Whitmore Lake, MI

Independence Lake - West

4.065(based on 31 reviews)
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3 1
takman
Experience: 22.4 years 122 played 25 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Real Heaven! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 13, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Very private feel to it, probably due to the fees to play
-Open holes felt the most similar to 'ball golf' style than any other course I have played, visually speaking
-Great 4-5 hole loop near parking if you don't want to go back out to the open holes
-Some challenging 'placement' golf, which is rare in Michigan

Cons:

-Fees to play, but worth it. Typical for Michigan Parks
-High grass rough made it tough to find my discs on several holes

Other Thoughts:

I played this course during a week long trip to the area. Of the 7 courses played this was my favorite and the closest thing to DG heaven I could describe. Kept wanting to throw multiple drives and approaches just to see the disc fly.The Narnia of disc golf.
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7 0
Mark R
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.8 years 115 played 89 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 1, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

Course diversity, amenities and fun factor are all high points. Two-plank cement tee pads on all holes at the Black (long) and White (medium) tees, with well-marked shorter but earthen Red tees. The highly-visible orange baskets are nice, and necessary with some of the hidden and semi-hidden pin positions. This course has most of the boxes checked in terms of variety, with forest holes, tunnel holes, tightly-wooded holes, and a couple of more wide-open holes. The water holes do add some disc loss potential, but there aren't any holes that are blatantly dangerous. The fun factor is very high here, with many entertaining throw routes and a few deuce opportunities.

Lots of signs point the way to the next hole and guide you through a major interchange at Holes 4 and 13, with helpful information regarding hole layout at each tee pad. The black tees, which appear to be played less frequently, move some of the distances up to professional levels. Some holes, such as the alternates (A-F) and Hole 16, do have elevation changes. If you are tempted, don't skip the alternate holes-they are among the most beautiful on the course, with tall deciduous trees and beautiful, groomed fairways. Many holes have confounding pinch-points at close range off the tee, adding to levels of challenge.

Cons:

There are some wetter areas at various points on the course, often in unexpected places in the middle of the fairway. I would recommend an older pair of shoes. This course does not circle around to the parking lot at any point except the beginning and end. The cost of playing is slightly steep for those from outside of Washtenaw County ($10, but only $6 for those from the area). There is some undergrowth and tall grass bordering fairways capable of eating discs.

Other Thoughts:

I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty and fun of this course. My first impression is that this course is preferable in many ways to other area courses such as Rolling Hills and Hudson Mills Original. I would consider upping my rating if this course impresses me from the Black tees as much as it did from the whites when I return to play it again, which will be very soon. As a side note, I spotted many bird species here (two northern flickers, a red-bellied woodpecker, and an oriole, as well as others heard but not seen).
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5 0
jjtwinnova
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 8.7 years 246 played 97 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Beautiful Place, and Golf! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 6, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

The drive that I took into the park was a kind of interesting one, with a drive on a gravel road leading into the park. before coming upon a pay booth. You pass the booth, and then drive into the park, before you come upon a well defined disc golf parking lot.

The first hole is located right into the woods, and is a tight par 3 through the woods, with most of the holes after that being mostly open, with well placed trees to force lines and different shots.

Every hole has at least two tees, with most having three, with a concrete white and black tee, with a natural, albeit well kept, red tee. Tee signs are well made, with a nice map, and all the necessary information.

Navigation on this course is completely intuitive, and if it wasn't absolutely obvious, there was a sign pointing you in the right direction.

This park and the course are completely beautiful, with a great amount of work being put into the course, a lot of beautiful mulching, and the fairways are very well defined and cut.

Cons:

There are only a few things that make this course not perfect, but I would very easily recommend to everyone.

First, I believe that the rough was very severely punishing in certain places, and a spotter will be needed a good amount of times, and losing a disc is very possible. This seems to be a common theme in this area.

The baskets were Mach IIIs. and they definitely spit out a few putts that should have gone in. With the cost to enter the park, new baskets can be afforded if they are wanted by the local club, but for now they are sub-par for the course.


I think this course was executed very well, but there were no signature holes, at least nothing that stood out greatly, and with all holes being par 3s, the need for placement shots, and long, grueling holes were not in play.

