Deerfield Park is located just west of Mt. Pleasant, MI and contains two 18-hole courses. This review is for the "Wildwood" course, and the other course on site is "Deerfield". Disclaimer: These courses are similar, so large portions of this review are copied and pasted from the Deerfield course review that I just wrote a few days ago! I will end with a comparison.

The Wildwood course provides a fun round of disc golf that will be suitable and interesting for a variety of skill levels. The first ten holes play in a forest, with many tight fairways cut through the trees. Elevation changes pose additional challenge throughout this part of the course. The last hole in this section is a 380' fairway (from the long tee) that slopes downward at first but quickly flattens out, then cuts 90 degrees sharply to the left about halfway through. A large pine tree on the far side of the fairway at this turn adds to the aesthetic (and catches discs that miss the line). The basket is perched on a slope off the right side of the fairway that is decorated with ornamental rocks.

After a longish walk, you'll reach a second hole that I liked a lot. Hole 11 is another sharp left turn, but this time you're throwing down a more open valley. Only a couple of trees are in the way - but stray off the fairway and there is thick rough on either side. The basket is up and over the other side of the valley, hidden an arm's length behind another tree. The remaining holes continue with the "more open, but thick rough off the fairway" theme. There are a couple of opportunities to air out longer drives.

The last hole on the course offers a water carry across a small pond. The carry is maybe 200' from the long tee or 100' from the short tee. A few trees ominously stand guard around the edges of the pond. I threw poorly and watched my disc get caught up in one of the trees, lose all momentum, and nosedive into the center of the pond. Those nervous about doing something similar can lay up off to the right, where there is open grass.

The tee pads are concrete and have "Wildwood" engraved into the front of them, which is a nice touch. There are two pads per hole, creating a long and short layout. I played a single round from the long layout. From the longs, this course is not overwhelmingly lengthy but decent power will help - and you will need to be accurate on the shorter wooded holes to score well. I would say the longs play at an intermediate level. The short layout looked like it would be more accessible to newer players, while offering a few different lines to baskets.

The baskets are Chainstars. In the woods, I do prefer the visibility of the yellow banded DISCatchers that the Deerfield course has. But these are fine too. One per hole.

Navigational signage is good. There are tons of "Next Tee" signs and they are all large, well made, and color coded by course (green for Wildwood and brown for Deerfield course). If you look at the map, you can see that the two courses are not just adjacent but actually "overlapping". I'm putting that in quotes because I'm not sure what word to use - the overall footprints of the two courses overlap, but individual holes do not. What I'm trying to say is, this could easily be very confusing - if not unsafe - but the color coded signs are good enough to completely prevent this. There are a couple of long walks between holes, but it is always very clear where to go.

There is a large kiosk at the parking lot that has maps of both courses on site, as well as a weatherproof box with scorecards inside. A couple of restrooms exist in the park, though it isn't obvious where either one is from the disc golf parking lot (closest one is tucked into the woods next to Deerfield course hole 18's fairway). There are many benches at long tees, and a few trash cans spaced throughout the course.

The tee signs are just green painted plaques with the hole number, distance, and par (Deerfield course has the same plaques but painted brown). These do appear at both long and short tee pads and they are well constructed, but with so many blind holes I would have really appreciated a hole map or at least a rough line drawn on these signs. I didn't need the course map for navigating between holes, but I found myself referring to it many times just to figure out which way fairways turned. It got frustrating having to pull out the map on my phone and/or walk down the fairway to find the basket on hole after hole. I would also like to see "long"/"short" or similar language added to the tee signs.

Hole 14 ends near the park road. Errant drives or approach shots could easily land in the road.

I was having deja vu (back to the Deerfield course I had played earlier in the day) as I played the last few holes of Wildwood. The ending holes are flatter than the rest of the course, and not memorable other than one water carry mixed in. It seemed like the rough was thicker around this area than anywhere else in the park too - disc loss is definitely possible in the summer.

There was no practice basket, and plenty of room to add one!

