Pros:
- concrete tees on every hole, nice and long
- unique covered rest areas throughout course
- pay to play fee is extremely reasonable (and kids/women free)
- very well maintained course - mowed, in good repair
- good quality Chainstar baskets with visible red rims
- benches and garbage cans throughout course
- extreme elevation change incorporated very well throughout course
- good variety of hole distances
- playable by less experienced players ok with a challenge; opportunity for all skill levels to hone their game
- picnic tables throughout course
- multiple practice baskets
- port o potties
- rock cairns all over course are unique and add to the iconic feel of the course
- moderately wooded on some holes, somewhat open on many
- rough is very forgiving for finding discs for most of the course
- bells for blind shots, a rare but great amenity
Cons:
- tees could be a bit wider
- tee "signs" (numbers) leave a lot to be desired
- some may consider lack of alternate tees/basket locations on a course this revered a con, but it is a nit in my opinion
- navigation is a little confusing in some places and would benefit from more signage
- some areas can be slightly muddy when course is wet
- no water hazards
- baskets could use hole numbers on them to avoid confusion
Other Thoughts:
Well, I finally made it to Flip City, and with my 9 year old son no less. Waking up at 3:37 AM to head up to Michigan was worth it! While Flip City didn't ultimately earn one of my elusive 5 disc ratings, it is an incredible course I'd love to play again someday. Anyone who can should make it out to this course, especially if you're in the Midwest and it isn't too far. I swear, every course I play in Michigan just seems to raise the bar higher. If you want to travel up and down the west coast of Michigan, there are several other cool courses which help compensate for Flip City being a bit in the middle of nowhere.
Anyone can see the care put into this course; it is clean and immaculately maintained. The challenge is notable here, due to the elevation change and shot shaping requirements. It is a hike, but definitely not the worst hike I've done for 24 holes. The course is tough but not punishing; my 9 year old made it through the course just fine, so while it is a bit much for a beginner, it really is friendly to all skill levels.
You will definitely have to utilize a variety of shots here, but it is more moderately wooded and lightly wooded/open than some other really technical courses. There aren't many insanely long holes, which I prefer; the focus is on technique and placement more than just having a killer arm.
While pay to play can be viewed as a con in the DG community, it's clear some of the best courses are the private ones with some income to keep things running. $5 is quite reasonable for a course of this caliber, and it allows you to play all day if you want to play Flip twice the same day (I personally would not vote for this). The feel here is casual, with a pay box and no check in process. Amenities are excellent overall, as noted in my Pros comments. About the only thing missing here is a pro shop or food/drink - which honestly gives courses a bit more of a commercialized feel I don't always love anyway.
The natural beauty here is notable; it's not going to be on par with something in the Colorado Rockies, but it has native plants and wildflowers to go with the hilly terrain, and the rock cairns all over just add to the mystique of this unique course. I saw wild turkeys with babies during the round which was a first for me.
Now, for the cons - while this is an excellent course, and the best I've played in Michigan, there are a few things that could be improved. First, because it's fairly simple: navigation. With the map on DGCR we figured it out, but there are times when it isn't completely clear and a few next tee signs would make a huge difference. The baskets also don't have hole numbers on them; at one time we could see 4 baskets roughly the same distance away and it was very unclear which was which. Not that we could have read numbers on baskets from the tee, but these kind of things help if you really can't figure it out.
I'd also like to see real tee signs at a course of this caliber; full color maps would be an excellent, but more expensive, addition. The posts with just hole number on them, which are very low to the ground, aren't particularly helpful. Any other cons are mostly nits; while this doesn't have the cool water hazards of a place like Blue Ribbon Pines, it blows that course out of the water in terms of elevation change. Every course is different, and I think it's worth respecting this beautiful piece of property for what it is.
A couple of the holes have blind tee shots, which are noted on signs. These 2 holes have bells to ring when you are clear for the next group to play. While we were playing, we only saw 1 or 2 groups on the entire course (9:30-11:30 Friday morning), but I think this needs to be employed more on these risky holes. I think some blind shots are a great added challenge but the sight lines can create safety issues; this is really the only safety issue I noted at Flip City and the bells are a great solution, although slightly louder ones might help.
Overall, it was an awesome round at Flip City. Despite the length of 24 holes and the punishing hill climbing, rough was forgiving and finding discs wasn't bad. This is a "fun" 24 holes, not as exhausting as some others. I'd encourage anyone with the means to get out and play Flip City, and if you need a more lighthearted round after this longer one, The Tinderbox in nearby Ludington is an awesome 18 hole course in the woods - tight and technical, but super short distances. Great for families and kids and for a quicker, simpler round.