Troy, MI

Firefighters Park

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3.235(based on 49 reviews)
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4 0
greatfaults
Experience: 5 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Quite good! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 4, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

- The course has some interesting holes (like 10 and 18 over the creek), and the distance is usually enough where you can't just fluff it and be in the circle
- Tee pads are quite good (concrete)
- Baskets are all good (Mach 3's)
- It's 18 holes; to some thing might be odd to list as a benefit, but in many places niners are the usual (including this area in my opinion because Stoney is a pay to play), so 18 varied enough holes really gives you a full-on round experience
- The lay out is cool in that it's sectioned off into stretches; you usually go over a bridge crossing the creek to go to the next set of holes, and that was pretty cool for me playing my first time there
- Course has bathrooms, water fountain, and easy parking, which is always a plus
- Course also has a practice basket in front of the pavilion I think

Cons:

- If you're new to the course, sometimes finding the next hole isn't totally obvious; the idea of crossing a bridge to go to the next hole might not occur to some until they see others do it, so just make sure to see the map before going, or even bring it with you
- The hole shapes are not particularly varied; the fairways are I think all basically straight lines to the basket with tree and bush obstacles that make you hyzer, hyzer flip, or turnover past them; there aren't really that many tucked away baskets, dog-legs, or right angles, though you could consider the over the water shots as island holes if you want
- It gets quite busy; I went there on 4th of July and basically there were the same number of groups as holes, so I was constantly looking out for people to play through and if we needed to play though people ahead of us; for those who like to play slow and not worry about waiting or letting people though, that might be a bit of damper on your round.
- The distances on a lot of the holes make them not very beginner friendly. I don't think that's much of a problem because between Raintree and the two 9-ers in Royal Oak there are many beginner-friendly courses, but if you just decide to play one day because you saw it was close to you, you may be a little defeated since it has quite a few 300 ft.+ holes and opportunities to lose discs to the creek (although frankly you can usually get them if you have even a minor ability to climb down into the creek ditch; the creek is rarely more than 1 or 2 inches deep

Other Thoughts:

I really liked playing this course. I think it serves a good purpose of giving intermediate players a real first challenge, advanced players course to take time to master, and pros and pro-adjacent players something to keep them sharp. I'd advise going on a week day before noon if at all possible because you'll avoid the crowds for sure, but it seems like on most days the crowds won't be large enough to take the concentration out of throwing good shots.
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3 1
KenCo12
Experience: 18.8 years 9 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Comparable To Bowling House Shot 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 22, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Tees and pins are easy to spot and maneuver. All cement tees, easy to start at holes 1, 3, or 10 without getting lost or confused.

Cons:

Short holes, rain doesn't drain fast at all (course can be wet days after rain). Lots of dog walkers / hikers (very loose term)

Other Thoughts:

This is a great standard course. Standard shot, nothing to complicated, a few OB's, river, etc. A great place to practice long runs. Can get packed during summer.
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3 0
MisterJ
Experience: 7.6 years 36 played 22 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Enjoyable 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 21, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Very well kept. Holes can be technical which is nice without being too wooded. Variation from the first 5 holes to when you go over the bridge and get the next 4, compared to holes 13 thru 17 is a nice change-up. Almost makes it seem like you ar playing 3 different courses.
Because the holes aren't too long I can bring inexperienced friends, and have a blast.

Cons:

Two big ones.
1. This park is huge even besides for the disc golf course. But for some reason, people love to walk and hang out right in the middle of holes. Even though there are acres and acres of beauty elsewhere in this park, and typically they are difficult to ask to move, even for us friendly bunch of disc golfers. So be patient, Troy citizens aren't as friendly as a disc golfer and you may not understand them.
2. Hole 18 is near the river, and at dusk it gets a bit darker and is across a river. There is a couple of poachers that wait for you to throw, and pretend to walk thru, but they snatch and go. Leaving you looking and not finding. Beware of the 18th hole at dusk.

Other Thoughts:

Love this course. Its close for me, its technical and not too long, but the course keeps changing things up. I like it and if it were longer,had some elevation changes, and was just a bit more ascetically pleasing, I would have ranked it higher. But a very solid 3.5
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1 1
Beesroad
Experience: 21.8 years 28 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Quick 18 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 16, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Concrete pads, not heavily wooded, paths were marked out , didn't require a map to find next hole, dead branches/debris on ground well cleaned, most of the course is shaded for those hot days, easy access off of I75.

