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Chain Valley DGC reviews
12
0
Appropriately named, poorly cared for 9er in the middle of nowhere
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Sep 10, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
If you find yourself at the 4-way stop in the tiny village of Meauwataka, MI you'll see a sign pointing towards "Chain Valley Disc Golf Course". Follow the sign, and another one a mile later, and you'll arrive at Colfax Township Park.
This park is located on the northern shore of a small lake. From one side of the parking area there's a nice little walk curling through the woods down to the lake. On the opposite side of the lot is another one of those "Chain Valley DGC" signs that credits three course designers, and asks for volunteers to help maintain the course. Behind the sign is a short trail to the first of nine tees.
This course has a really nice mix of holes. It opens with a tight thread-the-needle downhill throw. The basket is tucked slightly off to the right in the clearing at the bottom of the hill, 300' away. #3 requires a water carry of about 175' across a small pond, or you can lay up off to the left to avoid it. #6 was my favorite on the course, and also the longest at 522'. It plays gently down a mostly open valley that slopes upward on both sides of the fairway, and also on the approach to the basket. A few pine trees dot the meadow and add challenge. Very picturesque. #8 is another fun downhill throw starting in the woods and finishing in the open, with the basket off to the left this time and in front of a large pine tree. Elevation changes affect play on several other holes as well. There is only the one water hazard, but a good range of distances from 140' up to the aforementioned 522'.
The baskets are numbered Chainstars in fine shape.
There were trash cans hanging from each tee post. These bright yellow buckets really helped with spotting the tee locations from a distance. I think a couple of the tees had benches as well.
The course plays in an area of the park that is entirely disc golf exclusive. At this township park, you'll be worried more about potential wildlife encounters than multiuse safety issues.
This park is located on the northern shore of a small lake. From one side of the parking area there's a nice little walk curling through the woods down to the lake. On the opposite side of the lot is another one of those "Chain Valley DGC" signs that credits three course designers, and asks for volunteers to help maintain the course. Behind the sign is a short trail to the first of nine tees.
This course has a really nice mix of holes. It opens with a tight thread-the-needle downhill throw. The basket is tucked slightly off to the right in the clearing at the bottom of the hill, 300' away. #3 requires a water carry of about 175' across a small pond, or you can lay up off to the left to avoid it. #6 was my favorite on the course, and also the longest at 522'. It plays gently down a mostly open valley that slopes upward on both sides of the fairway, and also on the approach to the basket. A few pine trees dot the meadow and add challenge. Very picturesque. #8 is another fun downhill throw starting in the woods and finishing in the open, with the basket off to the left this time and in front of a large pine tree. Elevation changes affect play on several other holes as well. There is only the one water hazard, but a good range of distances from 140' up to the aforementioned 522'.
The baskets are numbered Chainstars in fine shape.
There were trash cans hanging from each tee post. These bright yellow buckets really helped with spotting the tee locations from a distance. I think a couple of the tees had benches as well.
The course plays in an area of the park that is entirely disc golf exclusive. At this township park, you'll be worried more about potential wildlife encounters than multiuse safety issues.
Cons:
The request for volunteers seems to have fallen on deaf ears. I'm not sure if the course has seen any maintenance since it was established in 2018. It definitely has not seen a mower in 2023 as I write this in September. It was really sad to see such a fun course design being put out to pasture. That said, due to the type of foliage present the fairways were definitely still manageable. Even playing solo, I did not have to spend any extra time searching for discs. The only area where the weeds were really thick was around the pond on #3. I'd recommend wearing long pants and keeping an eye on your throws here, and you'll manage.
Navigation is difficult. There are not any arrows now, and I doubt there ever have been. UDisc is required for sure. Downed trees on the paths between holes 2-3 and 3-4 didn't help anything.
The tee pads are gravel in wooden frames. They are lumpy and uneven. The tee signs are just wooden posts with the hole number, that someone scrawled rough lines on with a Sharpie.
There is no practice basket, and no kiosk other than the small sign near the first tee mentioned above. I didn't see a porta potty or vault toilet, although I think there was a campground further into the park and maybe that has something.
Navigation is difficult. There are not any arrows now, and I doubt there ever have been. UDisc is required for sure. Downed trees on the paths between holes 2-3 and 3-4 didn't help anything.
The tee pads are gravel in wooden frames. They are lumpy and uneven. The tee signs are just wooden posts with the hole number, that someone scrawled rough lines on with a Sharpie.