Road noise from M-20 can be heard throughout the course, detracting from the aesthetic a little bit.

There is a $6/day fee to enter the park, payable at a staffed entrance station. Credit cards accepted!

The two courses here at Deerfield Park seem very comparable to me. They offer similar challenges in terms of distances, elevation changes, mix of wooded vs. semi-open holes, and even the presence of a single water carry on each course. I finished with roughly the same number of throws on both courses. "More of the same" is not a bad thing in this case, since both courses are solid. I wrote in my Deerfield course review that my actual rating of that one fell just below a 3.75, so I rounded down to 3.5. I think that Wildwood is very slightly better due to a couple of holes that were a bit more memorable for me, and fewer safety concerns. I see that as just enough to push this one over the 3.75 threshold, so this time I'm rounding up to 4.0.

If I understand DGCR and am calculating correctly, this 11th review of Wildwood is going to push it into visibility somewhere in the listing of Michigan's top 5 courses - just behind Deerfield course. To repeat myself from that review one more time, I'm not convinced that either of these courses are quite as good as the ratings would indicate. Deerfield Park is very nice - but more at the level of other solid local destinations like Northend Riverside Park in Big Rapids, not at the level of Michigan's very best courses.

Don't expect to be blown away, but if you're a disc golfer within a couple hour's drive Deerfield Park is definitely worth an afternoon of your time - or even a full day trip!

- Like it's old brother - Deerfield Original - this is set in the woods and largely away from all the other park activities.
- Signage and navigation here like the other course is simply fantastic. You get lost here you're not paying attention.
- Benches everywhere. Trash cans everywhere. Hardly any trash on the course.
- The tees are great concrete pads.
- All the baskets are in great shape.
- Short and long tees. The shorts are not a simple shorter version of the hole but are almost always a different look which I simply love.
- Everyone at every skill level is going to be challenged here.
- Really enjoyed the cobblestone landscaping throughout. This was a nice touch especially on 18, One of the best looking finishing holes I have ever seen.

- The number of blind tee shots and crazy sharp doglegs is just too high IMHO. For a first timer it just takes a long time to play when you have to walk up most of the fairway to see what's going on with the hole.
- I felt like 14 (I think) plays way too close to the park road there. My group spent a lot of time waiting for cars to go by.. it's a great hole on its own and I am not sure how that could be fixed. Plus I am running out of cons and I have to be really picky so I can fill this space a little lol.

This is a great course. Yes, the rather excessive number of blind tee shots is a touch annoying but the reality is this is a very well designed course in land that naturally lends itself to great disc golf. Like the original, bugs could be really bad here mid summer and there is the potential for poison ivy but that's disc golf life in Michigan. With the hills here I am not sure it'd take my cart again especially with the ample number of benches throughout. With two great courses here that both offer long and shorts it is well worth the $6 entry fee.

- Great course in a beautiful park. The layout is very well done and the course offers a lot of variety. There are some open holes, a downhill bomber, some tight but forgiving holes, and some very tight wooded holes. This course will have you using a lot of different shots from your bag. Hyzers, rollers, anhyzers, tunnel shots.... Most holes are the types you just want to throw over and over. However, unlike Deerfield Original, I would say there are a few holes on this course I just don't love and I'm happy to get over with (mostly a few of the tightly wooded ones). This does add a good degree of variety though, with some holes feeling like a necessary birdie and others I'm happy I didn't get a five.
- Challenging. This is certainly a tougher course than it's onsite older brother (Deerfield Original). It plays tighter, demands more accuracy, and is less forgiving. That said, it isn't impossible and isn't one of those "tight to the point of nonsense" courses. It will challenge you but without frustrating you.
- Great tees. Nice clean paths. Trashcans. Next hole signs. Overall this course is very well maintained
- Doesn't get much traffic (at least not when I'm out there). It's a bit out of town and is a pay to play, so less serious golfers aren't as likely to make the trek. Plus, with two courses on site it spreads out whatever traffic there could be.
- Dual tee pads. There are some tough holes out here, so especially for newer players the short tees could be very useful. I haven't played the shorts myself, though. Sometimes if I have time for 2 rounds I'd do one long and one short, but with two courses on site I'm more likely to just throw longs on both.