Cons:

Shorter holes, only 2 holes over 400 feet. No trash cans on course. No seating except on hole 11. Holes have people throwing side by side. No water for drinking.

Other Thoughts:

This was nice course with some technical shots but for the most part throw straight at the baskets. We went during the day after lunch and there were only a handful of players. Not a lot of foot traffic other than the wet puppy that came up to me. Only took an hour to play this course. The only way to lose your disc is to throw it in the creek that runs throughout this course.
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1 2
geodude
Experience: 40 played 38 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Worth it to take I75 if heading north from Detroit Metro Airport 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 9, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Clean park, easy access to Interstate 75, mostly shaded, extra long concrete tees, good variety of tree challenges, nice park in an affluent suburb, creek runs through the course, mainly grass with trees, Ad-Hoc Festival on Summer Saturdays: see 'Cons' below. Free to play.. Some picnic tables at a few holes.

Cons:

Some poison ivy at hole 18 along creek and ditch, very crowded on the weekend with some sort of Festive Dress up in Character event , was told this happens every Saturday in summer, dude with a giant white rabbit head, guy dressed up like ragged ann. Weekdays used by people doing Tai-chi with swords, very cool but you have to play around them, and thru them. Only one bathroom, far away, no water fountains that I saw. Lack of significant elevation changes, Could use more benches at tees.

Other Thoughts:

The Festival was really cool I thought, played thru some women who were playing Pokemon-Go or something like that- had a chat about Geodude and Charzard (brush up on your Pokemon).
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2 0
torihanus
Experience: 9 years 37 played 16 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

1.) Course is located in the suburbs of Detroit; however, it has the "feel" of being out in nature. Course isn't the only thing you can do at this park. There is a football field, multiple soccer fields, places to grill out, sand volleyball courts, etc.

2.) Baskets are double-chained and in good condition.

3.) Concrete tee pads at every hole.

4.) Course is free to play, which is always a bonus when you're playing in the city.

5.) Course is family-friendly. I saw multiple families out on the course with their young children while I was out there playing. I have only been playing for a little over a year, so I thought this was refreshing from the normal disc golf crowds. It was cool to see such young kids getting out there and playing.

6.) Course is clean, fairways were nicely cut, and wood chips surrounding the baskets.

7.) One part of the layout that I did like was that you could either start at hole one or 10, depending on traffic. You didn't have to feel objected to do all 18 holes, since holes nine and 18 were close to the parking lot.

Cons:

1.) Signage was mediocre. Signage consisted of hole number, an arrow pointing in the direction of the basket, and feet away from the basket. Granted, you could see the basket from the tee pads at every hole; however, I do prefer when I have a basic map in front of me showing you where the basket is.

2.) Personally, I wasn't impressed with the layout of this course, and I quickly became bored. There were several holes that were too closely knitted together. On two separate occasions, I almost got hit by a guy who was playing a hole ahead of us. Most of the holes had a few trees scattered on the fairway, and they were a pitch and a putt. There was only two challenges on the course that I thought were relatively decent, holes 10 and 18 (water holes).

3.) Navigation was less than superb. With some of the fairways being back to back, it could get confusing for first-timers like myself.

4.) This course can get pretty crowded fairly quickly, depending on what time or day you head out there. However all the people I met out there were friendly. The first time my boyfriend and I were out there, we paired up with two guys, so that we weren't waiting in line as long.
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2 1
lVlrBoJang1es
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Underrated 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 5, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good variety of holes.
Not extremely challenging.
Only 2 or 3 holes where losing a disc is a possibility.

Cons:

Not overly challenging.
Confusing layout after the first few holes.
Risk of hitting civilians on the first few holes - they are very near to a shelter/grilling area.

Other Thoughts:

This course plays nicely.

There are a few holes that present a water hazard which usually has a fast moving current. If you manage to place a disk in the stream, don't hesitate in trying to retrieve it because it only take a few moments for the flow to move the disk off your throwing line or sink it to the murky bottom.

The course starts with a few relatively open holes to get you warmed up. You'll run into a mix of wooded and open-field style holes in the 2nd half of the course. You have to cross over a bridge twice at points in the course that aren't clearly marked. The tee shot over the stream (immediately after you cross the bridge the 2nd time) is my favorite!

