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Hill Top DGC reviews
13
0
Not just a Flip City warm up!
Reviewed:
Played on:Jun 18, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
Hill Top DGC is located on private property near Hesperia, MI. It's only about a 10 minute drive from the famous Flip City. Several signs have been put up at Flip City within the past couple of years encouraging people to come play Hill Top. It had already been on my personal radar for a while, and on a hot June Sunday afternoon I finally got a chance to come check it out.
Hill Top DGC has 24 holes. There is a main 18-hole layout, plus four optional holes after #10 and two more after #11. The distances are mostly shorter than 300', but the lack of distance is largely made up for by the degree of technical challenge. The course plays mostly in the woods, so many fairways are pretty tight - but there weren't any that I judged as unfairly so. There was a nice variety of fairway shapes sprinkled in throughout the course, and I pulled most of my bag out at least once. Several semi-open holes are present in the back of the course to mix things up as well.
The property is on rolling terrain, and the elevation changes are used to create some nice uphill and downhill challenges. I enjoyed hole 10B, which is only 150' but plays uphill in the woods with clear LH and RH lines to a raised basket. The finishing hole 18 was another fun toss, playing 227' down the steepest hill on the course with a sharp right turn at the bottom. I felt compelled to throw RHFH here, which is something I do rarely (and do well even more rarely). On this occasion, I managed to keep it on the fairway and land a 25'-30' putt to end my round with a birdie.
The rough is thin on the ground, making disc loss highly unlikely.
The baskets are MVP Black Hole Gravity models, painted yellow. The exception to this is the last hole, which for some reason has a red painted one instead. They are all in great shape though.
The tee pads are concrete and looked pretty new. They are smallish but I thought more than adequate for this course. The tees are also marked by blue painted stones in front of the pads. It looked like some, if not all, holes also had short Red and maybe medium White tees. However, these extra pads were natural with only (sometimes) the painted stones to mark them. Realistically, the vast majority of players will be just fine with the Blue tees here.
The tee signs are wood carved and only at the main Blue tees. They are pretty basic, but do the job. Several holes have Mandos, and these are clearly indicated both on the tee signs and on the tree trunks themselves. A few holes also had flagged OB areas.
Navigational signage is very good here. Arrows are nailed to trees wherever needed, and the owner(s) did a very good job of nailing them so that they EXACTLY point towards the next tee. If you are at all uncertain about navigation, follow the arrow exactly and the tee will be there. There are extra arrows after holes 10 and 11 pointing towards the extra holes - and not - so that you won't miss them and can easily choose to play or skip.
There is a practice basket and porta potty near the first tee/parking lot. There are benches at most tees, and a couple of trash cans scattered around the course.
Hill Top DGC has 24 holes. There is a main 18-hole layout, plus four optional holes after #10 and two more after #11. The distances are mostly shorter than 300', but the lack of distance is largely made up for by the degree of technical challenge. The course plays mostly in the woods, so many fairways are pretty tight - but there weren't any that I judged as unfairly so. There was a nice variety of fairway shapes sprinkled in throughout the course, and I pulled most of my bag out at least once. Several semi-open holes are present in the back of the course to mix things up as well.
The property is on rolling terrain, and the elevation changes are used to create some nice uphill and downhill challenges. I enjoyed hole 10B, which is only 150' but plays uphill in the woods with clear LH and RH lines to a raised basket. The finishing hole 18 was another fun toss, playing 227' down the steepest hill on the course with a sharp right turn at the bottom. I felt compelled to throw RHFH here, which is something I do rarely (and do well even more rarely). On this occasion, I managed to keep it on the fairway and land a 25'-30' putt to end my round with a birdie.
The rough is thin on the ground, making disc loss highly unlikely.
The baskets are MVP Black Hole Gravity models, painted yellow. The exception to this is the last hole, which for some reason has a red painted one instead. They are all in great shape though.
The tee pads are concrete and looked pretty new. They are smallish but I thought more than adequate for this course. The tees are also marked by blue painted stones in front of the pads. It looked like some, if not all, holes also had short Red and maybe medium White tees. However, these extra pads were natural with only (sometimes) the painted stones to mark them. Realistically, the vast majority of players will be just fine with the Blue tees here.
The tee signs are wood carved and only at the main Blue tees. They are pretty basic, but do the job. Several holes have Mandos, and these are clearly indicated both on the tee signs and on the tree trunks themselves. A few holes also had flagged OB areas.
Navigational signage is very good here. Arrows are nailed to trees wherever needed, and the owner(s) did a very good job of nailing them so that they EXACTLY point towards the next tee. If you are at all uncertain about navigation, follow the arrow exactly and the tee will be there. There are extra arrows after holes 10 and 11 pointing towards the extra holes - and not - so that you won't miss them and can easily choose to play or skip.
There is a practice basket and porta potty near the first tee/parking lot. There are benches at most tees, and a couple of trash cans scattered around the course.
Cons:
The biggest Cons I have here are honestly just that the course is not very memorable, and definitely on the shorter side overall. If you like airing it out and have a big arm, you probably won't enjoy playing here very much. Besides one 534' par 4, there is only one other hole over 355'. Overall, only seven holes break 300'.
Some tee pads are a little bit too close to other baskets/fairways for my liking. The mandos help with this, but I think it could still be problematic if the course ever got busy.
Holes 10A through 10D looked to be the newest on the course, and these four only had natural tee pads. I believe 10A also had a more rudimentary tee sign. I assume upgrades for these holes are coming in the future.
There is a large course sign near the parking lot/first tee, but no course map. Although navigation is easy, a map would still be nice.
Some tee pads are a little bit too close to other baskets/fairways for my liking. The mandos help with this, but I think it could still be problematic if the course ever got busy.
Holes 10A through 10D looked to be the newest on the course, and these four only had natural tee pads. I believe 10A also had a more rudimentary tee sign. I assume upgrades for these holes are coming in the future.
There is a large course sign near the parking lot/first tee, but no course map. Although navigation is easy, a map would still be nice.
Other Thoughts:
There is a $5/day pay to play fee. Just like at Flip City, it's cash only and payable in a collection box near the first tee. Also like Flip, even though this course is private you can just show up and play anytime during daylight hours - no need to call ahead.
Since this course is so close to Flip and that's likely why you are reading this review, I feel that ending with a brief comparison is appropriate. This course is honestly not that much easier than Flip (which as I have said, is itself not a terribly difficult course). Flip mostly plays more on the technical side, and Hill Top definitely does too. Hill Top is generally tighter, shorter, and less memorable - but better signed.
For me, the sum of all this is an enjoyable course that I plan on returning to. Hill Top DGC isn't just a good warm up for/cool down from Flip, but a solid course in its own right. I would recommend it if you are in the area!
Since this course is so close to Flip and that's likely why you are reading this review, I feel that ending with a brief comparison is appropriate. This course is honestly not that much easier than Flip (which as I have said, is itself not a terribly difficult course). Flip mostly plays more on the technical side, and Hill Top definitely does too. Hill Top is generally tighter, shorter, and less memorable - but better signed.
For me, the sum of all this is an enjoyable course that I plan on returning to. Hill Top DGC isn't just a good warm up for/cool down from Flip, but a solid course in its own right. I would recommend it if you are in the area!
2
4
SteveHultquist
Experience:
30 years
489 played
4 reviews
Nice da da w,-‐# a drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Apr 16, 2022
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
Lost of variety and fun shots mixed with an above average amount of challenge
Cons:
Not really any cons that are abrasive.
Other Thoughts:
Good use of land and close to my home are definitely a positive. Upgraded tee signs would push the rating to a 3.5
