Flaherty Park is located in southwestern lower Michigan - just minutes from I-94 and I-196. The park offers nine holes of disc golf with two layouts to choose from. The first six holes are cut out of a densely wooded area at the back of the park, and the last three play through a lightly wooded area in the main park. You could play just the first six, or last three holes if really short on time.

The hole design here is great, and several of the holes stood out to me. Hole 3 plays downhill along a moderately wide, question mark shaped fairway. Hole 4 (if playing the long tees) asks you to tee off through a narrow "Y" shaped tree, to a fairway that curls to the right and again slopes downhill. Hole 7 plays along a river, with a railroad bridge behind the basket (and way up a hill, so it is not a safety issue). The basket sitting next to the river in front of the steep slope up to the bridge is a nice photo op.

Overall, this is a technical course although the last three holes are semi-open. The distances are respectable, averaging about 250' from the long/intermediate White tees and 200' from the short Red tees. The tees are arranged to create different lines to the basket on several holes, in addition to the distance/difficulty level. With elevation also in play throughout the course, the White tees should be enough to challenge disc golfers up to an intermediate level. The Red tees are a great option for beginners or those looking to work on shorter throws.

The tee areas are great. Each hole has two concrete pads. The tee signs are small, but are color coded and have the required info. Trash cans and benches appear at some tees.

The baskets are Chainstars. One per hole.

There is a kiosk at the beginning of the course, complete with a high quality course map. Next to this is a practice basket. There is a porta potty available at the parking lot. Stairs have been installed where needed to help with footing.

Navigation is a bit tricky in a couple spots. I recommend snapping a photo of the course map on the kiosk, as there aren't any arrows on the course. Finding the beginning of the course could also be challenging if you don't have a map (it ends, but does not start, at the parking lot). You have to walk away from the lot, following the river around the bend, to find the practice basket and kiosk.

There's a walking path in play on hole 9, and I suppose people could be at the river's edge around hole 7 as well. These are both line of sight, so only a minor concern.

The distances are too short to challenge advanced players.

I'll keep this conclusion simple - Flaherty Park is one of the best 9 hole courses I have ever played. Furthermore, the only reason why I'm not saying "THE best" is because I'm worried that I am forgetting one and don't want to scroll through my list of 210ish courses played (at least 1/3 of which are probably 9ers) to try to remember. This is a solid course that I'll definitely be back to in the future. I honestly considered a 3.5 here, and would probably bump it up if the navigational signage were improved. I like 9ers more than the average player, so I actually added this one to my Favorites. If you're in the area, I highly recommend it!

Flaherty Park is my home course and I play it often.
Currently, the city and the local disc golf club are working together to maintain this heavily wooded course. There are trash cans throughout, and the fairways are fairly clear.
Two set of concrete tee pads for each hole provide 2 entirely different looks at the basket.
Excellent design for such a small space. For only 9 holes there are many different shots needed. Doesn't matter if your left or right handed, there are holes you will love and ones that you will curse.
A couple of the holes are ace runs but the tight fairways can be challenging.
Hole #7 is one of the most beautiful and well designed holes I've ever played.
There's an awesome brewery at the top of the hill that has good beer, cheap discs, and a practice basket. More than once I've seen disc golf playing on the big screen there.

6 of the holes are on a heavily wooded floodplain so there is a ton of bugs, poison ivy, and undergrowth. In the summer it might be best to leave the green, black or clear disc at home. Wear bug spray.
A little bit more signage would be welcome. The basket on 2 butts up to the tee on 6 which can be confusing. 7 is over the bridge.

Only being 9 holes, this is still one of my favorite local courses. Especially if you can get out in winter or early spring.

Flaherty Park, located in Watervleit (Dutch for "Where the waters meet") is a well thought out short course suited for intermediate level players. Holes 1-6 play through dense woods, while 7-9 are in a more open park setting.

+ Two sets of concrete tees, with colored signs for both. No vandalism or much litter to speak of. Baskets are also high quality, and the kiosk has a picnic table, practice basket, and course map.

