-
Discover new ways to elevate your game with the updated DGCourseReview app!
It's entirely free and enhanced with features shaped by user feedback to ensure your best experience on the course. (App Store or Google Play)
First St. Beach Family DGC reviews
11
1
Mid/Putter Course on the Beach
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Jul 22, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
First St. Beach Family DGC is a very short 18-hole course that is located at a large public park/beach in Manistee, MI. The course starts right by the parking lot, and essentially plays out to Lake Michigan and back. The highlight holes for me were #9 and #10 within view of the lake. #9 plays across a little sandy valley towards the lake, and has a nice little footbridge stretching across it. Very picturesque. #10 plays on tightly wooded, rolling terrain parallel to the lake.
Overall, there is a decent mix of throws here. Some holes are wide open, whereas others have a few obstacles to work around and a couple are pretty tight. There are a few holes where elevation changes are enough to impact play.
You should be aware that THIS IS A PUTTER AND MID ONLY COURSE (per UDisc). No high speed drivers are allowed. And you won't need them either, with all 18 hole distances falling within the range of 119'-187'. As the name of the course suggests, this is a great place to bring a family of non-DGers - or someone who is just learning how to play.
The baskets here are blue banded DISCatchers in great shape. #13's basket is set in a lighthouse fashioned to look like the actual Manistee light, which is a cool touch.
The tee pads are small circular pieces of concrete. These are only big enough to stand and throw, but that is absolutely fine for this course and I thought the circular shape was kind of unique.
The tee signs are basic but also fine. They have a blue theme to match the baskets, plus the hole number/distance/par. I'm fine with no hole map on these since the holes are short and most baskets are visible from the tee. There are also navigational signs in the same style as the tee signs, posted wherever needed.
Trash cans and benches are placed strategically around the course. There are several porta potties/restrooms within the larger park.
Overall, there is a decent mix of throws here. Some holes are wide open, whereas others have a few obstacles to work around and a couple are pretty tight. There are a few holes where elevation changes are enough to impact play.
You should be aware that THIS IS A PUTTER AND MID ONLY COURSE (per UDisc). No high speed drivers are allowed. And you won't need them either, with all 18 hole distances falling within the range of 119'-187'. As the name of the course suggests, this is a great place to bring a family of non-DGers - or someone who is just learning how to play.
The baskets here are blue banded DISCatchers in great shape. #13's basket is set in a lighthouse fashioned to look like the actual Manistee light, which is a cool touch.
The tee pads are small circular pieces of concrete. These are only big enough to stand and throw, but that is absolutely fine for this course and I thought the circular shape was kind of unique.
The tee signs are basic but also fine. They have a blue theme to match the baskets, plus the hole number/distance/par. I'm fine with no hole map on these since the holes are short and most baskets are visible from the tee. There are also navigational signs in the same style as the tee signs, posted wherever needed.
Trash cans and benches are placed strategically around the course. There are several porta potties/restrooms within the larger park.
Cons:
The designer(s) here mostly did a good job of avoiding potential safety hazards. But even with the short distances involved, I still didn't like that there is a tennis court in play on hole 6, or a couple of holes that play awfully close together. Generally, the entire course plays through a multi-use area and it's very possible that the presence of non-DGers will have an impact on your round. With most holes line-of-sight, it's on you to avoid creating hazardous situations.
This is obviously an incredibly easy course for any disc golfer above beginner level. Decent rec players will likely expect to shoot this one at least -9 (unless it's a windy day - I suppose that could make things a lot trickier). With relatively few obstacles in play on much of the course, better players will have a realistic chance at acing almost every hole.
There isn't a kiosk or course map. I think at a minimum, there should be a sign at the first tee warning players that this is a putter/mid only course.
The little concrete pads do get sandy - a couple of brooms at the pads closest to the lake would be nice.
Maybe it's unrealistic given the multiuse/safety aspect (and I'm glad that was prioritized), but I would have loved to see the lake actually come into play on a hole or two. This is not the case though. It's only visible a couple hundred feet away from the aforementioned #9 and #10.
This is obviously an incredibly easy course for any disc golfer above beginner level. Decent rec players will likely expect to shoot this one at least -9 (unless it's a windy day - I suppose that could make things a lot trickier). With relatively few obstacles in play on much of the course, better players will have a realistic chance at acing almost every hole.
