Hickory Hills (South) DGC is located on an active ski hill of the same name just west of Traverse City, MI. The course was a single 24 hole layout until a couple years ago, but has now been (or is still being) reconfigured into two 18 hole layouts - South and North.

This course features tons of variety and significant elevation challenges on almost every hole. There are downhill hyzer (RHBH) bombs, open hill to hill throws, uphill climbs, and tight wooded shots. I lost count of the number of baskets with rollaway potential. You will have to throw a wide variety of shots with a multitude of discs to score well here.

There are several memorable holes here. Some of my picks are:
- #7 is an open 253' throw straight ahead along the top of a ridge, but the terrain slopes steeply downward on both sides and behind the basket. Some hero has already aced this hole per the tee sign.
- #8 is a 306' downhill dogleg left that above average RHBH throwers could birdie, or better players might dream of an ace.
- #15 plays 328' off the top of a hill across a steep valley, then over another hill to a basket on the far side of it. Fun throw and lots of risk/reward here.

The 18 baskets are all white banded DISCatchers. They catch well and are in good condition, though the white was hard to see on a couple of holes. There are also two practice baskets at the front of the course. These have the yellow bands.

The 18 tee pads are all cement and in good shape. The tee signs show a map of the hole, distance, and par. The tee signs also point out which direction you will go from the basket to find the next tee. You will want to take a photo and/or memorize this - see Cons below.

There is a large paved parking area and a welcome center building (mainly for the skiers I think) near the first tee. I didn't check but there are probably bathrooms in there. The first tee is near the large building/practice baskets now, not at the south end of the parking lot where it was in the old layout.

The routing and navigation here ranges from "meh" to "awful". As mentioned above, the tee signs each point out where you will go from the basket to find the next tee. However, other than a couple of 8-1/2 x 11 sheets of paper taped to trees or buildings this is the only guidance you will get. To make matters worse, there are several hiking/cross country ski trails snaking through the area as well. In some cases there are multiple well-worn paths leading away from baskets in different directions, with zero signage pointing out which direction to go. These trails could also potentially present a safety hazard, although it didn't look like anyone was using them on the Tuesday afternoon that I played.

The worst navigation point in the course is between #16 and #17. The #16 tee sign says the #17 tee is "next to the lodge". It turns out this is at least a 1/4 mile walk with minimal signage to guide you, and on that walk you will travel directly across #11's fairway. Several other "walks" (more like hikes) between holes are probably 300'+, and many of them have their own significant elevation changes. Wear grippy shoes or boots.

This course is only a year or two old, but some of the tee signs have already taken a beating and one is missing entirely due to what looked like vandalism.

Although there were kiosks for the hiking trails, I did not find a disc golf kiosk anywhere. I also didn't find any sign of the north course. It is either not yet completed, or the signage is so poor that I missed it entirely. Hopefully more signage is planned once the North course is completed/in the near future.

With all of the elevation changes, this course is a major workout. It is definitely not a great option for anyone who isn't in good physical shape.

#17 and #18 are correctly listed as water holes here, but the "water" is a very small and shallow creek. It's very possible you will land a disc in it, but you won't lose that disc.

I have tried to write an impartial review above, but my feelings for this course are clouded by my memories of the old 24 hole layout. I grew up in the Traverse City area and I think the old layout was the first real disc golf course I ever played. I always loved the course (and scored even worse than I would now...) but I didn't use this site at the time and I hadn't played other courses. As a result I had no idea that the old layout was a good enough course to be seen as a DG destination across Michigan and beyond. Now that I have played 50+ other courses, I have come to appreciate how great that old layout was.

When I compare just this new south 18 holes to the old course, the new course is a disappointment. This new course basically feels like an attempt to take most of the space used by the old 24 hole layout and condense it into 18 holes. It:
- Subtracts the most memorable "top of the world" hole and the couple that were before and after it in the old layout, and instead makes you walk along the valley to cover that whole distance back toward the parking lot (between #16 and #17)
- Adds more walking between holes in the front nine going up the ridge to eliminate a couple more holes from the old layout.
- Redesigns several other holes that I remember liking, while reusing some of the other less memorable holes.

I do see a lot of potential still for the North course. The North course will use the area that the old "top of the world" hole was in and otherwise be located mostly in areas that were not utilized by the old layout. If the designers can incorporate something like the memorable "top of the world" and nearby holes from the old layout, fill out the rest of the North course with brand new challenges, and avoid tons of hiking between holes then that course could be absolutely fantastic. Throw in better signage for both courses and I might feel like the 24 to 36 hole upgrade was worthwhile. Until then...this South layout is still a good course worth playing in itself, but it's a definite downgrade from what was here before. I wonder if it's too late to rethink that walk between #16 and #17...