Iron River, MI

The Tailings

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3.825(based on 17 reviews)
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10 0
EspressoPatronum
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 18.7 years 232 played 223 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Step into the UP's Wild Backcountry

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 16, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

- almost every hole is unique
- unbelievably cool and unique natural scenery
- fantastic elevation change
- good incorporation of water hazards
- major workout due to all the uphill and downhill walking (could be a con, but i mostly enjoyed it)
- great technical challenge
- fairly lengthy course, but a good mix of hole lengths overall
- difficult without being unfair
- garbage can/donation slot by course entrance

Cons:

- some of the most impenetrable rough you'll encounter
- most tee signs are missing or damaged
- rubber tees and so-so baskets are just ok
- navigation is fairly challenging and quite tough without a map
- maintenance is pretty nonexistent
- no real amenities
- major hazards where discs can be lost (not exactly a con, but an FYI at least)

Other Thoughts:

Ok, The Tailings is actually right outside the city of Iron River, but I'm not sure you'd ever know it once you're on the course. This one wins for most brutal rough I've ever played. Other reviewers were right when they said it's virtually impenetrable in places, and can be thorny on top of that. Somehow, I came out with all my discs in the end, which I'm considering a huge win.

I really loved this course, and it hurt a little to give it a 3.5, because it absolutely deserves a 4 with a little TLC. It's hard to touch on more than the previous reviews, but "unkempt" is a perfect way to describe this course. Most of the tee signs are missing, and the remaining ones are mostly damaged. The rough is crazy and with all the rocky outcroppings and elevation change, maintaining this course isn't as simple as hopping on your riding mower on a Saturday morning. This course is free to play, but there is a donation box at the course sign and I'd encourage everyone to at least throw a few dollars in for some desperately needed new tee signs.

The Tailings scores high marks for exquisite natural beauty. When I'm nearing 150 courses played and can say I've never seen another course like this, that's what traveling to try new courses is all about for me. I almost didn't make the trek over here from Iron Mountain because of how punishing I knew it was going to be at the end of the day, but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity. The elevation change is spectacular, and water hazards along and over the Iron River are incorporated as well. This leftover mining area has been reclaimed by nature and is one of the coolest settings for disc golf I've seen in the midwest.

Make no mistake, this course will use every shot in your bag, and is quite difficult. It is absolutely possible to shoot near par here, but mistakes will cost you - mostly in the form of hunting for discs in literal thickets. Amenities here are pretty limited. Tees are rubber and baskets are basic, and the maintenance leaves something to be desired - and I still loved it (the short tees are concrete, but as things were so poorly marked here, I stuck to the longer rubber tees).

It was completely dead when I was at The Tailings and I suspect it is almost never busy. It's kind of out of the way and is a tough course you aren't just going to hit for a quick, casual round. I still think I managed it in just over 1.5 hours solo, so it didn't actually end up taking that long, but you'll get an intense workout going uphill and downhill on most holes. There are some more open shots, but they still have relatively contained fairways. A lot of holes are pretty wooded and several have crazy height differential.

There are a few hole notes to be aware of - on hole 6, there are insanely deep pits off to the left that are fenced off. If your disc hooks over here, you will not get it back, and if you try to, you honestly might be risking your life. There are some no-joke slopes over this way and they are fenced off for a reason. The pits also have water at the bottom of unknown depth. Similar pits exist to the left of hole 9. Walking along holes 7 and 8, I was looking up at these crazy stone bluffs on the left between the pits and thinking how cool it would be to have holes way up on the bluff - but it sure would be a trek up there.

Hole 11 is a really cool shot from crazy high elevation down to a semi-open area along the Iron River. The landing area here could really benefit from a rough cleanout; with the elevation, your disc can go so far and around a somewhat blind dogleg left that it's a miracle I found my lie.

The course has a few benches but you're going to be doing a lot of trekking without relief. It really is worth it; the scenery here is just so different from most courses, I'd rank this in the top 3-4 of the 12 courses I played on this trip.

After throwing across the river on hole 17, the walk to the basket is a bit long since you have to go down to the bridge, but it's not a huge deal. This feels like a long round of 18 holes, but it's an excellent use of the land available without forcing extra holes in like some courses try to do.

The only safety hazard I noted was hole 1's fairway interferes with a walking path a bit. This area was pretty empty so it's not too big a deal. From the parking lot to tee 1, you do have to cross a path used by ATVs a lot, so just be aware of some very fast moving vehicles. Navigation was pretty difficult here. The course map made it possible but the complete lack of tee signs on most holes and mostly nonexistent navigation aids definitely didn't help things. Signage improvements really would put this course on a new level even without cleaning up the rough.

Overall, it's pretty obvious I really enjoyed this course. I strongly encourage anyone remotely close to give it a try as long as you have some patience and can accept The Tailings for what it is, an absolute diamond in the rough that, well... is still in the rough, big time. This is what I came to the UP for.
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14 1
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.9 years 970 played 542 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 18, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Tailings is a rough and tumble disc golf experience. It looks like the course is being more cared from than it used to be judging from some of the older reviews. That being said, it's still a rugged course in many aspects.

The tee pads here are solid. There's 2 tees on every hole now. The longs are rubber mats, which were some of the better ones I've ever seen. Don't recall seeing ones like this before but they were really nice and grippy. Nice sized too. The short pads are now concrete. A little on the smaller side but plenty sufficient for the distances for the distances on most of the shorts.

The baskets are some older Mach's. These were is solid shape and caught pretty well, or as well as old Mach's can catch. One pin and pin position per hole.

The course starts and ends right near the parking area. Hole 17 is a cool shot over the river with a pretty small, maybe 30' by 30' safe landing area between the brush on either side and deep and the river short. The course features a pretty solid amount of elevation throughout. Not ski hill level, but enough to keep it interesting. None of the holes are super wooded but there's trees to contend with on nearly every hole, forcing you to shape different shots to score well.

The distances are generally on the shorter end of the spectrum by today's standards, but there's a couple holes where you can kind of let loose. Placement is key here though. You don't need a huge arm to score well here but you better be accurate.

The course probably isn't ever really to busy so you'll most likely have the run of the place most days. The course is permanent and free to play. Water can come into play on numerous holes. The mix of trees, wind and water here is the trifecta of disc golf course design and challenge. It has them all. The design to fit 18 holes in this area is really well done.