- Pay to play? Honestly, I see this as a pro rather than a con as it keep traffic down and keeps the course beautiful. It isn't expensive, but I know some golfers hate just the idea of a non-free course
- Sometimes intertwines a bit with the original course. There aren't points where you're walking across fairways or getting in each other's way but there could be a few times where you walk to the wrong tee pad off a path when looking for the next hole.
- Could be better signs. They're really just wooden carved signs telling you the hole, par and (I think) distance. Printed signs with details maps would be nice, but not necessary
- Thick rough in places could lead to some lost discs and there may be poison ivy out there in spots. So try to stay on the fairway
- I wouldn't mind one or two spots where I could really open up a long throw in the open. But the course variety still keeps it interesting and Deerfield Original has a few more of these so if that is what you want, play the Original

This course and its brother (sister?) onsite are amazing. Each time I go to Deerfield I have more fun throwing than I remembered from the last time. Honestly, I like the original a bit more in that it has a few more "wow, this hole is gorgeous, I have to empty my bag" type of holes and is a bit more forgiving. I thought about giving this course a 4 to differentiate (I gave the Original a 4.5) but in the end, I think if Wildwood was the only course there it would deserve a 4.5 so that is what I went with. (I don't think either QUITE deserves a 5/5 when I compare with Toboggan or Flip City).

When you come, do yourself a favor and leave yourself plenty of time to play both 18 hole courses. You don't want to be forced to pick and miss out on one of these beauties.

- Multiple pads per hole
- Great teepads, length and grip
- AMAZING finishing hole over water onto a boulder
- Punishing rough, risk vs reward

- Its hard to nitpick these two courses so.. "Theres no beercart girl"

Deerfield park really has turned into the best spot for disc golf in the area and is what I use to judge all other courses. Its hard to not review the 2 together because as a whole they make as close to the best of the best that Michigan has to offer.

Hole 18 of wildwood is a raised teepad, over water, with its basket on a boulder.. You'll unload every disc in your bag at it because its just FUN. Watch out for the ob road behind it though

I finally played Wildwood for the first time, and I had an amazing time! This course is absolutely as good as the original 18, if not a little better.
- Set in a really well-maintaned park out away from all the hustle and bustle of the city.
-Very clean and taken care of. The fairways are maintained and look great. I never once had to second guess where the pin was or where I needed to drive.
-Signage is simple but great, just like the original, but in different colors, so it is almost impossible to confuse tees between the Original and the new 18. Plus, the new 18 have "Wildwood" stamped into the concrete tee pads, which I think is an awesome addition that looks great!
-Long and short tees make this course fun for any skill level, but I like how the short tees are not always the easier tees to drive from.
-Wildwood uses Discraft ChainStars instead of the Original 18's Innova pins, which means, once again, that it is almost impossible to get mixed up between the two courses.
-Varying topography, along with a lot of different types of holes, means this course is entertaining and interesting, but it keeps you on your toes.
-The back 9 is my favorite, thanks to some long open drives with some great scenic views.
-Hole 18 is AWESOME! The water and the elevated pin are very well placed. The long tee is elevated which makes it a little easier to make the long drive necessary to clear the water, while the short tee is close enough that even beginners might be tempted to drive across the pond.
-Scorecards with course maps on the back are almost always available at the entrance to Hole 1.