Other Thoughts:

I believe this course was executed very well, and it would be a very common play for me if I lived in the area. The out of town price of ten dollars is certainly worth it, and with two courses on site, you can make a full day of disc golf at Independence Lake!
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4 0
tbonesocrul
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 183 played 21 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A top course in the greater Detroit/Ann Arbor area 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 30, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Practice baskets
- Garbage cans throughout the course
- multiple tee pads (3 tees, 2 concrete, 1 natural)
- Signs at tee pads showing hole layout
- picnic tables at most tee pads
- well defined fairways
- lots of signs to help with navigation
- port-a-potty on site
- Car entry fee looks like it is actually put back into the course
- Hole variety challenges a player to have a complete and well rounded game
- Park cares about disc golfers (see other thoughts)
- haven't seen a lot of litter on this course
- tee signs have a little angled platform to make it easy to write down scores on scorecards
- on a park with a water park and many trails
- Separate parking lot at disc golf course

Cons:

- If you don't pay close attention to the signs it would be easy to play some holes out of turn
- The rough has a lot of thorny plants, it seems to thin out a bit as fall is starting

Other Thoughts:

This is easily one of the best courses in the greater Ann Arbor/Detroit area. The course offers multiple tee-pads to accommodate players of all skill levels. This course forces me to throw every shot I can (hyzer/anhyzer and FH/BH), being well rounded will greatly aid you on this course. I've played mostly from the white tees so my experience is mostly related to those tees. On the white tees I don't throw faster than speed 7 discs because I need the control and the holes are all pretty much <350 ft long (the black tees have much more variety).

About the park caring: I came here on the 4th of July to play a league round. The course is on a park that also has a water park and many trails. By the parking lot for the disc golf course they had workers to make sure that only disc golfers were parking in that lot. Also I've seen them out on the course changing out trash cans.

This is a course that requires well placed and controlled shots. When I first started playing here some of the holes seemed impossible with too many trees in the way. What I've learned from this course is that the lines are not always easy to see from the tees, but once you've learned them you can hit them. Then when you feel comfortable on the holes you move to the black tees and you add the need for serious distance on some holes. Also the land isn't significantly hilly but I still notice the changes in elevation on holes and how that impacts the shot you take.

The most recent time I played this course I realized I really enjoy ending on holes 13 - 18. I think this sequence of holes is really well laid out. Holes 13, 16, and 17 leave a big impression in my mind as holes that could be iconic. This is a course that I get excited to play at. I think about it and look forward to playing it for a few days before I can drive out here.

hope you enjoy!
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3 0
g0ing2f4st
Experience: 15.8 years 7 played 6 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A great course that could be slightly greater 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 20, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

+ Mix of open and wooded holes
+ Well maintained course, trashcans & benches throughout
+ 3 sets of tees help everybody find appropriate challenge
+ Course has good pace and shortcuts are throughout, uncommon to get stuck waiting on other groups
+ Good balance of challenging and easier holes.

Cons:

- Rough can get pretty thick in summer, and nettles & thorn bushes are common.
- Waterpark is noisy.
- The giant dirt mount on 16 is just a bad hole. Its not natural or fun.
- Entrance fees are expensive for solo rounds, go with friends and split the cost
- Expensive for out of county residents

Other Thoughts:

Not the most exciting course you will ever play but a very clean and enjoyable place for a round of disc golf.
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9 0
topcide
Experience: 6 played 6 reviews
4.00 star(s)

One of the best 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 29, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Indy is IMO the best course in the SE Michigan, and certainly the best in the Ann Arbor area.

-Great Variety of shots - long, short, tight, open, water, up, down. You will need every shot.

-Longs and short pads dramatically change the holes.

-Red tees for rec players.

-Challenging, but with well thought out challenge. Nearly every hole has lines that allow you to "go for it" with a bit of risk, as well as lines that allow you to lay it up with minimal risk. An advanced / pro player can have a really challenging round here especially from the longs. However, a beginner or rec player can have a fun round here without getting overly frustrating.