Cons:

The tee signs, or lack of, is kind of annoying after awhile. The holes where you really wish there was a hole map on the sign there isn't. The majority of the tee signs are either missing altogether of damaged making the worthless other than the hole #.

The flow of the course is pretty easy to follow for the most part, but there are numerous places where getting turned around or having to wander a bit is going to be a likely occurance. There were some next tee signs throughout which were extremely helpful. Would be nice to see a few more of these. There's also a few longer walks in between holes. Bottom line is a map is recommended for first time players.

The rough here is THICK. You can tell that tey've been doing a lot of work to beat some of this back, but it's still thick. Ending up off the fairway presents a very realistic pssibility of losing a disc. Some of the areas are borderline impenetrable.

Other's have mentioned it not being in the best of areas. I didn't really get that vibe while here. The neighborhood is kind of run down looking but it didn't seem too sketchy today. Maybe I caught it on an off day.

There's a fairly busy walking trail that can come into play on a number of holes that run along the river. It's not the busiest path but I did see at least 3 different people walking it today. An errant shot from either of the big downhill holes could be problematic.



Other Thoughts:

I'd been wanting to get up to the Tailings for years now and was finally able to today. It's some damn fun disc golf, that's for sure. Is it a destination course? Probably not, but it's definitely worth a stop if you're anywhere nearby. Expect to take an hour and a half at least and coming out tired and probably with a lighter bag. Nice to see the work being done here though. I just wish I could've seen it in it's truely gnarly days, just once at least. Really fun course though.
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20 0
DFrah
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 5.8 years 227 played 225 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Exhilarating. Dangerous. Awesome. Neglected. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 29, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

The Tailings is an 18-hole course in Iron River, MI. Iron River is a small city that is in a thinly populated area of the western Upper Peninsula - about an equal 90 minute drive from Marquette, Houghton, or Ironwood. The course plays on a steep hillside next to the Iron River, through what used to be an open pit mine. As other reviewers have noted, "Tailings" refers to the waste minerals that are left over in mining after the valuable "concentrate" minerals are extracted.

The disc golf itself here is simply epic. The Tailings has a little bit of everything. There are significant elevation changes on many holes, including some of the most extreme downhill throws I have ever seen. There is rollaway potential, not only from missed putts but also on some fairways. There is great variety in distance, from about 200' to 600'. The course lacks the tight wooded holes found on many other UP courses, but there are enough obstacles and elevation changes to force shot shaping on most holes. Water comes into play on several holes as well.

The course is full of memorable holes. A few of my picks:
- The opening hole plays 300' along a flat grassy plain to a basket perched on top of a small mound. Be careful, the river is on your left throughout the hole and also behind the basket.
- Hole 4 plays 340' downhill, with a fairway that curls to the left and then back to the right. A small creek (dried up when I played) slices across the fairway diagonally from right to left. The basket is tucked into some trees to the right. Beautiful hole.
- Holes 7 and 8 play near the old mining pit. It is off to the left side of the fairway. They built a little fence here but if you throw into this pit, your disc is gone even if it doesn't go into the water at the bottom. It's basically a sheer cliff.
- To reach hole 11's long tee, you have to pick your way up a steep rock face. Finally you reach the top of the world, with who knows what lurking in the tall grass behind the tee. Then turn around and you will be treated to an incredible view across the Iron River valley. The wind is blowing here even on a nice day. Way downhill and probably 350' away is the short tee for the same hole. Thick trees and lose-your-disc rough line both sides of the fairway. I haven't ever felt this much adrenaline on a disc golf course, other than maybe running into a moose at Kincaid Park in Alaska (by the way, I ran into two deer and a snake on this course as well). I actually felt compelled to say "goodbye" to my disc before launching it off this tee. Then I threw a great shot that pegged a tree right in front of the short tee and stopped dead, only a couple feet off the fairway. The hole turns left at the short tee and goes another 250' to the basket. Par 4 according to the hole info here, but better players could card a very memorable birdie.
- Hole 17 is the shortest on the course at only 210', but it is a NASTY little water carry across the rushing Iron River which spans from maybe 125' to 175' off the tee. A single large tree on the basket side of the river sits directly in the ideal RHBH line. This tree has probably sent dozens of unfortunate discs to Davy Jones's Locker. I laid up with my putter.

The baskets are DGA models, and despite the condition of most other amenities (see Cons) these were in fine shape. There is a kiosk at the front of the course with a course map. Take a photo of this or download the one here, as you will need it.

Cons:

Most of the other amenities here leave a lot to be desired. There are two tee pads per hole, meant to provide a long and short layout. The short pads are mostly concrete and looked like they were relatively new, but the long pads are just rubber mats. The rubber was OK for me but conditions were perfect when I played. I bet these are slippery when wet, so hopefully long concrete pads are in the works. I don't mind the decision to pour the short pads first, as this course is much closer to being a reasonable play for locals from the shorts. From the longs, it is an epic adventure but it's going to be too much for most casual DG'ers.

Most of the tee signs shown in the photos here are gone entirely, and the few that are remaining are mostly broken. The "Next Tee" signs that are present consisted of scrap pieces of trash (mostly looked like red plastic plates) with arrows Sharpie'd on, pinned to trees. More of these are needed. I used the map for navigation many times, including on some longer walks (e.g. between holes 1-2 and 15-16).

I cannot stress enough that this course is 100% NOT suitable for families, non-DG'ers, or even any DG'ers who are not sure-footed. Your cart is not going to fare well either. The only people who should attempt to traverse this course are DG'ers and non-DG'ers who are in good physical shape, have grippy shoes or boots on, and are excited about a fairly strenuous hike.

The rough here is wild, and in some places dangerous. I was surprised I got through the entire course from long tees in late September without losing a disc. The weeds are probably even thicker in the summer. They will not only hide discs but also scratch and cut you. There are also steep drop offs near some fairways, and I don't just mean the mining quarry near holes 7 and 8. Even if you keep it on the fairways, some of the walks between holes are very steep as mentioned above. Someone tried to cut some stairs into the rock between hole 10 and 11 but as of my visit I would call these "out of order".

There were some other safety issues too. A few tees are very much in play near the basket/fairway of the previous hole. After the walk up to hole 11, you tee off back over hole 10's green. Sure you are well above it, but what if you hit a tree? Several other holes play near or along a walking/hiking path. I was the only disc golfer on the course when I visited, but the path was getting quite a bit of use and I had to wait on a couple of occasions for people on the path to clear from my firing line. There are also some blind throws towards the path, the worst being hole 13.

