Gardner, WI

Sugar Creek County Park

3.385(based on 13 reviews)
Filter course reviews

Filter reviews

Filter reviews

Sugar Creek County Park reviews

Filter
2 0
Johnsondere
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 9 months 136 played 83 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun & Challenging Wooded Course

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 7, 2023 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Challenging and tight lines through the woods
- Navigation is simple enough
- Nice practice basket

Cons:

- Gets extremely buggy in spring
- Rubber tee pads...
- If playing in fall may encounter hunters (public park)

Other Thoughts:

Overall one of the better courses in it's area. Very challenging to multiple aspects of your game. Every hole is reachable but can be very challenging if you are not hitting your lines!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
12 0
EspressoPatronum
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 18.7 years 232 played 223 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Beautiful Woodland Retreat 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 16, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

- great natural beauty in heavily wooded area
- picturesque area right on the shores of Lake Michigan, with a creek running through the property
- newer bridge to easily cross creek
- amenities including primitive toilets (outhouses), practice basket, and picnic table/garbage cans at start of course
- navigation is mostly straightforward
- some minimal elevation change incorporated where possible
- dedicated disc golf area is very quiet and away from civilization, with wildlife spotting opportunities
- camping available
- undergrowth is generally minimal and very manageable
- technical nature of course will not challenge your arm much but will require finesse and a variety of shots
- no safety concerns, for the most part - a few navigation risks noted below

Cons:

- if you start too early, the dense canopy can make it surprisingly dark and more difficult to play
- insects are beyond thick
- creek isn't brought into play
- DGA baskets are just average
- rubber tees could be a mess when wet/muddy
- tee signs are basic and don't include maps
- no navigation aids
- clearly some areas that will get wet in heavier rain

Other Thoughts:

Sugar Creek was a really cool course I was fortunate to sneak away to on a vacation to Door County. This previously disc-golf barren peninsula is becoming more of a destination with new courses popping up every year - and a potential one coming to Fish Creek soon. Sugar Creek is a bit of a drive if you're further north, but worth it in my opinion. It's a well designed course that will put your technical skills on display, for better or for worse.

I don't think this course gets a ton of action because there were spider webs literally everywhere, including areas that would be more trafficked. These weren't really an issue, just annoying to keep walking through. In typical Wisconsin fashion, the mosquitoes were obscene, but Off Deep Woods seemed to do the trick. I saw multiple deer on this course that allowed me to approach as close as 20 ft and seemed just as curious about me as I was about them. I always love bonding with nature so this was a pretty cool experience, and one way you know you've "gotten away" from the rat race.

My biggest con here is I'd love to see the creek incorporated as a water hazard. It's a nice, well-moving body of water that could add some excitement but it never comes in to play. From what I understand, it used to be a bit of hike to cross it, but there's a very nice bridge right by the parking lot now.

Amenities were pretty good for the area, with most things you could need and more than I expected in an area this remote. One word of caution - my GPS originally directed me to private property on a dead end road. Make sure you use the actual street address and not just "Sugar Creek County Park."

This course didn't have a ton of elevation change but incorporated a bit of it well. It made up for it with the technical challenge, with all sorts of different shots required. Most holes were fairly short, with only the last 2 exceeding 300 ft. Besides maps on the tee signs, I think the biggest infrastructure improvement here would be navigation aides - I'd take that over concrete tees, better baskets, or anything else. I've added a few tips here to help other players:

- After playing hole 1, do no take the path to the left of the basket, which leads to the edge of the park to a private residence. Instead, back track a bit to the right and go up the hill to tee 2.
- After hole 8, do not head to the right which leads to hole 13. Instead, head straight back past the basket to get to hole 9.
- The path from 10 to 11 sort of backtracks - you either have to walk the fairway on 10 or 11 to get to the hole 11 tee - this is the main safety issue I saw on the course, though there wasn't a soul there at 6 AM on a Monday.

