- one of the most unique courses you'll ever play
- incredible Northwoods foliage including coniferous trees and ferns
- fantastic views/water hazards along the Sucker River
- baskets are basic ChainStars but are serviceable
- some benches throughout course
- some good directional indicator arrows on trees
- secondary (red) tees, though marking is poor
- great variety of hole lengths
- great variety of shots required
- moderately wooded but with a high degree of technical challenge throughout
- rough is mostly sparse ferns and remarkably forgiving
- a few holes incorporate some elevation including a bit of a sand dune near the end
- area is entirely devoted to disc golf

- the final "road" to this course can be brutal on your car
- tee signs do have general direction of fairway, but are very basic posts that could be better
- course is very flat for the most part
- natural tees are not great
- red tee marking is just a wooden stake with a orange/pink ribbon
- hole 18 ends nowhere near parking area

Superior Pines is one of those courses that makes you remember why you play disc golf (at least for me). The disc golf is very good - maybe not outstanding, but a lot of fun. The scenery is world class, and made me feel like I was walking into Jurassic Park - or driving in, especially in the predawn darkness.

The last few miles driving in here are the best indicator how far off the beaten path you are - it is a dirt road used infrequently enough that plants are growing between the tire ruts - and there are tree roots everywhere that are going to bounce your car around like crazy. Be prepared to drive slowly and wonder what damage you are doing to your car. This is one of those places I feel like I'm actually using my Subaru Outback for its intended purpose. I don't think there's really a need for 4WD/AWD here, but if you have low ground clearance you may not want to drive this road. Parking is sparse, but I can't imagine this place getting that busy.

Donations go to the local school's outdoor adventure and Spanish clubs - sure wish my school had an outdoor adventure club, so cool! The biggest thing I want to emphasize with this course is vibe - it has such an otherworldly, "get lost in the woods" feel and most people will love it. Some of the water hazards are severe - while you never throw directly over the Sucker River (which would be cool), there are some insanely steep banks and if you miss your shot you are going to have an interesting time recovering said disc. That said, the water in the river is very clear and pretty shallow so you should see where it lands.

The equipment here could be better, but fits the aesthetic of the course - natural tees, posts for tee "signs", and older ChainStar baskets. It all works but none of it is anything special. This course probably gets almost no maintenance but that's what is kind of cool about it - the forest maintains itself with the canopy keeping ground growth limited.

As is the case with forests like this, there are areas off the fairway where there is a mossy coating with some voids under it - watch you footing so you don't get what I call the "ankle buster" treatment by punching through this crust.

While the course really isn't heavily wooded in most places, it plays more like it is. You can see through the trees to other parts of the course, but there are so many trees on the fairway there are plenty of obstacles to look out for. The area for this course seems devoted to disc golf and I didn't note any safety hazards.

Newer baskets with colored bands sure would make locating them easier, as the ChainStars disappear into the trees a bit. That wouldn't be best for the course aesthetic, perhaps, but would make play easier.

You can smell the pine trees on the air here and it's hard to compare to the tranquility of this course. I think my favorite hole was probably 8, which has the most direct throw over the Sucker River, passing briefly over a horseshoe bend in the water far below. Not a long water carry, but still cool. Hole 18 was also really cool at over 400 feet with a winding fairway through the woods and the river looming off to your right.

This course plays pretty quickly; I completed it solo in about an hour. Unfortunately, hole 18 ends nowhere near the parking area, which was frustrating in a pretty undeveloped area. There are a few signs pointing you back, but you will probably want your GPS for this one. Dropping a pin before you play isn't a bad idea.

This course is well off the beaten path but I'd encourage anyone who loves nature, woods golf, and unique courses to get out to this one. With the equipment here, a 4.0 might be pushing it, but the ambience and novelty of the course put it over the edge for me. It's not far at all from Grand Marais where you can find a few restaurants and coffee shops, and Sable Falls is only a mile or two from town as well. You won't regret making the trip for this one; it is one of the best courses in the UP.

Stop to rest and take in the view at Bayshore Park in the small town of Grand Marais and you will see a large painted sign reading "Disc Golf 4.9 miles". Drive out of town in the direction of the sign, down a two-track the last half mile or so. When you see the course kiosk, pull off the two-track and park.

This course is well off the beaten path. You won't see or hear anyone except perhaps a couple of other disc golfers. The aesthetic is beautiful. The course plays through coniferous forest (the Superior Pines name is appropriate) with berry bushes in the rough on many of the holes. The place has a wild, untamed feel to it making it a very pleasant spot to play a round. The foliage is thin enough however that you aren't likely to lose a disc here.

Despite being in the middle of the woods, the course has been in good shape all four times I visited (over a 3 year period). All 18 Chainstar baskets were in fine condition. The tee signs were painted blue wooden posts with distance and flight path routered on - sufficiently informative and fits the aesthetic of the course (as of 2023, a new coat of paint has covered up the distances and flight paths - hopefully these get re-added soon as there are plenty of blind holes here).

Hole design/pin location is good here. There is pretty good variation in hole lengths (from 183' up to 459') and a good variety of left, right, and straight throws required. This plays as a technical course, with a fair number of pine trees to avoid on each hole.

The rough is thin enough that you won't lose a disc here, unless you toss it into the water. In most places the "rough' is just pine trees spaced together more tightly. If you get lucky, it's possible you'll have a line out of the rough so you can salvage par.

The navigation is pretty good. It consists of blue painted arrows with numbers scrawled on them to point to the next tee. There is also a kiosk at the first tee with a course map posted on it. The cell service is spotty here, so if you are a map person like me take a photo or download the one here before going out.