Extras like trash cans, benches, porta potty, and practice basket are all missing. Even the parking lot is worth mentioning as a Con. It is basically a rutted out dirt cul-de-sac that was partially flooded when I visited, despite the fact that it hadn't rained in at least 3-4 days. The only good thing I can say about the lot is that you can see the kiosk and hole 18's basket from it, so you can at least reassure yourself that you are in the right place.

Other Thoughts:

This one had been on my radar for over a year. I found this course/page when planning a visit to the Upper Peninsula in August 2020, and it immediately caught my intrigue. Unfortunately, the course is so far away from most of the other things my girlfriend and I wanted to see and do in the UP that there was only one day where it really made sense to fit it into the schedule. When that day came, the weather turned out to be steady, cool rain - not ideal when we still had hours of driving ahead of us. Even so, we took a 5 minute detour off of US-2 so that I could walk out with my umbrella and see the kiosk and first tee. I vowed to return, and on a perfect late September day over a year later I finally did.

In short? The Tailings is an awesome course that you should experience if you are a serious and able-bodied disc golfer anywhere near the area. From the short tees, other disc golfers could cautiously take in some of the unique Tailings experience while minimizing chances of injury and disc loss. The course is free to play, but I left a few dollar bills in a donation box next to the kiosk. If you make the trek out here, you should do the same. The lack of maintenance was expected from reading all the previous reviews, but still disappointing. Like the Tailings that it is named for, this course feels kind of discarded and cast off. With some consistent TLC and a few tweaks to address the safety issues, it could be an absolute 5-disc gem.
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15 0
Mushin No Shin
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.1 years 1192 played 67 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Still Awesome 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 11, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Unique Terrain

Great Design: using the River, Elevation, Washouts, Ruins, and Woods

Addition of Concrete Shorts makes the course approachable for Newbs/Familys

The Blue Tees make the course a real memorable challenge. Loves playing those Blues!

Cons:

Tee Signs could be Updated

Not Beginner/Family Friendly. Steep, Iffy footing, and Tricky Landing Zones

The River and Rough Eat bad shots. Rough is brutal in Summer

Death Pits to the left of Fencing on Holes 7 8 & 9

Older Players would like more Benches

18 leaves a little to be desired. Finishing hole is the weakest/filler hole, unfortunately

Other Thoughts:

Local DGers are giving this Gem of a Course love

I've only played here in Fall and Spring before, but the course conditions were phenomenal for mid July, exceeding expectations. Kudos to the Caretakers yoop there :)

One of a kind course property with quality design:

Hole 1 plays right along Iron River, with a small retention Pond in front of the Green, and Swamp behind the green

2s Basket is elevated on a Pile of Tailings with guardian Aspens, and the River off to the Left

4 is a unique 'Top of da World' shot, with a funky Basket position

5 plays besides the old Kilns

10 is another unique Tailings hole

11 is yet another unique Top of the World shot with a tricky line to the landing zone

17 requires a Shot over the Iron River to a small green :)

Always a memorable time at The Tailings
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19 0
1-UP
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 56 played 20 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Holy Smokes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 3, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

I have been looking forward to playing this course since I first heard of it. Researching it online, however, gave mixed messages regarding the status of the course, indicating it had collapsed and was overgrown and abandoned. Let me assure you, the course is very playable and in perfectly fine shape! The fairways were fairly well groomed when I played. There was certainly rough, but it's been tamed quite a bit - old pictures make it look considerably worse than how it actually is.

"Tailings" refers to the castoff rock and detritus from mining. The course is set among piles of rock and remnants of mining structures and it is very, very cool. Some of the structures have been implemented into the course, most notably a cement arch (railroad arch?) that guards the front and rear approach of the basket. All around rock cuts out of the ground and provides an interesting visual landscape.

Elevation is used on most holes, both up and down hill. There was a mix of left, right, and straight shots. The variety was quite good and you won't rely on a couple of shots or discs to finish the course. This is NOT a boring course to play.

Water comes into play somewhat regularly with a river cutting through the course and numerous ponds on hole edges. One shot, 16 I believe, requires a challenging carry over perhaps 20 feet of water. The distance isn't bad, but you're throwing downhill through a window in the trees. The window is generous but there is a guardian tree near the basket that will punish players trying to have their discs drop in from the left. I'm sure it's kicked more than a few discs into the river. The rest of it is fairly avoidable, but be aware that a disc that doesn't behave itself may well find itself floating down the river.

There was a set of longs and a set of shorts for each hole. Longs usually had a rubber teepad that was in good shape, shorts generally had a strip of carpet, though I think some of them may have been turf with spraypaint. Not going to lie - there were a couple of holes my wife and I chickened out on and just played the shorts.

The course wasn't busy when we visited. Pretty sure we were the only golfers on the course though we did see plenty of ATV riders on the nearby trails. The trails are mostly separate but there are a couple of holes where you may need to pause for traffic.

Cons:

The course was an experience, but it has its rough edges.

When you drive in the driveway is barely above two-track. Part of it has been washed out on one side and the parking lot was filled with very large pools of water. I was happy I was driving a truck to get around.

The holes flow fairly well but are not super well marked. Hole 1 is actually PAST 18's basket. Nothing obnoxious, but we had to bring up a UDisc map to figure it out. From there it's hit and miss if you can find the next hole easily or not. Sometimes its obvious, sometimes you need to hunt around a bit. Hole signs are hit and miss as some of them are quite damaged.

Generally I found the rough to be quite agreeable. There's some overgrown grass here and there but most of it woodsy overgrowth that's pretty navigable. The big exception to this are the sinkholes/waste pits. There are a couple of ponds next to some of the holes that are at the bottom of 30-40 foot drop-offs. There's fencing along those holes that I thought marked out-of-bounds. Nope, it's there to make sure you don't kill yourself. If a disc goes over, as near as I can tell it's gone. I poked around for about 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get down and look for one of mine that kicked off a tree but it wasn't happening. Maybe I could have slid down on my butt or something, but I would have probably landed in a pond that I had no idea how deep it was or what the bottom was like and I sure as heck wasn't sure how I'd get back up. After losing the first one and realizing what I was playing next to I played a LOT more conservatively.

Not sure that there are ANY facilities out there. No bathrooms, no trash, no benches. There also wasn't any litter and considering the park was nearly spotless somebody either is picking the place up or the patrons simply take a lot of pride in taking care of it.

