Sister Bay, WI

Sister Bay Sports Complex

2.255(based on 8 reviews)
Filter course reviews

Filter reviews

Filter reviews

Sister Bay Sports Complex reviews

Filter
8 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.5 years 1165 played 745 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Reviewed: Played on:May 19, 2024 Played the course:once

Pros:

Sister Bay Sports Complex is not much of a "complex". It's a couple tennis courts and baseball fields, but also a nine hole disc golf course. The course plays counter clockwise around the outskirts of the park with all holes between 200' and 400'.

Nice blue DD Veteran baskets on each hole. These are all in good shape and catch nicely. One basket and two pin placements per hole. Not sure how often they move them, but all were in the longs when I played it.

The course is mostly open but there are trees to contend with in spots at least.

The tee signs are solid. Basic hole map which shows both pin positions and any applicable OB. In addition to that they have the hole #, par and distances to each pin placement. Bright, bold and effective.

The course was in great shape and appears to be well taken care of and clean. Probably not going to ever be too busy either.

Cons:

Natural tee pads on all holes except for hole 1, which had a small rubber pad. Not a huge deal but some spots are starting to get a bit worn away.

Missing tee sign for hole 8. Not a huge deal if you have a map. Tricky, well impossible, to find it without one actually.

Basically totally flat. There appeared to be a short position on top of a hill for hole 2. That position wasn't in play on my visit though.

Hole 4 may be unplayable if there's a ball game going on. For whatever reason there was an attendant by the lot for a game that was a hour away. I had to ask him to move to tee off. Kind of odd. Hole 4 throws over the road to the main baseball parking lot too.

The grass on the left of the fairway on hole 8 looks like it probably gets pretty thick in the summer. There's also a marshy area short of hole 9's pin that I'm sure never gets mowed or probably really ever dries out. Probably won't lose a disc but it could be annoying.

Other Thoughts:

Not a bad course but also nothing that really stands out. Worth a quick play if you happen to be way up this way though. Pretty fun but basic course.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
10 0
EspressoPatronum
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.3 years 316 played 298 reviews
2.00 star(s)

A Decent Option Amongst Few in Door County

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 25, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

- very nicely maintained park
- ample parking
- navigation is mostly straightforward and not as bad as others describe
- some nice spruce tree obstacles on holes 1 and 2
- hole 2 has some of the only elevation change on this course
- high quality, visible blue Dynamic Veteran baskets
- a few holes have some decent technical challenge with guard trees around baskets, etc.
- full color tee signs with maps are generally good quality, although several are crooked
- restrooms available in Sportsplex building
- most baskets have flags on top for help locating, though these are getting worn out
- decent length for a 9 hole park course

Cons:

- almost no elevation change
- limited obstacles on most holes
- holes 1 and 2 play a little close to the road (but very low traffic)
- most tees are natural
- hole 4 throws over gravel drive which is not ideal
- tee sign for hole 8 is missing
- unclear where tee for hole 8 is due to natural tees/no sign
- no real amenities: no practice basket, garbage cans, benches, etc.
- tall grasses between 8 and 9 need to be cut back a bit; could be tick city
- multiuse park could be hard to play during baseball or soccer games
- decent walk back to parking lot from hole 9
- rough on holes 8-9 has some brutal areas

Other Thoughts:

This is a decent course; it is never going to be great. Multi-use park courses rarely are great, and usually only if they have true dedicated space (I think of Idlewild as an example of an incredible course that is still in a multi-use park, but now we're talking apples and oranges, big time). This course makes decent use of the space available, though I'd probably try to play early in the morning like I did to ensure no sporting events are going on.

There are some safety hazards here which always bother me, but the area seems very low traffic so in the absence of sports, it's probably not a big deal. Elevation change is very limited but a handful of the holes have some decent tree hazards. About half are pretty open besides guard trees near the baskets. I didn't have much trouble with navigation but I did use the course map on DGCR, especially since hole 8 had its tee sign missing. After hole 7, hole 8 is more or less right by the corner of the cherry orchard after you continue past the basket for 7.