-Wildwood weaves in and out of the Original 18 quite a bit, which can make it a bit confusing for newcomers, but honestly, the awesome signage and different types of pins makes it almost impossible to get lost.
-Due to the fact that the two courses do mingle quite a bit, on busy days there is going to be a lot of people, noise, distractions, and traffic all concentrated into a small area, but with 36 holes and alternate tees on every single hole, I can't see this becoming a huge problem.
-On the back 9 of Wildwood, you do have to watch out for cars on the main driveway. Wouldn't want to drive your prize disc into their windshield, or have them run over it in the middle of the road!
-Just like the Original 18, Hole 9 does not take you right back to where you parked for Hole 1, but this isn't a deal breaker even in the slightest.
-For those who like to use a lot of ground when driving, BEWARE! A lot of the tee pads have rock piles built up right in front of the pads on the pin side. Would't want to twist an ankle on your follow through! Just start further behind the pad...

$6 daily to get into Deerfield Park, or $25 for an annual pass (recommended). However, the gate attendant isn't there half the time, so it's a hit-and-miss whether you have to pay or not.

Hole 8 is a "T" hole, where the long tee is at the base of the "T", and the "short" tee that isn't much shorter is at the end of the right arm of the "T". Pin is at the end of the left arm.

This course blew me away. I really enjoyed my first time playing it all the way through. Up until now, I have only played Original. Now, I will definitely be playing all 36 as much as possible. Deerfield is truly a gem for the Mid-Michigan DG community. I look forward to many more rounds at Wildwood!

Fun tight course

Not good for novice or beginner. My son lost a disc

Fun tight course. Lost a red innova driver disc in the left side of hole 13. Disc has name 'Malinda Hebert' on it. Please message me if found.

Best tee pads I've played...long with an extra section in front with name of course is a great touch.
The holes are varied and quite challenging and play very differently depending on long or short tees.
Navigating from hole to hole was a piece of cake.

I suppose having to pay 6 bucks a car can't be considered a pro, but two out of three times no one was there to collect...

We have played here three times now, both courses, and have seen ZERO pieces of trash. Coming from mostly city parks, we can't begin to tell you how impressed we were. We will play here EVERY time we come up to our cottage forever
You all should be very proud of what you have created here... A fantastic 36 holes in a beautiful and friendly park.
PS. LOVED the pear tree !!!

Aesthetic-- plays through a large multi-purpose park with a second 18 hole course which intertwines with this course at many times. Hiking trails and roadways intersect this course many times.

Teepads-- Beautiful honestly. they have the course name "wildwood" imprinted in the "follow through zone" so there should be no confusion where you are. Another cool thing is the foul line is recessed into the concrete so that the line isn't painted and won't become slick when wet.

Teesigns-- at least they are there. they are basic, listing the long tee (blue) and the short (white). no maps or description of the hole but maps are available at the onset. Distances seems mostly accurate.

Baskets--nice new discatchers. visible with orange necks in the woods...

Multiple tees-- each gives a fully unique view of the hole. #8 gives the most radically different view of the hole. the tees form a giant "t" in the woods.

Challenge/risk v reward-- there are several dangerous hyzers that are available but carry you over thick thick rough. The variety of challenges here range from water to thick rough to marshy areas.

Routing/nav-- use the map, it's not an issue. Next tee signs are (overly) abundant

#14--nice to stretch your arm out after so many short holes. great to be able to air one out finally!

#18-- one of the most awesome holes ever. it may be short but it has a bit of everything, elevated long tee, elevated pin, water, guarded pin... truly an awesome disc golf hole.

Length-- seems kind of short BUT runs in line with the average length of the holes on the original course. I teed off with a midrange 75%+ of the time.

Pay to play--honestly, not a huge con because the upkeep is so awesome here but $6 might not fit into everyone's budget.

Rough--horrendous in places, but this will improve with use.

Minor minor issues here, but this course will only get better with time.
Overall very impressed with this complex.

