, I've played it more than any other course, but some holes, such as 3 and 5, are awesome. Throwing off the top of the hill on 3 is really fun. Watch out for the wind!

-If you're wanting to get a quick round in, you can easily play 1-12 and walk back to your car. 13-18 are pretty good, but 1-12 will give you a good variety of holes. Especially if you're playing the long tees, holes 1-12 are about 4,000 ft, which is longer than some entire courses.

-Both long and short tees have nice, long concrete pads.

-The biggest con for this course is sadly the other people that seem to congregate here. Watch out for "cassholes." For some reason, this course attracts a certain kind of person who has no problem trashing the course, spray painting hole signs, breaking trees, or straight up removing signs from the hole.

-Which leads me into another con, if you haven't played this before, I can see it being difficult to navigate. Do yourself a favor and print off or save the map image to your phone so you can navigate it easier.

-I guess this goes for all wooded courses, but if you get off the fairway, you may have a hard time either finding your disc or having a decent line. This is especially true for 13-15 or so, some of the holes are heavily wooded and you can easily lose a disc in plain sight. I've seen it happen sadly.

-This course can get very, VERY busy. Plan your play time accordingly. Come (if you can) when people are working or in the morning, like 8-11 am.

-I say that this course could be great because of how it's maintained and the people that come there. If it charged even like $1-2, that would scare away a lot of the people who loiter at the course and trash and/or damage it.

-For several years, this course was my "home course." I've probably played it 40-50 times. I haven't played it in awhile, but I always make a point to when I'm back in town.

-If you got the arm or are an intermediate+ disc golfer, PLAY THE LONG TEES!!! Seriously. It's so much better and awesome.

-If you park in the parking lot off of Hines Drive, hole 1 starts near the end (east side) of the parking lot. Follow the walking path and look for a dirt path that will enter the woods which should put you at the long tee for hole 1.

-First timers might want to print off the map or put it on your phone. Several holes have no signage or may be difficult figuring out where to go.

-Is this course worth driving 1-2 hours for? Eh, that's debatable. But if you find yourself within 30 miles of it, I'd recommend checking it out.

Great elevation and diversity. Tight trees and wide open fields. Some really long holes and plenty of ace looks. Benches at almost every hole. I got my first ace here!

It's free. Sounds like a positive except for all the casuals and almost complete lack of upkeep this causes. Lots of downed trees especially on holes 9 and 10. Most of the signs have been stolen, if they're still there they are covered in crappy graffiti (tags not art). A lot of holes get torn up and muddy early in the season, and never have a chance to recover. Very busy in the warmer months.

This is my home course, started playing it almost a decade ago. It's gotten progressively worse as the years go by. Its got some of the best geography/topography of any course in SE Michigan, and some truly classic holes. Really wish it was pay-to-play. Still a great course and I play it all the time.

Cass Benton has a fairly decent sized area for the disc golf course. I can imagine it was one of the best in the state when it first opened. There are many distinct holes on the course and it never became boring or frustrating. The terrain is perfect for a disc golf course. I was only able to play this gem once a few years back and wish I could play it more.

While we had a blast that day, you could tell that this place had seen better days. For some reason (budget?) this course has seemingly been forgotten by the park. Maybe it's lacking a dedicated club? The course needs some work to get it back into its prime.

Below are a few things that are worth mentioning...

PROS:

Length/Variety/Challenge - Plenty of chances to open it up on a few, while also containing some technical holes to balance it out. Elevation and water came into play on a handful of holes. Even though I played horrible in the front, I came back around on the back 9 and enjoyed the challenge of the entire course. The concrete tees and baskets were in good shape.

Dedicated Space to Disc Golf - Didn't have to worry about joggers, walkers or picnickers strolling through the area. The park is big and a good chunk of it is dedicated to the disc golf course. The course does play near a sledding hill but doesn't seem too bad.

Free - No charge to enter the park and no fee to play disc golf. Being that it is free, it can become quite crowded, which can be a con. There are also many other things to do in the park for non-dgers.

CONS:

Used and Abused - There is definite signs of wear on the course. With all the traffic the course gets, there were numerous worn out paths of bare dirt and damaged trees from discs. Every tee sign was damaged and/or had graffiti on them. Trash cans were overfull and some were dumped over. Not cool.

Upkeep - There were downed trees in multiple areas on the course. From the looks of it they have been there for a while. I'm not sure why the parks dept wouldn't cut them up. Some areas didn't look very safe but we played on anyways. The grass was a little taller than we'd like but it wasn't as bad as waist-deep Riverbends back home.

