Auburn Hills, Michigan - 2 day disc binge

[culinarywiz]

Hey folks, looking for some input on the courses surrounding Auburn Hills (from Ann Arbor over to Detroit and up toward Flint).

Gonna be there this Friday and Saturday with only one objective - hit as many bad ass new courses possible.

As of now, considering Sage Creek, Addison Oaks, Holly Woods and Kensington on Friday and then Rolling Hills, Cass Benton, Independence Lake and perhaps BRATS on Saturday (I have yet to reach out to the owners of BRATS).

I chose these only due to being rated 4 and up.

So, here are a few questions;

Mill Creek only has one review but it's a 4.5 - is it legit?
Stony Creek has only one review at a 4.0 - is it legit?

Are Pine Hills in Laingsburg or Memorial Park up in Frankenmouth worth the extra drive time?

And finally, to clarify, we have already played Hudson Mills, Deerfield and Burchfield within this proximity.

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Joshgoriesky]

Stony is legit

 

[ru4por]

Mill Creek and Sage Creek are both wonderful plays. Both are private courses that you need to owners to chaperon. That can be a bit of a hassle if on a tight schedule. Stony is great....it is a MetroPark, so similar amenities to Hudson Mills.

 

[Innovadude]

Come see us at The Throw Shop in Ypsilanti, at the Ponds at Lakeshore 30 hole course 10 minutes from Rolling Hills. We own BRATS- so it'll be us to contact about playing a round there. Not sure what my dad is up to with people getting on to BRATS right now, but it is newly revamped with 27 baskets, all new holes just this past month.

 

[ejvogie]

I enjoyed Memorial Park in Frankenmuth both times I've been there. Bit out of the way from the rest of your trip though...

 

[kw83028]

Stony is legit all the way. Expanded to two 18 hole courses now which is why it doesn't have reviews since the original course changed hole numbers and such.

Memorial Park is really good in my opinion. Definitely a more open course. Worth the drive? Yes, but just depends on how the rest of your day goes.

I have a couple buddies that keep wanting to take me to Pine Hills. They say its great but costs a bit of money I hear. Especially if you rent a golf cart which I heard is nice to have due to some long holes and long walks inbetween. It's on a ball
golf course

All the rest of the courses that you listed are great to play. Holly Woods is my home course so I love that one. Not too tough except for the added in back 6 holes. I love Addison/Stony/Independence even more.

 

[culinarywiz]

Sounds like the 2 courses at Stony Creek are must plays.

I may slide them in and bypass Sage Creek and Mill Creek due to need for flexibility.

Read some of the reviews for Lakeshore. Sounds like the Throw Shop is the main attraction. We will likely stop in to check things out.

Thanks to all so far and keep the input coming :thmbup:

 

[ejvogie]

Lakeshore is on a former 9 hole bolf course. Most of it is just avoiding the 1 or 2 trees in the fairway and bombing. Not a fan.

The Throw Shop is legit though.

FYI: You will have to show an ID at the gate and let them know why you're there, the course is part of an apartment complex

 

[Ballingerj44]

Home course is stoney. Now has two 18-hole courses and is awesome awesome place. Very busy Friday nights. Your best bet is playing early morning. Recommend playing

Addison is a wooded course with a lot of fun shots with not much traffic. Recommend playing

SAGE CREEK! Rebecca and Sean are the best. This is my favorite course. It's pretty short for the most part. But the work that was put into a small space is just awesome. I know they have been busy on the weekends but maybe you could get out there. Send me a message and maybe I could talk to them for you and see if we could work something out if your really looking to get out there.

Mill Creek. Donny is a great guy and his course is top notch. It has some very good lines and tricky shots. He's open for anyone to come out there just ask him.

Now that I re look at your list I would say almost all the courses you mention are awesome.

I'll make a quick list of what I recommend.

Wooded courses
1. Sage
2.Addison/Rolling hills
3. Holly
4. Kensington (left/forehand friendly)

Open courses
1.Indy
2. Stony blue course
3.memorial park
4.frankenmuth

 

[TimSyl]

Play both at Stony, skip Holly. How about River Bends? Close to Stony.

 

[ru4por]

Home course is stoney. Now has two 18-hole courses and is awesome awesome place. Very busy Friday nights. Your best bet is playing early morning. Recommend playing

Addison is a wooded course with a lot of fun shots with not much traffic. Recommend playing

SAGE CREEK! Rebecca and Sean are the best. This is my favorite course. It's pretty short for the most part. But the work that was put into a small space is just awesome. I know they have been busy on the weekends but maybe you could get out there. Send me a message and maybe I could talk to them for you and see if we could work something out if your really looking to get out there.

Mill Creek. Donny is a great guy and his course is top notch. It has some very good lines and tricky shots. He's open for anyone to come out there just ask him.

Now that I re look at your list I would say almost all the courses you mention are awesome.

I'll make a quick list of what I recommend.

