-safe, well built tee pads on every hole (#14 is slightly elevated and wood because of existing roots that would have been destroyed by a cement pad)
-quality pin positions on every hole
-every type of hole imaginable (long, short, open, wooded, uphill, downhill, left, right, etc)
-very nice tee signs
-small brooms are attached to EVERY tee sign for cleaning sand off the tees
-easy to follow, course flows nicely
-multiple entry/exit points (after 8, 15, and all 24) if you want to play a short round, or skip some holes
-trash cans are abundant
-many benches and places to rest
-no long walks between holes
-the local pro shop, Tilley's Party Store, is just down the street from the course and they have a great selection of discs and other merch

-one set of tees
-only one pin position per hole
-can be very crowded (this is Hick's biggest downfall) in the summer, especially during Cherry Festival due to lots of use by local teens
-lots of mosquitos, so bring your bug spray
-no water holes (there is a small creek that runs just inside the treeline on hole 23, but it doesn't ever come into play unless you throw a really shitty shot)

This course is my home course, its the course that I started playing disc golf on, so I'm a little biased... but all in all it's still sitting at #14 in my top 25 courses (of 241 that i've played) after playing most of the best courses in the nation. The only thing that really bugs me about it is that there aren't multiple tees or at the very least, multiple pin positions. Hickory Hills would be among the elite courses in the country if we were just able to change it up every once in a while.

And its missing a lake, or water of some sort. If there were one or two decent water holes on this course it would have a little bit of everything! Oh, and on the note of water, there are lots of hills to walk and it'll take a group of 4 a good two hours (+/- 30 mins) to play, so bring water of your own so you don't get dehydrated.

give me a call when you come to town and i'll happily meet you out there for a round! (231.590.0878)

open fairways, great elevation, scenic, nice tees w/ occasional broom, lotta bomber holes, very fun

last three holes are kinda weak(22,23,24), bring water! bring extra discs cuz if your a noob your GONNA lose your disc of hole #19

One of my top three favorite courses, prolly top two to be more accurate.

Challanging I guess could be a word for it, although it isn't quite the word for it. Very clean maintained course. Locals are pretty friendly too and are interested if you are from other areas. The signs are easy to follow and no need to worry if you are in another person's fairway.

TIGHT, TIGHT fairways. MANY, MANY, MANY trees. And so many hills. You are consantly walking up hill. No offense but, you aren't physically fit in someway, you are not making it up this course.

Improved my game in a new way but, I never got to use my main drivers really because, of how the shots where. Deffinately favors straight shots. And if you hit a tree, happy hunting.

Great signs/tees. Some tees have brooms. Trash cans on most holes.
Easy to follow.
Great scenery and surroundings.
Perfect mix of long-short holes.
Tilley's party store is a few minutes away and is a great disc-golf store. They have good retail prices on bags, discs and other goods. Plus lots of local beers. A must-go before/after a round.

Just a little dirty/dusty for my taste. A few long walks. A few extra people. Get there early-ish.

A great place to go and play. I wish we were in town longer.
If you have the time, hit Tilley's and then go play Myles Kimmerly in Maple City, about twenty minutes away. It makes for a great day of golf.

being my first trip here i found the course easy to navigate from hole to hole.

signs were great, tee pads were cement, and trash cans were plentiful.

the course was challenging but didn't feel beyond limit.

these are really minor cons but i felt like mentioning them.

it was very dry the day i played and i don't think it had rained in a while which may have made it worse. dust and dirt coated everything i brought by the time i finished the course. i think mainly this was from the lack of recent rain.

the other is that it is a long course (24 holes) with lots of elevation/terrain which makes for a long walk. make sure to bring water.

the walk through the trees was really cool and the views from some holes were really terrific.

others have pretty much covered everything about this course.

it was very busy while i was there. but people were very friendly.

Varied distances, both hilly and wooded terrain and ski slopes provide wind tunnels that make things interesting, 24 holes, easy to navigate, nice tees and holes. Overall amazing course! Easily my favorite course thus far!

Usually pretty busy. Might be easy to lose a disc if you're not too careful (Especially on the 600' hole! Found my disc somewhere in Africa...)

Simply amazing. If you disc in Northern Michigan you have no reason to not have played this course.

Good elevation changes and a lot of woods. Placed on an old ski resort, Hickory gives a good challenge to just about any type of disc golfer out there. One of my favorite Northern courses played.

I live three and a half hours away.

