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St. Ambrose Cellars DGC reviews
11
0
Good disc golf, and mead, AND wine, AND beer???
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Jun 6, 2024
Played the course:once
Pros:
St. Ambrose Cellars is a meadery/winery/brewery located in a rural area about halfway between Traverse City and Manistee, MI. What was previously a 9-holer here has now expanded to a full 18.
The course plays mostly in a beautiful wooded area behind the building. The foliage is mostly coniferous, giving off a very "Up North" vibe to me. In a few places, the aesthetic reminded me of Superior Pines in the U.P. which is one of my personal favorite courses.
Most fairways are moderately tight, with several holes having clear multiple lines to the basket. The rough off the fairways is relatively thick, but not enough to lose a disc and you MIGHT be able to scramble some of the time. The finishing hole 18 is probably the tightest, requiring players to hit one of 2-3 thread-the-needle lines through a stand of trees. Some will probably think this particular one is too tight, but it's only a 198' hole and I kind of enjoyed it as a fun way to end the round. All of the other holes were definitely fair in my opinion - and holes 1, 2, and 17 are more open to give the course a bit more balance.
The distances range from 170' up to 370', creating a nice challenge for recreational to intermediate players without being too hard for novice meadery/winery/brewery visitors to enjoy. It's definitely a more difficult course than the distances would indicate, due to the tight lines on many holes.
The baskets are Chainstars that look new. #17 and 18 both have baskets mounted on small metal barrels.
The tee pads are concrete, new, and fairly large. There was one hole that had a rubber pad still - I think it was #11. Presumably concrete is coming for this one as well. There are benches behind several tees.
The tee signs are great - with all of the info you need, plus (for some reason) the name (and only the name) of a plant. I guess these are supposed to be hole nicknames? Regardless, these signs are nice and I really liked the dark color scheme.
Also to like is the navigational signage. There is tape on basket rungs, and arrows nailed to trees where needed. Signs pointing to different holes where paths between holes converge and diverge make it easy to play less than 18 holes if short on time. A mailbox near the first tee has scorecards available inside, which include an overall course map as well. These scorecards don't show hole distances, but that's a nitpick since the tee signs are so good.
The course plays mostly in a beautiful wooded area behind the building. The foliage is mostly coniferous, giving off a very "Up North" vibe to me. In a few places, the aesthetic reminded me of Superior Pines in the U.P. which is one of my personal favorite courses.
Most fairways are moderately tight, with several holes having clear multiple lines to the basket. The rough off the fairways is relatively thick, but not enough to lose a disc and you MIGHT be able to scramble some of the time. The finishing hole 18 is probably the tightest, requiring players to hit one of 2-3 thread-the-needle lines through a stand of trees. Some will probably think this particular one is too tight, but it's only a 198' hole and I kind of enjoyed it as a fun way to end the round. All of the other holes were definitely fair in my opinion - and holes 1, 2, and 17 are more open to give the course a bit more balance.
The distances range from 170' up to 370', creating a nice challenge for recreational to intermediate players without being too hard for novice meadery/winery/brewery visitors to enjoy. It's definitely a more difficult course than the distances would indicate, due to the tight lines on many holes.
The baskets are Chainstars that look new. #17 and 18 both have baskets mounted on small metal barrels.
The tee pads are concrete, new, and fairly large. There was one hole that had a rubber pad still - I think it was #11. Presumably concrete is coming for this one as well. There are benches behind several tees.
The tee signs are great - with all of the info you need, plus (for some reason) the name (and only the name) of a plant. I guess these are supposed to be hole nicknames? Regardless, these signs are nice and I really liked the dark color scheme.
Also to like is the navigational signage. There is tape on basket rungs, and arrows nailed to trees where needed. Signs pointing to different holes where paths between holes converge and diverge make it easy to play less than 18 holes if short on time. A mailbox near the first tee has scorecards available inside, which include an overall course map as well. These scorecards don't show hole distances, but that's a nitpick since the tee signs are so good.
Cons:
The course is almost perfectly flat.
A couple of holes are kind of close together. There was one time that my errant tee shot landed in an adjacent fairway. It was a pretty bad throw though to be honest. Not a huge issue.
The only navigational aid I could have used is a sign pointing out the best way to return to the parking lot after hole 18. It's not a very long walk, but it passes through what felt like the owner's yard which has a short fence around most of it.
No trash cans here - pack out what you pack in. There isn't a practice basket either - one could easily be added in the lawn near the first tee.
A couple of holes are kind of close together. There was one time that my errant tee shot landed in an adjacent fairway. It was a pretty bad throw though to be honest. Not a huge issue.
The only navigational aid I could have used is a sign pointing out the best way to return to the parking lot after hole 18. It's not a very long walk, but it passes through what felt like the owner's yard which has a short fence around most of it.
No trash cans here - pack out what you pack in. There isn't a practice basket either - one could easily be added in the lawn near the first tee.
Other Thoughts:
This course appears to be just free and open to the public - there is no signage indicating otherwise. I'd recommend visiting during business hours just to be safe, and so that you can also sample the food and drink! I did this after my round and really enjoyed it. You can get a flight with different types of alcohol in it - I chose two meads, a hard cider, and a beer.
This is a really nice course that greatly exceeded my expectations. I was originally thinking of giving it a high 3.0 but I went with a low 3.5 instead after writing the review. There's really nothing wrong with it given the land available. If you're near the area or passing through, this one is definitely worth checking out!
This is a really nice course that greatly exceeded my expectations. I was originally thinking of giving it a high 3.0 but I went with a low 3.5 instead after writing the review. There's really nothing wrong with it given the land available. If you're near the area or passing through, this one is definitely worth checking out!
4
0
You can drink their grog while throwing frisbees 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Aug 14, 2018
Played the course:once
Pros:
Aesthetic - Plays around the property of this vineyard/meadery/brewery. Beverages can be enjoyed anywhere on the property. Hole 7-9 interact (lightly) with other property features. Please be wary on these of others.
Baskets - Brand new and highly visible in the woods
Tee areas - For dirt, they are adequate. No roots or stumps present
Tee signage - Great. Although on hole 2, the tee pad area is under some low branches.
Baskets - Brand new and highly visible in the woods
Tee areas - For dirt, they are adequate. No roots or stumps present
Tee signage - Great. Although on hole 2, the tee pad area is under some low branches.
Cons:
Maintenace - when I was there the woods holes fairways were quite overgrown. I did mention to them and they seemed eager to mow
Bugs - Bring your spray, Especially on the field holes, the gnats can be a bit overwhelming.
Bugs - Bring your spray, Especially on the field holes, the gnats can be a bit overwhelming.
Other Thoughts:
For what it is, it is a nice little course in northern Michigan. I would not go out of my way to play but their meads are delicious...