+ The wooded holes are tight but fair, with multiple lines to the basket. There's a few unique pin placements, especially 7 and 8.

+ #7 is one of the best 200' holes I've played to date. Multiple lines to the basket with a risk-reward factor with the river in play from start to finish.

- On holes 1-6, the rough is REALLY rough. Thorns, poison ivy, swarms of bugs, high grass, etc. on both sides of most fairways. With the course being as tight as it is during this stretch, it's easy to deflect off a tree and go deep in there.

- #1 is a pretty far walk from the parking lot. Just follow the concrete path along the river until you see the course sign.

- The steepest elevation on the course wasn't utilized to its full potential. #9's tee could have easily been on top of the hill where #8's basket is located.

I'd rate this course around a 3.0 if it was maintained properly, but in its current state, it's below average. If you venture out here, make sure you have a spotter and plenty of bug spray!

+ I'd say the biggest pro this course has is it's terrain. The river is utilized well on #7 and the hill on #8 provides a fun little challenge. Holes 7 & 8 were a breathe of fresh air after playing in tight woods for the first six holes.

+ Nice course equipment. Baskets are in good condition, tees are cement, tee signs are illustrative. There's a practice basket and a big course map sign, which I always appreciate.

+ The multiple tees add some variation on a couple of the holes. The elevated tee on #2 was fun and on #7 is nice that players can opt out of having to throw over the water from the long #7.

+ I think this course is attractive to players of all skill levels. While there are no bomber holes (except maybe #9 long at 377 ft), it's a technical course without being completely inaccessible to beginning players.

+ Course flow is solid. There is never too much of a walk from basket to the next tee. Hole 9's basket is right by the parking lot.

+ Course is relatively clean. There wasn't too much trash around and when I did spot some, it was with other trash.

- There is a little bit of course maintenance required. I played in December when vegetation was tamed, but I can absolutely imagine that holes 1-6 are a nightmare in summer and fall. A couple trees had fallen in the fairways and on the stairs by #2 long's tee.

- I wish the water would be present on more holes than just #7. 7 was a fun one to play. While the land is used well, it'd be great if it was bigger so that a full 18 could be placed here. I could see this sneaking into 3.5, maybe even 4 range if a full 18 were installed with similar design.

All in all, this is a fun 9 holes to play (especially in winter) and very accessible from the I-94. It's about 4 minutes off the highway and it's a quick one to bag. I don't think you'll regret checking it out. It seems like there's a community here that cares about the course and will continue to maintain and improve upon it.

Flaherty Park is a small city park with a creek running through it. The course appears to be about 2/3 rough wooded acreage and the other 1/3 a grassy multi-use area complete with a picnic shelter, restrooms and a grassy plain area. The course has nice amenities, especially for such a newish endeavor. There is a nice course sign and map. A practice basket stands ready. Each hole has two concrete pads, the longer Whites and the shorter Reds. On a course this tight and technical, sometimes just having the White tees 30' farther, can make the hole that much more difficult. Each pad has these nice little signs. They are a small plastic sign mounted on a 6" x 6" pole.

The first 6 holes are short but very technical. Then you come to # 7 White tee. 272' and playing down the creek and shooting through a pretty narrow gap. The creek is clear but you still want to stay out of it. This basket sits in a corner close to both the creek and the woods behind. I'm not sure why anyone would ever try the direct approach here when you can simply throw an easy hyser around the trees, with no risk. # 8 is a little shortie up a small hill. The course finishes with a nice longer (377' from the White tees) throw with the basket set just off the fairway on the left. You need to keep your tee shot low as there are trees overhead.

Not a course to play by yourself. The rough is thick and nasty.

Most players will lose discs here.

Not a course for beginners or players with little control.

7 holes are very short.

Only 9 holes.

I started my round by following the group ahead of me, Ricky, Junior and Calvin, before eventually just kind of joining up with them. Junior and Calvin were new to the game and spent much of their time searching for discs in the deep, dark rough. Although very short, Flaherty DGC is a challenge.