-Impeccably maintained. Clean- ample trash cans, brooms picnic tables. The park maintains this course great as well. One time i was playing here and the park staff was driving around on their carts emptying trash, and the worker stopped at the pad i was walking toward, pulled out a push broom and swept the pad for me.

-Great signage.

-Typically not super crowded even at peak times on nice days. You rarely have to wait at Indy.

- The local crowd that plays here are some of the best people you will meet at a course.You will also see some of the top notch players in MI at this course often.

- With the addition of the A-F loop the other year, and the new X holes last year. 36 total holes of disc golf.

Cons:

- The $9 daily fee could be a little steep if you are not a county resident. However, the pass also gets you into Rolling Hills about a half hour south where 6 extra holes are also being added. This can make for one heck of a day of disc golf for $9.

-The rough here can get nasty in the summer. However, most of the holes are playable and the rough can be avoided.

- Poison ivy is here during the summer. Make sure to watch out.

- The navigation can get a little confusing after hole 2, but it's not that tough to figure out.

Other Thoughts:

Indy is a great, great course. It really is. With the addition of the X holes, and the A-F loop it is even better.

Personally, I think instead of one 36 hole course that Dividing the course into 2 courses of 18 by combining the X holes with 6 of the original holes to make one course, and then combining the A-F loop with 12 of the original holes to make another should be the direction Indy should go.

OK, I am ranting a little here- I know A LOT of people dislike the entry fee for out of county, but seriously $9 is not that much money to play this course especially if you have some friends with you, Plus like I said it gets you into Rolling Hills as well. You could easily hit both in a day and get more than your money's worth. A out of county annual pass is $45, you would only need to play 5 rounds over a year between both Indy and Rolling Hills to get your money's worth. The Washtenaw County Parks have been amazingly receptive to disc golf, and you can see that they put the money back into the courses. In the last 3 years they have put in 18 additional baskets at Indy with the 12 new pads scheduled to go in soon, and 6 more are cut at Rolling Hills with the baskets going in soon. Like I said, these courses are both maintained awesome, and have the little touches like brooms and good signs. It's easy to see that they put money back into these courses and actually care about them. Also, having to pay a few bucks keeps the riff raff away. I would personally rather pay a few bucks to play an awesome course that's taken care of, then pay nothing to play an average course with broken glass everywhere that is not maintained.
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1 3
jmherman
Experience: 6.8 years 15 played 15 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 25, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Long and short holes. Cement pads. Good baskets. Course is well maintained. I love the shot variety of the holes.


Cons:

The entry fee! I understand it costs money to maintain these parks but if you are not a regular or have a season pass, it's going to cost you to play this course, especially if you ride by yourself. This is not a beginner friendly course, not at all!

Other Thoughts:

This is more of an advanced player course. I think even average players will find this course challenging.
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3 0
waterhyzerd
Experience: 125 played 20 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 1, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

+Long & short cement tee pads plus the reds for the shortest layout
+Good baskets, course maintenance is always superior
+Excellent shot variety off the tees
+Moderate elevation and a few holes have water present during wetter time of the year
+Easy access off of US-23

Cons:

-entry fee to the park is steep, but no additional fee to disc
-rough is not beginner friendly

Other Thoughts:

Yes, the rough here is more brutal than most places. However, there are very few lines and landing areas that aren't fair for the average player from the long and short tees. This course, especially the longs, isn't supposed to be the easy, deuce-or-die experience that you may find over at Hudson Mills Original. If you've been in the rough all day, it's mostly due to user error. The short and red tees are there for a reason.

I really enjoy the shot variety here- Left, right, tunnel shots, etc. Not only does it also make good use of moderate elevation, they make great use of the wooded sections and wide open (wind affected) sections. Navigation should not be an issue. The extra A-F holes are a separate loop, the only confusion you may experience is whether to play them before hole 4 or after hole or after 12.

Lastly, I strongly disagree with the notion this course is "out of the way." It's 5-10 minutes from US-23, and only 20ish minutes in either direction from AA or Brighton. It's also very close to Hudson Mills and the Gulch. Very convenient for a full day of disc golf on four courses with unique experiences from one another.
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5 2
gcoghill
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 23.8 years 74 played 68 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 7, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well-maintained course. Bright orange, new baskets. Decent tee signs. Scenic setting. Secluded and exclusive land. Very friendly locals. Ample parking and porta-pottiy. Good course flow.

