Great course. Great variation of play. Good tee pads. Beautiful area

NAVIGATION!!! Is TRASH!!!Unable to play the full course due to inadequate signage and layout is extremely confusing. As you play the course following the arrows made of vinyl siding ( which is held by 1 nail on a tree that can be spun in any direction ) you\'ll find that you are skipping screws various tee pads out of order. We could not play a full round. Realized we were next to a road on hole "20"(maybe) and decided to cut and run. Very difficult to see baskets, they are grey. Good luck with that

Put signs up, RENAME AND NUMBER THE EXISTING SIGNS!!!!!!!

Henderson Lake Nature Center is located north of Whitehall, MI (about 12 miles south of Flip City). The entrance to this place is pretty inconspicuous. I think there is a smallish sign but I drove right past it. Trust your GPS on this one.

The nature center has a picnic shelter, plus a nice viewing area of Henderson Lake which you can access without leaving sight of your car. For those feeling a little more intrepid, there is a nice walking path around the lake...or 19 holes of disc golf.

There are two practice baskets near the parking lot, but once you're ready for hole #1 you will have to walk about 1/4 of the way around the (small) lake - following the walking path north out of the parking lot.

When you reach teepad #1, you will see what is clearly the signature hole on this course. It plays 232' according to the tee sign. The basket is located on a narrow peninsula that extends from behind and to the right of the basket, to just barely past the basket on the left/towards you. Between you and the basket is open water. Behind the basket is more water. To the left of the basket extending off the peninsula (where your disc would go if you throw a RHBH hyzer that fades just a little too much, or comes up a little short) were a lot of cattails. I believe those cattails were in the water, and I played this course in November when water levels were relatively low.

I chickened out and did not play the hole (there is a sign at the tee telling you that if you make the same decision I did, there is an alternate hole between #14 and #15 so you can still play 18 holes). But even so, I can confidently state that this #1 would be a challenging and memorable shot for any DG'er who chooses to play the hole.

The remaining 17 holes (plus the extra hole numbered 14.5) are all tight and wooded. There was a good mix of straight shots, dogleg lefts, and dogleg rights. Most holes play in the 200'-300' range but there are a few outliers, like the 483' #15 and the 154' #9.

The tee pads here are all cement - smallish but adequate and in good shape. Same with the DISCatcher baskets, including the two practice baskets. The baskets are the yellow banded models, which were highly visible when I played late in the day. The tee signs are wood posts with the hole number, rough flight path, and distance painted on them in red. Many of the tees had trash cans and benches.

There was clear signage at the #14 basket directing you to the alternate hole if you wish to play it, or #15 if you do not.

There is a rough course map posted on a kiosk at the parking lot, which I took a photo of and uploaded on here. It's enough to give you a general idea of the layout but not enough to give you a feel for what individual holes are like.

Besides #1, the holes kind of start to feel the same after a while. They are all just tight, wooded shots. There isn't much elevation change, and no raised baskets or other features to make things interesting or challenging besides the trees.

There aren't any "Next Tee" signs. The leaves were down when I played(early November), so some of the paths between the holes were pretty well covered and I had to look around to find them. This is probably less of an issue in the spring and summer.

Lengthy walks between some of the holes, and particularly to #1/from #18.

Most holes are pretty short, and there are no "grip it and rip it" opportunities to be found.

Lots of road noise throughout the course, but especially on holes #2-6 or so. On some of these holes I could see cars zipping by on northbound US-31 (to be clear, that was through a lot of trees with leaves down. There is no way you will ever throw a disc within several hundred feet of the freeway). If you have read a few of my reviews you know that a lot of road noise can really take away from the experience for me.

Other reviewers mentioned bugs. This wasn't an issue for me in November but I can definitely see where it would be a concern in the summer months.

#1 might be a little less intimidating in a couple years if water table levels drop.

This is a nice course and worth a stop if you are in the area, but other than #1 there just aren't really any memorable holes here. No "wow" factor and not much challenge or variety other than the trees. If it were located away from the freeway I might have given it a 3.5, but as is I settled on a 3.0.

Course was in good condition. First hole had a lot of water on it. I did not play the hole because of all the trees and super wet marsh. Rest of the course was nice. Easy navigation with trails and signage at the holes is good. Very woodsy course.

Lots of bugs and if you throw off the fairway there are lots of overgrown parts that make it easy to loose a disc. Also no cellphone reception with Verizon if you like to listen to pandora while playing.

Very challenging course that plays through the Henderson lake forest. Very forehand/sidearm friendly. New baskets

Dirt Tee pads could use a lot more work. There are a lot of stumps still in the ground.