There is no practice basket, and no kiosk other than the small sign near the first tee mentioned above. I didn't see a porta potty or vault toilet, although I think there was a campground further into the park and maybe that has something.
Other Thoughts:
This course is effectively seasonal, as that last dirt road into the park (1/4 mile or so) is marked as seasonal.
Despite being in the middle of nowhere, I had fine cell service here.
I struggled to rate this one. I honestly wouldn't argue with any rating between about 0.5 and 2.5 with how things stand now. This is a really solid 9 hole design, that might crack my top 5 9-hole courses played if it were maintained and dialed in with signage etc. There also appeared to be plenty of room to add a back nine and make an 18-hole gem here. But the current state of the course leaves much to be desired, and was bad enough that I can't wholeheartedly recommend spending time here unless you're a course bagger like me.
I settled on a 2.0 rating because the course was definitely still playable as I mentioned above, but if you prefer more manicured courses definitely leave this one alone. I like the feeling that I am out in the wilderness, so despite having to ding the lack of amenities and maintenance I did enjoy my time here. If you are in the area and think you might feel similarly, by all means come give Chain Valley DGC a shot.
Despite being in the middle of nowhere, I had fine cell service here.
I struggled to rate this one. I honestly wouldn't argue with any rating between about 0.5 and 2.5 with how things stand now. This is a really solid 9 hole design, that might crack my top 5 9-hole courses played if it were maintained and dialed in with signage etc. There also appeared to be plenty of room to add a back nine and make an 18-hole gem here. But the current state of the course leaves much to be desired, and was bad enough that I can't wholeheartedly recommend spending time here unless you're a course bagger like me.
I settled on a 2.0 rating because the course was definitely still playable as I mentioned above, but if you prefer more manicured courses definitely leave this one alone. I like the feeling that I am out in the wilderness, so despite having to ding the lack of amenities and maintenance I did enjoy my time here. If you are in the area and think you might feel similarly, by all means come give Chain Valley DGC a shot.
12
0
Plays Bigger Than You’d Expect 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Apr 10, 2019
Played the course:once
Pros:
This course plays much bigger than you'd expect for a nine-holer. The tee boxes are a packed dirt/gravel mix, nicely sized, well framed and generally level. Each tee box has a post with hole number, footage, hand drawn hole layout, and a trash bucket.
Tee and basket placements are both interesting and challenging, with right, left, and "S" lanes, narrow tree-lined holes, and a couple mostly wide open holes. I love that the wooded holes were short while the open holes were longer, as it should be for maximum fun and minimum frustration. The shortest holes are under 200', while the longest is over 500'.
In addition, the course makes great use of regular/frequent elevation changes, and water comes into play on 1 hole at low water levels, and likely 2 during wet seasons.
Even in its infancy, we only had to search around for 1 tee box - everything else was fairly obvious, and the course flowed really well.
Dayhuff Lake and the Colfax Township Campground is just down the road, so there's easy access to camping, swimming, fishing, toilets, and a playground.
Tee and basket placements are both interesting and challenging, with right, left, and "S" lanes, narrow tree-lined holes, and a couple mostly wide open holes. I love that the wooded holes were short while the open holes were longer, as it should be for maximum fun and minimum frustration. The shortest holes are under 200', while the longest is over 500'.
In addition, the course makes great use of regular/frequent elevation changes, and water comes into play on 1 hole at low water levels, and likely 2 during wet seasons.
Even in its infancy, we only had to search around for 1 tee box - everything else was fairly obvious, and the course flowed really well.
Dayhuff Lake and the Colfax Township Campground is just down the road, so there's easy access to camping, swimming, fishing, toilets, and a playground.
Cons:
The course is very new and we played it while there was still some snow on the ground. A couple of the paths between holes need some cleaning out and delineation. Footing on some fairways was very rough, but I expect it will even out as the course gets used and trodden-on.
Even as a nine hole course, with the elevation changes on every hole and the rough footing, a couple of benches would be well appreciated.
Even as a nine hole course, with the elevation changes on every hole and the rough footing, a couple of benches would be well appreciated.
Other Thoughts:
I generally skip 9 holers, but I'm really glad we played this one. Despite being very new and a little wild, the elevation changes, bit of water, hole design, and inexpensive but well done amenities, this was a total joy to play. I highly recommend a round here if you're in the Cadillac area - it's way more fun than Kenwood, without the frustration factor of Diggins Hill for those that don't have an arm.
