27 holes
variety of holes (short, long)
many types of shots needed
well maintained

pay to play/ enter the park
can get crowded
some nasty bushes/brush

It is a nice course that is pretty clean and straight forward. there are 27 holes so you can play for a long time, it also makes paying 3$ to play not so bad. One pond hole but most should be able to clear it. I recommend this course it is fun for all players.

Aesthetic-- plays through a very very large metro park on the far north side of the Detroit suburbs (closer to flint). area is mostly disc golf exclusive. I can see #27 being used as a sledding hill in the winter though.

Teepads-- HUGE. Even on the two holes under 200' the teepads are gigantic, level and in great repair.

Teesigns-- most tees (long and short) had teesigns. some were missing distances but they provided the essential information. the hole layout and par would have been nice but pull up the map on your smart phone. it's easy enough.

Routing and nav-- the "next tee" signs abound here. routing was so easy it was rediculous.

Balance-- this course is incredibly well balanced variety-- short and long are relatively well represented. not an over abundance of rights lefts or straight shots.

trash cans-- fairly well represented here. there was still a lot of trash all over the course but wasn't a huge deal.

the last 9-- on a lot of longer courses, the final 9 is somewhat under-represented... I really dug the last 9. they added some of the variety that the front 18 was lacking.

Natural nature-- We saw a lot of deer on the way into the course and ran into a small group on #21, 22, 23. We were able to get within about 10ft of them. It's a nice touch to be that close to nature.

Multiple tees/pins-- pretty sweet that many of the holes have multiple tees. nice to have a choice of where to throw from. the fact that #1 is the only hole with a "pro" pin, is a bit wonky... Not sure why they did this this way but whatever.

Challenge-- the challenge in this course lies mostly in the huge lengths. Most of the holes aren't overly challenging except for the lengths.

Trash-- quite a bit of trash on the course. garbage cans were certainly being used but not enough apparently.

Vandalism-- definitely an issue here. a lot of graffiti on the signage and baskets.

Risk v Reward-- there is almost no risk v reward here. you don't even really have the choice of throwing over or around rough. lines are very defined.

Definitely a great course. I know that some of my cons are harsh but they really are minor in my mind.

+ Nicely mowed fairways help with determining hole layouts
+ Very good variety of straight, left, and right curved hole layouts (a big + in my book)
+ Very good variety of distance I thought
+ Cool little bridge that would help avoid water hazard if the course gets wet enough (was dry on 11/4/12)
+ One fairly short but satisfying drive over a gnarly wet tree/branch/bush-filled pit of gargoyle mud
+ 5 or maybe more holes with slight elevation changes
+ Distances at each tee
+ "Next tee" arrow signs
+ All good tee pads, good length
+ Very clear roughs on most holes due to both the fall and the park keeping it trimmed it seems
+ No one was attending the booth so we didn't have to pay, (-) but we also didn't get a scorecard or anything

- No hole layouts at the tees
- No par #s at the tees either
- Since the first couple holes are the longest you don't have time to warm up your throw
- The added nine holes are kinda crammed in
- Trash baskets are pretty gnarly
- Lots of dead trees and stuff that seem to have fallen naturally but not cleaned up at all
- There was one hole specifically that the leaves haven't been cleared away and each of our four drives were difficult to find
- Lots of littered bottles and cans

My first round here was positive overall. Despite not being warmed up, the first two holes were really long and challenging and fun. They set a good tone for the playability of the course, which really matters most to me. If you're out for a round that you hope will be challenging, Stony will provide a good experience for you as it did me. Many holes had me second-guessing which disc to throw. A lot of holes necessitate shorter (<200 feet) major left or right hooks, which made it fun to bust out super over or understable discs. Other holes needed really good long straight 300 foot tosses and ended with technical basket placement. Overall, I liked the variety a lot. It's also worth noting that a few of the holes have an element of hilly-ness (some more or less subtle than others) that when combined with left/right curves really made me consider the compromise I needed to make with accuracy vs distance. I couldn't always get a super long drive when I needed to pay even more attention to setting my next shot up.

After considering what I discussed in the paragraph I assume you just read, I bumped my review up from a 3.5 to a 4.0 simply because I now realize I learned a lot from the technical level of Stony. The aesthetics/amenities of the course, however, could easily have dragged it down to that 3.5 level. Here's why:

While my experience was obviously positive, a few things bugged me a lot. There was no one at the booth when we came or left, which was kinda cool because we didn't have to pay the $8 for us to play. However, we also didn't get a scorecard or map and unfortunately the biggest issues I had was that there were no hole layouts or par #s at the tees. If it weren't for the "Next tee" signs, I would have been really frustrated. Fortunately, I took a picture of the map on my phone, but was annoyed with having to bust it out after every hole to let the dudes know the par. It should be obvious based on the distances, but still, we play course par and it stopped me from fully enjoying myself and keeping my focus. Also, the map doesn't accurately represent the hole layouts (straight, left/right curves), which would have helped because there were quite a few holes where the baskets weren't visible without running up and checking. If that's all that was a little annoying, no big deal, but ya know, the course was also full of litter and crap-ass trashcans, which would have really bugged us if we had to pay. We didn't, so I didn't weigh the gripes I listed here very heavily. Maybe my standards just went up after my first season of discing... I'll definitely come back to Stony and I would love to give it a better rating as I really do think it is capable of being a stellar course.

Thanks for reading!

Wonderfully improved course in a large, popular, multi-use park offering loads of activities and amenities.