You go out with a bang on the last hole. It's a design that feels closer to what you'd experience at a more refined course - an open area tee shot that requires you to either lay up, or go long over a bridged brush hazard that stretches horizontally across the entire fairway. If you overshoot the basket on your 2nd shot once you clear the brush hazard, you can easily fly into the stream that runs the length of the course. This high risk/high reward can make or break your round (easy to lose a disk here).

Although Kensington is my favorite course, this is the best in terms of convenience when living in Royal Oak.
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5 1
AilyonDG
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Vanilla, with a side of Vanilla 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 14, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

It's a nice escape in an otherwise bustling metro Detroit suburb. I've found it to be one of the better courses in the immediate area. It takes you through the paces of a more difficult course in the context of a less challenging one. There are some short wooded holes, water hazards, and some that will test all but above average distance throws.

It is a great place to practice and hone the skills you're working on. It can be played quickly, which makes twilight possible (for me). Mostly the course is short holes that are dead straight without much in between. The longer holes can be reached by someone who has above average distance, and the handful of wooded holes makes trees the only unique challenges.
I've never had a problem with non-golfers, or golfers alike. It can attract larger group play, but honestly all courses have this "problem".

It is not exempt from poor course conditions after heavy rainfall, but many of the holes remain playable after inclement weather.

Cons:

The main problem with this course is its lack of imagination. I think the overall design of the course was done with minimal effort. It's straight, mostly open, and not too long. Like I've said it is before a good place to practice, but not awe inspiring. That's ok, it doesn't make it a BAD course, it just makes it an average course in the burbs this is pretty plain.

Other Thoughts:

I play this course often. It's my "home" course. So I have some partiality to it I guess, and it is what it is. No World Championships will ever be hosted here, but it is a good course for casual play. With a little more effort I could go play much more challenging and higher quality courses... But, I can get to this course more frequently, and it's about an hour to play through it. For a guy with a career, a wife, and a kid, being able to still play disc golf without burning a whole day away from the family is really important.

The course has enough in it to keep things interesting. It's not as technical as something like Stoney Creek, nor is it anywhere near as long, but I try and think of it like my practice course where I make my developmental strides. So when I go and play a more challenging course I am more polished. If you are a "serious" disc golfer, and look at this course through the lens of practice or training, then you can fully appreciate it.
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1 3
Sean525
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 19, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Definitely a good course for beginners and players of all skill levels.

Lots of tree love/hate.

Glad the park staff finally took down the graffitied signs and replaced them with wood stakes.

Down the road from my house.

Great outdoor park and it's free!

Cons:

This place can get really congested with crowds, especially on the weekends. Lots of casuals.

Civilians sometimes get in the way.

Careful of the Rouge River, I've lost a couple discs in that current.

Litterbugs are a problem. I wouldn't recommend walking around barefoot or bringing your dog because there is broken glass in some areas.

Other Thoughts:

Bring bug spray, quite a few skeeters in the back 9.

Civilians tend to not realize they're walking on the course. Don't insult or shout at them, they have every right to be there just as much as you. Be courteous, kindly remind them that you are playing a game, and give them a heads up before you throw.

If you're going with a huge group, please be considerate and split into groups of 3 or 4 rather than a group of 10. Keep the pace steady for everybody else using the course. Since it's a free park it's going to attract a lot of casuals. Please use golf etiquette.

I usually play early to avoid the crowds and leagues.

Please don't litter and don't bring glass.

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3 0
apdrvya
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 13.9 years 350 played 293 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Reminds me of a lot of courses I know 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 21, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Aesthetic-- plays through a very large multi-use park. Areas for DG are mostly DG exclusive but there are a few walking paths that intermingle.

Teepads-- Nice and in good shape. Adequate length for hole length.

Baskets-- all present and accounted for. some were a bit wobby and wonky but served their purpose well.

Routing and Nav-- I have to disagree with some of the other reviews. I think this course flows nicely. One gripe is the closeness of teepad to previous basket on a few holes.

Variety/water-- there are a lot of different holes here and the woods/ water are used very effectively. #10 over the water is a fun little hole that should/could have been repeated once or twice more. The water comes into play on several holes and that creek is a bit deeper than it looks ;)

Teesigns-- effective yet simple.. identical to raintrees.