Cons:

$9 fee a bit steep. Course flow gets a bit confusing in spots. Rough is extremely dense. A bit out of the way.

Other Thoughts:

The drive off the freeway to get to the course was far longer than I expected, and on some unpaved roads to boot. But the park itself is like an oasis. An oasis that costs $9 for non-residents of the county.

I happened to meet the course designers when I got there. Along with the rest of the locals I ran into, quite a friendly bunch.

The course itself has a nice variety of hole types and challenges, from technical wooded to long bombs to curves with elevation. You can tell the course was designed by disc golfers.

Overall the course flowed well, but it got confusing in a few spots. I wasn't the only first-timer to think hole 13 was hole 4.

The A-F holes were decent but if you skipped them you would not be missing anything.

The park itself was quite scenic and quiet. The course is on land exclusive to the course and it's great to be out in the seclusion throwing discs.

The course takes advantage of the slight elevation and rolling hills. Holes are challenging without being difficult or frustrating. You'll need a variety of discs and throws.

That said, the roughs are extremely dense and thick. You could easily be searching for hours with an errant throw on a good portion of the holes. As a road-trip player passing through, I ended up playing with my putter and not doing anything risky.

The course has a variety of holes with unique personalities, but nothing in the way of a signature hole. Still, a nice mix.

DGCR indicates a 3.5/5 rating as "Very Good", and that's what Red Hawk is -- a very good course. The average rating of over 4 is a bit overinflated. I considered giving it a 4, but the truth is that I left the course and immeditpately began to forget it.

While it was an enjoyable round, and might exceed the other courses in the area, it just didn't hold up to other courses I've played around the country. I played this and Hudson Mills on the same day of the road-trip, and would highly recommend Red Hawk over Hudson Mills.

That said, at $9 a day I don't think I'd play here again if I were in the area.
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5 15
bigdan
Experience: 14.8 years 1 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Great course for disc hunting 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 15, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

The fairways are well kept and short, baskets are marked rather well, and the teepads are flat with plenty of room to drive. I love the multiple teepads and excellent signage. Most holes have three sets of tees, including women's tees, all of which are marked on the maps. There is a good variety of long and short, open and wooded holes. Lefties have a slight advantage on the longer holes. Top tier pros who know this course well would probably love the narrow fairways and tunnel shots. Friendly crowd.

Cons:

The ridiculous "rough" on most holes makes this course unplayable for most. Narrow fairways are surrounded by massive five foot grasses, shrubs, thorns, etc., making it very difficult to find your disc. Spotters are essential, but insufficient. We spent 70% of our round looking for discs, falling victim to hundreds of mosquitoes and probably poison ivy, too. Any disc in the rough is a nightmare to find, and many fairways are incredibly tight. It was a miserable time, overall. We found five discs and lost six. Worst $9 I've spent in a long time. Gave up after 16 holes.

Other Thoughts:

I left this course angry. My friend and I play disc golf all the time and compete with top AM1 players often. We are not pros, but often score under par at the Black Locust of Kensington Metropark. This course would make me hate the sport if I had never played before. However, if they massively cut down the rough and widen the fairways, and if you wear jeans, bug spray, and long sleeves, this course might be highly enjoyable.
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7 1
deadheadmon
Experience: 13.5 years 21 played 6 reviews
4.50 star(s)

My favorite course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 26, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course takes my vote for the best in the Ann Arbor area. It has something for everyone and makes great use of the available land. Particularly good use of elevation which is at a premium here in SE Michigan. Very well maintained baskets and a general sense that the place is being managed the right way.

If you go: definitely play the A-F loop! It contains some of my favorite holes and is an excellent addition to an already great course.

Cons:

In the summer the rough can get pretty intense, but that's just more incentive to keep it on the fairways! The only other "con" I can think of is that when I first played here the path where holes 3/4, 12/13, and the A-F loop connect can be a bit confusing. There is signage- be sure to read it or you might tee off on a hole you did not intend to play yet.

