Manitowoc, WI

Silver Creek Park

4.135(based on 52 reviews)
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4 0
Johnsondere
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.1 months 136 played 83 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A Wisconsin Favorite! drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 17, 2022 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- 36 Holes to be played!
- Plenty of different layouts.
- Tee Pads and Baskets are fantastic.
- Plenty of parking space.
- 2 tee pads for every hole with a 3rd (Champ tee pad) on a few.
- Very well maintained course.
- Beautiful views along Lake Michigan.

Cons:

- Some holes are honestly fillers (especially the prairie holes on the "back 18")
- Can get pretty busy from time to time.

Other Thoughts:

One of my top 5 courses of all time! It's a great course for all skill levels. Location of a well run tournament every year - Silver Cup!
Highly recommend checking out Silver Creek!
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18 0
DFrah
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 5.9 years 229 played 227 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Memorable disc golf right on Lake Michigan! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 24, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

Silver Creek Park is located on the south side of Manitowoc, WI. It occupies a large, hilly piece of land right on the shores of Lake Michigan. The park is home to a whopping 36 holes of disc golf.

This is a very unique course with at least two signature holes, and several more that are memorable. I have to start with hole 26. It plays down a slight incline for maybe 250'-300' (depending on tee) and then curls to the left, where there is what looks like a man-made platform that is maybe 100' x 100' jutting out into Lake Michigan. The basket is on a raised pedestal made to look like a lighthouse, near the center of the platform. This is without question one of the coolest individual holes I have ever played.

The lighthouse hole kind of overshadows hole 14, which would be an impressive signature hole on most courses. On this hole you tee off from the top of what looks like a sledding hill. Your drive will sail down the hill and across a flat open field that might be 300' or so wide. Then there is another downward incline with a few old growth trees, and 50' or so further to the basket. The course's namesake creek lurks behind and to the left of the basket.

The creek comes into play on many other holes as well. According to the hole info it's only #1-5, but I thought there were a few more in the #15-#19 range. I think for the most part the creek is probably shallow enough that you could find your discs in it, but I'm saying this after playing in early fall. It might be tougher in the springtime.

There is lots of elevation change here as well. Besides #14, several other holes have extreme uphill/downhill change, risk/reward baskets, or both. Hole 17 is only 170' but plays up a steep hill with the basket on top of a wall. Hit the wall and your disc might roll most of the way back down to the tee.

The variety of holes here is outstanding. Even with 36 holes it doesn't get boring. There are short tightly wooded holes by the creek. There are several more open holes that have only a few trees and rolling terrain to contend with. And plenty more in between. Holes 27-32 or so play through a meadow area that has a little bit different feel from the rest of the park. Holes 21-26 or so play through a sandy wooded area right on Lake Michigan. Overall there seemed to be a good mix of left-turning, right-turning, and straight shots. I only carry a small disc bag, but I'm pretty sure I used each disc in it on at least one occasion.

The baskets are Mach X models. Some are painted red and some are unpainted. All are in good condition. There are multiple pins and pin locations for many holes, but on this course I'm calling that a Con as it stands today - see below.

Similarly, the teepads are all concrete and in good shape. There are either two or three pads on each hole. As with the baskets this will be discussed more in Cons. There was generally one bench per hole, which was nice.

I liked the Next Tee signs. They appear in many places throughout the course and point towards the next tee with an identifying hole number. These signs also include a small map of the entire course with a "You Are Here" marking. I thought this was a really nice touch, and made the course even easier to navigate. A couple of Mandos on the course are also well marked.

There is a large parking lot with a fieldhouse at the back side. I think the fieldhouse is a rentable event space, but there are flush toilets around the right side of it that you can use. A couple of porta potties are also strategically located around the course. A kiosk at the front of the lot has a large, detailed course map.

Cons:

The multiple pin locations/multiple tee pads are not executed well here. Some holes have only a red painted basket. I think a couple holes only had an unpainted basket. Many holes had two baskets. Some of the holes with only one basket, had a mount in the ground to install another basket but only that. There was never any indication as to which pin location(s) were currently in place - the only way to tell was to walk up from the tee and check.

On the tee side of things, some of the pads change the hole significantly but others just make it 25'-50' shorter or longer. There were a couple holes where three pads were just located one in front of the other. Strong tee signs could clarify things regarding the pads and baskets, but the current ones here are just OK. They have a rough sketch of a flight line and the distance and par for each hole. Some of them also have a photo of the hole, but it's not consistent. Some of them show alternate pin location(s) and the additional distance that tacks on, but others did not. There was no mention of water in play on several holes where water was in play. There was generally only one tee sign per hole, located either at what I deemed the "main" tee pad, or somewhere out of the way between two of the pads. Also, as of this writing some of the holes had other tee signs in a completely different style that appeared to be for an event. I think there is a tournament taking place at the course next weekend so maybe these extra signs (and some of the baskets) were put in place for that. I think the tournament may not be using all 36 holes. Interestingly, some of the event signs that were at the same tee pads as the other signs had different distances listed.