Lots of variety, and elevation changes. The first eight holes are layed out in the hardwoods. The fairways are tight, some are uphill, and will challenge even the most experienced throwers. Holes nine through thirteen give you a little more room to work your discs with. There are still trees that come into play, just not as heavy as the first eight holes. Fourteen through eighteen put you back in the trees, where you'll navigate some less than 200ft holes and some greater than 300ft holes. Nineteen though twenty-one you are throwing downhill and trying to avoid losing a disc or two. The city cut down two large trees on nineteen because they were in the way for the ski season, this changes the hole for anyone whos ever played it before. The views from the top are great. Twenty-two through twenty four things level out but distance and trees are still factors. There are right and left turning holes so having a decent backhand and forehand will pay off. All teepads are large, cement and well built. Signs are on everyhole, although graffti and ace signinatures are strating to cover some of them. Definitely worth the drive if your in the area.

Its long, so on a hot summer day you'll need water and good shoes. Plan on at least two hours to play, possible more depending on how large your group is and how busy it is. Can get crowded with teenagers, who sometimes are there just to party and goof around.

Best in the area. This course has it all, anyone in Michigan should come to Traverse City and play the Mighty Hickory!

The beauty of this course is unmatched. You need all shots to be succesfull at this course.. its technical.. its long... elevation challenges your touch

Tee pads at times arent the best and signage to get around the coures could be more user friendly

Just a great Northern Michigan Course

This course is great!! Every hole is completely different with a variety of different challenges. There are tight shots through wooded areas, shots up hill and down hill, dog legs and long distances drives. The few shorter holes you have to be very accurate, on either side of the fairway there is a hill that if you miss the mark your disc will go rolling down the hill. There are some holes where you tee off from high elevation giving you confidence in your drive. Along with the short holes there are longer holes ranging from 400 to 600 ft, and dog leg hole that make you throw up hill. As I said every hole is different, making this a fun and challenging course for any skill level.

The course is very clean and well laid out. The tee boxes are cement or wood and are in prime condition. Every hole has a sigh with hole's layout, distance and par. There were arrows to direct you to the next hole if it wasn't perfectly clear.

This course has a lot of elevation changes because it is built on a ski hill. Make sure to wear good shoes and bring plenty of water. This is a 24 hole course and you will be doing most of your walking up hill to get to the elevated tee boxes. I didn't find any paper score cards or maps. With a map it would be easier to know where to go, but there is arrows to the next tee box so it is not a big deal. They course is not ideal for beginners; some of the holes can get frustrating if you can't drive or control the disc.

I may be kind of bias because this is the course where I learned how to play disc golf. The best hole on this course is hole 19. It is 620 ft par 5 downhill. At the tee box is a beautiful view of Traverse City and the water. If you can throw it just right you could get a 2 on this hole. It makes you feel powerful to throw a disc 600 ft, even if it is downhill.
This course should be ranked at least at 4 discs, but because the epic hole 19, and I have so much history with this course I think this course is one of the best of bests.

Incredible natural beauty. Immensely challenging and fun. 24 holes, with every kind of variety you can think of.

In the old days this course had one flaw, which was the dirt holes they used as tee pads. Thankfully, those days are past and they've got concrete tee pads everywhere, making this course just about flawless.

The only bad thing is that it's a four hour drive from my house. If I lived closer, I would play it constantly.

Do not miss out on this course. If you are anywhere in the state of Michigan, do yourself a favor and play this course.

There is a huge amount of diversity at Hickory but it definitely favors big arms. There are some beautiful holes, especially on the back. I think it's hole 17 that offers a panorama of Traverse City and Grand Traverse Bay and it's a 600' + bomb down a ski hill with woods on either side. There are wide open holes in fields and some really technical holes through the trees. There's a really dedicated group of people that have gotten some nice concrete tees put in on a lot of the holes and have spent time and money on really nice tee signs. There are a number of events over the summer and there is plenty of room to park. This course will have you using every disc in your bag and every throw you've got. Also, if you can't fit all 24 in, there's a few convenient places to cut off the back of the course.

It's one of the biggest courses in the area and it attracts a lot of junior high and high school kids. Not a bad thing on its own but it becomes a problem when they're playing in packs of 10 and 12. If you want to play this course in the summer and you've got the time, get there early. Also, it's a hike; you play much of the back side up a hill. It isn't the greatest course for beginners.

Bring water, especially in the summer. The course is pretty isolated once you start hiking back and there's a lot of uphill walking. There's a Party Store called Tilley's right at the beginning of Randolph (the road Hickory is on) that has really decent plastic and good drinks. They can also let you know about any events as all the guys that work there seem to play. If you've got them, wear hiking boots as there is a lot of uneven ground.