Overall, I really enjoyed this round and it was worth the 50 minute drive. If you're in Door or Kewaunee County for whatever reason, it's worth making the trip. You will be challenged technically and get an hour or two immersed in nature with some of the great scenery Wisconsin has to offer.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
10 0
Mushin No Shin
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.1 years 1192 played 67 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Wooded Creekside on the Bay 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 11, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Plays on a Duneyish Creekside, entirely Wooded, next to Lake Michigan

The only DGCourse where I've warmed up for a round by Skipping Stones :)

Kewaunee County Park;
with Vaulted Toilets, Information Kiosk, Recycling Cans by Bridge, Stoney Beach with a Grass Picnic area (shaded under Cottonwoods until early Afternoon)

Pretty good DG Design;
using the Elevation, having a Fun (White/Red Level) challenge, Fishscaling to play safe around PrivateProperty/Road perimeters... and the Fishscaling maximizes available Space here

Most Pathways to Next Tee are Framed, making Navigation simple. Teesigns with Footage, and those DGAs are classically Number Plated

1 & 2 are Fun, great way to start a Round

I like how 4 and 6 are both sub 300ft, Straightish off the Tee, but the Basket is just out of Sight below the CreekRidge line, cause the Elevation is well used by the Designers

14 15 16 is one of my personal favorite Turkeys

The Front 9 plays easier than the Back;
where as on the Front you throw 1 2 3 4 5 & 6 straight-versus the Elevation (Up or Down) to go at the Basket, 7 & 9 are mostly Flat holes but 300 footers.
Then on the back (14 15 16 specifically) you play on the Side of the CreekRidge, creating difficult Landing Zones. 17 & 18 finish with two of the hardest Deuces... So it becomes a Round of Birdie Attrition, as things progressively get more Challenging

Cons:

The Design is restricted by having Limited Space, in an entirely Wooded area. So there's no Par 4s, and you actually only need to Throw a Teebird instead of Putter/Mids on 3 of the holes 7 9 18

Creek doesn't Play... and there's no more Smelt

10/11 Fishscale, and I've seen multiple people throw at 10s Basket from 11s Tee. 11 Basket is Straight then late Fade Left... actually this stretch of the course feels repetitive with this similar Shot Shape 10 11 12

Beverage Garbage by Tees SUCKS. Maybe some 'Pack Out what you Pack In' Signs?!?

Wet/Muddy around 8 9 13

Other Thoughts:

DGC is in County Park, surrounded by Hikers/Bikers/Homeowners... so please be mindful of what's around, before you start coughing

Indifferent to Tees, these are Rubber Mats and play well (except 10 has a RootHump and 18 seems to always be Slick)

I've typically only played Sugar Creek during Fall in conjunction with Winter/Algoma. This Summer I've been Bicycling the Ahnapee Ice Age Trail, and made it over to SC a few times for some DG and a Dip. Good times every times :D

Yeah the Course can get muddy after a Rain, unfortunately these aren't Sandy Western Michigan Dunes. Bugs seem to make it Buggy during Summer... but the rest of the time, you'll enjoy the Ace Runs and Birdies, and wanna play a second round :)
Was this review helpful? Yes No
2 1
Mhageman4
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 9.9 years 42 played 41 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Unique Fun 18 holes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

18 unique holes.

Forest makes it fun and challenging.

Great use of tee signs and tee pads are rubber and work well even when wet.

Cons:

tons of bugs. bring spray.

Was very very muddy when we went. Also some fairways are even covered with leaves and junk so you could lose a disc with a good drive.

Other Thoughts:

Fun 18 holes in the forest but bugs were bad and it was wet when we went. Dont wear good shoes!

Lots of different tree shots to deal with, can be very frustrating for a beginner player.

Advanced players need to walk some holes before they tee off to actually see where they are aiming.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
5 0
waxpaperjones
Experience: 24 years 13 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

A Nice Walk Through The Woods 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 4, 2020 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

The entire course is in the woods which makes for a lot of fun drives through trees. Overall the course is pretty easy.

Although it's a heavily wooded course, the terrain and spacing between trees makes it easy to find discs.

Great course for really hot days because of the shade.

Cons:

The course isn't maintained very well. This isn't a problem for most of the holes but some of the fairways are completely overgrown with long weeds. It would really improve the course if they could mow it.

The first time I played it was so muddy in the middle of the course that I had to skip a handful of holes. The second time we played the mud was not so severe.

Lots of bugs deep in the woods.

Other Thoughts:

Located in Sugar Creek County Park. There is also a boat launch, Picnic area, bathrooms, and a shore area to watch the water.

Both times we had the course to ourselves.

I have played there twice and will probably be back because it's in a good location on the way back to Green Bay from Door County.

Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 3
HisDad
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Sugar Creek in Gardner, WI 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 9, 2018 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This is a Fun-Short-Tight. One you can take the whole family, as long as there is bugspray for all. Good baskets and a well maintained fairways. Easy to follow path through the course. Good signage with distances clearly marked. Private.

Cons:

Bugs - Use bug spray with DEET! and also BUGS.

Other Thoughts:

Shaded walk in the woods. Peaceful
Was this review helpful? Yes No
8 0
Stardoggy
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 12.7 years 1002 played 214 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Beautiful walk in the woods... 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 4, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

18 hole course located in Door County, and right on the bay, in a county (I think) park.

DGA baskets, all fairly new, and in great repair. One pin position per hole.

Rubber tee pads, which work well in the woods. I was there on a wet day, and they performed quite well. No slipping, and plenty long/wide. One tee position per hole.

This entire course is set in heavy woods, and rolling hills. While none of the holes are especially long (save for 17/18, which are both decent hucks), but you'll be dodging trees on every single tee shot. Accuracy is king, and you will be suitably punished for errant shots. The keyword here is technical.

Lots of tricky pin placements, which is nice. Guardian trees, rollaway chances, etc. The design is pretty well thought out.

Basic tee signs, but you don't need much information other than hole number and distance here. It's heavy woods, but very limited undergrowth. Navigation is extremely easy, with branch lined paths from hole to hole. If you get lost here, something is wrong with you.

Cons:

One tee/pin position stinks. There's space here, and extra tees would be awesome. Even moving some tees around to help bring in some extra distance would be cool.

There is a bit of repetition in the middle of the course with a lot of straight shots. The elevation is usually different, though, so it's not too bad.

The fallen leaves here are thick. It's all hardwood trees, and they all shed.

Other Thoughts:

All in all, this is just a fun course, especially if you love technical, wooded spots. The distances aren't long, but it works here. To me, it's the best course in the area (not including Winter Park as the immediate area), and worth the drive from Green Bay to play.

You also have a boat dock and beach area right at the parking lot, and full service bathrooms. It's kind of neat to sit after your round and have a cold adult beverage and listen to the waves crash.

This is the kind of course I love, and a perfect little course for Door County. Definitely worth the time to visit.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 5
ricklev
Experience: 30 played 30 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Fun wooded course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 20, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

An easy walk through the woods if you stay on the fairways. I agree that it did have a kind of pinball feel in some places, but mostly the course was just fun.

Cons:

-For an out-of-towner, it was difficult to find the park. Then it was difficult to find the first hole from the parking lot. I finally found the path to #17 from the street, so I started there.
-I'm not sure what regulation is for length on tee pads, but many of them felt a bit short. In some cases I had trouble getting the usual run-up I like to have.

Other Thoughts:

I met the course designer while playing the course. He was very friendly and told me that there will eventually be a bridge over the creek from the parking lot so it will be easier to get to Hole #1. I think he did a good job with what the park provides. Because it took me so long to find the park and first hole, I was on vacation and didn't have time to play the entire course. I played 17,18,1,2,3, and 4 and enjoyed it. #18 was challenging for me. It was a hot day, but the course was in the trees, so it was cooler (though humid). If I'm back in the area, I'll enjoy playing the entire course.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
8 0
LeddZepp8687
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.9 years 115 played 19 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Sweet DGC @ Sugar Creek 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 17, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Super grippy rubber teepads.
-Gentle rolling elevation to make things a little more interesting.
-Nice woodchip walkways between holes making this course more than easy enough to navigate. (Once you find the first hole that is)
-Pretty punishing roughs, Nothing crazy but expect any errant shots to cost you a throw or two to recover. It was fall when I played here so the underbrush was pretty thin but the amount of overhead tree cover would seemingly provide lots of shade and choke out any kind of heavy underbrush in sping and summer months.
-Nicely wooded fairways that prove to be very challenging on some holes.
-Being that this course is pretty deep in the woods it is not only extremely quiet but it is also not windy at all.
-Fairly centrally located in door county making it a reasonable trip no matter where in door county you are. If you will be up with family make sure to sneak away for a while to play this one.