Anyway, as you can probably tell the end result of all this is confusion. I tried to play from the "main" tee pad on each hole (the one with the sign) to the red baskets, but there were definitely a few holes where I had to deviate. I hope that when there isn't an upcoming tournament, things make a little more sense...but I am certain it would be a Con nonetheless.

There were a couple places where the layout gets a bit funky and I would have appreciated a couple more Next Tee signs. I accidentally skipped holes 10 and 11 initially because I saw hole 12's tee pad near hole 9's basket.

There is a fairly long walk to hole 1 from the parking lot, and it crosses straight through the bomber hole 14's fairway. It's all line-of-sight but I still don't like this at all. A couple holes also play pretty close to (along) the park drive, and a couple holes are pretty close together like 15-16 and 19-20.

From the "main" tees there are a lot of sub-200' holes. I feel like some of these should be lengthened a bit.

I thought a couple of the wooded holes by the creek were too tight, just poke and hope.

I don't think there is a practice basket. There is one in the field next to the parking lot, but I think that is supposed to be one of the alternate pin locations for hole 36.

Nitpicking, but there are only a couple of trash cans around the course.

Other Thoughts:

There is lots of wildlife in the area. During my round I saw two rabbits, three garter snakes, and countless other birds and small mammals. I'm not going to pretend to like snakes, but the others added to the course aesthetic for me.

It might be obvious, but with 36 holes on hilly terrain this course is a marathon and quite a workout. It took me 2 1/2 hours to play a solo round, and I didn't really have to wait for any other groups. Plan accordingly.

I feel that the pars here are extremely generous. I was using DGCR to track my round and at first I thought the hole info had to be incorrect, but upon review it looked like what is here mostly is close to what is on the tee signs. I threw 3 eagles on holes 10, 13, and 33 (which I think might be my first 3 eagles ever) and finished the entire round -1 from the previously mentioned "main" tees. It felt great, but also a little too easy.

I enjoyed my round here immensely, but I left a little frustrated because I feel that the course has the potential to be even better. Start with holes 14 and 26 from the current layout. Combine some of the other holes to lengthen them a bit, improve the flow, and eliminate safety issues. Keep two teepads per hole, and install exactly two permanent baskets on each as well (no more, no less). Add new signs at each tee and color code everything like at Rollin Ridge or Wilderness. Some of the holes are probably great as is, just need to be signed better. Give me a few more interesting throws right on Lake Michigan. Maybe in the end there are only 24 holes or even 18 after the redesign, but with better executed multiple layouts you're really still at 36...or more. Between Lake Michigan, the creek, and all the elevation, the land is absolutely here for a 5.0 course...but the design needs to be rethought some to reach that point.

As it stands today, I wouldn't call this course a destination but it's definitely worth playing if you are anywhere near the area. It was still one of my favorite courses played out of twenty-one different ones that I visited on a recent trip through Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I am going to be dreaming about that lighthouse hole!
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2 1
Peltier
Experience: 29 played 16 reviews
4.00 star(s)

excellent variety of terrain, elevation, distance, and difficulty 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 11, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

2-3 tee boxes per hole. Rotating basket placements, looks like 2-3 per hole. Well maintained. Lighthouse hole and top of the world are awesome. Cement tee boxes. Mach X baskets. 36 holes very spread out. Relatively easy to navigate due to signage.

Cons:

A couple holes are muddy. Some signage is misleading. Par on a couple holes is screwy.

Other Thoughts:

Excellent 36 hole course, a gem in the area. Certainly replay worthy.
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13 0
MrFrosty
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 31.1 years 764 played 387 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Plenty of Enjoyable Disc Golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 25, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Bigger is not always better , but then again , I have never played a course that had 36 holes on it . Many of these also have multiple pin placement and 2 sets of tees . in the span of these 36 holes , you will face righty/lefty pin placements , heavily wooded to open throws , lots of elevation , decent amounts of length on the long tees . This course will not blow you away at every tee , but you will like a lot of it . Holes to remember are #14 ( ? ) a top of the world shot , and what is now one of my top holes of all time , #26 , which is a dogleg left that goes down an embankment and on a grassy square that has an elevated basket that sits on top of a miniature replica of a lighthouse . With the waves of Lake Michigan hitting against the cement guarding this square , it reminds you of sounds of the beach . Plenty of holes to keep you interested , and the holes come around to the parking lot enough that you can bail if you need to . Spacious parking loit , the cement tee pads are plenty long and in good shape , good solid mach baskets . Plan to be here for a few hours , but it's worth it . The course is manicured and clean .

