Disc Golf Course Review

Northwestern High School's 12-hole layout was a simple and overly-crammed in 12-hole layout. If you're playing around multiple athletic fields, do you really need nearly half the course essentially overlapping itself?
- Course is a mostly simple, short to mid-range layout. If you take away #8 at 518 feet, the other 11 holes average only 173 feet. I carried two discs playing the course (putter and mid-range) and had - at worse - tap-in pars on the non-518-foot holes.
- Course offers great safari/choose-your-own target layouts. With holes #3 - 7 all crisscrossing each other (or at least within the same small clump of land), you can get some great practice going into the field and firing at one of several targets.
- Course is good for a quick round...assuming you don't get confused by the #3-7 layout. Once you figure that out, the only thing keeping this from being a 15-minute round is the long walk from the parking lot to the first tee.
- Course offers 'challenge' by having gimmicky/tricked-up tee and/or basket places. Having trees create low ceilings (#2), awkward angles (#7) or just by having multiple baskets in your line of sight, gives you a challenge. That said, the holes that looked to be most challenging and/or fun (#9 - 11) were all unavailable when I was there.
- Course is clearly aimed at students as a beginner-friendly layout. That said, Rawlinson Middle School, right next door, is a far superior layout. Being a high school (versus the better middle school course next door), the argument can be made that this course should be better. And there's enough room to create a tougher layout here, so it's something to consider.

There is no reason to have the cluster, fussed layout of holes #3 - 7. Standing on #3's tee, the baskets for #3, 4 & 6 are all potential targets. If the baskets for holes #3 -7 were on a grid, the basket for #3 is on the bottom left; baskets for #4 & 6 are upper left; #5 is botton right and #7 is upper right. Add in the tee areas, and you're going back and forth (in some capacity) in this area for 5 straight holes.
- The frustrations for these 5 holes is that there is plenty of room to remove two of the holes - and clear out the cluster - create a decent layout using holes #3, 5 & 7, and place the other two baskets somewhere else. If you look at a map of the area behind the school, there's plenty of room to create a good layout here, maybe even a fun 18-hole layout similar to York.
- Hole #2 could also go. It's a short, low ceiling layout, turning this into a lag-putt, tap-in deuce.
- The basket for #12 was missing when I played in August 2016. Not sure how long it's been gone, but I'm sensing it's been awhile and nobody has noticed.

I'm all for the York County school-Innova disc golf partnership. It only works when the courses are age appropriate. Pitch-n-putts are good for elementary schools; more challenging courses are needed if you're wanting high school students to play. Unfortunately, this course is relatively simple and, worse-off, extremely boring that students at Northwestern aren't going to be interested in learning the game. It's a major missed opportunity here.
- The course is as appetizing as the school's cafeteria food. Sure you can call that funny looking 'food' meat w/ gravy, but it's neither appealing nor filling. You can call this is a course because there are 12 baskets, but it's not a good one.
- This is a decent course, but nothing special. I enjoyed Rawlinson's 12-hole layout slightly better and that's reflected in my ratings of the two courses.

Teeboxes - Plenty big. Many are round which was kind of fun.
Baskets - Discatchers, all in good shape. I like that there are yellows for the long course and red for the shorts.
Two courses - Nice to be able to warm up on the (very short) short course.
Hole variety - There's some solid variety of holes out there. I certainly threw many different discs out of my bag from the tee and from the fairway and BHs and FHs alike. Hole length was also nicely varied.
Use of elevation - To my point about hole variety, there is some good use of elevation here, particularly on the "wooded" holes.
Aesthetically pleasing - I think there are a couple of contenders for a "signature" hole (10 gets my vote), but most of the course is quite lovely.
Free to play - More and more courses are paid (I'm okay with that), but it's always nice to roll up to two courses and play for free!
Multi-use park but pretty quiet - Played on a lovely day in August, and we only saw a few non-golfers. My dog was able to roam the holes without issue.

Signage - It's on every hole but needs updating. Many are sun-wiped and unreadable, and many are pretty vague and crappy.
Flags - I don't know why every course doesn't have flags on its pins that aren't very clearly visible from the teebox. Several baskets would benefit greatly from a flag.
Boring greens - Most of the baskets are unguarded, sitting in a field. What's wild about this is that there are plenty of trees on the property. It would be so easy to have made the greens interesting.
The tall grass - Nothing new here that the other reviews haven't stated, but tall grass rough is dumb. Your penalty for a bad shot is looking for a disc. Once you find it, the grass isn't so tall that your shot is impeded. Don't waste my time. This gimmick is used on several holes, and I'm avoiding certain lines because I don't want to risk having to look for a disc. If I play it safe because I'm not playing well, that's one thing. I shouldn't avoid a line because I might not hit it well enough and don't want to spend 20 minutes ruining a farmer's bean field as I look for my disc. I shouldn't need a spotter on a majority of holes.
Holes 1 and 2 - These are clearly filler holes. To the point of my title, what a waste of potential. There's this big beautiful property, and you have me "golfing" my way to the first decent hole (#3). Honestly, long holes can be fun in their own right, but with the tall grass (see my previous point) this is silly. Such a waste.
Unreasonable holes - There are 4-5 holes that reward luck over skill. A couple holes have a great fairway, point the teebox at it, and then have a tree right between the pad and the fairway. Stop doing this; it's deeply un-fun. Narrow gaps with an unguarded basket another 100 feet past? Get out of here with that garbage. I want to be rewarded for good shots, not lucky ones. Creative hole design is great. Challenging holes are great. Hard/Impossible for the sake of hard is not good course design. Period.