+ Above all other pros for this course, the most important is that Wildwood is in incredible condition for being so new - it already seems seasoned
+ Rough is not too harsh - really, I promise!
+ Only three holes where a spotter is a good idea
+ Immersive layout maximizing the benefits of the wooded environment and terrain changes
+ Appealing and almost perfectly balanced hole layouts with evolving changes in pin placement, distance, tree coverage, obstacles, risk vs reward, etc.
+ Almost perfect tee signage: different colors with hole #, par, and length
+ Dual concrete tees of appropriate size engraved with "Wildwood" at the ends (just long tees?)
+ Short tees sometimes change holes completely (ie. #8), rather than simply shortening the distance or providing a cleaner look
+ Fairly easy to navigate due to awesome Next Tee signs pointing in the right direction; walking paths have already taken shape (except for #1 pin to #2 tee)
+ We never got confused about Wildwood vs Deerfield
+ Signature hole: #18! Loved it!
+ Several other memorable holes
+ Appropriate par levels throughout
+ Combined with Deerfield... wow
+ Clean nature area with more going on, but the course area is devoted to disc golf (except Original hole #2's volleyball court that I've never seen in use)
+ Pay to play = clean, sustainability

- Only one Next Tee sign for each hole, but one for each tee (or additional blue/white arrows) would be perfect
- We missed one of the long tees due to the directional arrows, but the short tee had a huge rock behind it and the hole was a straight ace run, so we liked it
- The tee signs could be improved by diagramming pin position (use the map and look ahead)

I don't know why, but I have this strange feeling that Wildwood is in its perfect condition right now and will only get easier and less visibly stunning over time. I am so happy with how the course was designed and finished and I don't want to see it change.

Several times while playing Wildwood, I was reminded of the Toboggan course in all its disc crushing glory. The Toboggan course earned its reputation and maintains it in part because it's not permanent. Every year it's in pristine condition because it's not open long enough for it to get thrashed. Right now, that's how Wildwood feels. The fairways and walking paths are carved and crisp, the rough isn't overwhelming but it definitely increases risk vs reward, and the disc golf is really exciting. My advice is to play here as soon as possible. Do not wait until next season. If you're at all interested in that glorious pristine and unadultered experience of throwing through woods that haven't been changed by mother nature or destroyed by juvenile delinquent disc golfers, you HAVE TO come play Wildwood now.

That being said, Wildwood is simply an exciting and fun course. The only minor issue that could be altered to bring Wildwood up to 5/5 for me, is if they added layout diagrams to the tee signs and added separate directional signs for Blue vs White tees. I'll be a little bummed as the course begins to grow in popularity and Deerfield becomes a major Michigan hotspot for top notch disc golf with more crowds and whatnot, but I can't imagine there will ever be a course closer to me that I like more than Wildwood. If you've heard hype about Wildwood, believe it. If you haven't, start hyping it up!

Thank you for reading!

Good variety of shots from the long tees, with risk/reward choices to be made an many tee shots.

Short tees appear to offer a completely different course.

Water pump available to refill bottles about halfway through the course.

Nice long tees, stamped with "Wildwood". This is especially helpful since Wildwood is entertwined with the original Deerfield course.

Plenty of changing elevation adds an element of interest.

One shot that has to carry water, so Wildwood hits that checkbox.

The rough is BRUTAL! This is probably only a temporary con, but if I hadn't been playing with a large group of guys we would have lost discs for sure. Keep multiple sets of eyes on every shot for safety's sake.

Navigation can be a little difficult at times. Eventually a path will wear in, but for now follow the flags on the ground.

Course is intertwined with the original Deerfield course, which could lead to navigational confusion, as well as danger from errant throws.

Some clearing of scrub brush needs to be done in order to provide legitimate lines on a few holes.

Wildwood is a fantastic addition to the Deerfield complex. Wildwood seems to be intended as a slightly shorter, and tighter complement to the original course. Having two courses with somewhat different character allows for a more complete experience if you play both. Additionally, it allows for a more balanced competition.

Wildwood still has some work to do, but it has a world of potential, and will be a top notch course once it's done.

I didn't have to pay, as my brother has a season pass, but even at $6 this would seem reasonable to me as long as I had time to play both courses.