Cons:

Very straightforward/Challenge-- the challenge in this course is not really all that high. Most holes are mid to fairway driver length and are straightforward. a lot of flex shots are required here.

Glass-- there is a lot of glass on the course in multiple places.

Other Thoughts:

I found the locals to be more than accommodating. I, as a single player, was never expected to play behind a large group. Always was let go through or play a hole with the locals.
I really liked this place. Had good vibes all over it.
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1 5
PallMall
Experience: 17.2 years 6 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great 18 holes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 7, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Excellent course all around for beginners to pros alike.

Cons:

sometimes the crowds are massive, but only on rare occasions.

Other Thoughts:

lost an old avenger tie die with 3 aces on it, if found contact me (mike) and i will pay 20 for it back
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6 2
apparition
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.1 years 47 played 39 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Layout woes. Try not to hit anyone. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 30, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

+ Adequate tees/tee markers
+ Baskets in good condition
+ Lots of land, with a decent walk (some bridges, the stream, etc.)
+ A somewhat mixed layout
+ Minimal tree coverage for your choice of easy lines to hit
+ Great multi-use park with facilities and whatnot

Cons:

- Erosion in front of tees seems to be a problem
- Half of the holes are too close, with many chances of getting hit or hitting someone
- Lots of holes seemed to be filler holes (short, straight, boring)
- Confusing layout with no directional signs
- What the heck is up with the spike sticking out of the ground next to #10's tee pad?!

Other Thoughts:

I liked my round mainly because of a friendly stranger who joined me, but overall, the pitfalls of the course were obvious. I fit a quick round in here on a beautiful Saturday in September. As an intermediate thrower, I was pretty happy shooting a par for the course. Plenty of short, filler holes to birdie and more than make up for missed putts. Not a very challenging course.

Disc golf course layout and design is huge for me. It is the most important part of a course in my opinion. Forget the baskets/tees, I can throw from grass to rusty pins all day and have fun. But if I have to throw a neutral midrange on almost every hole, I get bored. Anyway, Firefighters' layout is pretty bad. Half the holes are annoying and unimaginative, and even awful sometimes. The rest were average or good. Based on the way the course is set up, I'm assuming that the city didn't want to devote the necessary land to DG, which is fine, but there was so much more space that could have been utilized to spread the fairways out a bit and make it flow better. Directional signage would really, really help.

I don't like hole-by-hole breakdowns or rundowns, but before I go into detail of why I disliked the layout so much, suffice it to say the course flows from OK, to gross, back to OK, and finishes with one really good hole. Here are some more details: The first five holes were pretty good/average. None of them were bad. Holes #6-10 are designed poorly with the fairways/pins cramped together, and that's also when the layout got confusing. There's also a big risk of hitting someone or getting hit if it's as busy as it was when I went. Although #10 was fun to throw, you walk over the bridge, throw 50% blindly through an easy gap, and walk back over that same bridge. Try not to hit anyone. #11 was a good hole with a smaller chance of hitting someone. #12-17 were better holes with a still-confusing layout. #18 is the best hole on the course with a bridge, stream to throw over and then avoid landing in/near, and a basket with a little bit of tree coverage. Great way to end a pretty tame round.

Overall, it is a decent course. Unfortunately, I think Raintree is a better 9-hole course than Firefighters is an 18-hole course. I'd still rather play Firefighters just because it's a full-sized course, but hopefully you get what I mean.

Thanks for reading!
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2 4
Moff
Experience: 28 years 2 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Home Base 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 21, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is always clean and well maintained. It also has a nice mix of distances and technical levels. Also the creek is normally clean and shallow so if you happen to pitch a disc into the drink you will more often than not get it back.

Cons:

This park can get busy, however almost everyone I've met have been extraordinarily nice.