The course is not cart friendly. It's barely people-friendly. Wear hiking boots or something sturdy because you're going to be clamoring over some very poor trails, loose rocks, and steep inclines. The unwary will twist an ankle.

Other Thoughts:

The course is challenging and demands respect. If you throw poorly, you won't lose a disc - the course will take it from you like a curmudgeonly teacher reprimanding you. The river moves quickly and I think anything that goes into it will be gone unless you are ready to jump in and wade quickly. The sinkholes are outright inaccessible due to their steep, dangerous banks, discounting the murky water hiding your disc entirely. No idea how deep they are. The rough is rough enough it can be challenging to find your disc, particularly with the elevation and blind turns in play.

That said, it's one of the most remarkable courses I've gotten to play. Normally I'm quite conservative on scores but I'm giving the Tailing high marks despite the complete lack of facilities and some obvious problems. With some love and dedication this could really be a true destination course. It may already be a destination course if you can overlook the rough edges. You really owe it to yourself to play this if you are anywhere near the area.

On a side note, because there are a lot of mining castoffs this is a fun course for a rock hound. Keeping my eyes open for interesting specimens was a good bit of fun while walking from hole to hole.
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9 0
topcide
Experience: 6 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

great course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 26, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Challenging course. but with playable challenge that has actual thought behind it.

Great hole designs

Good mix of shots needed

Nice variation of shots needed

Location is awesome- amazing use of topography.

Good tee signs, some have been vandalized though.

Nice rubber pads.

NO trash at all.





Cons:

Remote- was a little hard to find, had to ask a fisherman where to start.

Tough to navigate- Next tee signs would completely alleviate this.

NASTY rough. I lose 4 dics playing a solo round here on decent shots and searched a long time for some others that were barely, if even off the fairway at all. One I hit MAYBE 2 feet off the fairway and knew exactly where it was and could not locate it. The huge downhill shot I knew for a fact I was going to lose one without a spotter, but i let it rip because it was such a cool hole, I made a decent shot, heard it hit reasonably clean, and never saw a glimpse of the disc again. I get that this is due to the remoteness of the course and lack of people playing it, but it has to be mentioned.

An occasional ATV buzzed by, but not a big deal.

Some of the hills are a little treacherous to navigate.

Other Thoughts:

This is an amazing course, it really is. It's up there with some of the top courses in Michigan for sure. It has everything- uphill, downhill, blind, water in play, bombers, technical shots,ETC.

It has a "cool" factor that IMO is only beaten by Flip City, and that is saying something. The old strip mine quarry pit, railroad arches, ETC are something that you will never see on another course.

The rough is a total beast, and playing this course alone is tough.Even the fairways in some areas are pretty rugged. You can honestly expect to lose a disc or 2 during a solo round, and it's a legit risk even with a spotter just due to the growth of the rough.

The rubber pads are nice, but concrete pads would really set this course off.

What this course honestly needs is just people to play it and get it worked in a little, and a local club to take care of it. I know that's asking a lot since Iron River is so remote and such a small town.

Of The few negatives it does have - rubber pads on longs, dirt on shorts ( some shorts had rubber) is not that big of a deal. The remoteness of the course is awesome and is one of the big cool parts of it, but it also leads to the harsh rough and not much traffic to get the course beat in is probably the biggest issue with it.

Overall this course is awesome, and is one of the coolest courses I have ever played, It really is a shame that it will never get the kudo's it deserves since it is so out there.

It really is a a great course, and in terms of hole design itself, it would easily be a 4.5. It really is a shame that this course will prob never reach it's potential. If this course was in a populated area and had regular traffic and cement pads, it would be talked about as a destination course nationwide- I am being 100% serious on that.

People should really try and play this course, I plan on making the 11 hour trip back next summer to play it again, hopefully with some friends.


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4 1
urwatuh8
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 215 played 20 reviews
3.50 star(s)

rough 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 19, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has plenty of elevation and uses it well. There are a number of really cool holes. Everyone mentions the basket in the middle of the huge arch. But also there's a hole across the river. And I thought 10 was a great, tough, uphill hole with low clearance - not super long but still a tough 3. Plus several top of the world type shots (a rarity east of mountain time). The pads and baskets are in good shape. The course was also not crowded - we were there on a Saturday afternoon in July and saw one other group (and a couple people out hiking / biking.)

Cons:

The rough is the worst sort -- it's very hard to find a disc, but often not bad to throw out of. The combination of this rough and blind downhill holes is a recipe for lost discs. We used spotters on many holes still lost one disc and nearly lost several other (15+ mins of searching).

The course doesn't flow too bad, but it is a bit tricky to navigate in places -- I was glad to have a map. It also isn't obvious from the parking lot that you've even successfully found a disc golf course. I like that there are tee signs, but in many cases they aren't very helpful and you still have to walk the hole.

There are a decent number of holes which just feel like filler between the cool holes.

The course would also be dangerous if it ever got crowded (admittedly unlikely) -- a decent number of holes throw close to each other. (Between the overlapping holes and the lost disc problem, this would be a terrible course to hold a tournament at.)
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11 1
apdrvya
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 13.9 years 350 played 293 reviews
3.50 star(s)

a diamond in the very very rough... forgivable issues. 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 23, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Aesthetic-- plays through an old Iron mine (I think) many of the structures still remain in "ruin" form. Open strip mines remain and offer an awesome vista from the 7,8,9 pads. Off-road trails run parallel with the course and the ever present sound of two stroke engines is a little distracting.

Teepads-- the best rubber teepads that I have ever seen. Diamond plate pattern cut into them makes them super grippy even when wet. The short tees are trail pack and can be a bit difficult to find as they were added after the original build and tend to be a bit sunken.

Baskets-- Brand new DGA baskets. Highly visible with bright orange necks. This is vitally important as many of the shots are blind.

Teesigns-- where there are teesigns (many are missing, more to come) they are fairly accurate, #13 is a bit wonky trying to figure out the exact layout of the hole. The Map helps though.

Routing and nav-- easy easy. the map is essential to successfully navigating this course. Next tee signs from 1 to 2 are very helpful.

Variety-- This course offers every type of hole you could want with the exception of wide open bomber.

Elevation-- Brilliant use of elevation and natural topography. I think that every bit of creativity was squeezed into this course and it shows.