Other Thoughts:

The only reason I didn't give this course a perfect rating is because I've only played 10 or so courses. I know there's a lot of baskets to throw at in this wide world of ours but Independence Lake is the best I've played so far!
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5 0
Trizzor
Experience: 10.7 years 29 played 9 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Possibly my favorite. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 10, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

• Triple color Tee pads - great for variety and when playing with multiple people of different skill sets.
• Very isolated and clean - For the most part I felt that I was in nature, not in a city park.
• Brooms at every white tee.
• There is a lot more here than trees and grass, if you take the time to look.
• Good variety of holes, lots of fun different shots. Many holes have multiple routes.
• Very close to CJ's party shop and two other fantastic courses.

Cons:

• A couple holes have blind tees, must scout to see where you are throwing... unless you trust the tee signs.
• On a hot summer day, the water park nearby can be annoying with children screaming.
• The only thing missing, in my opinion, is a downhill shot to compliment the 2-3 upshot holes.
• Can be costly for our of county residents @ $9/Car

Other Thoughts:

This was the fourth course my wife has played and by far her favorite. I remember her saying "This was the first time I enjoyed it all the way to the end". This was mostly because she was able to throw from the red/beginner tee while I was throwing from the white tees. She felt like she was competing and not like she was slowing us down. We both really enjoyed this course.
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1 0
todddarling1
Experience: 24.9 years 6 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

first class all the way 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 19, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Where do I start? Great bright orange baskets, tight fairways that require you to really plan your shots or you'll get into trouble quick, Great tee pads and TEE PAD BROOMS AT EVERY HOLE!!!! Great use of the landscape makes for some challenging holes. Tee signs give great info and let you know if you should send a spotter ahead, they also have a small shelf for marking your score cards.

Cons:

Was a little wet in spots (mushy ground) There are a few holes that are still under construction, but they have added alt holes to make a full 18. Bugs. The rough is REALLY rough. The tall grass can make it a challenge to find your disc. If you are out of county it's $9 for a day pass, but the golf is free.

Other Thoughts:

Can't wait to go back. Want to play the holes that are closed. they are really making a great course and they are making improvements all the time according to a local I talked too. Was really impressed with the park. Brooms at every tee, no litter, and well maintained. Seems like the people playing the course really care about it and are working to keep it nice. I only wish it was closer to my house so I could play it more often!
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8 0
apdrvya
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 13.9 years 350 played 293 reviews
4.50 star(s)

this place is the freakin' ritz carlton of dgc's... 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 29, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

aesthetic-- plays through a DG exclusive area of this VERY large county park. a lot of other activities offered here including a water park and beach along with a lot of others.

Teepads/teesigns- How I wanted to hug thee. the teepads are super nice, appropriately lengthed and grippy. small brooms are clipped to the back of the teesigns on nearly every hole. the teesigns are pretty impressive. on each teesign the black, white and red tees are pictured. both the black and white have teepads, the reds are marked with wooden blocks painted bright red. also, there is a little easel to update score cards.

Routing/navigation-- easy peasy. plenty of "next tee" type signs litter this course. in the one area where routing could get tricky, there is a multi-directional sign pointing to hole 4, hole 13 and holes a-f. there are also paths cut in the grass..

Challenge/ risk v reward/ variety- this is this courses strongest point. there is a little of everything here, long, short, tight tunnel, wide open, dual fairway, right, left and an equal blend of them all. plenty of risk v reward with the water that is present on the course (may be seasonal water for the most part) This course will challenge your every being from pillar to post and leave you howling for more, more MORE!!

Engineering-- simply amazing the amount of work that has gone into this place with regard to bridges and other dry areas to prevent you from having to get your shoes wet in low lying, frequently wet areas. there are at least 10 woodchip "bridges" that help you cross lower areas.

Uniqueness-- there are several memorable holes here. #1 plays through a very tight tree tunnel with a very natural left fade. hole a-f were amazing and new. Several times, water comes into play.

upkeep- didn't see hardly any garbage. there are picnic tables at nearly all of the tees and garbage cans a plenty.