Cons:

First and most important con : Navigation . Even with a map , which was still hard to follow , I had to backtrack on holes . I went from 6 to 9 and threw 9 before realizing that I was supposed to cut through the woods behind the 2nd pin placement for holes 7 & 8 . Maybe put signs up , or at least colored tape on the bottom of the basket to point to the next tee . Other parts of the course were also confusing . The rough here is extremely thick . I made a few midrange throws just to keep my disc in the fairway . You could spend a lot of time looking for wayward discs . I also had to have a local point me to the first hole , which is down the tree line into a small opening into the woods at about 75 yards from the parking lot

Other Thoughts:

If I lived within 25 miles of this course , I would play it all the time .Plenty of fun factor with this course and challenging enough to hone your game along with it . There is a donation slot near the first hole . They don't pressure you into putting money in it , but I feel that the money is going to the upkeep of the course , so put some singles or a 5 in it . A definite play if you are in the Manitowoc area .
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3 1
Freebird
Experience: 15.9 years 19 played 19 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great course in a nice park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 19, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Multiple tees and basket placements add variety and made me wish I lived closer. Great mix of terrain and obstacles, wooded, right, left, up, down. Clean and well-kept, and the other players we met were friendly.

Cons:

I have this gripe about a lot of courses, this is another one where the basket is only a couple feet from the (extreme) rough, at least in the back placements where they were when we played. The signage was good and the navigation issues seem to have been mostly corrected, but we were confused by some of the distances - the short-long differential was 100+ feet and sure didn't look like it, especially since the back pin placements were separately noted with the extra distance they added. The "Fieldhouse" was locked, and all we could find for restrooms was two porta potties, one on each 18. There were a lot of wet, muddy spots around the course, including a couple hillsides where springs must seep out.

Other Thoughts:

We were vacationing in the area and played this course, the first day we only had time to play the first 9, then we came back and played the 36. Blind shots with rough/creek/Lake Michigan behind the basket can force even the best players to lay up or risk a lost disc, so a shorter player like me feels somewhat competitive. Whoever made the pars here helped with that, also, a good player should play almost everything at least one under. I really do wish I lived closer, I'd play this course often, and will make a point to come out next time I'm in the area.
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10 0
SneakyJedi
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.9 years 143 played 83 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Disc Golf Marathon 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 25, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

- 36 holes of varied disc gold with plenty of elevation and line shapes and distances.

- Multiple concrete tee pads on most holes.

- Baskets are in good repair and catch well, multiple pin positions on many holes.

- Located in a clean, well maintained park.

Cons:

- The new holes have caused navigation to be even more of an issue than it may previously have been.

- 36 holes is overly long. A split into two separate courses, or an easy way play 9/18/27 holes at a time would be nice.

- Long grass and thick rough in many places pose a risk of lost plastic.

Other Thoughts:

At 36 holes, Silver Creek Park is a monster of a disc golf course. Even from the short tees, you will be out here for a long time if you plan to putt out at every basket. Fortunately, it will be several hours well spent if you embark upon this endeavor, as the quality of golf here is some of the best in the Midwest. It is very hard to maintain a constant level of high quality golf over 36-holes. Silver Creek has a couple of holes that could be considered filler, or that simply do not stand up to the quality of many others, but I never felt bored during my round, and I don't think I ever went more than 2 holes without excited about a shot.

There is some spectacular elevation in play here (Holes 6, 8, 14, 17, 18 to name a few) and I'd say most fairways have at least some manner of rolling terrain if not an exceptional uphill or downhill shot. The eponymous creek comes into play on a handful of holes, but usually isn't much of a threat, probably could have been used a little better. There is a good mix of tighter fairways that force lines, and more open shots with mature trees providing obstacles. The signature lighthouse hole with Lake Michigan as a backdrop really is quite fantastic.

A number of the newest holes were among my favorites (including the incredibly uphill 17, with wooden steps courtesy of local boy scouts) but routing really needs to be improved to reflect the new layout. My 4-some had trouble on multiple locations, including going from 14 to (new) 15 and 18 to 19 (old 15). The holes after 14 have been re-numbered, and in many places the signage directing you to the next hole is incorrect. It did seem like all the tee-signs had the new numbers taped on, and number on baskets seemed correct. While my group eventually found where we were supposed to go without too much trouble, there was definitely a good deal of confusion. Updated signage would help a lot.