Quality course in a nice, well maintained park. Most of the area the course occupies is pretty much dedicated to disc golf, and while there are a few places where you might run across other park patrons, they're not likely to be a factor on this course.
• Nice sized dual concrete tees provide significantly different looks rather than just longer/shorter versions of the same hole.
• Nice new Chainstars (see other thoughts).
• Good shot variety with a nice mix of fairway shapes and distances with some pretty unique holes, and plenty of risk/reward opportunities. Some will say it's too LHBH/ RHFH friendly, but I think most courses are too RHBH friendly, and that this is well balanced.
• Elevation: well utilized and pretty much omnipresent in some manner. No huge changes, but quite significant and impossible to ignore.
• Quite the technical course (moreso than the Original) - definitely favors placement over distance. Has a few more complex and interesting fairways than the original as well. Several holes make you think about what type of line you want to take to the basket or landing zone.
• Good signage (actually being installed as I was playing): color coded for longs and shorts, and plenty of next tee signs to move you in the right direction.
• Nice use of timbers , rocks and other materials to intelligently combat soil erosion to keep course looking/playing better for longer.
• Has a natural, non-intrusive feel, as if it belongs there.
• Sections of the course provide nice stretches of shade on hot summer days.
• Hand operated water pump located after hole 15 - clean and cold. (I think there were restrooms there as well, but I only needed the water).
• Finishes strong with a beautiful hole.
• How can you not love another quality course on site?

• Shares much of the same land as the Original course, with several tees for both courses located near each other. Bound to be confusing for visitors, but a lot of thought went into avoiding what could have been a complete navigation nightmare. See other thoughts for more on this.
• Two courses sharing same parcel in a fairly compact layout. Not a factor during my rounds, but it's not hard to imagine off the mark shots presenting a hazard to unsuspecting players on the tee/fairway of the other course.
• Course is brand spankin' new, and the rough is still very nasty (downright brutal in spots). Missing the fairway or long bounces can be difficult to recover from and could mean lost discs. This should certainly ease up with time and traffic, but I have no doubt that but certain areas will still penalize harshly for errant shots years from now.
• In it's present (rough) state, Wildwood isn't accommodating enough for beginners - but that, too, should change over time.
• Watch for Hawthorns (emphasis on thorns) and Poison Ivy.
• Could use a few open long, open holes (but fairly unique holes help avoid it from feeling completely repetitive).
• The rough is rough, LOOK DISCS DOWN - 'nuff said. Spotters recommended on a few holes.

Much of Wildwood weaves in and around holes from the original course. Creates the potential to be a navigational nightmare, however, they've done quite a lot to help make the best of this situation:
• Map (available when you pay to enter the park) clearly shows both sets of holes: green for Original, brown for Wildwood), so you can see the relative positions of each set of tees at the same time.
• "Wildwood" etched at the front of each tee is more than just a nice touch -indicates which course the tee is intended for.
• Different color tee markers for the two courses.
• Different basket types (Chainstar/Innova) help establish you're playing the hole as intended.
This was the land the park said could be used for disc golf. They didn't want to put a course on a completely different parcel of land. I think they did the best they could with the situation they were given.

That being said, Wildwood actually flows pretty well from hole to hole - you just have to pay close attention to the signs and map.

Several blind holes will have newcomers walking up and down fairways to figure things out - I didn't list this as a con because I think they make things more interesting than 18 holes where you can see every basket from the tee. But for a while, this will be a tough place for a solo round if you're unfamiliar. Was glad I got to play with a local who was involved with the course's install.


$6 a day /car is a bit steep for a single person playing one round, but pretty reasonable for two 18 hole courses. It's a downright bargain if you have some people in the car with you - Several parks I've visited charge more.

All in all, I really enjoyed Wildwood. This is a beautiful place to play and has a peaceful and serene feel to it. I hemmed and hawed about the rating, and despite Wildwood's technical nature, I just couldn't quite give it 4 because of the lack of open holes makes it feel a bit imbalanced (even a few can make a big difference in how a course feels). But there's no denying Wildwood is a very good, solidly designed course.