Uniqueness-- There are some very unique looks here. #5 with its ancient brick oven ruins #9 with the use of the concrete arch for basket placement, #10 up and around the bend with the crazy awesome road running around it. #11 with it's huge sweeping left with completely unforgiving rough on either side. #13, I don't think there is any other hole like this anywhere. crazy hard hyzer almost feeding back into itself. #17 is the shortest hole on the course but throws back over the Iron River.

Solitude-- one of my favorite things about playing a disc golf course like this is the ability to completely lose yourself into the course and surround yourself in nature and your game. This course has the unique ability to do all of these things in a very beautiful way. This is a very very special course.

Cons:

As mentioned previously, many of the teesigns were missing but with the distances and map that are available in 4G service here, there really isn't a need and these are forgivable.

Other Thoughts:

This is just such an amazing course in every way. Many minor issues are completely forgivable as the local scene doesn't really take care of this course. The Course was relatively recently mowed when we were there which was really really welcome.

2017 Update: when we got to this course in early October, course was EXTREMELY overgrown. To the point of nearly unplayable. There was something going on between holes 3 and 4 where the entire hillside was being pushed down. It's disappointing to say the least what has happened to one of my favorite courses... Needs TLC badly.
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9 0
leadpaint
Experience: 21.6 years 82 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A rough mix 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 12, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

A very interesting mix of elevations and direction.
Tees Fairways ans Baskets may all have a different elevation and a different direction on the same hole. deffinetly a change of pace from your traditional throw straight, throw left, or throw right course designs. let say some are go left down then up right finish flat center. It makes for a very diverse set of 18 holes that you never feel that you are replaying a hole and in fact you feel and your needed throws will show you that each hole is unique and a challenge.

elevation+

distances are good do to the great mix of difficulty

Some very Unique holes. one being a basket under a huge concrete arch and another being an extremely elevated and extremely blind rhbh 600+ hyzer that needs to flatten out for the end of it's flight.

Cons:

rough. due to there being no disc golf community in the area. the course is wild and rugged. expect extra time if you play alone or if you dare throw extra discs per hole. really the only thing i feel is lacking here is nature maintenance and maybe some benches to take a break fro the rugged terrain. there also needs to be a set of stairs built for the elevated climb two holes after the arch. or maybe a rope with knots to assist in the climb. cut dirt stairs don't suffice .

Other Thoughts:

An uncut diamond sitting in the middle of nowhere waiting for your boots to polish it a bit. it could be a top contender if they had a dedicated club in the town. It is worth going out of your way to play but be advised it is not a walk in the park.
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12 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.2 years 1508 played 475 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Wag your Tailings 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 27, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) There are some incredible disc golf shots . . . shots I have never had the opportunity to throw before! Some of the shots are what make you want to come back over and over or empty your entire bag trying to execute the right shot.
2) Massive rubber tees . . . they look like they were made from conveyor belts of some sort.
3) DGA signs are acceptable for the information they can provide. Unfortunately some of the signs are missing already.
4) 2 sets of tees help to make the course a little bit more beginner friendly because some of these tee locations and throws needed are simply to tough for beginners.
5) Unique basket location using a concrete arch. The basket is set right in the opening of the arch and is protected by the concrete except for a 20-30' wide area on either end of the arch. If you throw straight at the basket and end up behind the concrete post of the arch, you will likely not be able to make the putt. You want to miss to the right or the left to have a clear shot. This is something I have never seen before and I always welcome unique things like this into the game.
6) There is another extremely unique feature of this course and that is the rock bluffs off to the side of #5 and 6. It looks as if that was an old mine because below the cliffs is a massive deep depression, so I am guessing this is where whatever was mined on the property originally came from. I took multiple pictures of this cool feature.
7) If you want a challenge . . . this is your course. I love championship level courses even if I am not a championship level player.
8) The views and scenery on this course are awesome. Although there were a few things that detracted from the overall aesthetics, overall this was a pretty course and property.
9) Awesome elevation change on quite a few holes. It mostly plays down the hills but there are a couple tough uphill holes too.
10) Nice variety of foliage density working through some tight woods, a few more open turfed holes, and some holes with just a handful of trees acting as obstacles to your throws.
11) Shot shaping has plenty of variety here. You definitely want to consider all obstacles and play placement disc golf to avoid bad skips and ending up in some of the briars and brush.

Cons:

1) The rough on this course is extremely punishing, visually unappealing, and simply dangerous in spots in terms of having to walk around or over it. In a lot of places the brush that was cut down or removed is simply piled just off to the side of the fairway making for a messy looking fairway and a difficult obstacle to climb up and over.
2) There are some really dangerous areas on this course. The walk path definitely comes into play on 5 or 6 holes to some level and it is completely blind on a couple holes. That is a recipe for disaster unless it is hardly ever used . . . however I was there late in the fall and saw at least 8 walkers or bike riders on the paths and not a single other disc golfer. If people get used to going through there without interference of disc golfers they would be more likely to get hurt because they will not expect a disc at all.
3) Hole distance variation is not that great. These are mostly longer holes in the 300' range with only a couple holes in the 200's and 3 or 4 in the 400's plus the one 600'. I would prefer to see some shorter acerun/deuce or die holes mixed in instead of some of those extra 300' holes. While there is an argument about appropriate distances by skill level, I also think an argument can be made that a large variety of hole distance can improve the design, playability, and fun factor of a course.
4) There are a few dangerous fall-a-ways around some teepads that could cause an injury. Hopefully when they have more time they can level off a larger area for the run-up and/or the follow through.
5) Compaction and erosion are every present on this course. I can only imagine what this course is built on, and I can imagine that growing turf in this ground would be very difficult. I hate to see these issues on incredible courses because it really does take an incredible course and knock it down at least 1-2 notches.

Other Thoughts:

Definitely if this course had a bunch of volunteer labor and people took care of the issues that are holding it back this course would be one of the most epic courses I have played. It has the scenery, it has the challenge, it has the shot shaping needed, it has epic and uniquely memorable shots . . . it has some of everything and would definitely rise above many good to great courses out there. I am not sure it would end up as a 5 disc course, but it wouldn't be far behind. It all comes down to how much time the course workers have to invest in cleaning it up!