The rough can be really thick here, and with many of the holes featuring blind or semi-blind shots to the basket, the risk of lost plastic is very real. My group came up on a capable looking single player no fewer than 5 times during the round after he had spent long periods of time looking for a lost disc. Many of his shots weren't really bad at all, just hard to spot. We spent our fair share of time looking as well, and by the end of our 36-hole marathon, were playing many of the holes from the short position, just to reduce the chance of lost discs. A few more benches would also be helpful, especially on such a long course.

Silver Creek Park offers some truly great disc golf. Multiple pin positions and tee pads offer variety and good challenge for multiple skill levels, and there are a ton of really fun holes. I'm not sure it's feasible, but a split into two 18-hole loops with clear and helpful signage would, I think, certainly be an improvement. This is a truly great disc golf experience, and pairs very well with Rollin Ridge 30 min away for an absolutely stellar day. Just be prepared with plenty of water and snacks, you'll be out here for a while.
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3 2
Wetlawnmulch
Experience: 26.1 years 12 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A little bit of everything 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 1, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

1 - Multiple concrete teepads
2 - great layout, uses the whole park, play along lake Michigan, and elevation
3 - Good mix of short, medium and long holes

Cons:

1- Distances seemed to be off from the signs at times.
2 - New holes are being installed to the layout is a little different then the map.
3 - Probably wouldn't play in wet conditions. Some of the tee pads were slick just from the morning dew.

Other Thoughts:

After having played Rolling Ridge and Winter Park this course was great for our group. I could see were course traffic could get to be an issue on a nice day. This would be a great everyday course.
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1 4
Barefooter
Experience: 11.9 years 178 played 16 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun golf, looks to be a nice daily player. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 5, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well thought out holes.
Great mix of control shots and bomber holes.
Very close to the car ferry.

Cons:

We only played the front 9 because we were just stretching our dogs legs before the 4 hours on the car ferry, so we encountered no cons.

Other Thoughts:

Seemed like a great little coarse, we played 8 the 14 back to the parking lot. Several fun holes in there. The local players we saw were pretty good.
I wish we had more time here.
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3 0
Badger45
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23 years 131 played 22 reviews
4.00 star(s)

One of my favorite WI courses 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 28, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The city of Manitowoc takes very good care of this course. As public courses go, it's one of the cleanest and more well groomed that I've played.

If you get to this area of the state, it's well worth the stop to play Silver Creek. You start the first few holes with some nice warm-up type holes, but if you play from the long tees, they still force you to pick a good line if you want a chance at a birdie. You work your way to slightly longer holes and then head to a great uphill hole that will test your abilities if it's not something you do often.

The mix of long and short technical holes with a few long and short open holes really makes this a fun place to play.

Hole 14 offers a great shot off the top of a sledding hill. No matter your skill level, this is going to be a memorable hole!

Hole 22 takes you out to the lake on a long narrow fairway shot with a hard left-hand downhill turn to the bsaket. The basket sits on top of a small lighthouse and the putt / approach area is surrounded by the beach with a good view of Lake Michigan.

Cons:

Holes 4 and 5 tend to remain wet. Not terribly, but watch your step and choose your path carefully after your tee shot on 5.
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9 1
Stardoggy
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 12.7 years 1009 played 214 reviews
4.00 star(s)

One of Wisconsin's best 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 22, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Wonderful 27 hole course that runs through a large, wooded park along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

DGA baskets on all holes, and they all are in good repair and catch well. No issues here.

Two (and sometimes three) rectangular concrete tee pads on almost every hole (with 15 being the exception...natural pads there). The different tees offer somewhat different lines, although in a lot of cases, it's mostly a distance difference.

Great offering of different lines here. You'll get straight, left to right, and right to left all over this course. Lots of different discs will be used over the course of 27 holes!

Elevation is used very well. Hole 14 is a classic top o' the world shot from the sledding hill. Many of the holes here offer some sort of elevation drop/rise and will play into your shot decisions quite a bit.

The river that runs through the park comes into play on several holes, although it's not usually an immediate danger, but more of a punishment for severely errant shots.

Good mix of distances, especially from the longs. There's some short technical, long technical, and bomber holes from the longs. Still a fun course for a beginner/int player from the shorts. A bit of something for everybody.

Multiple pin positions exist on most of the holes, and the long positions turn some ho-hum holes into quite memorable ones (17 comes to mind).

Plenty of parking here. I've never seen the lot even half full.

Cons:

It can get a bit busy here on weekend afternoons. Show up early (before noon), and you'll have the course mostly to yourself.