Simply wonderful shot variety and hole design: EXCELLENT mix of hole lengths, with several Ace run/birdie holes, many holes over 400' and 500' with plenty of variety in between. Wonderful balance of nice open, grip & rip fairways (some with very well placed trees), wooded holes, tight fairways lined with thick brush requiring placement and control, and a quite a few blind holes. Multiple chances to throw hyzers, annies/FH, overhand. The new holes really did make this an "every shot in your bag" course.

Nice rolling terrain comes into play on several holes, most notably on # 27: a 400' downhill semi-Ace Run! The elevation change is somewhat gradual, but extends pretty much the entire length of the fairway to bring the basket into range off the pad from 400' away - easily the greatest differential from pad to basket on the course.

Grabs your attention right off the bat with a long 1st hole that's open off the tee, but narrows to a tunnel for the approach to the long pin. Follows with a 933 footer with trees threatening to slap down drives (from the long tee) - big arm hyzers can avoid that threat. That's nearly 1700' worth of fairways... and there's still another 25 holes to play!

Although they string together a few holes that play somewhat similarly, the course changes pace frequently enough to maintain your interest and keep you on your toes. Plays quite well from hole to hole and never gets boring.

The basics are well in hand: Large concrete tees pads, decent baskets, well defined fairways, tee signs w/dist, score cards w/map, pencils. Navigation is pretty straight forward for the most part, with occaisional Next Tee signs to help out first timers. Gets confusing in a couple of spots, but a quick look at the score card/map should keep you on track. Trash cans by most (if not all) tees).

Swings back to the parking lot after 18 if you don't have time for all 27.

Pretty well isolated from other park activities. You probably won't see anyone who isn't playing except for the person in the booth.

Pavillions and restrooms across the parking lot from the course.

Recent improvements go beyond a few new holes: Tee markers have been refurbished/replaced. Worn areas around tees and baskets have been freshened up. Thanks to pay to play, everything's in pretty good shape. All the recent improvements are proof that pay to play works for us, not against us. So much better than it was a few years ago years ago it's hard to believe it's the same course. Prior to the $2 fee, outrageous traffic and idiots were really taking their toll, and a good course was deteriorating - rapidly. I genuinely believe pay to play not only saved this course, but has now made it better.

Not much to hate here, so these are nit-picky:
- Water holes (#24) should be nice, not nasty.
- Blind holes can = lost discs when playing solo, spotters not a bad idea for some holes.
- Could use a few more tables/benches for such a long course.
- Some debris still lining the new holes, and the brush flanking those fairways is thick and hungry for plastic.

Random Draw Doubles: Fridays @ 6:00 PM

The latest revamp really is a significant improvement (my rating went from 3.5 to 4.0... too bad 4.25's not an option), but I wouldn't call it "a whole new course:"
- TWENTY of the holes from the "old" course remain untouched in any way; just numbered in a different sequence.
- Five completely new holes where no discs have flown before.
- Two "meh" holes were sacrificed for "the greater good;" old 9 & 10 (I won't miss them).
- One hole was majorly changed; new #1 = old #23 pin placements with a different tee and fairway, but the approach and putt to the long pin is identical (I prefer this look at these pins).
- One hole was tweaked (new #25); picture old 11 with a much longer long tee, but the previous two pads are still there.

There's no denying Stony Creek is an excellent course. If you don't live in the area, Stony goes well with nearby Riverbends (7 miles away), Addison Oaks (15 miles away), to make a great day trip if you like to get away to play different courses.

Hole 27 is a nice finish, but it takes you away from the parking lot, so you have to walk back. Kudos for routing the walk back from 27 away from the fairway for safety... but the path back up the hill is just SCREAMING for a pad and a basket! You may think I sound like a greedy bastard, and with the new layout, The Buckhorn (as it's formally known) tuly is a lot of DG, but everyone I know that has taken that walk back has said the same thing - and anyone who didn't say it, thought it! It simply "feels" like a fairway, and the basket would be right near the parking lot. one more basket, and this would be better... it would go to eleven. ;-)

As with all Metropark courses, it is maintained excellently and has all of the amenities that you could look for.
Dual cement tees, great targets, mowed fairways, scorecards on site, benches at most holes, practice basket, restrooms, alcohol friendliness, trash cans, multiple park activities and most importantly, challenge of play.
Big armed throwers will love Stony's opening six holes, covering 3000+ feet.
Shorter and more technical holes, multiple doglegs, a couple of water hazards and elevation all come in to play. Nice 400' downhill bomb to finish the full 27-hole layout.
After 18 you are brought back to the parking lot, giving you options.
Helpful staff on hand to assist in any non-life threatening situations.
Easy to follow hole-to-hole.

Lots of plastic-eating shrubs, grass and shule. A few holes require a spotter. Can and usually does get busy at peak hours. Due to its location, a few random pick-nickers wander on to the course. Some holes run right next to each other creating some tight spots, nothing too bad though. A few long walks between holes, including a very long uphill walk from 27's basket, back to the parking lot.

The new/altered holes are very welcomed additions to Stony's already outstanding layout. More of an intermediate to advanced course, beginners can still have fun.
With Willow's 24 holes and Kensington's 27, Stony Creek's 24 holes are a sign that the Metropark system has disc golf on its agenda.
$2 a day bag fee/$50 yearly.
$5 car fee/$25 yearly. Yearly passes good at all Metropark locations. Party store at 25mile/Shelby is open early, has plastic and pizza.