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Constellation Farmstead - Farm reviews
17
0
A rising star on a remote farm in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 30, 2022
Played the course:once
Pros:
Constellation Farmstead is a private family farm at the base of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. In 2022, the owners of the farm installed an 18-hole disc golf course that plays around their property. On a beautiful day at the end of September, I was able to visit and play the course with its owner/designer, AJ.
This course has a very unique feel to it, in part because it actually does play through an active farm. It consists of a front nine that is always available, and two different back nine layouts with baskets rotated between them every few weeks. I played the "South" back 9, and was told that the "North" back 9 is equally challenging and interesting. The two back 9 layouts each play over pasture areas, with the area not in use for disc golf being used by farm animals.
The front nine mostly plays through apple orchards. The apples were falling off the trees when I was there, which made some of these holes very picturesque. There are a good variety of technical challenges here, with a couple of straight tunnel fairways at varying widths, left and right turns, and one hole where the best play seemed to be over-the-top. Staked OB areas add to the intrigue and challenge on a few holes. This course has special OB rules - you'll always throw from where your disc lands with a 1 stroke penalty.
The back 9 layouts are generally a little more open, but still with plenty of challenge (AJ did mention that some of the back 9 areas will have a little more foliage in the future, as that is better for the farm as well). The first hole on the "South" back 9 plays 720' down a gentle, wide open slope. From the tee, you can see Mt. Arvon (highest point in Michigan) in the distance. The breeze was light the day I visited, but I imagine wind often has a huge impact on this hole. Overall, there is amazing variety on the course - a huge range of hole distances, and all kinds of different technical challenges. The elevation changes here are not extreme, but enough to affect play on some holes. There are no water hazards currently, but a plan to fill in some of the OB areas mentioned above with water eventually (another upgrade that would help both the farm and the course).
The signage is quite good. The tee signs are beautiful and have all the info you could ask for, including a large color map of the hole layout. Navigational signage consists of both tape on basket rungs, and small white flags spaced along the ground at regular intervals. Keep the flags on your right to get to the next hole. I definitely feel like I would not have gotten lost even if I hadn't been walking around with the course designer.
The baskets are red Axiom Pro models. These aren't quite as nice as DISCatchers or Chainstar Pros, but they are in like-new condition and well installed. I did really like the red color for this course too.
There is a porta potty available in the middle of the course.
This course has a very unique feel to it, in part because it actually does play through an active farm. It consists of a front nine that is always available, and two different back nine layouts with baskets rotated between them every few weeks. I played the "South" back 9, and was told that the "North" back 9 is equally challenging and interesting. The two back 9 layouts each play over pasture areas, with the area not in use for disc golf being used by farm animals.
The front nine mostly plays through apple orchards. The apples were falling off the trees when I was there, which made some of these holes very picturesque. There are a good variety of technical challenges here, with a couple of straight tunnel fairways at varying widths, left and right turns, and one hole where the best play seemed to be over-the-top. Staked OB areas add to the intrigue and challenge on a few holes. This course has special OB rules - you'll always throw from where your disc lands with a 1 stroke penalty.
The back 9 layouts are generally a little more open, but still with plenty of challenge (AJ did mention that some of the back 9 areas will have a little more foliage in the future, as that is better for the farm as well). The first hole on the "South" back 9 plays 720' down a gentle, wide open slope. From the tee, you can see Mt. Arvon (highest point in Michigan) in the distance. The breeze was light the day I visited, but I imagine wind often has a huge impact on this hole. Overall, there is amazing variety on the course - a huge range of hole distances, and all kinds of different technical challenges. The elevation changes here are not extreme, but enough to affect play on some holes. There are no water hazards currently, but a plan to fill in some of the OB areas mentioned above with water eventually (another upgrade that would help both the farm and the course).
The signage is quite good. The tee signs are beautiful and have all the info you could ask for, including a large color map of the hole layout. Navigational signage consists of both tape on basket rungs, and small white flags spaced along the ground at regular intervals. Keep the flags on your right to get to the next hole. I definitely feel like I would not have gotten lost even if I hadn't been walking around with the course designer.
The baskets are red Axiom Pro models. These aren't quite as nice as DISCatchers or Chainstar Pros, but they are in like-new condition and well installed. I did really like the red color for this course too.
There is a porta potty available in the middle of the course.
Cons:
The tee pads are natural. They are fairly well defined, with two small pink flags always marking the front of the area and the tee signs always marking the back of the area. For the stage of life this course is in, it's okay. An upgrade will be needed long term if and when course traffic increases - and that's already in the plans. More on this below.
