Aesthetic-- plays as part of a very large complex. area is dg exclusive but I'm sure that there are some non-dg'ers who will be around...

teepads--long and in great shape. concrete.

Teesigns-- wonderful, the best of the day by far. very colorful and even shows the basic layout of the next hole...

Baskets--older DGA's but in good shape. double chained.

Length-- I was shocked at how much dg was shoved into this little space. none of the fairways intersect or are even close to one another. crazy well designed!

Pin placement-- reasonable. I liked how a lot of the pins are somewhat buried in trees, makes the approach so much more interesting.

Length variety-- there is plenty of length variety here. short and long are evenly represented.

Variety-- ho-hum after #7. there aren't any memorable holes... but at the same time, there aren't any throwaway holes here either. just not all that inspired.

garbage--a ton of garbage here. I'm sure with some more garbage cans, this place might be cleaner? but I'm not sure.

the stink of dow-- yep, this place stinks from the chemical plant. you get used to it after a while but is that really something you want to get used to??

amazing the use of space here. I would be willing to bet you could fit another 6 holes here the way it's laid out!

+ Easy to navigate with the exception of hole 7/18's tee placement
+ Because the course wraps counterclockwise, it is a good place for RHBH and straight shots
+ Surprisingly the teepads are all intact
+ New course sign and tee markers
+ 18 full holes to play between Sanford and Freeland, so a good course to add in when playing either of those courses
+ Deliberate fairway designs with minimally rough OBs
+ Good parking and there's usually a portajohn on site
+ Open year round

- Repetitive and unimaginative layout, not much variety
- Vandalism
- Flat, but not much you can do about that
- Buggy
- When it's muddy, it stays muddy for a long time

Midland stepped up a little bit and revitalized this course with a new course sign and tee markers over the past year. It's a bit nicer now. This summer (2013) they did a good job with the addition of wood chips around the pins, though the grass hasn't been mowed since the spring (and it's August now). Disc golf can't be priority #1 for every parks department, though, and the important thing is that this is a decent 18-hole course in a good location. Overall, it's pretty typical. It slightly favors RHBH (like most others around) with longer hole lengths than Freeland, but it's more repetitive and I easily get bored here after hole 6. There are longer courses nearby, nicer ones, and all the nearby courses have better layout/design.

After a year of playing this course, I can easily say it's my least favorite course around. It's just a bit boring. It's also quite often trashed, unfortunately. The best part about Chippewa Banks, though, is that it's easy to navigate and a good place for RHBH beginners. The layout combined with the fact that the OB/rough areas are pretty forgiving make Midland a good stepping stone for new throwers from the easier but bigger course, Memorial Park in Frankenmuth to more challenging courses in the area (Sanford and Wickes Woods). Intermediate level throwers will appreciate a few of the better designed holes, but won't find much of a challenge and will likely get bored.

Thanks for reading!

1) Signs have Hole #, Distance, Par, and a map of the hole. Virtually everything needed for me to give the sign a thumbs up.
2) Very challenging tight and technical course. I always prefer a challenge over a simple walk in the park. You really need to hit your lines in order to do well here too.
3) There is a portopotty behind #1 basket, a picnic table by the first tee, a kiosk with information about the local scene.
4) Plenty of garbage cans around the course. These do not keep all of the garbage from being thrown around, but overall there are plenty of opportunities for people to toss their trash in an appropriate spot.
5) There are plenty of nice mature trees here . . . they may be surrounded by some less desirable trees and underbrush, but the framework of a nicely wooded course is there on some of the holes. There also is a good variety in the density of the trees.
6) Nice rolling terrain . . .while it doesn't go up or down more than 10' they use the subtle terrain changes well to make some fun shots.
7) Shot variety here is great. There are a couple air it out shots, some tight turning woods shots (both directions) and then the moderately open holes where you need to work around just a couple trees. You can pick your line on some holes and are forced to throw a particular shot on others. This leads to never getting bored with your shot.
8) Dual concrete tees on some holes are always a plus.

1) Distance variation is somewhat lacking. Most holes are in the mid 200's to 300's. A few outliers, but no really short aceruns and many holes play about the same distance.
2) There are plenty of rough areas you really need to avoid. The underbrush can be punishing and can force you to toss out on occasion. Stay on the fairway if you know what is good for you, but some of the fairways are super tight.
3) There are a lot of worn out areas on this course. It is going to happen in this dense of woods, when everyone walks in the same place, and also at different times of year I would imagine the ground remains wet. Coming out of winter would be especially hard on the turf here as the frost comes out of the ground.
4) Vandalism and littering seems to be a common thing here . . . I even saw that at one point or another, someone burned down the portopotty . . . there was melted blue plastic all around the current toilet. Who would really want to smell a burning porto?
5) The middle of the course is a little repetitive because it is hole after hole of tight tunnel through a densely underbrushed forest. That is what the property provided, but sometimes it is nice to mix it up if at all possible.
6) This course is far from being beginner friendly because of the thick underbrush in spots.