Crowds - Finding the course inside the park was a little tough the first time we stopped there. The place was packed and parking was sorta sketchy. Being a free course, it brings dger's from all over the place. We were lucky to find a parking spot. It might be a problem on busier days. At least we didn't run into any rude people.

Tourneys - As far as I know, there is little to no tournament play at Cass. It is large enough to hold a good tournament but I don't know if it's because of the red-tape or just because it's in a trashed state.

Overall, we had a good time at Cass Benton. It would be great to see it in its glory someday. I'd give it a 3.75 in its current condition, but I see the potential for it to climb as high as 4.25 if it could be cleaned up some. It's still worth playing and you'll probably have a nice round if you can get out there during the off-peak hrs. Give it a try sometime and I'm sure you'll see that there IS potential for it to get back on track.

• Amazing diversity here, so fun and so much variety.
• Well thought out holes, not your typical wooded hook to the left/right.
• Free - Also a Con; I lived within 4 miles of this course for almost 20 years and never knew it was there.

• Japanese Giant Hornets... Have burrows at a few holes, careful where you walk!
• The course is in terrible shape; mostly due to teens tearing it apart. Broken baskets, trash and glass everywhere. No respect for nature or the game.
• Free - Also a Pro; I wish it were pay-to-play. To deter teens that use it as a hang-out and keep maintenance up.
• Extremely busy after noon to evening.

I titled the review "Like playing with an endangered animal" because I feel one of these days the course will be closed from the vandalism without warning. At that point, it will be extinct.

EDIT: I went back to Cass recently.
If this course was pay-to-play, it would be a 5. Its that fun, but its also in that bad of shape.
I just wish I could have played here before it went bad.

Pretty nice course layout with some challenging holes and not much repetition.

Course is split into wide open holes and wooded very nicely.

Maintenance is absolutely awful. Fallen trees stay where they've fallen, regardless of where they are. Plenty of trees fallen right on the path.

Navigating the fallen tree jungle on hole 9 is depressing.

The amount of graffiti/hoodlum teens is pretty high since this is in an urban area and the course is free.

Absolutely packed in the summer. Prepare to wait for the group of ten 16 year olds to all take their 6 shots to the basket.

Great Challenge for new and advanced players alike. Mix of long hiking hills and woods. Some fantastic long shots and elevation changes.

Can be a hike for some. Not too many complaints.

A great challenge course, will make you a better player.

- Excellent mix of shots. More than a couple bombs (400+) from the Pro tees with a good mix of technical holes.
- Locals are often selling discs, possible food and drinks
- Gets very busy but course design usually allows for good flow with minimal backups
- Lots of shade and sitting areas and trash cans everywhere
- Generally minimal litter despite the amount of people that play there... Depends on the day really.

- Can get ridiculously busy. Sits in the middle of a lot of courses and areas where there are a lot of golfers. Summer evenings will find every parking lot full.
- Signage is old and vandalized

One of my favorite courses. The huge 700+ bomb off the top of hill on #3 is awesome. This is the place where I learned how to disc golf. Fun to just come out with some beers and party golf all day.

-Great course design
-Great elevation change as well as basket placement
-Challenging from the backs, fun from the fronts
-Easy access, free

-the local color sometimes is not always conducive to disc golfing
-the city doesnt much care for its disc golf course
-when it rains the course can flood and gets very muddy
-in the summer the fairways can get very tall

This was the course where i first learned on and have played probably 100 times on, the course itself is awesome if a little down in the dumps from people stealing tee signs and trash, etc. The course is sometimes a local meeting spot for high school kids which sometimes is good because it gets new people into the sport but can also be bad because they are often drinking or engaging in behavior of questionable legality. i love this course but its definitely not my favorite

Cass was the first disc golf course I have ever played on, and is my home course. There is a lot to like about Cass.
- The variation of wooded to open, short to long, challenging to relatively simple and flat to rolling hills never lets the player get board.
- There are a few holes you will never forget; The long tee from #3 is over 700 feet on top of waht seems like a mountain, #16 the longest 350 feet you will ever throw and good luck ducing #18.
- Cass is absolutely free, one of the best free courses out there.

- The course has a lack of funding for up keep.
- At noon or five, be prepared to wait at every hole.
- Many downed trees block your way, may not be the best course for someone who has trouble moving around.

Cass was an amazing course back in its heyday, but with neglect it is falling apart. This course is an unpolished gem that is a must play!

Cass Benton Hills offers a wide variety of hole design with some great topography to work with. Tight and tree rich, open, short, long, down hills, up hills, some water to contend with as well. This course offers a great walk and some terrain that is refreshing with some beauty to take in along the way. It is moderately challenging in spots but never becomes frustrating. A revisit would be welcomed.