I guess I'm not quite as excited about this course as other reviewers have been. Maybe, it's because I haven't seen the course progress from a dream to a nice working course. I see this as a decent little, technical 9 hole course with nice amenities. I see it as more average than special. Sorry.

Nice tee pads and signs. Two tees to each basket give you a different look, although usually similar distance. Designers did a good job with available space.

River only comes into play on one hole. Too many mosquitos. Not enough length to make it a destination. Too many "luck" shots.

Overall a decent course close to I94.

+Well maintained
+Concrete pads
+Good signage
+Brooms at the teepads
+Wooded and Open Holes
+Both Red and White tees allow for 9 holes to become 18
+Nice wooden bridges and staircases

-Not impossible to lose a disc to the river
-Only 9 baskets

+ Course designer(s) have done a yeoman job with the available acreage. Thick brush has been cleared to create (tight) fairways.
+ Variety of shots, including (an)hyzers, straight, blind, and a short dogleg.
+ Signs are up for both Rec and Intermediate tees
+ Concrete tee pads and Chainstar baskets gave the course a professional feel
+Cheeky water hazard on #7. For us RHBH players, it's tempting risk/reward. For others, huck a hyzer bomb to complete the 300' test.

- First hole is difficult to find from the main parking lot.
-Turning right at the fork after #2 leads to #6, which is a little confusing. (So turn left!) This was the only example I could find of less-than-obvious course flow. Perhaps signs to direct players to the next hole are on the way?
-Rough feel: I didn't factor this into my rating, but be forewarned -> ticks/poison ivy/NATURE are all present here.

I know this course isn't in St. Jo, but of the three courses w/i 20 miles of StJo, I liked this one the best. Andrews was a flat pitch-n-putt, leaving something to be desired. Lake Township was poorly maintained and apparently is part of a multi-use park (dgolf plays second fiddle, making for a crummy experience). While still under development, Flaherty offers a technical course with a variety of shots, and the continued improvements to the course can only increase the playing experience over time.

Challenging layout, good use of the elevation. One of the builder of the course was there and filled me in on the upgrades still to come. All the tee pads had an alternate pad. Looked new and just poured. Hole 7 was the only hole that the creek really came into play, but not hard to play to the right and take it out of play.

Still being built but will be a great course when finished. Still some clean out to do. A lot of hanging limbs and branches that will swat down an otherwise good shot.

Aesthetic- hole 1-6 play through a disc golf exclusive area of the park. holes 7-9 play through a multi-use part of the park. From what I've been told, public areas will be adjusted for safety reasons

Teepads-Concrete, huge, nice. it's so nice to have pads poured before the course is done so it's more than reasonable to play this course in it's infancy.

Baskets- ChainStars, brand freakin' new and purdy

Routing/nav-positives and negatives here. it's easy to follow the course throughout but the routing between the first six and the last three will be rough until the bridge is put in.

Challenge/Variety- a TON here. the wooded holes are TIGHT but fair. rewarding great throws and punishing poor throws.

Hole 7- most certainly the signature hole of this course. playing down the stream and ending in the shadow of a 100+yr old bridge is absolutely stunning.

9 holes but plays like 18-unique views from long and short pads will add up to 18 holes eventually!

All cons have the potential of being resolved but here's a list

Rough- this course is a bit rough around the edges but this will resolve with use and more work from the locals and creators. paths and routing will also resolve.

I think this course will rank up there with some of the best 9-hole course when it is cleaned up a bit. thanks to amenz for guiding me on my first round. I will be back!!

- Two-thirds thickly wooded, one-third sparsely treed, grassy, multi-purpose park with a small river bisecting the two distinct parts. A raised railroad bounds one side of the course, its picturesque stone archway crossing the river and adding a distinct visual touch on #7.
- Tight, technical disc golf. Because of the small park area, this course is necessarily on the short side. To compensate, the designer opted not to create just another beginner-level, boring, easy, mindless 9-hole course; instead, the thick woods making up six holes is fully implemented to create short but tight lines. A variety of hyzers, anhyzers, and straight shots are required.
- Great use of the river on #7. The basket is a straight shot basically down the length of the river, but definitely make-able. A bailout route to the right offers safety for the less adventurous. Anything finishing left is in the river and gone forever.
- Great use of the limited, but fairly decent, elevation. #8 offers a short blind uphill shot. #9 has a wooded left-to-right slope bounding the left of the fairway. #2's long tee is nicely elevated, as is #4's.
- Dual concrete pads offer a more straight-forward, short beginner style course. The longs could be challenging for most experienced discers. Even players throwing putters or mids off the longs would still have to hit fairly demanding, narrow flight paths. The longs don't simply add distance but completely alter the look of each hole. #4's long tee position is sick, with a great split tree directly front and center.