Cons:

-Finding the first hole was interesting. I would suggest parking in the boat launch parking lot and walking to the north end of the lot and crossing the creek. If the creek is high you will need to walk out to county road N and enter the course along the old access road and walk past the last two holes to find hole one.
-Signage is very basic, It gives distance and par and that is it. some of these holes have blind basket locations that you cannot see from the teepad, Which means you will be walking a bunch of the holes to get a good visual of the basket location and shooting blindly could very well mean losing a disc. I threw one hole blindly and spent 20 minutes looking for a disc as I misjudged the basket location.
-There are a few holes with a "pinball golf" feel to them. I am an above average player and I can usually hit the gaps I want but there are a few holes where lady luck has a part in how well you shoot. This isn't so bad though, it keeps things interesting and fun but it can be discouraging at times.
-A lot of the holes have a very similar feel to them, however the variance in obstacles keeps things fresh enough so that it isn't overly boring or repetitive.
-There is a couple spots where there is potential for interference with other players if traffic picks up at this course.
-No real long holes where you will be breaking out any max distance drivers but I feel that most wooded courses are like this though. This may be a con to more experienced players who want those long, grip and rip style holes but I think this course offers enough short game challenge to make this somewhat of a non-issue but that is just my opinion.
- I could foresee there being some erosion issues with the elevated teepads. There needs to be something along the sides of the pads to support them and prevent the stones and screening from washing out.

Other Thoughts:

This is good and fun course, Definitely one of the better courses in the area. We stayed in sister bay so this was the closest course to us that was worth playing. If you are visiting the area I would strongly suggest also playing winter park, which is not exactly close to this course but playing this course and winter park in the same day made for a good day trip for us.

My friend had all intentions of bringing his camera to get pictures for this course but unfortunately he forgot it at the house. Next time we wont forget it!

Fall leaves were pretty brutal here, Lots of kicking around in the leaves to find discs so throw bright colored discs if possible.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 5
thomaso
Experience: 15.5 years 101 played 9 reviews
3.00 star(s)

THOMASO 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 3, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Challenging. All quality holes, beautiful mature woods, scenic and remote. On shore of Lake Michigan's Green Bay

Cons:

Some holes lack any realistic flight path to pin ( from tee). Some very selective small tree removal, would improve this.
Some holes are too short, multiple pin placements would really help.

Other Thoughts:

This nice,new course has a lot of potential. With the inexpensive improvements noted above, I would boost my rating to a 3.5
Was this review helpful? Yes No
4 1
Glo Roc
Experience: 21.7 years 102 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Sugar Creek- a fun outing 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 16, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Technical course in the woods. Most of the holes are between 180-300 feet. Beginner friendly yet entertaining for the seasoned player. About the best rubber teepads I've seen. They are flat and perched on limestone I believe.

Cons:

Teepads are great now but weather and erosion could play a factor in the future. Could be monotonous for some. There needs to be a sign that tells you where to go at the start. You have to explore a bit in the woods to find the first tee.

Other Thoughts:

This was the third course of 3 we played on our road trip. We were a bit tired and by the end we were ready to hang up the bags for the day. I enjoy wooded/technical courses since we don't have any of those in Madison. Wish some of the holes were longer but it is still fun to play. Definitely enough trees to make it entertaining. Lost a Roc out there. If you find it please give a call!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
10 0
Shuie
Silver level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 21.9 years 940 played 41 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Love Me Them Wooded Courses 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 9, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Park is right on the bay(Easy access to go swimming).
- Also, there are picnic tables and Restrooms available.
- Course plays in a heavily wooded area all by itself.(great for hot or windy days)
-Course has a very secluded, did see anyone on my first round but on the 2nd round two groups showed up
- Tee pads are nice grippy rubber ones but as Harro stated the Gravel pad they sit on needs to be retained some how cause after a bunch of rain and play i can see them falling apart.
- Course flow was very easy and apparent just follow the chipped path
- Course distance varies from 184-360 with most whole between 200 and 285.
-Rough is punishing which it should be on course this short; errant shots will cost you a stroke.
- Decent variety here has every thing but some serious uphill shots and water.
-Signs are simple(distance,number and par)

Cons:

- Signs are simple but effective
- Course a bit a the short side but the tightness helps make up for it.
- No trash cans or Benches on the course
- Course is borderline Pinball Golf/Probability Golf.