Other Thoughts:

Go Throw
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2 4
zombie brain
Experience: 14.8 years 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Firefighters 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 30, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Decent holes long and short not to busy fun times

Cons:

They changed a few holes and there were no markers for distance or par

Other Thoughts:

Overall not a bad course would play again and recommend for others to play. Not really any elevation but still fun
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3 0
MoeDiscGolf06
Experience: 12.4 years 23 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good Course Overall 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Holes weren't too long, but they were long enough to need a good drive
-Nice concrete tees-lots of room for a run-up
-Easy to find most of the tees without a map
-Wasn't too busy during the late afternoon
-Not too many places to lose a disc, except in the creek
-Park kept very clean

Cons:

-Hole 10's tee is hard to find if you've never been here before
-A couple of the tee signs were missing, and most had graffiti/black paint all over them
-2 or 3 of the baskets seemed abnormally higher than the others

Other Thoughts:

Intermediate level course. I wouldn't recommend this course for a first-timer, but players with at least a few months of experience would do well here.
The baskets weren't too close to the next tee, so there wasn't really any chance of hitting someone with a bad throw.
Overall, this was a really nice course, and I would definitely recommend checking it out!
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3 0
GettinGreasy
Experience: 16.8 years 5 played 2 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Great beginner course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 21, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

~Great place to bring first timers and friends newer to disc golf
~For seasoned players most of the holes can be played with a mid-range/great to work on approach and putting
~When it rains, the course typically drys quicker than most in the area with the exception of a couple pins that will have a moat around them
~Free Free Free

Cons:

~Typical various high school groups enjoy loitering the first few holes
~Not very technical, pretty much aim straight and throw on most holes
~The sewage drain on hole 18 had reports of various viruses/bacteria years back.. still don't feel great about retrieving discs

Other Thoughts:

~For the first couple rounds of the season, or a quick hour-ninety minute round its a decent course, if your looking for a challenge or want to kill an afternoon with some buddies, try Addison Oaks or Stoney Creek
~Leagues can be pretty annoying here, most rude players I've encountered in the area...they will sit at hole 18 (12-20 people deep) and not allow players finishing the course to play through
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2 0
LEFTY360
Experience: 15 years 21 played 5 reviews
3.00 star(s)

beginners course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 12, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

very nice clean course, well maintained. a great beginner course but fun for all players. nice short holes for ace runs are present, as well as a few longer holes with more trees. nice cement tees with picnic tables and trash cans placed at most of them.

Cons:

baskets are in rough shape(not terrible, seen worse, seen alot better too. . ). not a whole lot of variety. I can play this whole course with 2 discs, however this is the course i learned on.

Other Thoughts:

family friendly park, mostly flat, lightly wooded, easy to play but still fun. monday night leagues brings a ton of people so if you want to throw a round choose another day.
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3 0
somerbuch
Experience: 10 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 29, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very nice location for the course, nicely wooded but not a crazy amount of trees. Loved the layout of the course, they packed a nice 18 hole course into a not very large area.

Cons:

Can be very busy at times, especially on nice weekend days and holidays. Also the course seems to hold a lot of water after it rains which causes a lot of flooding around baskets and a lot of mud while playing, seemed like i was wiping mud off my disc after every shot.

Other Thoughts:

Great course for all levels of players, free to play which is nice.
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1 4
intimadator
Experience: 24.9 years 8 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

lunch break 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 20, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

liked this course a lot, got to play it on my lunch break a few times. it is a long course, very open and not a whole lot of trees, just a few right in the line of the hole, not very busy eather, at times.

Cons:

its not hard to find its off the hwy. it is hard to find ur way to the next holes not a whole lot of direction! signs suck people beat them all up- but i guess it gives it charater!

Other Thoughts:

had fun there, deff. recommand it to first time players!
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6 0
denny ritner
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 25.9 years 170 played 113 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Average Old School Disc Golf Course 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 20, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Firefighters park is well maintained and safe. The course is easy to navigate and great for new players. The fun factor is on the higher side and the frustration factor is on the lower side.

There's virtually no schule and discs are rarely lost.

Most of the fairways offer a decent technical challenge for shots in the short to medium distance range. Players are required to throw several differently shaped shots on the course in order to go low. The ground is conducive to rollers, so it's nice to have that option on many of the holes.

Cons:

As other reviewers have stated, the course gets crowded at times and decorum goes out the window. Discs tend to get stolen on occasion.

The signage is functional, but not very pretty.

The course does hold water at times on a few holes.

The challenge level tops out at the high intermediate level. This is the type of course where a player can struggle for a while to break par and then suddenly be shooting -9 on a regular basis.

Several of the holes are a bit pinball-ish in their fairways with small, "randomizer" trees.

Other Thoughts:

Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area. Great for beginners and fun for all players.

Don't be a dirty discer! Leave the course cleaner than you found it.
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