"Millersburg" and "disc golf" were never uttered in the same sentence when I was growing up. I never even would have considered using this park for a course. But somebody did, and on a recent visit I had to go play it. We'll ignore my childhood memories of the place and focus on the course.

Equipment: The baskets are in pristine condition, as this course is still quite new. Being in a multi-use park, I was pleasantly surprised to find that none of them showed any damage from climbing children or vandalizing teenagers. I've found bent baskets on courses that were three days old, so any time you find them in this condition? Bravo. They're also quite easy to find, being Discatchers that the designer placed the "Innova" flags on top of.

Navigation: Navigation pros? I don't know. They at least started to mark hole lengths?

Design: It's hard to speak to the design of the entire course, but what I did figure out provided some interesting looks. They did a great job of utilizing large areas of a park that weren't being used, but managed to stay out of the baseball diamond, volleyball courts, and playground. There are some decent lines that you have to shape throughout your round. Despite the fact that it's a flat course (excepting hole 6), you're forced to shape your shots around the small and scattered trees around the property. The player isn't forced to take a particular shot due to the lack of technicality, but some holes have more obvious lines because of the trees.

Equipment: There are no teepads. At all. There isn't even a railroad tie sunk into the ground. Being a newer and low traffic course, there aren't even bald patches in the grass to hint where one must tee off from. This is dangerous too considering how wet grass can get and how long some of these holes are. You aren't throwing 400+' from a standstill after all...

Navigation: This aspect of the course really crippled the experience for me. The navigation aids are abysmal. Some of the "tees" have cement markers in the ground indicating distance and direction, but that's it. There's no map, no signage, and not even any tape on the baskets. Free tip to any locals who know the course: Find some caution tape. Tie it on the side of the basket to indicate which direction the tee is. Or use yellow tape. Or glow tape. SOMETHING. Even the cement markers on the ground are useless to a first time player, because they're sunk in and can't be spotted until you're about 10' away. I walked all over that property looking for those things, and never did find the markers for 1 , 3, 4, or 7. By the time I'd figured out what I could I just wanted to leave.

Design: I was pleased with the design overall. This course lacks a lot, but the designer used what the property provided intelligently. My only complaint would be that either A.) They didn't make a "top of the world" shot (albeit a 20' high one) from 6 to 7, or B.) if they did, they made players throw directly over the teepad for 8. It seems like they could have made "A" happen without "B" being a problem if they'd put their minds to it. I also felt like the walkout from 4 to 5 was asinine. More thoughts on that in my "other thoughts".

Northern Indiana needs more 9-hole courses. They provide an introduction to the game to new players who aren't ready for the more difficult 18's of the world, and who don't necessarily want to pay to learn the game elsewhere as most courses in this area require. I feel like this course falls just short of the "family friendly" approach that most good niners achieve though, because the holes are a bit long for new players. I personally liked the length, but as a brand new player I know I wouldn't have fallen in love with the game as much or as quickly if I'd been asked to throw 420' on the second hole I ever played.

Now for some tips to any players who are just passing through and feel like bagging a course like I did: Don't bother. But if you do want to add to your "played" list, the following may help you (hole tips):

1. The basket is located just past the pavilion. I have no idea where the teepad is. You could park by the baseball diamonds and start there (for a long walk back from 9), or you could start by the pavilion, avoid the playground, and have a super short tee-shot.

2. If you walk towards the path from the 1 basket, you'll find the tee marker buried in the ground. You're throwing to that basket tucked into the trees to the slight right.

3. No tee marker that I could find. I just walked back to the path and threw from there to the basket in the back.

4. Again, no marker. Just used the path again to throw to the basket between there and the 1 basket. You can create all sorts of interesting lines through those trees depending on where you tee from.

5. This marker is all the way down the path back to the road (a good 400+' away from the 4 basket). To make it a less boring walk, I threw to the 1 basket. I think this should be the actual design anyway. Start from the 2 pad as 1 and play in this same order. Then throw from the path at the current 4 to the 1 basket and call it 4. Just an opinion. Then you have a much shorter walkout to number 5, and you finish relatively close to where you started.

6. The marker for this is on the other side of the road from the 5 basket, between the sign for the snowmobile path and the shed. The basket is on top of the hill behind the shed for a fun uphill hyzer shot. Or, if you noob hyzer it, a fun opportunity to park your disc on a roof.

7. I didn't find any marker. I just threw from the top because it was fun. You're throwing to the closer of the two baskets on the other side of the road.

8. You passed the marker on the edge of the road on your walk to the 7 basket.

9. The marker for this one is on the far edge of the basketball courts. This was probably my favorite shot on the course. It reminded me of a much younger sibling to hole 1 at Blue Lake (see Portland Worlds coverage) and opened up some interesting roller routes.

This course has potential. Despite the lack of technicality, it requires some interesting lines. But unlike technical courses, it allows newer players to learn the flight of their disc without much damage to the score if your shot doesn't land quite where you aimed it. So it's a great course to work on one's game.

I later heard from a local that they're hoping to put in another nine holes in an open area to the north of hole 6. I don't know anything about that. Hopefully they work on the flaws on the existing nine first, and then maybe add on the back. I'm not 100% sure where that new nine would be, but I'll gladly update my review (and my rating) if I pass through town next time and find that it's improved. But as of this week? It is what it is.