I am giving this course a 4.0 with the understanding that it is about 3.75 in its current conditions. I cannot give it higher than a 4 because some of the negatives are bad enough to hold it back, but with that said if I was giving the disc golf only a rating it would probably be a 4.5. There just are enough important things that I think are really lacking or holding this course back from being incredible. I think over time the course will continue to get better
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Designer response by superberry
Addressing the issue of distances. I cannot find my original course design notes and have not used a laser range finder recently to determine the actual distances, but I KNOW that what is listed here and on the signs is wrong, and in some cases elevation addition/deduction was made and some cases it was not made. All in all though, there are more sub-300' holes than would appear...
Hole 1 is about 290'
Hole 3 is 250' but 25-30' uphill
Hole 5 is less than 275' I believe
Hole 8 is only 250' or so.
Hole 9 is actually only 285' at best (sign says like 315' I think!)
Hole 12 is 270' but uphill.
Hole 17 is 200' but requires throwing across a 30' wide section of the river at 75-90% down the fairway.

You are absolutely correct - a stronger contingent of dedicated local volunteers would bring this course up a few notches! Those asthetics and landscaping items would work into the mix, brush would get cleared up, and you'd see a beautiful course emerge simply by being used more.

The walking path (paved) was a conscious decision to use and a joint agreement with the chamber of commerce. Overall use is relatively low, and use of disc golf was anticipated to be somewhat low so the probability of conflict was estimated to be low. Signs were supposed to be installed to alert disc golfers to yield at all times on all tees. The walking path holes were also designed with the intent to be played as OB on all holes. I think it has not been signed or played this way.

More work, more play, and more feedback will help the Tailings grow! Come play some extreme disc golf - if that's your thing!
5 1
Hfactor
Experience: 17.8 years 38 played 11 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Magical Pad fairy! Please place cement pads on this course. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 26, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is scenic, fun, a challenge, has unique holes that will test your long and short game and you will want to play the course again.

The map was good and any sign I looked at was good. Lots of elevation on this course!

Cons:

Rubber tee pads that are sometimes too short or more like if you overstep you will have a very bad time... for the rest of your life... There is lots of water, the river and quarry come into play on many holes, gl finding your disc. Some of the rough requires climbing up and down steep slopes to get your disc, if you are prone to throwing in the rough then its going to be a painful round.

Other Thoughts:

Playing doubles made the round more fun since it was my first time and I had a good deal of rough shots. A lot of the holes offer blind shots which I think are a lot of fun but also throw off disc selection and aim. Playing a course for the first time is usually more fun playing doubles or cali.

Make sure you get the course map. There is something similar to an RV park that has a Office and they had scorecards there with maps on them (yay maps!)

GOOD GOD THROW A BIG HEIZER ON 13!@!!

I know its tempting to try and park it, but that will get you in or past the river :(.

I guess highbridge or some other good courses in Wisconsin are nearby. Other than that, as I am from Michigan there is no other discgolf near this course, not until you get to the Mackinaw bridge 4½ hours away. Its a good 9 hours from Lansing.

This course is probably unplayable / under snow / your going to lose every disc you throw during a good portion of the winter months.

I'm not sure if I should con the rubber pads. It would be extremely hard for them to get all cement pads on this course. Although, the few short pads I chanced to step on were a joke. The Long pads were much better.

I lost a yellow pro-d Zone somewhere between hole 7 and 13, left it in the fairway. If you find it email [email protected] or call 5175154236 ill pay for shipping.

I also lost a pink opto flow on hole 13. It either went in the bend on the river or just past the river. That disc has my name and # but I doubt someone is going ot find it.
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6 2
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great potential! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 23, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays on a hilly wooded property. Elevation changes on many holes add some great challenges and some fun variety. There are a couple steep hills, including some tough uphill shots and some fun downhills. Some of the pin placements offer some cool protected greens and some rollaway potential.

Most of the course plays with defined fairways and thick woods and rough if you miss your line. You will definitely pay for errant shots here, accuracy is a premium. There's a solid mix of hole shapes, calling for a balance of left and right turning shots of all different lengths. The signage is decent, most holes have tee signs with hole length and shape, and there are a few next tee signs.

Cons:

Some of the signage is missing, not a huge deal but it could be a problem if vandalism is the cause and it continues. The long tees have rubber mats, most were in good shape, but a handful were lumpy or sloped with poor footing. The short tees are small and poorly laid, most were rocky, rutted and sloped. I can't imagine they get much play, especially with signage only at the longs.

Several of the holes here offer pretty open lines, with dense rough as the only real obstacle, a little more wooded tunnel golf would be my preference. The rough here is some of the nastiest I've seen, especially since it was encroaching on most of the fairways leaving lost disc potential even for good shots (one basket was surrounded by knee high plants). The walking path is in play on a few holes, with blind shots at times that could be a safety issue with pedestrians present. A couple holes have the next tee too close to the basket, if multiple groups are playing there could be some conflict.

Other Thoughts:

Beginners won't have much fun here, there are lots of tough shots with distance, elevation, and really punishing rough. More experienced players will find some great shots here, with cool variety and tough challenges. With some maintenance and improvements, this could be a really cool course worth going out of your way to play. At the moment, it's got some fun moments but it's also a disc eater, I wouldn't play it without someone to help spot.
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6 0
stealthfalcon84
Experience: 12 years 17 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A tough and enjoyable experience 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 2, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

+ Very creative hole designs
+ Hole 11 has you throwing from the top of a huge hill with a dog leg to the left. It's a blast to watch your disc sail forever (provided you get a good throw!)
+ Extremely varied terrain. Lots of rugged hills, trees and dried creek beds. The Iron River runs along the course, creating a water hazard for a few of the holes
+ Good use of obstacles (one basket is between the arch of an old railroad support, nice!)
+ Not a lot of traffic means you don't have to wait to tee off very often
+ There are usually maps of the course at the beginning
+ For the most part it is well signed, with arrows pointing to the next tee and most holes have a sign showing the layout.
+ Two sets of tees
+ Most of the tee boxes are in good shape (rubber mats)

Cons:

-The terrain isn't always maintained very well. The fairways aren't cut.
- A walking path runs through the course, meaning you sometimes have to watch out for people walking. This doesn't happen often and every person we encountered on the path was very friendly.
- I believe it's hole 15 that you have to walk a long ways back up the course from 14 to get to the tee. It's the only hole that the tee isn't fairly close to the previous hole, otherwise course flows very well.