Other Thoughts:

i really enjoyed this course. I am very glad to see Door County get a nice course finally!!!!!!!!! This course is a very wooded course that required you to hit you lines in order to be rewarded with that being said though some of holes offer some interesting lines. Course is new and still needs a few things(bridge to and from course,trash cans, benches and better tee signs). I am sure this will all come and i am not really factoring it into my rating.
So for now Park in the drive by hole 17 and save yourself the walk .
Was this review helpful? Yes No
11 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.2 years 1508 played 475 reviews
3.50 star(s)

A welcome addition to Door County 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 4, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Excellent property with old growth hardwoods. There are mature trees throughout and plenty of young growth underneath to replace the older dying trees. This course should be great for a long time to come.

2) Beginner friendly course in terms of the distance. Most holes are under 300, with the two most fogiving holes stretching out over 300', The distance variation is moderate with a couple holes under 200', most between 225-275 and a handful over 275.

3) Nice DGA Mach baskets with the number plates facing the tees. I think these are Mach 2 New baskets but am not 100% sure.
They all seemed to be installed properly.

4) Nice grippy rubber tees laid on top of levelled and compacted gravel. These are a lot better than the uneven ground that would be there. Not sure if concrete is in the picture down the road, but it would be nice long term.

5) Excellent variety of shots needed here. You definitely need to work your disc both ways and sometimes straight. Some holes offer options for shot making and others are dictated by the early or late trees.

6) Average sized parking lot and bathrooms near the parking lot. Not accessible while on the course but at least the park has something. I heard on the radio commercial today that new bathrooms are also part of the planned improvements to this park.

7) The paths between holes are well marked with smaller trees laid down and mulch on all of them to help guide your way from hole to hole.

8) Nice looking signs that lack only a map. They have Hole #, Distance, and Par but no hole map. Most holes are self explanatory but a few of the more difficult holes a map would be hlpful in figuring out your route.

9) Elevation change was moderate but used very well. There were only a few holes that didn't either go up or down a little bit. #1 green is a nice use of the elevation and #2 shoots down the same mound which is fun. Then there are a few mixed into the middle of the course that go up or down moderate elevation changes.

Cons:

1) There are a few dangerous paths between holes due to people not waiting on the tee. I know there is little that can be done about idiocy, and the routing was needed to make the holes as good as they are but safety is paramount in my opinion and should always be considered. They did a pretty good job keeping most of the tees away from baskets, but those switchback paths bring the people more into play ont he hole they just finished.

2) I imagine this course will be brutal in fall from the leaves. I cannot say I know this for a fact but with all those large mature trees discs will most certainly slide under the fallen leaves making disc tracking difficult.

3) There are no signs directing you to where to begin temporarily. I am unsure of how quickly the bridge will go in bringing you directly from the parking lot to the 1st tee and from 18 back to the lot, but it is worth mentioning. I also am a little understanding because they were rushing to get this course open. This negative will be removed as soon as I hear the bridge is installed because then I am sure they will have signage and it will be obvious on where to go to begin your round. The course literally opened on Saturday so I understand the priorities that went into opening right away.

4) Lacking in hole type variety. I cannot fault the designer it simply is a densely wooded mature property. While they did use a clearcut path on #17 and #18, those holes are still lined with dense woods so it isn't all that different than the rest of the holes. Fortunately I like wooded courses better so this doesn't affect my rating or enjoyment much, but it is worth noting that you will not be out ripping any max distance drivers on this course.

5) While I appreciate the effort with the rubber tees and the stone underneath, many of those tees are built up 6-15" even to make them level. Everytime you step off the tee or overstep the end of the tee during a throw the gravel goes flying. This is weekend #1 for disc golf here and those stone areas will definitely wash away. I would have at least temporarily put in some of the fallen trees to help retain the gravel, or if concrete is eventually in the plans, why not just build some retention ares with timbers to help keep the stone in place. Then when concrete is done, you could simply pour right over the stone after removing the rubber tees. Again I do not know what the long term plans are, but regardless of what is goin to happen, that stone will need to be retained or it will continue to wash out and the tees will continue to settle and get uneven. This decision is all about long term sustainability. I understand they rushed to get the course open and I can appreciate the efforts that went into it, but this is something I would recommend as being on of the first things done so that there are no maintenance issues on these tees.

Other Thoughts:

This is a fairly short tightly wooded course. It has natural beauty because the woods are very clean (very minimal buckthorn and underbrush). It has moderate elevation changes and some distance variation to alter the challenge on some of the holes. There are birdie opportunities out there but you really need to be on your game. There are plenty of trees to knock down your shots if you are errant.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Top