This park is well maintained but fairly short on amenities for a multi-use park. You'd expect to see more garbage cans, benches, etc. I point this out for those who care; usually I'm not sitting down during my rounds so it's not a huge deal to me, but these are pretty typical park amenities. I always worry without some garbage cans people will start littering; this doesn't seem to be an issue here yet so hopefully it stays that way.

Hole 8 is kind of interesting in that it throws through a fairly narrow channel between a hillock kind of area on the left and the cherry orchard on the right, then hooks hard left to the basket by the community garden. The wilder area on the hillock to the left is kind of brutal if your disc goes in there. It's very steep in places despite most of the course being so flat and there are very tall, rough plants to lose your disc in. Hole 9 is a bit more open forgiving, but the walk there as well as the hole itself also has some tall plants/grasses. The walking path between the holes is very narrow so watch for ticks.

Natural beauty here is on par with a community park. Getting so close to the cherry orchards is kind of cool, and the community garden near hole 8 is really neat and attracts some birds and butterflies.

This course does provide some intermediate challenge but isn't going to blow you away. Some of the holes here do warrant getting your driver out and I wouldn't say this is a beginner-only course. Door County has a local group that's passionate about turning it in to a disc golf destination; it is definitely not there yet. This course is decent, but there really aren't any standout courses in the upper part of the peninsula. The nearby Wild Berry Fields in Bailey's Harbor is just ok, in my opinion, but is a respectable 18 hole course. If a couple more courses get put in on the peninsula, it could become a cool place to bag some courses. There is a local pro shop (Door Disc Golf) in Fish Creek that has improved considerably since opening. They have a large collection of discs and other merchandise now so check it out if you are in the area (about 15 minutes from this course).
Was this review helpful? Yes No
6 0
Whicho
Experience: 13.5 years 85 played 7 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Needs a lot of work, so I wouldn't bother. drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 15, 2023 Played the course:once

Pros:

Really nice baskets....that's it that is the only pro.

Cons:

No tee pads at all, just small patches of dirt which you have to assume are where you should throw from.
No real good way to know where you are going if you are new to the course.
If there is a baseball game or maybe even later in the day this might be impossible to play at due to crossing a parking lot at some big open fields that I can see people using for other things.

Other Thoughts:

I stopped after hole 6 because there was no indication of where to throw for hole 7. In addition to that, hole 2 was completely missing. I found where the basket should have been but it wasn't there, and I wasn't able to find the tee sign either. I definitely wouldn't suggest going to this course if Baileys Harbor and Jacksonport are options.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
10 0
SneakyJedi
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.4 years 152 played 84 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Decent Park Course with Design Issues 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 12, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Decent variety and challenge for the land available

- New Dynamic Discs baskets and tee signs are of good quality

- Plays around a nice multi-use park with many other facilities

Cons:

- Several holes have potential conflict with roads or other complex facilities

- Natural Tees are occasionally rutted and uneven

- Difficult navigation for holes 8 and 9

Other Thoughts:

The disc golf course at the Sister Bay Sports Complex was clearly an after thought added on and playing around the existing facilities. The quality of the golf is about as best as could be expected with the amount of space and type of land available. However, there are multiple areas of potential conflict with these other facilities. My brother and I had no issues with conflict as intermediate/advanced level players playing on a weekday morning while the park was mostly empty, but parts of the course may even be unplayable if the baseball or soccer fields are in use. Hole 4 is particularly bad as it plays across an access road for baseball field parking with a good chance of discs hyzering into the baseball field. Conflict with other park users seems like a matter of when, not if.

