Pros:
- The Region, South Bend, and Peru all have solid discing communities, each with a good variety of courses. But connect those three points and the majority of the area contained within consists of the most rural, depressed, rust-belt contaminated communities imaginable. Boonies DGC, established 2012, provides a very solid option within this Disc Golf No Man's Land. Located a bit north of Peru on private land, this 18-hole course opens at 9am and closes at sunset.
- Great use of elevation. Rolling elevation is used throughout. A sort of small ridge divides the property in two, with holes situtated on, along, and across it as the course flows through the property. # 4's basket is placed on a sloped green with many mature tree trunks guarding the approach. The ground slants down to a lake behind # 9's basket. # 16 presents a straight forward ace run with one catch: the green and entire fairway slopes steeply to the right, where the marshy edge of the lake awaits. Each hole presents some wrinkle in elevation, and while nothing is incredible in scope, all is super solidly implemented throughout.
- Great mix of distances. Many holes are beginner friendly, or straight up ace runs. Birdies should come free and easy for most experienced or advanced players; however, several longer holes really help separate the lesser players from those with big arms. The different lengths are distributed evenly, and blend seemlessly together.
- Broad, grassy, well-defined fairways play through a variety of mature trees; a few tighter fairways (#'s 6, 10, 11, 12 and 17) force players to hit specific lines to pick up birdies. Punishment is very fair. Thick grass strips separating adjacent holes from each other might annoy those that dislike tall/thick grasses as a hazard; however, only terrible shots end up in the grass, and it's used sparingly.
- Water comes into play in a couple of spots. Several marshy areas were dry when I played, but look as though they are wet most the summer. # 9's green fades away to the lake that runs the length of one end of the property. #16's fairway and green rollaway hard to the right, with the lake/marshy area waiting.
- Dirt tee pads; yes, this is usually in the Cons section. You can probably chalk this up to the course being so new (not to mention a bit out of the way), but these are the best dirt pads I've played on. No ruts, well compacted, well marked (each with two large stones), and great footing. How well they stand up over time remains to be seen. I do not know if an upgrade in tees is in the works or not.
- Flavorful and effective signage. Stylized red stencils decorate large rocks at each tee and list the direction of the pin, distance, par, and hole number. Each hole sports clearly marked red arrows stenciled onto rocks. By following these, and from using the map provided on the proshop door, everyone should find navigation a snap.
Cons:
- The flow is awkward in a couple of spots. # 6 plays down a wooded lane, and then backtracks the length of the fairway to # 7's tee. # 16 is a bit of a walk from # 15, but the most egregious walk can be found after finishing the course. #18 leaves you by the entrance, with a fairly lengthy walk back down the driveway to the parking area. On non-busy days, one could easily make up safari holes back down #'s 18, 17, and 16 to alleviate this minor inconvenience. Regardless, #'s 16 and 17 are certainly among the best holes on tap, and well worth the extra walk at the end.
- Dirt tees. Though I also listed this in the Pro section, without upgrades the tees will eventually become worn and detract from play.
Other Thoughts:
- Approaching The Boonies via 31, the nearest semi-major highway, immediately drives home the namesake of the course: we're talking Indiana super rural. I passed a sort of farm machinery graveyard as the road turned into dirt/gravel. It looked like a sort of post-Apocalyptic Mad Max starter-kit parcel of land. Rick's property and the course are down the road a bit, thankfully.
- Much of the land feels almost like a public park, with green lawns and a wide variety of mature trees. The lake and children's playground equipment on #'s14 and 15 add to the park-like vibe.
- Pay to play. $4 during the summer, $2 during winter months, I believe were the prices listed at the club house. Be sure to put your cash in the jar if Rick isn't around!!!
- The listed pars are fairly forgiving. Beginners will find the pars to be fair, but advanced players should play everything as a par 3.
- Rick's obviously put a lot of thought and work into this course and it shows. Exciting and challenging holes will leave discers of all stripes desiring a return trip, regardless of the distance off the beaten track.
-UPDATE 6/15/2016: Rick's added rubber tee pads, as well as a whole new set of blue tees. The shorter blues offer a great alternative to the standard red course. In general, the place has really matured into a well-groomed course. The pro shop has ice cream and discs. Rick's added two holes to alleviate the long walk back after 18, as well as a short A hole to get back up to the house. He's put in a metal bridge over one of the wet spots and also removed the playground area to provide a small area for camping. If you're interested in camping, hit Rick up! With all the improvements, I have adjusted my rating upwards a half-disc.