Cons:

13-16 being closed-- kind of a bummer really. Would have loved to play all 24 here

natural tees--geez I'm nitpicking. on the reds, the tees are natural. a con for some I suppose

uncontrollables-- bugs and wet. the bugs, even when we were there were pretty bad. flying ants and gnats were constantly in your face. many of the low lying areas either were very mushy or had standing water on them from our "spring" rains.

Other Thoughts:

a great great great course. I really really enjoyed this one...
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7 1
boristhespider
Experience: 17.1 years 63 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

A model for all other courses 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 13, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great signage
Awesome course maintenance
No litter!!!!
Great mix of holes and I'm a sidearmer. There is a shot on every hole. It demands some creativity, but you are rewarded handsomely for execution.
The designers have taken every element that golfers would like to see on a course and implemented them to a fair thee well including well lined walks between the holes, awesome baskets, well placed picnic tables, trash cans etc.

Cons:

Crappy roads to the park which are sometimes treacherous in the winter or after a a stretch of wet weather. That's not relevant to the course except for the pain in the butt it is to get there sometimes.

Other Thoughts:

Play here often. The full course won't be available to play until sometime in 2013 because of a project to ease drainage from holes 13-16 but the extra 6 holes make this a great 20 holer for the time being. It's a shame too because hole 16 is one of the best holes on the planet. This course was made for real players in the same way that Idlewild, Blockhouse, Deer Park, Flip City and DeLaveaga were and the care that the designers took to make this course what it is reflect it.
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2 2
Redmones12
Experience: 17.8 years 67 played 8 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Well maintained well designed 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 24, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

If they ever finish this course it is on par with the best courses i have played in the country, hands down great course. Nice elevations great water trap, long drives balanced woods, the extras look great

Cons:

All holes in now so updated my list... my complaint is mostly with the 6 extras amaxing holes all but 1 it's brutal no line to the basket... Kinda interesting but there a difference between a hard line and an impossible line. Wet wet wet in the spring but in truth this course is hard to complain about maybe its a tad open but the length makes up for the wide open field shots and its well mowed.

Other Thoughts:

Amazing course right down the road from hudson mills and CJ's party store which has the largest collection of disc around, so win win.
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2 4
a3wasp
Experience: 17.8 years 29 played 6 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Cool 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 30, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course has a lot of long holes. Its a challenging very well kept course. They just added 6 new extras

Cons:

It gets a little wet in the spring, But not to bad. There's not a lot of bad things to say about this course.

Other Thoughts:

Great course
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6 0
apparition
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.1 years 47 played 39 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Disc golf's equivalent to a world-class ball golf course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 29, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ The most well-maintained, manicured course I've played when there isn't a tourney going on (and the course is still being fine-tuned!!)
+ Bright DGA baskets (so nice!)
+ AM and Pro tees, many with a warm-up/quick round tee, too!
+ Tee signs with extra info (eg., angled surface for marking scores, "Send Spotter", location of alt tees pads)
+ Am tee locations drop difficulty, but not to the point that they're super silly stupid easy
+ I really want to point out again that this course has some very scenic woods and manicured lawns
+ Rough spots for upping the difficulty rating
+ Very pleasant layout with defined fairways, paths that lead players on cool little hikes (some necessary to get to other tees, though)
+ Great long distance shots, a couple ace holes that are difficult nonetheless
+ Creative and well-maintained hole layouts were insanely fun (ie. hole 9 with equalized a left shot and right shot) that made us throw twice just for fun
+ Variety
+ A - F holes are an amazing change of pace and difficulty
+ Independence Park keeps as many holes open as possible to continue attracting US

Cons:

- Long grass = ruff rough (that's why ya need spotters, man)

Other Thoughts:

My experience here was very serendipitous... religious in that disc golf sort of way. Kind of like Treesus meant for me to play this course.

We planned a little road trip down to the south east and wanted to play one course in addition to Hudson (eg., Stony Creek, Rolling Hills, Holly Woods, Kensington, etc.), but decided after visiting CJ's to buy a couple discs that we'd ignore the fact that we knew a couple holes weren't open here at Red Hawk and just go... I am SO GLAD WE DID! And now, after playing this course once, I can say that this course is way nicer than Kensington and Hudson and will be even better within two months.