This isn't a challenging course, there is almost no shot shaping required, but there is enough variety and distance to entertain all but advanced level players. There are two basket positions per hole, but only one is in at a time with no indication of which on the signs. The tee pads vary from barely noticeable, to heavily rutted and uneven, and located under low-hanging tree branches. Hole 1 has an odd, approximately 3' x 4' rubber mat tee. The Veteran baskets catch well and are easy to see and the tee signs are colorful and show everything needed (besides the pin position in use).

Navigation is generally fine, tho the lack of tee pads and occasionally obscured tee signs make it more difficult than it should be at times. The big exception is finding Hole 8. You need to head to the right past 7's basket behind the small hill. The tee is located at the end of the hill/prairie grass before the cherry trees. Navigation may be further complicated in the future as the tee sign for Hole 8 was leaning over at almost 45 degrees and barely in the ground at the time of our round. Hole 9 is easy to find after playing 8, but is the highest chance of losing a disc during the round as you need to clear about 230' of thick prairie grass off the tee.

This isn't a course to go out of your way to play but if you are already in the area for another reason it is worth checking out. Just note that multiple holes may be difficult or impossible to play if the park is busy or there are baseball or soccer games in progress.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
3 2
Mhageman4
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 10.5 years 42 played 41 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Nice Course, Tough Navigation 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2020 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice course with some challenges in the way! Tee signs exist (most of them) but can be hard to spot. An advanced player really has some challenges as well on this course.

Cons:

Some tee signs are non existant. Some tee pads (dirt) are facing some tall poles and an entire baseball field. Hole 7 had no signs or tee off points. Holes 8 and nine were hard to find and just as hard to play.

Other Thoughts:

Nice to see another course in door county. You play really close to the baseball field and playground. I wish there were all cement tee pads. Holes 7-9 are tough to find and navigate for a new player.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
4 2
Fluxell
Experience: 29 played 6 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Where is the tee area? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 4, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

Decent layout considering the course was obviously an add-on to the sports complex. Considering how many courses are in the area, not a bad little course and worth the trip.

Cons:

The first seven holes were easy enough to navigate and the holes themselves don't present too many challenges. We could not find the tee area at all for eight or nine.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
6 0
BobMcG
Experience: 11.3 years 63 played 1 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Casual 9 Hole in Beautiful Door County 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 17, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Course is easy to find, plenty of parking.
- Nice use of limited elevation on the course.
- 2 pin positions available for each hole, though I have only played one layout, the alternate pins appear to add a nice variety.
- Brand new Veteran baskets.
- A mix of short holes and maximum distance.
- Well maintained park, grass fairways are mowed.
- Can be enjoyed with 1-3 discs, which is likely considering all the tourism.
- Bathroom on site.

Cons:

- No course map posted on site.
- Tees are marked only with wooden ball-golf-style markers, making it difficult to spot the next tee. A map or next-tee-signs would have been great.
- Dirt/Grass tee pads.
- Course has fairways play very close to soccer and baseball fields. The course would be unplayable during local league baseball games with the crowds. It appears overflow parking also uses up a fairway. So, just don't play during the games.
- Some of the fairways' rough is prairie-like, dense shrubs and plants, which like to hide errant shots. Also two orchards come into play and the grass here grows tall.

Other Thoughts:

Seems like a very nice course to bring family, or catch a quick rounds when the rest of the family wants to go antique shopping, like I did.

Sister Bay did a great job, they obviously take a lot of pride in the sports complex. It's clean and well designed. I think they could take a few steps, such as providing a course map and possibly a "what is disc golf?" for new players, given this course will attract mostly newcomers and beginners.

I played 18 and had a fine time!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
1 4
mahl0008
Experience: 2 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Nice Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 26, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Mostly cut grass
Challenging
Nice baskets
Nice to have course in area

Cons:

Some excavation on hole 8

Other Thoughts:

We go salmon fishing every year in door county so it is nice to have a course closer than a half hour away. The course was set up well and groomed well. Would have enjoyed a elevated tee box on hole 2. All in all a great addition to the door peninsula.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Top