Pros:
Toughest thing about this course was coming up with a list of pros:
- Concrete pads, decent tee signs, 8 of 9 baskets in good shape.
- OK for small children and possibly beginners.
- I have to admit: this wasa good place to see how your discs behave in the wind, or to practice various lines/shots in an open field that has baskets.
- Field looked like it was recently mowed and not much trash.
- I suppose this would be OK for practice if you live or work nearby.
Cons:
- No imagination in hole design whatsoever: 9 baskets in an open field with no obstacles. Every single basket is directly in front of the tee; straight shots from tee to basket the entire 9 holes.
- Nothing you could call a fairway or any reason to shape a shot - nothing curves left or right, no uphill or downhill.
- Course layout could and should have made better use of trees. Several are present on the land, but it actually looks like the holes were laid out to stay away from the trees, rather than to incorporate them. Hole 3 almost makes use of a couple, but not well.
- The walk from hole 9 back to 1st tee is too far for a course this size. Could easily have been laid out so hole 9 comes back near 1st tee, but they didn't. Mentioned here as further evidence of the COMPLETE lack of thought that went into this course, rather than as a complaint about actually walking the distance.
- Nothing that could remotely pass for scenic
- Did I mention there are 9 straight holes? Out in the open? Nary an obstacle?
Other Thoughts:
I wasn't expecting much, but even at that, I was disappointed. This course really could have been better using the very land it sits on. I know it's the only course within the city limits of Detroit, and I really wanted to show it some love. For all I know, kids from the near by Rec Center play here and love it. But I'm just not feeling any love for this course - this simply isn't what disc golf is about, and it scares me to think that someone might play here and form any sort of opinion of the game. Although I commented about the lack of scenery, that didn't affect my rating. It's Detroit: I wasn't expecting hills, valleys and waterfalls. I gave it half a disc because the DG itself is boring and repetitive. Every single hole feels like the hole before except for the very few variations in distance (5 of the 9 holes range from 250'-285', with the rest clocking in at: 170, 205, 225, and 320). The disc golf itself is boring, so I looked to "the scenery" for some stimulation.
I'd have thought it tough to lose a disc on this course, but since I found one here, clearly, it must be possible (no name or #, so I got me a decent disc - maybe I should have mentioned above under pros?) Maybe it was lost when the grass was tall. More likely... someone heard all the buzz about disc golf, picked up a disc, and came out here to give it a try. After playing a round here, they probably thought "I don't see what the big deal is," and simply left it there. I'm being completely serious when I say if someone 14 or older came out here for their VERY first round (having NOTHING else to compare it to)it wouldn't surprise me at all if they came away from the experience thinking BFD, and never bothered to find a course elswehere.
Basket for hole 8 fell on the ground, but the pole & chains are still intact.