I hope very much that the person who lost their cell phone on the course wasn't kidnapped, raped, or killed. Their phone was locked and it seemed like it had been used for an emergency. I tried to unlock it, in fact I thought there was an incoming call and I tried to answer it but could not. It was just a little suspicious. I told a gentleman who was helping setup and tear down for a 5K race and I think he went over to grab that phone that we had left on the picnic table by #1. I have since done some research and found some stories about a missing person report that was filed eventually leading to the discovery of a body in the river. This is so eery, I am going to have to call the Police Department tomorrow to tell them of this strange occurrence. I guess it tells me if I am ever suspicious of anything happening just call the police immediately. I know in this case it wouldn't have stopped a crime (if in fact this is the same woman who lost the phone) but perhaps it would have helped them figure it out. I bet no one else has a story like this in their course review!

- cement pads
- scenic views on the river
- forgiving holes up front
- no holes too perplexing or unreachable w good shots
- "Air It Out" holes in the back

- signage mostly gone or destroyed
- only narrow fairway mowed, much tall grass
- trash prevelant
- many recreational users and large parties at peak times
- very unversed recreational groups in slow play and ettiquete.

Course In pretty damn good shape, considering...

It had a nice variety of shots and was pretty easy to navigate the course. Good tee pads.

It isn't kept up very well and a lot of litter was present. Quite a few shots that run near a deep river. If your disc goes in that, it is gone.

Deft course layout. This course designer must have had a packaging degree. This is a small plot of land that could lend itself to crossing fairways and crowded tees for many trying to fit in 18 holes. Although some fairways run parallel to each other, the foliage provides great definition, and only one basket-to-tee path could prove confusing.

Surprisingly long distances. Half the holes are 300' or greater, and not one comes in under 200'. Cement tees help you make the most of your drives.

Accuracy required. The rough is pretty unforgiving, and full foliage makes for a lot of rough. On a few holes a shanked drive can (and probably will) blow through the brush and land in the Chippewa River.

Excellent blend of right/left and blind/open shots, with some very tight fairways included. Growth is a mix of large sprawling trees creating fat curving lanes with low ceilings, and groups of dense woody brush cutting off whole flight paths entirely.

The presence of leaf-only vegetation means that this course is completely different before/after summer. I played it at the end of October, and I found it a very easy course. I could see how the foliage would make this course a challenge, but without it, it was quite a bore.

Replacing the shoddy dilapidated signage, and including some next tee signs in critical spots would noticeably improve game play.

No elevation. No direct water hazards.

Given what land they had available, I can't see much to be done to improve the layout. The distances are fantastic, and you can make a 6 hole or 12 hole alternate loops if time is short.

There is another access into the course about halfway through the course. The parking lot to use is not clearly marked for disc golf, so I first tried to enter here. For the main entrance, look for the course kiosk across from the parking lot.

I really would suggest you play this course May-September only, as the lack of leafy bloom renders this course barren of challenge.

All different types of shots. Wasn't to hard to find our way. Good tee pads.

People need to pick up there trash instead of throwing it on the ground. Broken bottles on many holes. Signs have all been stolen or vandalized

Get there early, you will see lots of people.

Good layout, nice players. There is a bum that hangs out all day, he's nice and it's good to have him. For the most part he takes care of all the bottles and cans.

They need to cut the grass more often. Broken glass everywhere makes it difficult to play barefoot (my chosen method). Trashcans at every hole would eliminate most of the trash.

There is a gentleman that sells used and new discs every Thursday, and they are by far the best price that i have run across. If your a new player I would recommend buying used discs. ( I know from experience, I could have saved time by just throwing $70 into the woods)

Nice variety of shots/distances. Nice flow from basket to tee. Still, print a map. Very fun course due to its mix of short/long holes. Reminds me of Cass Benton, kinda...Pretty good condition for a well used place. Good mix of locals. Close to the ballpark, gas stations, food distribution centers, etc. Get there early. Play more than one round. You'll like it. Good scenery.

A little crowded, but not like I haven't seen that before. A little wet but not overwhelming. Beware the wind on the back-9. More signs would be a +.

I would play here all the time if it were closer to the 'D'.

Hole Variety/Course layout--
Pretty good variety of holes, alot of holes have pretty dense rough along the edges. No elevation change.

Course Atmosphere--
Nice city park with a big river running along the side. Park is just outside of town.

Course Navigation--
Not the best, a map should be used for first timers. It is will get confusing on some holes with no signs.

--Ive seen task ridin' around on mountain bikes (maybe not a negative for some people though).

Course Maintenance--
Standard, its in a city park so while its upkept it can still get dirty from time to time. There are 18 concrete tee pads on every hole.

Hazards--
Dense brush on sides of alot of holes (bad in summer).

Traffic--
Good amount of people usually, you can get held up a holes.

--Overall fun & challenging course.

--If you play here make sure you play "Tittibawassee Park" in Freeland.