Other Thoughts:

I really like this course a lot. It can be very challenging and punishing for the beginner player. This is probably not the course you want to bring someone who has never played the game before to. Make sure to wear proper footwear for going up and down steep and rocky hills. There often tends to be long grass and unless you're a really good shot, you'll probably be playing from some of the incredibly wild roughs. Bring extra discs along. We've lost a disc each time my group has played. We're definitely beginners, so intermediate/advanced players might not have this issue. I really hope a lot of people play the course and make suggestions/comments to the city of Iron River so they will stay committed to it. It's a wonderful course and I'd hate to see it go to waste.
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11 0
dagwood112
Experience: 20 years 72 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Currently Precocious, Potentially Legendary 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

The Tailings is situated on a very unique piece of land with interesting natural features and cool manmade structures. The designers did a great job of incorporating these features and structures to create varied shots and interesting hazards. The design has you throwing left, center, right, up, down and waaaaaay down from the tee. The river plays a role on several holes and deep pits on a couple other holes threaten to gobble plastic. Distances are varied and there are a couple opportunities to air it out. There are major elevation changes on several holes.
Course peripherals are solid. Baskets are still new and have number signs. The tees are level rubber pads. The rubber provides good traction when dry. Don't know how they fare in the rain and wet. Signs are present at the tees, providing a sufficient model of the hole with the distance. Most signs have a 'next tee' icon, which is useful.
I was the only player on the course for both my rounds on a gorgeous Friday morning/afternoon. The course was clean and mostly free of litter. Good opportunity to scope some wildlife. I saw no fewer than three deer and a very entertaining gaggle of baby ducks with parents on the river. I also get the impression that an encounter with less-friendly wildlife is not outside the realm of possibility (I'm lookin' at you, Mr. Bear).

Cons:

The course is young and still raw. Even the (comparatively) tame fairways are a treacherous jumble of stones, rubble, stumps, grass, gravel and mining detritus. Departure from the fairway can be excessively punitive, as the rough in certain areas is nigh on impenetrable when attempting to retrieve a disc. The extreme terrain and the slag from clearing the course combine to force some hairy disc rescue operations. Certain areas dictate a drop as the only reasonable choice.
While the essentials like baskets and tee pads are solid, the course is a bit lacking in amenities. Trash receptacles...where are they? However, despite the lack of trash cans, the course was very clean. No benches to speak of. Adding benches on a couple of the holes would be huge. I'm thinking primarily of #11, where such a climb should be rewarded with a proper sit, and the view is deserving of a bench. Speaking of the climb on #11, an emergency rope would take a bit of the fear out of the descent (I nearly had a brownout in my shorts on the way down...terrifying).
Navigation isn't a huge problem, but there are a couple places where some additional clarification would come in handy. On a couple of the holes (the #2,3,4,5,6 cluster) the 'next tee' icons on the signs were not effective for me.
Some folks will see the rubber pads as a con. There are no bathrooms onsite. The ORV path can be a bit of a nuisance if you're looking for real solitude.

Other Thoughts:

PLAY THE TAILINGS. The Tailings has the potential to be legendary. The land is full of interesting quirks and features that create serious character and charm. The river is beautiful. The crumbling brick structure between #4 and #5 and the arches on #9 are completely unique and hearken back to a once thriving mining industry. The course is distinctively 'Northwoods.' To their credit, the designers took advantage of all these things to create a fun and exciting course.
Assuming the Tailings continues to receive the present level of care and attention, use and age will benefit the course the most. It seemed to me that the course is still breaking in, which accounts for the rough around the edges vibe. If the course gets sufficient play the edges will smooth over time.
In the meantime, proper footwear (read: hiking boots w/ ankle support) is essential. Also, bring extra water. I didn't have a problem with the hike per se, but rather having to be constantly vigilant in my foot placement. Both fairway and rough present a persistent hazard of twisting an ankle. Long pants are also a good idea. If you are not confident in your ability to hit the fairway, a spotter is key. I played solo and spent a lot of time searching for errant throws. This is partially because I'm not that good, and partially because the rough is really, really rough.
From a roadtrip perspective, I'm not sure Tailings is in the 'destination' echelon just yet. However, it is certainly worth hitting if you are anywhere in the neighborhood (I drove 2 hours each way and was glad that I did). I really hope I have the chance to return at some point in the next couple of years to see how the course progresses. With some additional amenities and a bit of breaking-in, this course will be a destination.
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9 3
AKormendi
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 25.6 years 65 played 27 reviews
5.00 star(s)

XTREEEEEME!! 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

- Absolutely insane elevation changes. This terrain is more extreme than any disc golf course I've ever seen. Signature holes abound, to the point that plain holes are the irregularity.
- Neat scenery. Besides the incredibly steep hillsides, you have the leftovers of a bridge from the iron industry sheltering a basket, interesting woods, and the beautiful Iron River.
- Great variety in holes. A lot of different shots are used, with approaches I'd never had to consider using before necessary to avoid some of the roughs.
- Secluded and clean. On a beautiful friday afternoon, we had no locals to deal with, and found very little trash. We spotted a huge doe, and a big colorful beetle during our round.
- Great tees and signage. All holes are clearly marked, and the tees are mostly big slabs of iron, giving them a unique look.

Cons:

- The terrain is extreme. This can make the course easily unplayable. If there's any rain, some tees would be far too slippery to reach, and many others dangerous to approach. Even in perfect conditions I found myself slipping down a number of hills, and this in areas that were supposed to be fairways. BRING GOOD SHOES AND LOTS OF WATER.
- Not beginner disc golf. A lot of courses may claim this, but here its most certainly true. A number of the roughs are downright impossible to retrieve discs from, and if you don't have a lot of control you will have a hard time staying out of them. Even with pro levels of control, expect to lose a disc, especially if there's any wind.
- Some vicious flora. My wife encountered some sort of stinging nettle, or possibly poisonous hogweed that left her calf feeling like it had been stung by dozens of wasps for several minutes, and itched for quite some time. Even where its just your traditonal thorns, they come thick and mean.
- Erosion is going to do a number on this course. One tee in particular will likely become unreachable soon without carving some stairs into the hillside.

