Final totals for the Great Midwestern Tour:
31 new courses
3 new states (IN, IL, MI)
1 new DGCR top 25 course (Highbridge Hills – Blueberry Hill #14)
1 new DGCR top state course (Fairfield Park in IL)
1 wedding
1 bag of bones seemingly in no worse shape than before the trip
I greatly appreciate all of the helpful tips and suggestions. I also greatly appreciate DGCR members who kindly served as course guides, plus one that I bumped into by pure random chance:
Voges
Flyboy
wolfhaley
jakebake91
darkgreen
Had a delightful time visiting Michigan cousins on the return trip so I spent an extra day there. Consequently the last few days were more improvised than planned, so apologies to anyone who had expressed interest in meeting up.
I have now played 248 courses in 31 states. One of my favorite things about this weird hobby is seeing how course designers create interesting and challenging courses out of widely varying landscape and topography across the country.
Incidentally, Red Dog is up to 115 courses in 18 states. I can't really say she has "played" the courses – lack of opposable thumbs works against her – but she has certainly walked and peed on all of them.
Final tally:
Central Assembly of God (3.33) 9
Liberty Christian Fellowship (-) 2
Phillips Park (2.34) 9
No Boundary – Beginner (3.38) 6
No Boundary – Main (4.20) 18
Woodlands Park (3.04) 18
Mastodon DGC (4.25) 18 – new state: IN
The Canyons (4.49) 27 – new state: IL
Central Park (3.42) 9
Adler Park (3.22) 9
Fairfield Park (4.58) 18
Fox River – Red Fox (2.82) 9
Fox River – Grey Fox (4.05) 9
Silver Fox DGC (4.24) 18
Wilderness DGC (4..60) 18
McDill Pond DGC (2.64) 9
Yulga Park (3.89) 18
Tower Ridge – I (4.07) 18
Tower Ridge – II (3.39) 18
Highbridge Hills – Granite Ridge (4.57) 18
Highbridge Hills – Blueberry Hill (4.69) 18
Highbridge Hills – Woodland Greens (3.69) 18
Powder Mill (4.09) 18 – new state: MI
Silver Creek (3.67) 18
Deerfield Park – Original (4.26) 18
Hammond Hill DGC (3.47) 18 – played with cousin and nephew
Burchfield – Devil's Den (4.40) 18
Hudson Mills Metropark – Original (4.14) 18
Hudson Mills Metropark – Monster (4.17) 18
Two Mile Run Extension (3.61) 9
Linbrook DGC (3.56) 9