Navigation is a bit wonky in spots. Hole 1 is across the field and to the right of the parking lot. The walk from hole 14 to 15 really needs to be marked out better...without a map, a first timer is going to have trouble finding it. Most of the other navigation issues from 18-27 are fixed with good signage and beat down paths.

Being right next to Lake Michigan, the bugs are plentiful here. Wind can also become a big factor.

Other Thoughts:

This is a great course that has a bit of something for everybody. The replay factor is ridiculously high, with several memorable holes, including the famous "Lighthouse Hole".

Much work has been done in the last few weeks, including large wooden benches at many of the long tees, and structures to guard against wayward shots on several as well. A great course getting even better.

Do yourself a favor...get out and play here! If you can make a day of it, swinging Winter Park, Silver Creek, and Rollin' Ridge is about as wonderful a day of discing as you'll ever have.
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8 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20 years 1008 played 579 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Very nice city park course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 17, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course is set in a large public park right along the shores of lake Michigan. The strong winds coming off the lake can wreak havoc on shots, especially along the lake. That along with a bunch of elevation change and wooded fairways throughout make for a challenging round. There are at least 2 sets of tees on all holes with some having 3 sets. The tee pads are all level and grip nicely. The baskets are nice Mach 3's with number plates on top and facing the right direction. These all caught well. Hole 14 is a fun downhill bomb that lets you air it out. Hole 22 has the basket set atop a replica lighthouse about 6 feet off the ground. There is a fantastic mix of left, right and straight shots on this course. The course doesn't have any super long holes except 14. There's a solid mix of lengths for the terrain here. Every hole has a fair lane to the pin, but with some challenging trees to make things interesting. The tee signs at each hole show all the necessary info on them. There are also a number of next tee and directional signs where needed. There is also a beautiful, clear creek running through the park that can become a factor on a number of holes. The course is permanent and free to play. They do have a donation tube at hole 1 which I threw some money in. It's worth it for a course of this caliber. They are also building a few walls as wind blocks by a couple tees near the lake and the behind 22's tee is going to look like a lighthouse I was told. This will be really cool when completed. The also are adding a bunch of benches behind the tees, another bonus.

Cons:

It's a little confusing to find hole 1 at first and then there's a long walk to hole 15. Some of the park roads can come into play with an errant shot. Also 10 and 11's fairways are right next to each other. Just something to pay attention to. There were large swarms of gnats in spots and I would bet the mosquitos can get bad in summer, but it is Wisconsin so that applies pretty much everywhere.

Other Thoughts:

This is a really nice park course. It's extremely well maintained and visually appealing. This is definitely a course to go out of your way to play. We played 2 rounds here and had a blast. It was better than I expected. I'd actually rate it somewhere between a 4 and a 4.5. Either way it's worth playing a round or 3 here. There are a number of other excellent courses in the area. This is a really good area to take a disc golf road trip too.
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5 0
ReinZ_96
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.7 years 104 played 48 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Silver Creek Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 11, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

1) Two or three tee pads on every hole.
2) Said tee pads are large and grippy.
3) Multiple pin locations on some of the holes.
4) Nice baskets that catch well, didn't have any crazy spit outs when I played.
5) Good mix of shots off of the tee. 8 left to right, 11 right to left, and 8 stright.
6) Most holes offer rewarding birdies and realistic pars.
7) Decent distance variation. 180ft to 478ft from the longs pads (to short pins), and most holes falling between 250ft and 300ft.
8) Course makes very good use of the hills and woods in the park.
9) Navigation is almost a non issue, good signage pointing you to the next hole and hole maps that, though are not great, get the job done just fine.
10) For the most part keeps away from other activities in the park.
11) Benches and trash cans are to be found on most of the holes. And it seems that most people use the trash cans as well, not to much trash on the course.

Cons:

1) A few holes play close together and could have some errant drives interfere with others' game. Holes 10/11 and holes 24/25 are the ones with this issue.
2) A few of the holes play quite close to roads or other park activities. Hole 15 could put some children in danger as it plays relatively close to a playground, but it was empty both times I played through. Also holes 3, 4, 9, 11, 12, 25, and 26 play near the roads in the park. Although if you have decent control over your discs you shouldn't be heading into them, but it is definitely not out of the question to end up on them.
3) No par legitimate par 4s. Almost everything is reachable from the tee and all of the holes will give you a relatively good look at 3 if you can hit your line.
4) Hole 1 is difficult to find as a first timer (about 400 feet from the parking lot and across 14's fairway). Along with the walking from 14 to 15 being very long and not intuitive, without a map or prior knowledge you would spend quite a long time looking for it.
5) No practice basket, people just use the basket for hole 14 to practice at.

