Pros:
- brand new green and blue banded baskets as of 2024
- tons of disc golf action packed into a dedicated space
- multiple practice baskets
- good built in bridges/platforms over creeks and low lying wet areas
- concrete tees, some holes have multiples
- tee signs have maps
- plenty of benches and trash cans throughout course
- cabins/overnight accommodations on site
- very reasonable $5/day for non-overnight guests
- aptly named with sandy, near-water type of soil
- tons of great technical challenge
- mostly wooded with a good variety of distances
- great navigation aids
- pro shop on site (with cool course posters made by a Wisconsin artist, among many other things)
- owners are very kind and very helpful
- maintenance is fantastic; course is in excellent shape
- exquisite natural beauty that evokes a true Northwoods Wisconsin feeling
- rough is limited and finding discs is not difficult
- excellent incorporation of the elevation change available
Cons:
- parking is a bit limited since most is taken up by overnight guests
- some people may feel a lot of holes are too short
- holes are packed pretty tightly together, but never presented any safety issues
- tee signs are fairly basic, but are serviceable
- can be a bit wet and muddy, especially by lake holes (26-27)
- with overnight guests, it could potentially get busy, though this was not the case while i was there
- long walk between 25 and 26 is the only place where signage could be better
- some overuse of dogleg right shots
- could use some built in stairs on some steep inclines
Other Thoughts:
UPDATE 9/24: Sandy Point is still my favorite disc golf destination. Most of my original review still stands. The big improvement is all 58 baskets on the course were recently replaced. The shorts are now green banded (Loon) and the longs are blue banded (Walleye). All are pretty visible in the woods; red may have been better than green but they are cool and catch really well.
Maintenance is still top notch here and the course looks fantastic. The tee signs hopefully are next in line for an update; they are one of the weaker points of the course at this point. Make sure you look for 20A and 20B between holes 20 and 21 if you want to play them. I don't really get why these are numbered this way but I almost missed them AGAIN after doing it 3 years ago.
This continues to be a fantastic disc golf destination, especially with new courses popping up nearby like Squirrel Hill. They have a new travel poster in the pro shop featuring "the car hole" which is really neat. I still recommend finding a way to come here, you won't regret it.
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Sandy Point is a true disc golf destination I've been wanting to hit for some time. The 29 holes honestly put me off a bit, since on trips up north I try to hit as many courses as I can and longer courses take up a lot more time. I think I ended up finishing Sandy Point in under 2 hours, or right around 2 flat. The holes are relatively short on average and the layout is great so there's not tons of walking between holes, so it actually moves pretty quickly.
Ordinarily, I prefer courses to stop at 18 holes rather than push for "filler" just for hole count. That is NOT the feeling at Sandy Point. Most holes are very unique. There is tons of elevation change in the first 10 or so holes, with later holes being mostly flat until 26 near the lake at the end. There is wooded technical challenge throughout, with cool moss covered hillocks, water hazards, and tons of variety. The feel on this course is like you're in a temperate rainforest, almost like the Pacific Northwest, and you're out of the sun for the majority of your round.
The tee signs and baskets were a bit basic here, but worked well enough. Everything is in excellent shape, and in talking to the owners they pride themselves on keeping things well maintained and seemed genuinely pleased I commented on it. As others have noted, the map on DGCR is not up to date; I didn't see an updated map at the course but asking the owners/shop employees is worthwhile if it is open. I managed to navigate fine due to the excellent next tee signs/navigation aids on this course, but I did somehow miss holes 20A and 20B (which make the +2 with the "labeled 27" holes for the full 29). I didn't realize this until the end of the course and decided it wasn't worth going back to find them.
The lake holes, 26 and 27, are closed during the summer but were open again by mid-September when I visited. These are really cool, with the first one a very short and steep downhill throw with the lake behind you. I threw a midrange with enough hyzer to fade hard to limit distance and STILL ended up in the water. The elevation really pushes your disc out there so it can mess with our head. The next hole throws along the lakeshore and potentially out over the lake, making for some really cool water hazards.
I absolutely loved the natural beauty of this area and all the mossy trees and paths. This is a really special piece of land and is WAY away from civilization, making for a peaceful disc golf retreat where you really feel immersed in nature. Practice baskets are sprinkled throughout the cabin area; this really is a disc golf ranch. My only hesitation staying overnight is there aren't many other courses around. Having another course here akin to something like Highbridge has would go a long way in attracting more visitors, but this course really stands alone as a great destination. If you are in the area, North Lakeland is a newer 9 hole course up in Manitowish Waters that is totally worth hitting (probably 40 minutes north).
I got a really cool Sandy Point poster in the shop and I love that the course has items like this specific to a destination I went out of my way to visit. They also have clothing, discs, pins, drinks, etc.
The challenge is pretty decent here. The course is very fair but it probably caters to intermediate players and above. While some distances are shorter, there is lots of technical challenge to make you exercise a variety of shots. I do think the holes were skewed a bit towards RHFH/LHBH throwers, as there were a lot of dogleg right type shots, though you could also throw some anhyzer shots depending on the line.
Overall, this was one of the coolest courses I played on this trip. It's hard to pick a favorite between Tailings (UP), City Park (UP), Wilderness, Rollin Ridge, and this, but Sandy Point might be one of my top 2 out of all those awesome courses. Highly recommended even though it's a bit out of the way. If you want to play the best Wisconsin disc golf has to offer, and there's a lot of it, this is one you have to add to your list.