I don't know if the designer(s) was hoping to draw hosts of 1000+ rating players or what, but this is a real missed opportunity. It's a beautiful piece of land, and they seem to have had free rein. They clearly removed a bunch of trees and mowed grass and did all kinds of maintenance to get to where it is today. There are some really neat holes on this course; truly excellent holes. But the cons are too big, the feelings of frustration on the teebox too great and too often, the number of burrs and scratches traipsing through the grass too many. I don't think it would take much to make this course great. Moving some baskets, mowing different parts, updating signs, would easily jump this course up to a 4.

It's not a BAD course. If you have a big arm definitely go. I didn't play Fel Pro RRR, but that's apparently a solid course too and not far. I'd recommend going with a group of 4 and always have a spotter. Think of it as a penalty for losing the last hole!

I like to end my reviews with this question: If this were my home course, and I played it 1 - 4 times a month then what would my game look like?

I would have a gnarly case of Blacksmith syndrome (lopsided body strength) from absolutely ripping bomb after bomb. I would hope my accuracy would increase, but I would probably improve my handwriting after writing my name on so many discs. (Because I'm replacing them so often after losing them in the field.) My long-range putting would improve, but I wouldn't have a straddle putt or a forehand putt or anything else too creative. I'd probably develop a pretty good turnover BH or a solid long FH (plenty of left-to-right holes). My mid-range game would probably suffer; I think I threw a mid 1 or 2 times as its designed (200-250' throw). I'd be a decent golfer with some real achilles heels.

This is the only putters-only disc golf course I've ever seen, so it definitely has a novelty factor. Despite the short range and the fact that every single shot is a putt, every single hole is also unique, with trees, nets, various basket sizes/elevations that ask you to essentially make trick shots.

Since it's a putter course, you don't get the other challenges that come with drives and midrange shots. But it's right next to an excellent traditional course, so why not do both?

It's a fun, quick round of play that's more fun with a few friends. You can easily do it as a warm up before taking on the big Rolling Hills course. Worth checking out if only for the novelty, worth replaying because it's fun.

Every single hole on this course has its own personality and unique challenge, with a mix of meadows, woods and hills.

A number of different skills are useful here, with long holes, short holes, uphill drives, downhill drives, some heavily forested fairways and a few sharp turns.

The tee pads are concrete, level, and very good quality.

Holes and paths are clearly marked. Overall, the course is well kept up.

On at least half the holes, the basket is not visible from the tee, which might be a challenge fir first time players.

It's a paid course now, in addition to requiring a fee to enter the county park where it's located.

This is my personal favorite course and the one I've played the most. It's the course that really got me into disc golf and the one I've learned the most from. If you're in the Ann Arbor area with some time to kill, it's worth a visit.

Each of the four tees provides a different approach, so you get a little variety.

There are only four holes and one basket, and almost no obstacles.

It's essentially just a practice range, nice and convenient if you live in walking distance and want to work on your tee shots and putts. Definitely not a destination course.

Challenging but fair - logical layout/ good flow - amazing views/ picturesque - friendly/helpful staff - clean/quiet/peaceful

dirt road entry - a bit of a drive

Playing mostly in MN and FL, its a challenge for me to get my footing on side hill shots. The beauty of this course is awe-inspiring

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A short niner offered among a list of activities at a State Park. Not a destination course by any means, but a decent bagging stop with clearly marked grass tees and good Dynamic baskets that have been installed since earlier reviews.


A 20 minute round playing mostly on well-mowed grass. Very much geared toward newbies, with a few wrinkles to make it interesting. After a few open holes, the stretch of 4 - 6 incorporates woods creating low ceilings, doglegs, and tight gaps.


To quote an earlier reviewer:

"The shots all aren't easy. There are a couple spots where you have to think a little. But, for the most part, this course is a pitch-and-putt and can be used as such."

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- Several holes cross one another (for example, you throw directly over the basket for #7 while playing #2). It's unlikely you'll have other players around though.

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~ Generous pars for experienced players. Anything that wasn't straight was a par 4, and the two par 5's average 300'. Expect more than birdies - you're looking at a handful of eagles


~ The park charges admission during the summer season; plan accordingly.

6 red Veteran baskets although #2 is slightly askew. No conflicts with other activities/areas except back parking lot. All baskets numbered (#1 through #6).

No tees, no course map, no benches. Grass only mowed in big field (#9s fairway). Basket #2 is tilted. Off fairway has lots of nasty plants.