- #'s 7-9 play through a multi-purpose park area. This grassy, sparsely treed area contains a small pavilion, benches, a wooden walkway (which is slippery as hell when wet...watch out). This area could definitely cause conflicts and/or safety hazards under busy conditions. However, the park is pretty small and looked a bit unused, so perhaps the non-disc traffic never gets to the point of interference.
- No signs yet, which makes things a bit tricky first time around. The baskets are labeled correctly, though, which helped immensely. The practice basket near #7's tee is unmarked. (UPDATE: Signs are in the mail and should be installed in the next week or so.)

- This review reflects the state of the course at the time I played it (12/15/12). Tees, pins, and fairways are all present, but the course was definitely still a bit rough around the edges. I expect Flaherty to become more polished with time. A lot of great work has already happened here, and now it's at the point where the final details can get worked out. With the addition of the signage, I expect this course to rate above average for a 9-holer. Even with some work yet to be done, I rated this at 2-discs with the chance to score a 2.5 at a later date. That score would make this the highest rated 9-hole course I've played.
- I drove an hour in the dark to hit this course shortly after sunrise. Believe it or not, one of the local crew was out working on clearing up the edges of the fairways. This course is an excellent (and much needed!) addition to the area. The local crew (Amenz, Dan, et al.) should be applauded for their hard work in getting this course installed. I wish more small park 9-hole courses were of this caliber.
- Finding the course. Until the bridge goes in, don't park in the first lot but proceed to the second, gravel lot (across from the large city maintenance garage). #1's tees are to the right.

Concrete tee pads - both long and short a.k.a. white and red. These are finished as a typical sidewalk is finished - just enough roughness to maintain traction but not so much that it traps water.

Shiny new DC Chainstar Baskets - I know all about these. I should, I helped put them in.

Toughness - What the course lacks in distance it makes up for in challenge. No real favoritism here for RHBH or LHBH. Tight fairways and challenging up shots to the basket on the first 6 holes and then more open holes on the last 3. Each with their own unique set of challenges.

Water hazard - Hard to believe that a tiny little course like this has such an epic water hazard as hole number seven. There are essentially two choices from the long; throw over the water or around the clump of trees. LHBH players with a decent 300' drive and a sense of adventure are going to love this hole.

Finish - The way this course finishes is great. A nice 300'+ wide open bomb shot hole with a challenging pin placement behind some trees on a slope.

Flow - makes complete sense.

Elevation - While there really are no mountains per se here in this part of Michigan, the course makes excellent use of elevation changes.

Multiple pads - Each hole has a long and a short pad. The placement of each pad is well thought out because in most cases there is a completely different look from each pad. Hole #3 is a great example. The pad distances are almost identical but the look from each pad to the basket is completley different.

Hey, it even has a practice basket!

Navigation - Not much of an issue but some next tee signs are in the works. A new course map is in place right by the practice basket. Yay!

Length - while this is a con that I am sure everyone is going to put in these reviews understand that there is VERY little room to work with here. Etching out 9 holes in this limited space without creating hazards and issues with flow is tough so length was sacrificed.

Nature - This isn't going to really affect my over-all score of this course but still feel that this is worth noting. Just like every other course in Michigan, mother nature can be a real pain here. Poison ivy, ticks, mosquitoes and your typical assortment of irritants can be found just like on any other wooded course. Come prepared.

What Andrew has created in this limited amount of space is a real gem.

I love this course even though it isn't 18 and if you are in the area definitely check it out!