Pros:
(2.607 Rating) A skill shot ace race course that can only have a couple groups going out at one time.
- FUN FACTOR - The ratings for this course are going to be all over the board due to two main reasons. The fun-ness. Is that a word? And the spacing issues. For the latter, see the Cons below, but man did I have a spectacular time here. I showed up solo early on a Wednesday morning mid Summer and instantly met the Designer Todd and Renea, whom were hanging out in his back yard where tee (1) starts off. Todd was a trip to meet, and you can tell he puts his heart and soul into this place. He's the leading reason for why this course is fun and I'll get to more of that in a bit. As for the course part, the holes themselves are full of birdie potential. Mostly appealing wooded shots in the 150 to 225 foot range. Being dead-on is going to result in some chain music, while missing typically won't be punishing. Rec players are going to average well below par out and chalk up lots of aces in the process.
- TODD - This was the first time I've ever met the course designer on an early morning bagger run. After my round I sat down and talked to Todd for a good half hour. Todd knows a lot about the local disc golf history in this region. For example, I now know that Dan Kilgore's (DGCR danhyzer) 200th Michigan course was played here. I learned that Todd's credited as the designer of several local courses in addition to this one. He also has a nice sized pro shop in his garage with hundreds of discs for sale. One of these discs is actually now hanging on my wall. Anyways, Todd is the key component to the eclectic social atmosphere here.
- SIGNAGE - The course map and tee sign design is fantastic. The tee signs have all the right info on them. Large hole #, accurate distance, obstacle locations and next tee direction. Most, if not all of the signs have a photo of Todd's daughter Carly on them in memorial. I loved how they all state "Love Wins." The course map is well done too. It is crucial that players take a picture of this map as I looked at my photo of it several times.
- AMENITIES - In addition to the signage, there are a few nice amenities and extras of note. Custom pink DISCatcher baskets. That's not something you see every day. They caught well and were in great shape. Several seating areas and garbage cans are sprinkled about on the layout. There are also some picnic tables in Todd's actual backyard too. The tees weren't the greatest being carpet, but were better than nothing I suppose.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - I scored the overall beauty a touch above average. Ninety percent of the course plays through towering hardwoods. Several holes have moments where one will feel completely detached from the built environment. On the flipside, residential backyards on all 4 sides of the layout. Several fences look like eyesores. It is what it is.
- QUICK PLAY - I played all 24 holes in 54 minutes. As long as there's only one group here, rounds will fly.
Cons:
Too many holes in too little space.
- SPACING - 24 holes over four, maybe four and a half acres is too many. I personally wondered afterwards if there was enough room to put in a two tee and two basket course as this would allow for just as much variety, but with far less spacing concerns. The hole to hole conflicts here when multiple groups are on the course is monumental. I honestly don't see how it's even possible to do safely without a ton of cross group chatter. Baskets are re-used, sometimes three times and there are several crossing fairways. Several tees are inside the circle of a basket. The rate of black aces is probably greater here than any course I've ever played.
- LACK OF CHALLENGE - I personally didn't feel challenged as an Intermediate level player that enjoys the woods courses. I carded ten birdies and one bogey. Except for a few holes with ultra-tight lines, I felt I was going through the motions. I highly doubt bombers are going to enjoy this layout although they may enjoy this place if going for the social aspect. I figure even par would equate to around an 850 rated round. Perfect for grand master recs, regular rec players and novices. I'm sure beginners get brought here too, but the layout seems a bit too constricting for inaccurate arms.
- LOST DISC POTENTIAL - Several neighboring yards around the course boldly state "keep out" on large signs. I kissed a tree towards the end of the round and my disc ricocheted into one of these backyards. Thankfully it was within 6 feet of the fence and I managed to reel it in with a dead branch.
- HOLE VARIETY - The course is unique for sure, but the holes themselves have a repetitive theme which is short technical ace run. All but a couple of holes have blended together in my memory already. There's some slight elevation and lots of heavy woods in play. A couple holes break out into a small open area and there are no water elements.
Other Thoughts:
First and foremost, I enjoyed my experience here. I played 18 different courses on this road trip and I had the most fun at this one. This is one of only two courses that I have doubled my vibe attribute score in my spreadsheet formula (Flyboy is the other). I actually considered tripling it. This is a very difficult course to rate and I would expect reviewer rating numbers to be all over the board. How much of a factor should fun and vibe be? How negative of a ratings impact should spacing concerns be? How much do you like or dislike like Trump as there are Trump banners on the course? How much does herbal medicine impact your feelings? These could all be major rating impacts for some players and thus it would be hard for me to argue against someone giving this place a 4.5 or even a 0.5. For me, I'm going with a "High" 2.5, typical, although I know there is nothing typical about it. I hope Todd doesn't hate me for my evaluation, cause if I ever make it back to Traverse City, I am going to want to meet up with him again and play his backyard course. Among the 4 Traverse City courses, I would say this is the second best after Hickory Hills. Unfortunately, I won't be reviewing the Hickory Hills course as the south layout I played was RIP'd a couple weeks later.
- DONATE TO PLAY - I donated $3 to play. I fully believe the money goes back to the course.
- NAVIGATION - As noted in the pros, take a picture of the course map. It's critical. First time players are going to make some wrong turns here as the basket direction after a hole is not intuitive in many cases and several tees can be seen. Overall I would grade this aspect so so.
- PARKING - Street parking only.