Wooded courses
1. Sage
2.Addison/Rolling hills
3. Holly
4. Kensington (left/forehand friendly)

Open courses
1.Indy
2. Stony blue course
3.memorial park
4.frankenmuth

Very nice assessment here. Not sure I would consider Indy an open course, though there are plenty of open holes. Timsyl above does bring Riverbends into the mix. This is a terrific course if the weather is favorable. It can get wet if raining a bunch. The Gulch is another nice course out by Ann Arbor way.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Without hesitation, the best courses in Detroit's NE suburb's are Addison Oaks (1 x 24 holes) and at Stony Creek 2 x 18 holes).
I haven't reviewed the new layouts at Stony. The nice thing about them is the that they have distinctly different personalities; North fells a bit more open and flatter (still has more than enough trouble in the rough) (but I'd easily call North a 3.5, possibly 4.0), and South has more elevation and leans toward the wooded side (South's a 4.0 in my book).

All 3 courses should be in nice shape this weekend, because the Discraft Great Lakes Open is taking place on all 3 the weekend of Jun 18 - 19th... which is a A-tier event.

FWIW - those courses drain quite well (in case it has rained recently), with scorecards and maps available.

Riverbends is not without merit, but personally, I'm not a fan of the redesign. Navigation is tough for f1st timers, bugs are crazy there this time of year, and don't even think about playing there if it's rained recently - most of the course plays through a river valley, so the course which is precisely where everything in the area drains into (which explains the mosquitos), and the grass grows faster than any course I know - not uncommon to spend 5-10 minutes looking for good tee shots in grass that's 2-3 ft tall.

Mill Creek and Sage Creek are quite solid and fun courses, but could be tough to get out on.
Holly Woods (State Park) is pretty good, 6 of the long wooded, hilly holes can be pretty frustrating ( I can see how some would say unfair).

Will post on Ann Arbor area courses after my meeting... opcorn:

 

[donnyv]

Thanks guys for the kind words on Mill Creek. This weekend is already booked Fri-Sun with campers, a wedding and another private party on Sun. Really tough right now since the grass exploded and mowing everyday after work. Any free time is dedicated to finishing the East China Twp Park disc golf course. I'm down to 25 days left before deadline now.

You can reach out to Sage but they're pretty busy to

 

[ru4por]

Thanks guys for the kind words on Mill Creek. This weekend is already booked Fri-Sun with campers, a wedding and another private party on Sun. Really tough right now since the grass exploded and mowing everyday after work. Any free time is dedicated to finishing the East China Twp Park disc golf course. I'm down to 25 days left before deadline now.

You can reach out to Sage but they're pretty busy to

nevrmnd

 

[culinarywiz]

Thanks Donny for chiming in.

Looks like it will be all public courses.

Not sold on what I am seeing from River Bends and Grizzly.

Now looking at;

Friday - Stony South, Stony North, Addison then Holly Woods

Saturday - Kensington, Cass Benton, Independence Lake then Rolling Hills

The majority of these courses have more than 18 holes.

If extra time presents itself, perhaps hit Kensington on Friday and finish Saturday at the Ponds at Lakeshore and a visit to the Throw Shop. Looks like they close at 6pm. It is possible we will need to replace a disc or two by that time

 

[ru4por]

Thanks Donny for chiming in.

Looks like it will be all public courses.

Not sold on what I am seeing from River Bends and Grizzly.

Now looking at;

Friday - Stony South, Stony North, Addison then Holly Woods

Saturday - Kensington, Cass Benton, Independence Lake then Rolling Hills

The majority of these courses have more than 18 holes.

If extra time presents itself, perhaps hit Kensington on Friday and finish Saturday at the Ponds at Lakeshore and a visit to the Throw Shop. Looks like they close at 6pm. It is possible we will need to replace a disc or two by that time

Sounds like a great trip. Tons of great courses above. Have a great time.

 

[Ballingerj44]

Very nice assessment here. Not sure I would consider Indy an open course, though there are plenty of open holes. Timsyl above does bring Riverbends into the mix. This is a terrific course if the weather is favorable. It can get wet if raining a bunch. The Gulch is another nice course out by Ann Arbor way.

Just thought there is a good amount of room to work your shots on 90% of the holes. I agree it's not stony blue.

 

[esdubya]

I would skip Cass Benton - course is in really rough shape (as it has been for about 10 years) and on a Saturday you will be inundated with Cass-holes.

I'd try to work in BRATS to your Saturday schedule, perhaps after Indy. Newly redesigned and bigger with 27 holes, I can't wait to get out there.

That's a lot of disc man!

 

[ringerguy]

A few words of advice regarding Cass Benton:
1. Be off the course before noon. The backups are legendary. I believe the course gets underrated by about a half a point because of the people that play there.
2. Park in the first parking lot next to the Hines Dr. entrance. Otherwise, you will be wandering around looking for the first tee.
3. Print a map. The course gets confusing after hole 8 and after hole 12. There are no signs.
4. Play from the longs. The course is decent from the shorts, but great from the long tee pads. It will completely change your experience.
5. Enjoy your round! There is nothing else like it in SE Michigan.

 

[culinarywiz]

Thanks for advice.

Cass Benton will be 1st course of that day. No desire to get caught up in crowds.

Still not sure of BRATS. I have no doubt that it's an awesome play. I just don't want to tie them or us up since I'm still not sure how the timing or weather of the day will unfold.

The forecast shows showers and perhaps thunderstorms on Saturday. No Bueno :\

Hopefully, the weather holds out.