Pros:
+ Very nice setting for the course, complete with a pond to toss over, a stream to avoid in a couple spots, and a couple small hills to provide some necessary variety
+ There's an alternate tee for the pond hole, and it is fantastic for those who don't want to take the chance of losing a disc
+ Practice basket to get a few putts in before starting a round
+ Probably the most appropriately designated course pars of the region's courses
+ A few treacherous, unforgiving holes
+ A few holes you can make up a stroke on
+ The course "settles down" at the end and offers plenty of chances for birdies
+ Scorecards sometimes available at tee #1
+ Basic tee signs newly re-installed with hole # and distance
+ Newly installed navigational signage
+ EXPANDING (6 new holes, and at least one new long tee)
+ Tons of brush has been cleared and makes the course much more enjoyable
+ Baskets stay in place in winter
Cons:
- Prone to wetness
- Vandals and graffiti
- Popular/crowded after 5pm most days
Other Thoughts:
Freeland seems to be the region's favorite and most popular course. I once predicted that it wouldn't be for very long... Wickes is amazing, but with the course expanding to 24 holes, adding a couple long tees, re-installed hole and newly installed directional signage, and all the brush cleared, this course is earning itself a GREAT reputation. High hopes, I have!
Anyway, if you play it safe and hit your lines, this can definitely be a quick and fairly easy confidence-boosting course. Just don't over-complicate it. You don't need a "full bag" to play here. Drivers aren't even necessary, but helpful on two holes. That being said, if you don't hit your lines or miscalculate the landing point of your discs, you're gonna have a bad time. The rough is appropriately rough. A round can be ruined in one or two holes easily.
If you use this course to introduce players to the sport, encourage them to play it safe (forehand when the left is hazardous, backhand when the right is). Most of the holes are 250 feet or below (six holes are less than 200 feet). But even so, the trees will always keep you fighting, so it won't bore new players or be too easy for experienced players. The course is the most convenient in the area for short tournaments like the Vibram Birdie Bash, but might be too wooded for the Discraft Ace Race. One hint is that even though the layout doesn't appear this way, most of the holes can be birdied with straight shots. In fact, you could comfortably play this course with only a putter.
Another cool idea for this course is to play holes #1, #2, #3-long, then from #3's short tee back to #2's pin (pretty difficult and risky), and then move on to play #14-18. A very quick nine hole round that is especially satisfying when it's muddy since these holes don't feature the stream and typically are clear.
It does get crowded, especially when people get out of work, and is usually a bit busy on the weekend. The central location might make it a bit more popular than the peripheral courses. The local leagues are active and well-established, so that helps its popularity. Overall, it's easy to compare to the four other mid-Michigan courses. Unlike Freeland, you can bust a driver out for most of a round in Midland, which is slightly more challenging with longer wooded holes, but less fun and kind of boring. Sanford is the most challenging wooded course with seemingly longer wooded holes than both Midland and Tittabawassee, but it's not free and the course par is super generous. Memorial Park in Frankenmuth is where all of your drivers come out and distance is more important than accuracy most of the time. Wickes Woods in Saginaw is much more challenging and offers a wider variety of hole layouts. As of right now, it's the most diverse course in the area.
Thanks for reading!