Other Thoughts:

The Tailings is a course built on the piles of rubble left behind by Iron River's declining industry, and it shows. This is a good thing, because it creates extreme and interesting terrain. This is also a bad thing, because its slippery and dangerous to walk around on. If you're feeling athletic, unafraid of bad footing, and willing to lose discs down cliff faces mere feet off the fairway, this is an amazing course. If you're looking for a casual course to play with a few friends who don't take the sport seriously, you'll probably leave with a cranky group and short at least a half dozen discs. Say what you like about it, there's no course like this that I've ever seen, and if you happen to find yourself passing by Iron River, you'd be doing yourself a disservice to skip playing it. I visited this course on the way back from an extensive disc golf trip to northern Wisconsin, including 5 days at Highbridge; despite all the amazing golf I played, this is the course that I'll remember the most.
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11 1
koogs
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.6 years 130 played 19 reviews
4.00 star(s)

What a great experience 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 3, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is like no course I've played before. The variety is amazing. Long, flat and straight. Big uphill with a nearly 180 degree turn. HUGE downhill with a left dogleg. Left and right finishing holes. Elevated tees and baskets. Throwing across a river. Blind shots and a hidden basket that you can't see until you get 10 feet from it.Only 2 holes are under 300', the shortest being 208'. The longest hole according to the tee signs is 462', but hole 11 (no sign) seemed like at least 500'. Most of these are also bordered by rough that I can only describe as brutal. The terrain is rugged and beautiful.

Cons:

There are no tee pads down yet, only dirt. A couple of the tee areas look like they will be kind of short for anyone who needs a lot of room. A couple tee signs were missing. A little better direction from basket to next tee might be in order. This course is a workout, a couple benches along the way would be nice.

Other Thoughts:

Here are some things that I recommend you bring: extra discs (unless you plan on not making any bad throws), long pants (unless you don't plan on looking for any bad throws), sturdy shoes, preferably with good ankle support, an emergency disc repair kit (a cig lighter), and more extra discs. This course is a great experience. I'm looking forward to playing it with tee pads, should be soon! I hate to look like a copycat on my rating, but Superberry's rating of 4 is on the money at this point, in my opinion. Given the variety and level of difficulty and scenery, it has to be more than a 3.5. But without tee pads (yet), and incomplete signage, I can't give it a 4.5. When those things are complete, I'd definitely give it a 4.5. I've never played a 5 disc course, so I can't make that comparison, but I wouldn't say it's out of the question.
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18 2
superberry
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 25.9 years 336 played 95 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Best in the UP - BY FAR! Local dedication and more land use could make it a 5! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 26, 2014 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Balance and Variety galore. Here you'll play along the river, throw across the river, play uphill, downhill, across hill, anhyzer, hyzer, straight, wooded, open, etc!
Blue tee design offers some amazing challenges and require a variety of shots in your bag and shot placement to avoid tricky areas.
Memorable holes such as #17 across the river, par 4 #11 downhill along the old gravel road, #13 which is just about as much elevation drop as it is distance, the elevated washout gully hole #4, and the awesome tree on #5 that really shapes your shot off the tee.
Water hazard in play with the river on #1, #2 & #16 a little, and #17 throwing over it from a narrow window off the tee. This creates a nice OB hazard, and the walking path (or across it) could introduce even more OB and require careful shot placement.
Risky greens placed near hazards, trees, and sharp elevation changes will make you contemplate your upshot and rifling your putt at the pin. I like this.
The course is strenuous and offers a workout playing uphill, dowhill, uphill, downhill.
The trees left on the wooded holes are great design elements. They offer a slightly more obvious specific route to the pin, but leave open options for other routes.
Nice flat rubber mats for tees (except tee #7 where the sign and tree are too close)

Cons:

There is too much crowding in a few areas where tees and baskets are close to one another (holes 8/9 and 10-12). It shouldn't be a problem unless the course is very crowded though.
The rough is rough and thick, very full of a lot of the brush and junk that was dozed off of the fairways because construction of this course took place on a very overgrown piece of property. This is not a huge con because I believe that an errant shot should be punished and that might mean taking a stroke just to kick out to the fairway.
Just one set of permanent tees. This course is so tough, and in such a non-disc golfing community that shorter tees are a must for noobs and families.
More than 18 holes would be nice, and the property is there.
Alternate pin placements would showcase more of the neat features.
A Gold tee on a few holes would be a GREAT touch for big arms and add some par 4 or 5 holes!
The safety associated with the old mining topography keeps us from being able to utilize the land to its fullest and create some AMAZING holes!!! When you get near the ponds on hole 6, 7, etc, just imagine throwing across or up and down that elevation!!!

Other Thoughts:

I first played the course without rubber tee pads installed (or even tees being levelled), and without signs. But I played the inaugural round with designer Bruce and it was great! I was looking forward to it all day, to see what had become of the course we walked down in March and just then began to clear the tons of brush and trees. It did not disappoint! I have played every other UP course (with the exception of the new one in the Sault) and this one is BY FAR the best design of them all and the best overall looking course. The UP can finally say they have a course that LOOKS like a course!
I can't wait for the signs and tees to be installed so we can make another road trip here!
I hope the paved walking path is marked and utilized as OB like we discussed. This will add another element of accuracy and shot placement required for holes 1, 18, 13, and 16!
I will be here to play numerous times. Bruce is really the designer and made all this happen, he only had me up there for a day to get some input on proposed tee and basket locations, and a couple hole designs (thank me for #4 and #13 and the elevated long tee on #7).
Some of the pictures posted right now (June 2010) are slightly off and mislabeled.
With fully installed/levelled red tees to offer all the newbies a chance to avoid the harsh punishment Tailings can offer, a bit more fine tuning of all the construction debris that has gone on, and better defined OB with the walking path on all impacted holes, this course could be a 4.5 (very close already!). A handful of VERY tight tunnel holes under a wooded canopy, a few longer tees/open holes (gold tees) to really let you rip on it, and a spattering of alternate pin placements - this course would be a 5. If more holes were added here, these types would be part of the mix and this course would be a 5 without question (more than 18 holes here would make it a destination course for the remote area)!
I love the course and hate the punk vandal kids who hang around the property wrecking things!
UPDATE: I've played numerous times now and love the challenge and thinking man's game that the Tailings lays out for you. I know that short tees may be coming and we saw some potential for them during the Rum Rebellion tournament. Once they're in, I'm bumping to a 4.5! If alternate sleeves were added in a few places to change up the already great variety and a few problem areas were smoothed out, I'd consider a 5!
10/11/2011: With the shorter RED tees we played during the Rum Rebellion annual tournament, I have a sense that these are a sign of what's to come. OB with respect to the paved walking path was also clarified at the event. I'm bumping my rating to 4.5. This is a phenominal (beatdown) course with lots of amazing terrain being fully utilized.
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