Parking lots are very confusing but go to the most northeastern corner. You will see two baskets off in the distance to the left. They are #2 and #4.
#1: The photo shows to tee off from the corner of the parking lot but there was a car parked there so I started from the top of the berm. The basket is in the corner of the tree lines down in the gully. It is probably the best hole on the course.
#2: Walk up the hill and tee off to the rightmost of the two baskets you saw before. This basket is currently askew.
#3: Plays into the woods. There is a fork and the basket is down at the end of the right fork.
#4: Plays back up the same fairway to the basket next to #2 (way too close together).
#5: Walk down the back parking lot and you will see two baskets in the distance. Stop at some point and throw to the close basket. There is a water-filled gully behind the basket.
#6: Basket #6 is on the other side of the gully. The tee off area is supposedly back down #5's fairway but off in the woods (but was wet). To get to the basket you need to walk all the way around (on the left) of the swampy basin.
After that, it seems someone just said you need to get back to your car so invented 3 holes using the existing baskets. #7 plays across the basin to basket #5. You walk the back parking lot and again randomly chose a pot to throw to basket #4. Then you go up to the basketball court and throw across the open field to get to basket #1 and basically feels like the same hole.

The closely-bunched baskets are just dumb. My shoes and socks smelled horrible just from walking through the wet grass (swamp smell). Move two of the baskets and fashion some real fairways (so you aren't using the same paths for multiple holes) and add pads and signs and maybe you have something you can actually call a course.

(2.382 Rating) A high quality niner that might scare away newer players.
- HOLE VARIETY - Normally when I bag niners, I expect 200 foot shots with a few trees in play. That is not the case here. The first hole is going to be a really tough par for those not at or above the MA1 level. It's over 400 feet long and heavily wooded for the last 300 feet. There are 30-foot up-hill and down-hill plays here. Water parallels hole (6), and hole (7) has water long of the basket. A couple holes hook a little left and there is a mix of wooded and lightly wooded gameplay. The course is listed as a par 27, but a couple will feel like par 4s to MA4 and MA3 level players.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - The scenery at Mayville Rotary is a half-step above the average course. The park is directly adjacent the Rock River and two holes take advantage of it. Three holes are located in the older woods within the north section of the park. Hole (4) in my opinion is the bread winner which tees off a mini bluff and slightly hooks left along a tree-line edge.
- NAVIGATION AND SIGNAGE - No course map posted, but the baskets all have arrows affixed to them. I had zero issues navigating the course. The tee signage is artistic with distance and par listed.
- CHALLENGING - As alluded to under my variety pro, there are some tough shots here. In fact, this MA2 was unable to card a birdie and I had two bogeys. This is one of the few niners I've played that will actually offer MA1s a decent challenge.

- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - Although I enjoyed the engaging gameplay, it's way too elaborate for first timers. Discs can be lost forever on holes (4) thru (7). Hole (6) is especially an easy hole to lose a disc on with the water less than 15 feet from the basket. I played cautiously and almost lost one on that hole. I don't see MA4s, and perhaps even MA3s, playing this course often due to the disc loss potential. This course will likely not attract new players to the game.
- AMENITIES - The basics of baskets, tees and tee signage is good. The baskets are red banded Veterans, the tees are concrete and the tee signage is great. No benches, practice basket or alternate pin placements. I saw one extra tee on (4) and I'm sure there are bathrooms somewhere in the park.
- TIME PLAY - 95 percent of the par 27 niners I've thrown take less time than this one.

Mayville Rotary is a really nice niner for experienced players. However, it might struggle to attract new local players as the gameplay is a bit too complex. Overall, a weak 2.5 level course to me. The course would really benefit by adding extra tees on 3 or 4 more holes. For most, it's not worth driving 25 minutes out of the way to play, unless they are a course bagger. Reminds me of courses like Lime Kiln north of Milwaukee, Tripton in southern Indiana, North Drive in western Kentucky, Taylor DGC in Southern Alabama and Heritage Park in northeast Texas.

+ Now that I have two small children, I'm not able to road trip and hit new courses as much as I used to. This course reminded me of why disc golf is beautiful.
+ The prior reviewer's comments are all spot on.
+ Nearly every hole is unique. There is a variety of elevation changes, hole shapes, and even some water to add something for everyone. I think the course is designed in a very fair way. The better player will usually win.
+ There are two tees (rubber are longs, concrete are shorts) that add replayability and allow newer players a fair shot at this course.
+ Despite the fact that I played here in August, there were very few mosquitos!
+ Fun! This course is such a blast. You never know what the next hole will bring.
+ 18 holes of forest disc golf is a lot to maintain, but it's clear an effort is being put in to keep this course alive and playable for everyone, and that's something I really, really appreciate!

- The weed is unforgiving in places. Having a spotter is recommended.
- Not having tee signs was a bummer. I think the majority have been vandalized.
- I would also recommend printing out a map or taking a picture at the course kiosk.

This was my favorite course of my little road trip up north. It's a really enjoyable round. It certainly earns 4 stars from me!