There isn't a kiosk or course map. I think at a minimum, there should be a sign at the first tee warning players that this is a putter/mid only course.
The little concrete pads do get sandy - a couple of brooms at the pads closest to the lake would be nice.
Maybe it's unrealistic given the multiuse/safety aspect (and I'm glad that was prioritized), but I would have loved to see the lake actually come into play on a hole or two. This is not the case though. It's only visible a couple hundred feet away from the aforementioned #9 and #10.
Other Thoughts:
This course is not a destination, but it's a fun play if you are in the area. It's executed well considering the available space. I visit Manistee several times a year so I'll definitely be back to play this one again. If it's a nice day, I'd recommend trying to play here in the morning before the beach fills up.
I do agree with EspressoPatronum that if you have the option to play either here or at The Tinderbox near Ludington, generally The Tinderbox is both safer and more interesting - while still being as friendly to beginners and families. Still, this course is one of only a handful within walking distance of a Great Lake and that is always fun!
I do agree with EspressoPatronum that if you have the option to play either here or at The Tinderbox near Ludington, generally The Tinderbox is both safer and more interesting - while still being as friendly to beginners and families. Still, this course is one of only a handful within walking distance of a Great Lake and that is always fun!
14
0
EspressoPatronum
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience:
18.8 years
256 played
243 reviews
Fun For All Ages, But Tinderbox Is Where It's At
Reviewed:
Played on:Jun 30, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
- brand new concrete tees
- brand new tee signs
- brand new blue Innova DISCatcher baskets
- nice bridge across sand gully on hole 9
- navigation is straightforward; good use of aids
- hole lengths are very family friendly and accessible to all ages/skill levels
- cool lighthouse basket is on brand for coastal Michigan
- well maintained park in great shape
- a few holes play into mini sand dunes
- most of the back 9 play through some wooded areas
- typical park amenities - benches, garbage cans, etc.
- disc golf is generally isolated from other park activities
- brand new tee signs
- brand new blue Innova DISCatcher baskets
- nice bridge across sand gully on hole 9
- navigation is straightforward; good use of aids
- hole lengths are very family friendly and accessible to all ages/skill levels
- cool lighthouse basket is on brand for coastal Michigan
- well maintained park in great shape
- a few holes play into mini sand dunes
- most of the back 9 play through some wooded areas
- typical park amenities - benches, garbage cans, etc.
- disc golf is generally isolated from other park activities
Cons:
- very short
- mostly flat and open with almost no obstacles/shot shaping
- risk of hitting campers on hole 17
- long walk between holes 10 and 11
- will not be very exciting for experienced players
- no real uniqueness factor for most of course
- almost no elevation change for most of course
- mostly flat and open with almost no obstacles/shot shaping
- risk of hitting campers on hole 17
- long walk between holes 10 and 11
- will not be very exciting for experienced players
- no real uniqueness factor for most of course
- almost no elevation change for most of course
Other Thoughts:
This one was hard to rate. In terms of quality disc golf, it's probably only a 1.5 for me. However, the name says it all - First Street Beach FAMILY DGC. It's cool this place exists at all. I don't know if I would have come, but I had my 9 year old son with me on this trip. This course was perfect for his age/skill level, allowing him to throw for pars and me to throw for birdies. It's truly fun for the whole family, and that's great.
The equipment is top notch and brand new here, and the bridge mentioned in the description is installed. The play is very repetitive here and not particularly exciting, particularly on wide open holes 1-6. Holes 7-10 go through the woods a bit before emerging back into the open, and the end of the course finishes in light woods a bit again. When we were there, some sort of carnival event was going on and RVs were parked behind hole 17, creating a high risk of hitting them if you overthrew the basket. This may be something that frequently happens on weekends or it may have been a once a year event; I don't know.
The round concrete tees are a little weird. Definitely no room here for a run up or true x-step, but let's face it, you don't need anything like this for a 150 ft. hole, so the round, short tees don't really harm anything.