Other Thoughts:

Silver Creek is a well designed course, one of the better I've played, especially for a free course.

Also, the view looking back from the pad on hole 20 is just amazing, along with the peninsula green on 22 (also with the basket on top of a lighthouse.)
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10 0
LeddZepp8687
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13 years 115 played 19 reviews
4.00 star(s)

In my top 5 favorites 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 18, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Beautiful park with lots of large, mature trees and rolling elevation.
-Excellent mix of shots and distances.
-Alternate tee pads, all of which are concrete. Some holes even have 3 tee pad options.
-Good flow to this course,
-Navigation is easy, there are quite a few "next tee" signs and the signs at each hole illustrate well. Only two spots where things are a little confusing. We did have a hard time finding hole 15 as we did not realize it was across the lot and bridge.
-Very scenic course, It's very visually pleasing. I knew I was in for a treat when I walked up to the first pad, also there is a nice clean creek that runs through the course that really adds to this element.
-There are only a few wide open holes, this course is as good as it is because of that, instead of "filler holes" they utilized the available property very well and made each hole challenging for players of all skills.
-The sound of the crashing waves on the lake on the later holes provides for a great background noise that added to my pleasant experience at this course.
-Off target throws will cost you, The roughs are not overly punishing but if your disc deflects off a tree it can sometimes cost you multiple shots. I really like a course that rewards good shots and makes you pay for your bad ones.
-Hole 22 basket is very unique and unlike anything I have ever seen.
-The park itself is very clean, I saw almost NO litter.
-As mentioned earlier, this course is great for players of all skill levels. This course should be a poster child for future courses in this area. Beginners will find the short pads challenging, yet fun and experienced players will find it challenging, yet fun. All the holes are reachable by average to above average players like myself.
-27 hole layout extends play time and makes this course worth the trip.

Cons:

I really don't have many cons for this course other than the fact that there are a few holes with potential to interfere with other players.

Big arms and above average players will find this course a little on the short side, there are not a lot of huge holes and there are a lot of "deuce or die" holes, This is a con to some.

Other Thoughts:

This was a must play course on my weekend trip up to WI from IL, This course along with winter park made for an excellent weekend of disc golf.

I rated this course a 4, but 4.25 would be more deserving, Unfortunately that is not an option though. With a few more longer holes for the more experienced players this course has a 4.5 written all over it. I threw long pads and it was challenging but all said and done I threw a good amount of deuces here so someone more skilled than me would have an easier time for sure.

This is a course that I am very glad I've had the chance to play, it was much better than most of the courses in my area. I would definitely consider this a destination course and when in the area should definitely be on your itinerary. There are enough good courses like this one in the area to make a good trip out of. Can't wait to get back here.
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6 0
booradly
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12 years 166 played 24 reviews
4.00 star(s)

had a blast 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 18, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-very nice park
-good cement pads
-good signs
-some nice change in elevation
-hole 1,2,make for good warm up holes 1 is a short shot in some trees but nothing that is hard and 2 shoots out of the woods that 1 is located in into the field next to it
-holes 3,4,5 are a little harder then the first two 3 makes you throw around a bunch of trees but you get to pick from a lot of shots that can put you under the basket 4 and 5 are simple shots mostly open with a few trees but start to be a little longer to finish your warm up
-holes 6,7,8 have you throw up to the top of a hill i (liked these mainly because there are not many hills at my local courses so it was a nice change of pace)8 being the best of these with brutal pin placement on top of the hill putting up to it is hard mainly because if you miss there is a good chance you can roll back down the hill
-9,10,11,12 start to get more distance 9 makes for a hard hole that forces you to throw distance but lots of bushes and trees make it hard
-14 is a lot of fun throwing from the top of the hill across a field with the pin almost 500 feet away behind a line of trees and a creek behind it(i love watching my discs fly on holes like this one)
-hole fifteen(on the other side of the parking lot)starts the back side of the course. i thought that it was going to be kind of a lame hole when i teed off but once i got back into the trees by the pin there are tons of trees with a tunnel shot that is unforgiving if you get out of the tunnel
-17 brings you out near the lake(awesome views to be seen on this upcoming section of the course)and is a solid hole not to long but you need to keep a good line to get near the basket
-18,19,20,21 are good solid holes kind of like 17 but with more elevation in play(19,20 have nice views of the lake)
-hole 22 is a massive hook to the left that comes right up to the lake and has a very unique basket
-23,24,25,26,27 are solid holes that are all kinda the same mostly open fairways with a few bushes and trees to make it a little more of a challenge i liked 26 the most out of these because there is a tighter fairway with a good amount of trees and you throw down a hill

Cons:

-10,11,12 are kinda easy as long as you can throw 300+ feet they are not hard and would be nicer if there was some more cover to force a line
-16 is an alright hole but if it was longer it would be much better/ maybe move the pin under the bridge that you walk under to get to 17? or beyond it?
23,24,25,27, are kinda repetitive but ok

Other Thoughts:

i drove over 700 miles this weekend to play courses in this area and it was well worth the trip if you take the time to play this and winter park a little further north its more the worth a trip and there is another course near rolling ridge that i wanted to hit up but apparently it is closed for hunting season but i hope to play these three courses on a weekend trip some time soon. if you live by Chicago and want to play some awesome courses i would suggest this trip the elevation that comes in to play in some of these courses is very refreshing
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5 0
#19325
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.9 years 351 played 178 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Silver Creek Fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 11, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is a really fun course that has a variety of terrain. It's a really pretty park too. There are woods, open, rolling hils, and water. Several holes play near Lake Michigan. Bring a map. Hole #1 isn't obvious where to start.

The tee signs are pretty good. Nice hole description, distances, and par.

Nice concrete tee pads. There are 2 sets on each hole.

There are multiple pin positions. The baskets are DGA Mach 3's and are in good shape.

There are 22 permanent holes. With 2 sets of tees and pins changed often there is a great variety of holes.

Hole #9A is a great hole. Elevated tee playing across the field. Water comes into play on the left and deep.

This is a really fun course for all skill levels. There are fun wooded holes but they are nice and clean. You'll rarely have to look for discs.

There is a really good balance of shots on this course. You'll need them all to score well.

Cons:

There is only 1 set of tee signs and they are located on the short tee. On many you have to walk forward to see the distance.

This course is relatively short and lacks some longer par 4 holes.

Hole #1 is hard to find. Bring a map. There is a long walk to get from 9A to 9B & 10. With all the park users 9B was not playable.

Other Thoughts:

Overall this is a really fun course. They've added some extra holes so take a map. It looks like they are expanding the course with several more too. Awesome!

This course can get very busy. Be prepared to wait if you play during prime hours.
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3 0
Ace D
Experience: 23.9 years 33 played 15 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Mature Course, Great Scenery 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 6, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Concrete tee pads for good footing. Good variety of backhand and forehand shots from the tee. Course can be enjoyed as 20 holes. Mature scenery all around the course with a creek running through much of it. Some flat holes, downhill and uphill elevation is here too. The course has a long uphill, downhill, and hump hole to satisfy big throwers. The course seems to have some of everything without repeating itself.

Cons:

Losing discs in the water can be a threat on a couple of holes. Long walk to get to the back nine, whether or not you play the two extra holes (downhill bomber and tight wooded shot from concrete). Weekends can sometimes see the unruly types turn out. Really very few complaints about the course.

Other Thoughts:

A scenic, mature course that is mostly wooded, with the exception 3-4 open holes. Large variety of shots needed off the tees.
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4 0
AdamE
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 20.6 years 267 played 148 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 22, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Wow, this course is one of the most beautiful courses I've had the pleasure of playing! There's a gorgeous creek that winds through the course and is visible on many holes. You can see Lake Michigan and hear the waves crashing on hole 11, then you climb a hill to hole 12 for an even better view. There are some areas with large pine trees and some big elevation changes that the course takes advantage of.

The course has two pads per hole which helps to cater to a wider variety of skill levels. Some holes have multiple pin placements to help keep the course fresh. There are course maps occasionally throughout the course which I've never seen before and helped with navigation. There are nice tee signs at the short pad on each hole which list the distance from both pads.

There's an excellent variety of hole distance ranging from 175 to over 500ft. There are holes of all difficulty here which helps to make the course good for players of all skill level. A few holes are fairly easy and don't punish bad shots, but the vast majority of them require a skilled shot to get your birdie. There's also a decent shot variety here with some good turnover shots for RHBH players. There are plenty of memorable holes and this course will leave you coming back for more!

Hole 4 is an excellent turnover shot with the stream just off the tee pad. I really love hole 6, a big uphill par 4 and the basket was in the long position when I was here; awesome! Hole 9a is another great hole with extreme downhill. The view from 12's pad is fantastic!

Cons:

It's a bit difficult to find hole 1 since it's not very close to the parking lot. It's across the field by the yellow donation tube. It's a bit difficult to get from holes 9/9a to 9b/10. A navigational sign would certainly be useful here.

The tee signs are by the short pads which I find a bit annoying. On nearly all the holes, if you're playing the short pad you have to walk by the long pads. But if you're playing the longs you have to walk up to the shorts to see the sign then walk back to the long.