There are some other finishing touches that don't exist yet - like benches, practice basket, kiosk, etc. There also wasn't really a parking lot (as of my visit on the last day of September 2022).
The amount of elevation change is definitely less than you find on many other UP courses.
Comparing this course to your typical park course, there are a couple of minor things to point out just having to do with the "farm" environment. The fairway grass in most areas is longer than you're probably used to - although it did not seem to be long enough to hide discs. There are some electric fences on the property, but the ones near the course should not be live. You might have to skip the finishing hole if none of the owners are present to feed the horses (this is necessary to move them off the fairway, which doubles as part of their pasture).
There are some other finishing touches that don't exist yet - like benches, practice basket, kiosk, etc. There also wasn't really a parking lot (as of my visit on the last day of September 2022).
The amount of elevation change is definitely less than you find on many other UP courses.
Comparing this course to your typical park course, there are a couple of minor things to point out just having to do with the "farm" environment. The fairway grass in most areas is longer than you're probably used to - although it did not seem to be long enough to hide discs. There are some electric fences on the property, but the ones near the course should not be live. You might have to skip the finishing hole if none of the owners are present to feed the horses (this is necessary to move them off the fairway, which doubles as part of their pasture).
Other Thoughts:
This course costs $5/day to play - payable at a drop box next to the parking area.
I had fine cell phone service here (Verizon).
The owner AJ and his wife have a LOT of future plans for this course. Just to name a few that he told me:
- Proper parking lot with kiosk and warm up basket, to be completed within the next few months (as of late September).
- Installation of concrete tees, by Labor Day 2023.
- Addition of a second (concrete) tee and second basket for all 18 holes, by Labor Day 2023.
- Addition of an entire second course in a more wooded, more hilly area behind his main farm, by Labor Day 2023.
Achieving all of this sounded like a pretty tall order to me, especially considering that AJ and his family also have a farm to manage and other priorities. But he also told me that he first had the IDEA for this course in December 2021 - so in less than nine months, it went from an idea to a fully playable, interesting course. If that's possible, maybe most if not all of the above goals are possible as well. Longer term, he hopes to dial the courses in even more and host notable tournaments.
I usually play disc golf solo - so when AJ asked me if he could play his course with me, I didn't really know how to feel or what to expect. But I'm so glad I said yes. As a course bagger and reviewer, my focus is often more on the hole design, amenities, natural beauty, etc. than on how well I am throwing. During my round with AJ, he enthusiastically described his vision for each hole, pointed out natural features of the property, and shared the future plans listed above. We also turned out to be pretty much evenly matched! The result was that I feel like I EXPERIENCED Constellation Farmstead DGC much more fully than many of the courses I have bagged.
In short - this course as it stands today is an enjoyable, unique experience that is definitely worth an afternoon of your time and the $5 fee. If the owners are able to follow through on their visions for the future, this could become one of the top courses in the region. I look forward to returning to Constellation Farmstead and seeing how it has evolved!
I had fine cell phone service here (Verizon).
The owner AJ and his wife have a LOT of future plans for this course. Just to name a few that he told me:
- Proper parking lot with kiosk and warm up basket, to be completed within the next few months (as of late September).
- Installation of concrete tees, by Labor Day 2023.
- Addition of a second (concrete) tee and second basket for all 18 holes, by Labor Day 2023.
- Addition of an entire second course in a more wooded, more hilly area behind his main farm, by Labor Day 2023.
Achieving all of this sounded like a pretty tall order to me, especially considering that AJ and his family also have a farm to manage and other priorities. But he also told me that he first had the IDEA for this course in December 2021 - so in less than nine months, it went from an idea to a fully playable, interesting course. If that's possible, maybe most if not all of the above goals are possible as well. Longer term, he hopes to dial the courses in even more and host notable tournaments.
I usually play disc golf solo - so when AJ asked me if he could play his course with me, I didn't really know how to feel or what to expect. But I'm so glad I said yes. As a course bagger and reviewer, my focus is often more on the hole design, amenities, natural beauty, etc. than on how well I am throwing. During my round with AJ, he enthusiastically described his vision for each hole, pointed out natural features of the property, and shared the future plans listed above. We also turned out to be pretty much evenly matched! The result was that I feel like I EXPERIENCED Constellation Farmstead DGC much more fully than many of the courses I have bagged.
In short - this course as it stands today is an enjoyable, unique experience that is definitely worth an afternoon of your time and the $5 fee. If the owners are able to follow through on their visions for the future, this could become one of the top courses in the region. I look forward to returning to Constellation Farmstead and seeing how it has evolved!