The signature hole for me, and what really made me want to come here, is hole 9. No, this is not the lighthouse basket! Despite that hole looking cool, it's really just a lighthouse basket in the middle of a flat, open field. Hole 9 has the basket mounted on the slope of a mini sand dune and almost looks from the pictures like you're playing on the actual First Street Beach. You're not quite, but you are very close. There's a bit of a gully and your disc can end up in quite the sand trap if you don't play this one well. The bridge over the gully helps but you might find yourself traipsing in the sand anyway. It's a cool shot that I wish this course had a bit more of. The other wooded holes are decent and offer some challenge, but the open ones on this course are more for the kids than anything and don't add much.
The designers did a good job of keeping this course away from other park activities like the playground. Nothing makes me cringe like having to throw towards an area explicitly designed for children. This is a very quick round; with 1-2 people you could easily play 18 holes in an hour. For what it was designed to be, this is a nice course that is clearly well maintained. Hopefully a few years down the road it will still look this nice.
I think this may be my shortest 18 hole course ever with nothing over 200 ft. Now - if you want to play a barely longer course that's infinitely cooler and still very family friendly - head a bit south to Ludington and play The Tinderbox, which is entirely wooded and quite technical despite topping out at a max of 225 ft. and having 13 holes under 200 ft. First Street Beach is good family fun, but The Tinderbox is next level cool while still being easy on the kids/beginners.
The equipment is top notch and brand new here, and the bridge mentioned in the description is installed. The play is very repetitive here and not particularly exciting, particularly on wide open holes 1-6. Holes 7-10 go through the woods a bit before emerging back into the open, and the end of the course finishes in light woods a bit again. When we were there, some sort of carnival event was going on and RVs were parked behind hole 17, creating a high risk of hitting them if you overthrew the basket. This may be something that frequently happens on weekends or it may have been a once a year event; I don't know.
The round concrete tees are a little weird. Definitely no room here for a run up or true x-step, but let's face it, you don't need anything like this for a 150 ft. hole, so the round, short tees don't really harm anything.
The signature hole for me, and what really made me want to come here, is hole 9. No, this is not the lighthouse basket! Despite that hole looking cool, it's really just a lighthouse basket in the middle of a flat, open field. Hole 9 has the basket mounted on the slope of a mini sand dune and almost looks from the pictures like you're playing on the actual First Street Beach. You're not quite, but you are very close. There's a bit of a gully and your disc can end up in quite the sand trap if you don't play this one well. The bridge over the gully helps but you might find yourself traipsing in the sand anyway. It's a cool shot that I wish this course had a bit more of. The other wooded holes are decent and offer some challenge, but the open ones on this course are more for the kids than anything and don't add much.
The designers did a good job of keeping this course away from other park activities like the playground. Nothing makes me cringe like having to throw towards an area explicitly designed for children. This is a very quick round; with 1-2 people you could easily play 18 holes in an hour. For what it was designed to be, this is a nice course that is clearly well maintained. Hopefully a few years down the road it will still look this nice.
I think this may be my shortest 18 hole course ever with nothing over 200 ft. Now - if you want to play a barely longer course that's infinitely cooler and still very family friendly - head a bit south to Ludington and play The Tinderbox, which is entirely wooded and quite technical despite topping out at a max of 225 ft. and having 13 holes under 200 ft. First Street Beach is good family fun, but The Tinderbox is next level cool while still being easy on the kids/beginners.
12
0
Surprisingly Fun! drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:May 18, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
* Beautiful tee signs on angled posts that point in the direction of the pin.* Bright blue baskets.* Plenty of Next Tee signs in very visible locations.* Super clean park.* Nice, flat tee pads.* Only one blind hole.* Great flow, and design makes use of every bit of terrain change and natural pin guarding.
Other Thoughts:
This course is a beginner\'s dream, with no holes over 200\'. The tee pads are small and round, but totally appropriate for the hole distances. Pins are well guarded by both natural and man made obstacles. Even players with "arms" could benefit from playing this course as disc control and the ability to hit gaps, shape shots, and deal with winds off the lake are paramount for a good round here. The course designers did a fantastic job of working around other park features, and they used every bit of the elevation changes in this cute little park.Bath and outhouses, as well as grills and pavilions, are available near the course and it plays around the tennis courts, dog park, and playground. In addition, you\'re just feet from stunning sand beaches and Lake Michigan.I shot my first ever under par round here! 
