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Peter Banta Memorial DGC reviews
14
0
Fun 9-hole camp course in the middle of nowhere
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 24, 2022
Played the course:once
Pros:
Peter Banta Memorial DGC is a 9-holer that plays through the Hiawatha Youth Bible Camp. The camp is located on a secluded lake in the woods about 45 minutes west of Sault Ste. Marie, MI.
The variety of disc golf here is surprisingly good for a 9-hole course in the middle of nowhere. There are a couple of wide open holes, a couple of holes with moderately wide fairways, and a couple of thickly wooded holes. Some of the open holes have OB to contend with. The tighter holes require some shot shaping to score well. I thought that the fairway shapes favored my RHBH throwing style overall, but it didn't seem too egregious. The finishing hole 9 has two distinct lines to the basket.
Elevation and water come into play on a couple of holes each. Hole 2 is a fun 300' downhill throw with the lake lurking behind the basket. Hole 3 plays right along a beach on the lake - the lake defines the left side of the fairway. Hole 4 is only 185' but slopes upward in tight woods. The distances range from that 185' up to 524', with three par 4s mixed in. Some (all?) of the holes also had short tee pads to make things easier on campers and newer DG'ers.
The course infrastructure here is mostly quite good. The beginning of the course is marked by a large kiosk that includes a high-quality map of the course (on the back of an event notice board for the camp). Underneath this is a large wooden box with scorecards available, plus a lost disc bin. The baskets are MVP Black Hole models in great condition with salmon colored bands and visibility flags on top. The tee signs are large and beautiful, using the same design language as the kiosk map. They have all of the information you might want to see. High quality "Next Tee" signs are installed where needed.
The variety of disc golf here is surprisingly good for a 9-hole course in the middle of nowhere. There are a couple of wide open holes, a couple of holes with moderately wide fairways, and a couple of thickly wooded holes. Some of the open holes have OB to contend with. The tighter holes require some shot shaping to score well. I thought that the fairway shapes favored my RHBH throwing style overall, but it didn't seem too egregious. The finishing hole 9 has two distinct lines to the basket.
Elevation and water come into play on a couple of holes each. Hole 2 is a fun 300' downhill throw with the lake lurking behind the basket. Hole 3 plays right along a beach on the lake - the lake defines the left side of the fairway. Hole 4 is only 185' but slopes upward in tight woods. The distances range from that 185' up to 524', with three par 4s mixed in. Some (all?) of the holes also had short tee pads to make things easier on campers and newer DG'ers.
The course infrastructure here is mostly quite good. The beginning of the course is marked by a large kiosk that includes a high-quality map of the course (on the back of an event notice board for the camp). Underneath this is a large wooden box with scorecards available, plus a lost disc bin. The baskets are MVP Black Hole models in great condition with salmon colored bands and visibility flags on top. The tee signs are large and beautiful, using the same design language as the kiosk map. They have all of the information you might want to see. High quality "Next Tee" signs are installed where needed.
Cons:
Quite a few potential safety concerns here.
- Hole 1 plays along the camp road, which is a dirt road only used by people at the camp but could be busy during camping season.
- Hole 2 plays through what looks like a camp common area, and hole 3's teepad is definitely in the firing line.
- Holes 7 and 8 are pretty close together, and play through another area likely in use during summer camp season.
- Hole 9's tee pad is right next to Hole 8's basket.
- The short walk back to your car after hole 9 routes around a blind corner through hole 1's firing line.
Granted, none of this was an issue when I played because I saw zero other disc golfers and only two non-DGers (apparently going on a hike together). Given the remoteness of this course, if you visit during the shoulder/off season your experience will likely be similar. But I would think the course is pretty much unplayable when summer camp is in session. The course representative who I contacted basically said as much, and recommended avoiding the course during the months of July and August. At the very least, if you try to visit during those months be prepared to skip several of the holes.
The tee pads could be improved. The first three are concrete and quite nice, but the remaining ones are currently lumpy pieces of carpet (as of my visit in late September 2022). Hopefully concrete tees are planned for the remaining holes. The short tees mentioned previously were marked only by small red posts in the ground (no signage or pad).
A couple of extras could be added like practice basket(s), more benches and trash cans at tees, and a porta potty.
- Hole 1 plays along the camp road, which is a dirt road only used by people at the camp but could be busy during camping season.
- Hole 2 plays through what looks like a camp common area, and hole 3's teepad is definitely in the firing line.
- Holes 7 and 8 are pretty close together, and play through another area likely in use during summer camp season.
- Hole 9's tee pad is right next to Hole 8's basket.
- The short walk back to your car after hole 9 routes around a blind corner through hole 1's firing line.
Granted, none of this was an issue when I played because I saw zero other disc golfers and only two non-DGers (apparently going on a hike together). Given the remoteness of this course, if you visit during the shoulder/off season your experience will likely be similar. But I would think the course is pretty much unplayable when summer camp is in session. The course representative who I contacted basically said as much, and recommended avoiding the course during the months of July and August. At the very least, if you try to visit during those months be prepared to skip several of the holes.
The tee pads could be improved. The first three are concrete and quite nice, but the remaining ones are currently lumpy pieces of carpet (as of my visit in late September 2022). Hopefully concrete tees are planned for the remaining holes. The short tees mentioned previously were marked only by small red posts in the ground (no signage or pad).
A couple of extras could be added like practice basket(s), more benches and trash cans at tees, and a porta potty.
Other Thoughts:
When I visited the course, a large new building was under construction. The finished building will not be near enough to the course to cause any issues - but the construction area was encroaching on the left side of hole 4, and firmly in the fairway of hole 5. If construction personnel were on site, these holes might have to be skipped.
There is not a dedicated parking lot for the course - just pull off the dirt road near the kiosk.
The course is private and was once delisted here on DGCR, but camp management has changed their minds and opened it to the public (per the course representative I contacted). Please respect the course and camp rules while on site.
Overall, PBMDGC felt like a breath of fresh air after playing the two "courses" in Sault Ste. Marie earlier the same day. I was between 2.0 and 2.5 rating for this one, and decided to round up. With the concrete pads all in and a couple relocated away from the previous hole, this is a solid 2.5 for sure. The course still has some obvious issues, and may not even be available at the time of year you are hoping to play it. But if you are able to play all 9 holes, IMO this is honestly the best disc golf option east of Superior Pines in the UP. It's definitely the best if you are looking for a beginner-friendly experience.
There is not a dedicated parking lot for the course - just pull off the dirt road near the kiosk.
The course is private and was once delisted here on DGCR, but camp management has changed their minds and opened it to the public (per the course representative I contacted). Please respect the course and camp rules while on site.
Overall, PBMDGC felt like a breath of fresh air after playing the two "courses" in Sault Ste. Marie earlier the same day. I was between 2.0 and 2.5 rating for this one, and decided to round up. With the concrete pads all in and a couple relocated away from the previous hole, this is a solid 2.5 for sure. The course still has some obvious issues, and may not even be available at the time of year you are hoping to play it. But if you are able to play all 9 holes, IMO this is honestly the best disc golf option east of Superior Pines in the UP. It's definitely the best if you are looking for a beginner-friendly experience.