-Hole 1 - I thought hole 1 was a cool beginning that plays over the end of a lake
-New Innova baskets
-Obvious work being done to improve the course
-Routing was simple
-Benches
-Tight and technical

-Local league players were not friendly and trashed the place
-Local league players said they play from the kids tee on #1 because the water level was too high LOL
-No cement teepads yet, but the natural pads weren't too bad
-A couple holes could use a couple less trees to give you an actual line

I really enjoyed this course. When we walked up, the local league was getting started. A lot of the people were not friendly at all. We asked where #1 was and they told us that they play from the kids tee since there is too much water. Really? It's a hole that you throw over water. We played the real tee pad and it was a fun and nerve racking toss over the lake. The league players were drinking beer, which is fine, but there were a TON of beer cans scattered around the whole course. What a joke of a league that is.

There are a lot of technical shots here and I thought that they were laid out well for the most part. There were a couple that I thought were too tight, but that's fine I guess. I found myself having to use a lot of different shots and I had to definitely consider my landing zones carefully. Next time we are in the area, we will definitely be playing this course again. We'll try not to be there on league night though, sheesh, take pride in your course guys!

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-Some excellent signature holes
-very efficent signs
-benches
-secluded
-most holes are pretty good and above average in terms of scenery offered and chalkenge presented

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-dirt teep pads :-/
- some cheap holes. Some more upkeep required

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Overall i really like this course. With continued improvements it could be an easy 4.0

What makes it stand out are some of the really great holes

You will need to play technical lines. Trees and obstacles are a major part of the course

I like the seclusion. Its never been busy.

In between flip city and whitehall. Right off the highway

Forested area with abundant wildlife. Challenging and scenic holes. After hole 1 the ground becomes playable even in wet conditions simliar to whitehall

Easy to navigate your way around the course with the log lined paths in between the holes. nice nature walk through the woods. Holes are quite challenging with the trees and the left and right throws needed. benches at every hole are nice. the tight lines sort of force you to choose your shot placement wisely. a errant throw could easily become a bogey because of all the trees you might need to throw through in order to reach the basket. a good mixture of shots are needed to score well. some nice open shots mixed in with some technical holes. New tee sign posts with distance and shot line on the post. They look real nice

lack of concrete pads but those will be coming so not much of a con. some holes the line to the basket maybe a little bit too tight. but with some more work on the course some of these lines might open up a bit more.

you start out the course on the only water hole. short hole but the water is a major obstacle to overcome. straight shot works best but dont overthrow too much for the marsh behind the landing area and basket. I like the mix of shots needed from straight shots, to hyzers, to anhyzers needed in order to try and reach the basket. Hole 9 is a nice little birdie attempt but the trees in front can prevent that from happening and cause you only to get par instead. Hole 6 is a hard dogleg right hole with the basket protected behind a clump of trees so your upshot needs to be placed properly in order to have a good look at the basket. I like the fact the you have to really think about each shot you are making. some holes each shot has to be place just right in order to avoid bouncing off into the woods from one of the many trees. This course will only get better and better over time. there is definitely wildlife in the area because on my way in the driveway a wild turkey was crossing the driveway.

Wow, it's cool to stop and look around! Hole 1 is really cool over the swamp, well designed course with a good mix for all levels of play.

Tee pads! Need cement pads and this course would be awesome!

hikeing shoes, bug spray, can be pretty muddy.

They have baskets

-very short holes
-not much variety (lots of right hooks)
-tee pads are sketchy

Went there on the way to mason county to check it out. It was a waste of time compared to that course. Whitehall is down the street and way better also.

-Beautiful course set in the serenity of the woods withing the nature center.
-Easy to find, plenty of parking and not very busy at all. Saw a few other cars there, but didn't come across anybody on the course at all.
-Well marked trail throughout the course. Always easy to find next hole.
-Kids tees on every hole (150 ft from basket)

-1st hole is not playable for a beginner! I didn't even attempt a drive, as I know I would have lost one of my two discs out in the marsh. Walked to the kids tees for my drive.
-Not very many trash receptacles throughout the course. There were a few though.
-Trees everywhere! Tough to get a good drive without hitting something on most holes.

Overall, this course was very fun. If you don't like trees and prefer a course with at least some open holes, this wouldn't be for you. The entire course was woodsy.

Also, pretty sure Bigfoot is back there somewhere! We came across a huge structure built out of trees that looked like it could be a sasquatch shelter. Also heard something that sounded like tree-knocks!