Navigation can be confusing at times. Most signage is absent and vandalism has unfortunately taken its toll in some spots. The grounds were pretty clean though. It was relatively early in the day and the place was quite steady with traffic. Other players displayed good etiquette at the time of this review and playing through was permitted where applicable. Plan for hold ups. Have a good time.

If you are in this area this is a good one to tack on to your tour. It is a free park that seems to be well maintained, although this review is based on the very early season where garbage and destruction may not have had proper time to proliferate. The locals in this sample population seemed pretty decent despite their reputation and nickname.

I was pretty impressed with this course. Nice mix of distances and hills. Along with open and confined shots.

None that I can think of though I have only played this course once at the end of winter.

Awesome variety of holes and a dynamic layout make this course sparkle. Every kind of hole is on display here and it allows the use of many of your discs and many styles of shot.
Hole No. 3 can't be oversold, just a beautiful vista-like view from high above. A wild throw on Hole No. 2 or 3 can land you over Hines Drive on your right, so be wary.
Hole No. 16, called Flexible Flyer is amazing. A semi-short hole that's aceable, it has this great drop-down location for a pin at the bottom of the hill, surrounded by trees. A really cool design.
Concrete tees, excellent pin placement, huge park and convienient location make it a must play.

People, people, people. The term Casshole only scratches the surface. Deuchebag circus kind of covers it. From over-privileged kiddie punks to obnoxious adults to vagabond rapist-looking weirdos who seem to wander in from time to time, there' s a little of everything. Because this is where I started playing, I thought every course was like this, thank goodness that's not the case.
Plus, there's always big groups of 10+ who sometimes lack common courtesy to let you play through. Luckily the course layout can allow you to skip around them with enough hustle.

Also besides the human trash, there's the trash on the ground. Litter is everywhere, and vandalism rampant. Signage is defaced or removed. The first tee is almost always missing it's sign. C'mon, people.

Also, the brush is brutal in some cases moving from tee to tee. You almost need a machete to get through it all between overgrown trees and downed trees.

If the crowds get you down, you can move over to Hole No. 11 to the left of Hole No. 1, called "Knock on Wood" or jump over to Hole No. 13 set across the dirt road/parking area, to start your round.

My love for the game started here and I still consider it my home course, but the people and course condition can really be a drag.

Anytime before noon is a good time on the weekend, on weekdays come after work at your own risk.

There are many challenging holes. Each hole has different obstacles to overcome. There are a few holes that could be aced.

Quicksand like mud on hole 11. Lots of trees to play through.

Good local course. Well maintained.

July 17th - basket on hole 1 was crushed by a fallen tree.

Free!
Course is very well designed
Good placement of pro/am tees
Great variety in holes

Course isn't very clean, lots of litter, vandelism, etc. (But its a free course)
Tendancy to be muddy
Can be very crowded at times

This course is probably one of the best I have played. If a few minor things were fixed it would be amazing!

-- holes where always a good length
-- lots of fun obstacles
-- never any long grass, so its easy to find discs
-- water comes into play but you only have to worry on hole 2
--all around fun course
-- people bring thair dogs!

-- to go at 2:30 to 6:30 its gona be crowded
-- i think theirs a league on mondays
-- everyonce n awhile i find some people smokeing the magic tobbacoo openly, people please smoke it before or after your game.
-- i wached as a dog ran up and stole some guys disc, the guy was kinda mad but got it back(most of it).

--people complane about fallin trees, but i did not notice them at first, they are just more obstacles.
-- seriously! do you have to smoke the magic tobbacoo while playing, a lot of time i bring family.

This is a excellent course with tons of shot variation, elevation changes, and gorgeous scenery. The designer of the course definetly used the land to its full potential. There are cement tee boxes on every hole, many with both pro and am tees and most of the holes have signs. Players of all skill levels will have a good time.

If it rains, some of the holes have a tendency to be very muddy. All together, the only reason this course is a 4-disc instead of 5 is due to the maintenance of the course. There are downed trees, grafitti, and some missing signs for the holes. As much as I would prefer not to pay for a course, this one could definetly use the money to keep up the course. Trust me, it would be worth it.

The bugs aren't that bad so the Cutter and OFF! aren't really necessary. Make a whole afternoon of the course and bring some lunch. Also, this course has a tendency to be very busy during the peak times on the weekend and during the afternoon times during the week so have some patience. Most people are pretty cool about letting you play through if you are fast though.