I can't wait for it to be completed. It seems the construction and completion of the course has always been professional and on time (should be done in November). This means that anyone reading this before December 2012 has precious little time to enjoy this course before it's complete and explodes in popularity. The course is revered by locals. Even the park employees spoke fondly and cheerfully about the course (for once I didn't get any inclination that there is a stigma about the sport or the people who play it!). It was obvious that they were really proud of the disc golf course, and it truly shows in the way the course played through (even A-F without tees yet and 17/18 at the end). I even got a thumb's up from one of the construction workers who saw us playing at 10am on a Saturday. I could tell he was a follower of Treesus and was saying, "Yeah, you found a good place and I hope you enjoy it". This course is here for us, disc golfers.

Playing here was worth whatever parking fee they charge (I think free on weekdays right now, $9 on the weekend?), and will be even more worth it when the awesome-looking waterpark, beach, and picnic areas are finished. I'm very VERY happy I played here before that happens though. It was like disc golf heaven. I will always be very happy to look back on my first round here and urge you to play this course if you get the chance.

TL;DR - Bottomline, this course is shaping up to be the best public course in Michigan.
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2 4
mrblonde314
Experience: 19.6 years 10 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great Fairways / Horrible Roughs 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 7, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

- 1-18 offer Black (Pro) and White (Am) cemented tees with BROOMS!
- 1-18 offer Red woman's tee
- Almost every tee has bench / broom / garbage can
- Course is professionally designed

Cons:

- Very very rough roughs
- Roughs = poor / zero maintenance
- The entire course is COVERED in poison ivy
- The extras don't have cement tees
- The extras aren't very challenging
- Costs $9 to get in

Other Thoughts:

When I played this course holes 13-17 were under construction. I didn't let this affect my review. The course is challenging and fun but somebody needs to take care of the poison ivy issue.
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6 0
BearClaw
Experience: 33 played 7 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Tee off here ASAP 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 14, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

* Long, medium and short tees for 1-18
* Concrete tees for long/medium grass tees for short fpr 1-18
*Color print out map on tee sign for every hole at long/medium tees
*Tee signs include elevation height and warn to send spotter when needed opn 1-18
* Long/Medium tee signs have a broom at every tee
* Near Whitmore Lake but situated in a large park amongst farms, feels isolated, but its not
*Only $25 in county for a year pass that also works at another top notch Washtenaw Co course, Rolling Hills.
* Even if you don't have the year pass when the weather is not conductive to people using the beach they will often not charge for park entrance (This is most common in fall, winter, and early spring when the picnic course will be open across the parking lot as well)
*Great mix of wooded and open holes
* Course is on a relatively flat piece of land but makes superb use of the available elevation changes
* beautiful, large, old trees
* 6 newly added extension holes with short/long crushed limestone tee pads are situated so that they can be played after hole 4 or after hole 12 giving you not one but two chances to play them in the middle of your round (I like to play the extensions twice here
*Extremely well maintained
* There are hiking trails through the course but this is one of my favorite courses so I play it often and have never once seen a hiker out there.
* The only time the course is crowded with discers tends to be on league day which at the time of this writing is Saturday
* Lake with a beach in the park, sometimes with lifeguard and a splash zone.
*Bathrooms by beach
*dedicated disc golf parking lot
*picnic tables on course
*NO boring or repetitive or uninspired holes
*Short tees are relatively easy while long tees are highly challenging and from different angles

Cons:

*biting flies in the summer
*there were drainage issues last year on some of the holes that are under construction right now (with the drought they probably would have been fine this year but have been boggy during wet weather last year)
*holes 13-16 under construction until nov 2012
*5/9$ for in/out of county cars (but you can also use your day pass to play Rolling Hills)

Other Thoughts:

Even though 13-16 are down for now with the 6 new extensions there are 20 AWESOME holes that you can play now. If you forget to download a map there is one on the bulletin board by the long tee for hole #1.
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