Best Michigan Area?

[snowren24]

I'm from the Akron/Cleveland area, Medina to be specific. I'm gonna start planning a trip to see some courses outside the area, and thinking of going up to Michigan in the spring. The plan would be to drive up for a long weekend and hopefully stay around 1 general area and hit up a few courses.

So what would be the best area of Michigan for this as well as the best courses in that area? I'm not necessarily looking for the hardest courses out there, but challenging is a good thing. The players will be in the high rec/intermediate skill range.

Any tips on a good time of year, things to prepare for, or places to stay, places to eat, etc would be much appreciated.

I tend to enjoy wooded courses far more than long wide open ones. For those familiar with NE Ohio courses, I would prefer Massillon and Roscoe Ewing/Medina over Deis Hill/Dover.

Thanks in advance!

 

[rooster]

Your #1 destination in the mitten would be the Luddington area. Our state finals are there every year on Labor Day weekend. You have 3 courses in one spot, a top 5 in the state 2 miles from that, and about 30 minutes south is Flip City. If you haven't heard of Flip, you should check it out on DGCR. It's the top rated course and IMHO the best course on planet Earth. For sure the best disc golf destination in MI. There are plenty of places to stay as well. Mason Co. Campground and Cartier Park Campground are both cheap and close to the courses. If camping isn't your thing there are plenty of hotels in the area.

Another option is Kalamazoo/Battle Creek. The courses here are nice as well but not as great as Luddington. This area is more "city" than Luddington so you will have more choices as far as bars/breweries, etc. Bell's Eccentic Cafe' is in downtown Kzoo. Hotels will be your best option here.

 

[jon.l]

This is a very cool course in Michigan. Newly updated...check it out http://detroitsports360.com/kensingtons-black-locust-a-course-for-everyone/ Ill be putting more course reviews up and should have a course search link on there too. Heres the main page http://detroitsports360.com/category/xtra-360/disc-golf/

 

[colombo117]

I am a bit biased because I live in the North, but I feel that the Grand Traverse Region has some great courses to play.
*Hickory Hills
*Maple City
*Kinglsey
*Hanson Hills (30 minutes East)

I do feel that the "best region" is the Ludington Area, with the Mason County Parks and Flip just south, you can not go wrong there.

 

[MsMayhemm]

One of the top Rated courses is called Flip City, from what I hear it is really amazing and challenging. I've also heard that Leviathan in Ludington is another top rated course. Around my area, Grand Rapids/Western Michigan, Brewer and Riverside are two decently difficult courses to play. Another good course is Fallasburg in the Lowell area.

 

[Terrence]

Your #1 destination in the mitten would be the Luddington area...

I'm chiming in here a bit late, but Mason County is a hotbed for disc golf on the west side of the state. I'm from Ludington.

Mason County Park- about 8 miles south of Ludington (The locals will say it's over by "The Project". This is a reference to the hydroelectric power plant. The entire park is property of Consumer's Energy.) has three courses- Beauty, Beast, and Golaith- 24 holes each. I believe every tee pad is concrete.

Leviathan is located within a tract of land owned by the ludington area schools. Half of the plot is walking/biking trails, half is the disc golf course. There are short, medium, and long tees. The position of the tees makes each distance play like their own course, and the long tees are a mix of par 3 and par 4 holes, with two par 5 holes.

The Edge- Scotville- ten miles east of Ludington. They did a decent job with the design on this course, given the lay of the land. This course is near a river. It's wet muddy most of the year. I think the fact that the other courses are A+ makes The Edge seems dull, but it's worth the short drive.

Labyrinth- The newest installment. This course is on West Shore Community College property. Labyrinth has a lot of rolling hills and just enough wooded holes to make a perfect disc golf experience.

Flip city- This course is about 30 miles south of Ludington in the middle of nowhere. I don't know what to say, just go there and play the course. It is on private property, so tread lightly and slip a $5 in the cash box because Bill Peterson is a hell of a nice guy.

 

[isobar1]

I gotta throw in Metro Detroit area as well. The courses are somewhat spread out, but for a good weekend trip you can hit up Hudson Mills, Kensington, Stony Creek and Addison Oaks.

It doesn't get any better then the west coast courses though. You can play a stretch of courses from Grand Rapids to Ludington, hit up some awesome breweries in Founder's and Bell's and hit some awesome beaches along the way.

 

[ru4por1]

Kensington, Hudson Mills, Independence Lakes would be nothing to sneeze at for a quick overnight trip. Ann Arbor for eats and libations.