I definitely recommend this course if you are in the area. We were on a camping trip, staying at nearby White River RV Park and Campground. Found the course thanks to this site! Only a few minute drive from the campground.

-The course is set in a beautiful nature center.
-Brand new Innova DisCatchers. as another reviewer said, very visible on a heavily wooded course.
-nice variety. some hyzer, some anhyzer. varying length holes. slightly uphill and downhill shots. a hole with water in play. very tight fairways and a few fairly open.
-hole 1 was awesome (but challenging). you throw over the lake onto a pretty small piece of dry land with the basket on it.
-sticks with tape on them at each hole have the hole number, distance in feet, and if it is a blind shot a picture of the hole
-every hole had a tee that said "kids" and they were all 100 feet from the basket. awesome idea to get kids into the game.

-I enjoy a heavily wooded course when there is a clear fairway that the designer's want you to hit and it's just a matter of executing the throw. Here i'm not sure that was the case. a few holes had so many trees in the "fairway" that I would just throw then pray.
-tee pads were dirt and few were uneven/rough. they may fix this eventually?
-bugs. everywhere.

the course is brand spankin' new. It will improve with time.

I couldn't find hole 2 until a guy told me where it was. after 1 there is a big path going left and a smaller one going right. go right.

I grew up 2 miles from this park and when I was a kid my mom would take my brother, sister and I here for picnics. It brings back a lot of memories playing disc golf in this beautiful park.

Has several moderately-wooded, moderate-length fairways (Holes 12-16). These are a little more open than the more heavily-wooded holes near the beginning of the course, with some smaller-scale Leviathan-like character (particularly the 483' Hole 15), including grassy areas, and tall, sparsely-limbed trees.

Hole 1 may seem a bit out-of-place, but succeeds as a water hole (or more properly, a marsh hole) as well as being different from every other hole on the course. If you happen to hyzer a RHBH drive, you will be walking through muddy lowlands if you decide to go after your shot. A turnover midrange shot perfectly executed, or a low righty forehand with an overstable disc might land you on a small shoreline green, requiring a strange diagonal flight path over the marsh.

Appears to be a free course, and is easy to locate. A nice counterpart to the nearby Whitehall course.

Holes 2 through 6 have heavily-wooded, tight fairways that are somewhat challenging, but for some of the wrong reasons. Similar to some of the deep nine holes at Whitehall, these are a bit rough and unfinished. In addition, these holes come fairly close to the Northbound lanes of US-31, lending a certain cheapness factor. By Hole 5 it is easy to be bored with this course. However, it improves significantly starting at Hole 7, which is a wooded tunnel hole in the making.

There seems to be quite a few biting flies and other insects, sometimes on the best parts of the course.

There is a Porta-Jon in the parking lot, but no running water or stalls. Bring what you need with you. Forget about finding craft beer at the nearby general store, which was in sad shape the day I was there.

Improvements have kept coming in 2012. Course now has benches at almost every hole, and has had some detail work done on some of the fairways. The tee pads are still lacking though, but rumors of cement tees for 2013 have been heard. The current 18 Hole layout is about a 90 minute course, fitting into a multiple-course day with Flip or Whitehall.

The dirt tees aren't rough yet, but will be bad if this course becomes more heavily played. Tees are currently marked by wooded stakes that have seemingly accurate distances posted. There are a few helpful signs that help navigation, including one in the parking lot, which first-timers will find helpful as no baskets are visible from Henderson Road. Just remember to take a right turn rather than follow the foot trail after Hole 1.

2020 Update: Cement tees, some signage and benches, and an extra hole (14B) to substitute for Hole 1 in high water conditions move this course up a notch for 2020.

Aesthetic--beautiful property, plays on a nature center with hiking trails wrapping around the course. Hole 1 plays over the end of the lake.

Challenge--Challenging course. Risk v. reward is high with the amount of trees here. Errant shots WILL make you pay. The lake on hole one is a bit intimidating.
Very tight lines on many holes.

Routing--For not having official teepads/signs yet, course flows well and is easy to follow. there are a couple of "next" tee signs through out where routing could be tricky.

Baskets--Brand new Innova DisCatchers, highly visible in a heavily wooded course. Blind holes are relatively common and these do help.

Kids Tees--the addition of 100' kids tees on all 18 is a GREAT addition to encourage growth of our sport. no additional rating given though.

Teepads--a work in progress, many roots and unevenness, but this will work itself out eventually.

Rough--REALLY rough, but this will improve with time and use.

This course will only get better with use. The Whitehall dg club is making daily efforts to clean these fairways and roughs. This course will be a great compliment to the Whitehall DGC in the future.