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JP Memorial Golf Course reviews
8
0
The UP's first disc golf course on a ball golf course!
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Aug 15, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
JP Memorial is a facility in the mid-eastern portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula that offers 9 holes of ball golf, 9 holes of disc golf, and pizza.
As with many disc golf courses on ball golf courses, the main DG challenge here is airing out long enough distance throws on the mostly open terrain. According to UDisc, the distances here range from about 250' to 500' - with most holes closer to the 400'-500' end (note that as of this writing, one hole is incorrectly shown at 92' on UDisc - this one is probably actually more like 400'). Holes 1 and 6-9 are in a very open area with only a handful of trees around. Holes 2-5 are shorter and have tighter woods off in the rough, but the fairways are still quite wide by disc golf standards.
The course does also have a couple of water hazards to work around. Some of these were pretty dried up when I visited in mid August, but the marsh areas off to the left on #2 and to the right on #5 are likely wet year-round.
The baskets are MVP Black Hole Pro portable models. These seemed OK for the most part, and were mounted well.
There are ball golf scorecards available in the clubhouse. These don't have any info specific to disc golf (which would be nice), but they do at least show a map of the ball golf course. Unlike the couple of other disc golf courses I have played on ball golf courses, this one shares holes 1:1. So for example, there are the Blue, White, and Red ball golf tees for hole 1. Then the disc golf tee area for hole 1 is indicated by the same style markers, but in Green color and a little bit further up. The disc golf baskets are each located near, but obviously not on, the ball golf greens for the same hole. On later holes the disc golf tee marker indicators are gold instead of green. So the ball golf map is somewhat helpful for navigational purposes - just follow the ball golf course and look for green or gold tee markers to find the next disc golf hole. There are trash cans at each Blue ball golf tee, and a restroom in the clubhouse.
As with many disc golf courses on ball golf courses, the main DG challenge here is airing out long enough distance throws on the mostly open terrain. According to UDisc, the distances here range from about 250' to 500' - with most holes closer to the 400'-500' end (note that as of this writing, one hole is incorrectly shown at 92' on UDisc - this one is probably actually more like 400'). Holes 1 and 6-9 are in a very open area with only a handful of trees around. Holes 2-5 are shorter and have tighter woods off in the rough, but the fairways are still quite wide by disc golf standards.
The course does also have a couple of water hazards to work around. Some of these were pretty dried up when I visited in mid August, but the marsh areas off to the left on #2 and to the right on #5 are likely wet year-round.
The baskets are MVP Black Hole Pro portable models. These seemed OK for the most part, and were mounted well.
There are ball golf scorecards available in the clubhouse. These don't have any info specific to disc golf (which would be nice), but they do at least show a map of the ball golf course. Unlike the couple of other disc golf courses I have played on ball golf courses, this one shares holes 1:1. So for example, there are the Blue, White, and Red ball golf tees for hole 1. Then the disc golf tee area for hole 1 is indicated by the same style markers, but in Green color and a little bit further up. The disc golf baskets are each located near, but obviously not on, the ball golf greens for the same hole. On later holes the disc golf tee marker indicators are gold instead of green. So the ball golf map is somewhat helpful for navigational purposes - just follow the ball golf course and look for green or gold tee markers to find the next disc golf hole. There are trash cans at each Blue ball golf tee, and a restroom in the clubhouse.
Cons:
The course is pretty much flat, and mostly wide open. Even by "disc golf on ball golf course" standards, there are very few obstacles to work around here. The designers definitely could have done more to position the baskets and tee areas differently and add more disc golf challenge.
That said, if you really shank a drive on holes 2-4 the rough off of the ball golf fairways here is VERY rough and wild. Picture a thicket of 15'-20' tall skinny tree trunks. You want to make sure you stay out of there, 100%.
There is an electric fence that could come into play on the finishing hole. It is well signed and the hole angles away from it, so only a minor concern.
Natural tee pads with no signage other than the green/gold markers. No benches or practice baskets.
That said, if you really shank a drive on holes 2-4 the rough off of the ball golf fairways here is VERY rough and wild. Picture a thicket of 15'-20' tall skinny tree trunks. You want to make sure you stay out of there, 100%.
There is an electric fence that could come into play on the finishing hole. It is well signed and the hole angles away from it, so only a minor concern.
Natural tee pads with no signage other than the green/gold markers. No benches or practice baskets.
Other Thoughts:
This course costs $2/round to play (check in at the clubhouse prior to playing). Make sure you plan your visit when the facility is open. It seemed to be a family-owned business, and the owners were very kind.
Even though I'm rating it lower, I enjoyed playing here more than the other two disc golf courses I have played on ball golf courses. This is a very peaceful, secluded place that I doubt ever gets very busy for disc golf OR ball golf. In fact, the pizza business seemed to be the primary moneymaker here - at least on the Tuesday night I visited. Despite the gorgeous weather I was the only person out on the course, but the stream of people stopping by to pick up their pizza orders seemed fairly steady. I did enjoy my own pizza, which I ordered prior to beginning my round and picked up at the end.
As stated above, I think more could be done here fairly easily to make the disc golf course more interesting. But even as is, there aren't many courses around here that offer a chance to air out drives - or many courses in general. If you are in the area and have already checked out Superior Pines, it's worth the $2 to throw a round here - especially if you are also hungry for some pizza!
Even though I'm rating it lower, I enjoyed playing here more than the other two disc golf courses I have played on ball golf courses. This is a very peaceful, secluded place that I doubt ever gets very busy for disc golf OR ball golf. In fact, the pizza business seemed to be the primary moneymaker here - at least on the Tuesday night I visited. Despite the gorgeous weather I was the only person out on the course, but the stream of people stopping by to pick up their pizza orders seemed fairly steady. I did enjoy my own pizza, which I ordered prior to beginning my round and picked up at the end.
As stated above, I think more could be done here fairly easily to make the disc golf course more interesting. But even as is, there aren't many courses around here that offer a chance to air out drives - or many courses in general. If you are in the area and have already checked out Superior Pines, it's worth the $2 to throw a round here - especially if you are also hungry for some pizza!
