This course costs $1/day to play, which also covers Beast, Beauty, and even several other courses in the Ludington area.
Cell service here can be spotty to nonexistent. Plan accordingly.
With the course being relatively open in many spots and close to Lake Michigan, wind can be a major factor. It was whipping when I played on a cold, dreary November afternoon. On the plus side, I had the course to myself.
The par is listed as 3 on all holes. Personally I think that a couple of the 400'+ ones should be par 4 (how many shots does it take YOU to reach a basket 745' away on flattish open terrain)?
As mentioned above, the presence of Beast alone is currently knocking my rating down half a disc. But beyond that, I think Beast offers basically the same challenges as Goliath, and is a better course overall. Sure, Goliath is a little bit longer. But comparing to Beast:
- That added distance on Goliath does not really translate to added challenge. The longest holes on Goliath are just open throws, challenging only your driving distance.
- There are more holes on Goliath that play across the park drive, and it seemed like the park drive fell in a more likely disc landing zone more often here, vs. e.g. being just off the tee on Beast. Also, one Goliath hole (#17, shown as #14 on the map uploaded here) plays straight across a parking lot.
- In contrast to Beast's awesome top-of-the-world hole 1, Goliath lacks a clear signature hole.
- The navigation is a little more confusing on Goliath, and the fairways are a little less well defined and more encroached on by the rough. A few lines felt unrealistic. I have to imagine this is because...
- Beast players (theoretically) always have the right-of-way. If it were a busy day in the park and that rule were followed, it could conceivably take an entire afternoon to get through Goliath.
In short, to me Goliath feels like an unsafe and silly way to add a "third course" to the Mason County Park complex. I very strongly believe that this Goliath course should be pulled - and a second set of tees could be added for Beast in its place. A second Beast layout would keep the allure of a "different" course, while eliminating most of the safety issues.
I gave Beast a 3.5 rating, and I think Goliath is clearly a little worse so that puts me at 3.0. If you are a serious disc golfer visiting the Ludington area, you should absolutely spend an afternoon at Mason County Park! But I would recommend starting with Beauty and Beast, and avoiding Goliath unless you still have time afterwards and there are few to no others present in the park.