The two extra holes, 9a and 9b, aren't listed on the course map and don't have tee signs. They're both excellent holes and thankfully some local players were around to show me where they are otherwise I wouldn't have found them.

Other Thoughts:

Overall this is a fun, excellent course and is one of the most scenic I've played. I highly recommend stopping to play here.
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1 5
hebsonc9121
Experience: 15.7 years 74 played 4 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Tons of Fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 30, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Short and Long Tees
-Large variety of shots and lanes
-Alternates between woods and fields often
-Makes good use of the park
-The large old trees make for great scenery as well as the view of lake michigan a couple hundred feet from a tee-pad
-Good amount of elevation
-Some distance, shots up hill and downhill

Cons:

-Was pretty crowded (golfers and park users)
-Tee Signs were only on short Tee Box
-Got lost somewhere after the lake hole

Other Thoughts:

This was a really fun course and I hope to play it again soon.Could use more signage for navigation as well as tee boxes.
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12 0
notapro
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.8 years 569 played 284 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun for All Ages 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 31, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Course is set in a large park right next to Lake Michigan. There are some other buildings on-site, and a small park, but it seems that the disc golf is well separated.
- Good variety of holes throughout. A mix of pretty open holes, some with significant trees, and others in a forest littered with small trees. The open holes use slight elevation changes to keep things interesting, as well as baskets placed around or near tree lines.
- Most other holes have well-defined paths to the baskets, and also offer some riskier backdoor lanes. Both the holes inside the forest and near the forest have some pretty tight, but fair, windows to hit, and usually require active line shaping to stay clear of the trees. Many different types of shots to be found all throughout.
- Some very good to decent elevation changes to be found here, especially the downhill bomber on hole #9A. A good amount of holes in all parts of the park have some slope to either make things easier or harder. Overall, nothing too drastic, but still noticeable.
- Creek is in play on a couple holes, though it is pretty easy to avoid. Good scenery if nothing else. The road OB in a few spots is a much bigger danger.
- Lake Michigan is right off the teepad for #11, and easily seen behind #12's teepad. Awesome view.
- Great teepads, signs, and baskets. Navigation is pretty easy the first time through, and some good crossings are there where needed.

Cons:

- The road OB is great for some additional challenge, but it does detract from the overall experience. Too much pavement for my tastes.
- Course is on the shorter side, even with a few bomber holes. All the holes are pretty reachable, and all are definitely par 3.
- Some of the holes are fun, but not very interesting. A fair amount of holes with a couple of trees to avoid, and not much else.

Other Thoughts:

- Pretty much the only cons I could come up with were too much pavement, and a little too easy. Both of these are completely subjective, and many people may completely disagree. But, I think everyone will agree that this course has an extremely high fun factor, and a ton of holes that are just straight out enjoyable. Some very interesting lines to hit, thanks to numerous trees and some elevation changes. I would think that everyone from a beginner to a seasoned vet would take some enjoyment out of this course, regardless of the final score.
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10 0
Mark R
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.8 years 115 played 89 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 18, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

First class amenities, with multiple cement tee pads-a feature found on very few courses.

Signs and benches on nearly every hole.

Has many nice holes with defined fairways that wind through small hills (6, 7, 8, 9). Hole 6 is a tough, very steep uphill drive. Hole 7 is a fun downhill tunnel hole.

Also has wooded holes on the back nine with some Lake Michigan views (11-13). Course finishes nicely with well kept meadow holes through rough areas in a more remote area of the park (15-18). Has a nice bridge over Silver Creek between Holes 12 and 13.

No cheap holes, broken baskets, or busted up tee pads. Hilltop tee pad '9A' (a sledding hill) offers a chance for uninhibited crusher drives.

Other than rough around Hole 15/16 (which enhances play) and creek near Holes 3 and 4, there are few disc-loss hazards. Quite a few players on a nice Sunday afternoon, but I didn't have to wait around very much.

Free admission, polite locals.

Cons:

Holes 1 through 4 are short, mundane city park holes, though 4 incorporates a creek hazard. Not a lot of longer holes (6, 15 and 18 play the longest).

Hole 10 is difficult to find after 9/9A/9B, with a long walk necessary between the front and back nine. Some 'next tee' signs would help after Holes 2, 5, and 9. I looked hard for Hole 9B, but was unable to find it. Basket for Hole 9A was right next to a picnic table.

Bugs were pretty bad on Holes near Silver Creek and Lake Michigan (10-14).

Missed the black tee on Hole 8.

Other Thoughts:

A nice city park course with good diversity, and a pleasant playing experience.

A gas station a short distance north on County Road LS has beer and a good disc selection.
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