Several benches spaced at thoughtful intervals throughout the course allow you to relax and enjoy the serene setting,

The holes near the river are memorable. Of those holes, the water comes into play most significantly on #8. On this hole, looking from the tee the river comes in from your right side and curls around back to the right. The bank down to the river is very steep - it would be a challenge to get down the bank to retrieve a disc. However, it's only maybe 200' to clear the river entirely and smaller arms can easily lay up off to the left side to avoid it. Just a very pretty hole with the rust colored river curling through the forest. This is probably my signature hole on the course.

#9 and #16-#18 are also nice holes that play near the river. On #9 the river is behind and to the right of the pin, but it would take an errant shot or unfortunate tree kick to reach it. On #16 the river is lurking about 30'-40' behind the pin. The last hole #18 is a sweeping dogleg right with the river arching to the right of the fairway, and curling around behind the pin again. There is a fairly long walk between #16 and #17 but there is a nice bench in the middle where you can sit and admire the river.

The tee pads are just dirt with kick plates.

No practice basket.

There is a long walk back to your car after #18. This walk could use a couple more of the blue arrows to reassure players that they are still heading back towards their cars. The path will take you away from the river, then hit a fork which is the Sucker River loop. Keep right at this fork. Then, keep left at the next fork and you'll come out at an odd chimney looking structure. Keep left again to get back to the kiosk area.

I feel the designers did the best they could with the space available, but the elevation change is pretty minimal here on most holes. It isn't pancake flat, but not enough change to really affect things. As a result, the holes away from the river start to feel similar after a while. It doesn't get boring here for me, but if you're not as in love with the aesthetic as I am you might feel less favorably.

The only trash can present is next to the kiosk. Do the locals a favor and pack out what you pack in.

A couple notes about getting here:
- H-58 is a paved road. If the road turns to dirt at the Alger-Luce county line and you see signs for Luce County Road 407, you have gone about 2 miles too far (I just read in the news that Luce County Road 407 may be getting paved in the near future).
- The correct turn off H-58 is at School Forest Rd, located just after a small bridge (look for guardrails on each side of the road). There is a sign for the school forest but it is parallel to H-58, so difficult to read if you are driving.
- School Forest Rd. is a wide, well-graded dirt road. On Google Maps, the course is pinned (correctly) in the middle of a loop that spurs off this road. This loop is a two-track that winds through the forest. I recommend taking the back entrance to the loop (2nd left off School Forest Rd) as it was clearly more traveled and better maintained than the front half of the loop on all occasions I have visited. After your round, I would recommend driving out the same way you came in.
See "Course Location" under Links/Files for a visual.

This course makes for a very pleasant round. With concrete tee pads and a little more use of the river this course could be even better, but there is something to be said for the deep woods aesthetic and keeping it as is. If you are visiting the Pictured Rocks area, this course is definitely worth a play! We drove out from Munising and hit some points of interest on the Grand Marais side of Pictured Rocks, played the course, grabbed some lunch in the town, then wandered through Seney National Wildlife Refuge before heading back to Munising. Overall it made for a very pleasant day.

UPDATES OCTOBER 2021/SEPTEMBER 2022/AUGUST 2023: I added several more details above, and raised my score from 3.5 to 4.0. I want to encourage you to come play this course if you are in Marquette, Escanaba, or anywhere east of there in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I have now played all of the courses I am aware of across that region, and this one is very clearly the best. I have driven out here from hotels in Marquette and Munising (1-2 hour drive each way), and had the place all to myself on multiple occasions. It was a dream come true. If coming from Munising, I recommend taking H-58 from Munising to Grand Marais to take in the foliage along the road (especially beautiful late September/ early October for fall colors). It's worth the couple extra minutes vs. taking the Seney Stretch on M-28 to M-77. Stop and do some sightseeing in Pictured Rocks and make a day of it!

As of this writing, I am closing in on 200 courses played including five courses in the current DGCR top 10 (Flip City, Rollin Ridge, Maple Hill, Idlewild, and Blue Ribbon Pines). This completely-off-the-radar course is still one of my very, very favorites. It has good disc golf design and just enough amenities to keep me happy, but the aesthetic and overall peaceful experience for me is still almost second to none. I reminisce about my visits to Maple Hill and Rollin Ridge, but I daydream about this course. I can't justify giving it a higher rating than 4.0, but I'm telling you to come play here. You will not regret it.

Numerous fun and challenging shots. Great use of trees for shot shaping. Numerous great basket placements among tree "pockets". Secluded and peaceful.

Cement or turf pads and movement of tee signs away from front of tee would move this course to a 4.5 or 5. Current pads are rutted on a few and a couple have pine saplings growing right in front of the tee. As a designer, I would have used the river a bit more on a couple holes.

I can't emphasize enough how fun this course is. I didn't score very well, but only because I didn't hit lines on a few holes.

Great Course layout. Very Scenic. Quiet.

Poor marking/identification. No signage on the main road, very poor signage on the secondary trail/road leading to the course.

Would prefer better markings. Took us the better part of 45 minutes to actually find the course.

Thoughtful layout, signage is good. Easy to navigate once you get started. Some of the baskets are really well placed. Challenging distance on a few.

remote location.

Great work by the students and I love the setting, with the river.

I would agree with almost everything said in prior reviews, beautiful course, cut out of the woods, very rustic and in relatively good shape.

I played this twice through in with some friends who are at a beginner level and it provided good fun for all. The underbrush was a non factor in November, and it played great, rewarding accuracy, but not punishing errant drives too much.

Lots of similar drives, not the greatest variety.

It's pretty flat.

Overall this is a good 18 hole course that is also a thoroughly pleasant walk through the woods/along the creek. If you're going to be in the area, bring some plastic along and check it out.

I've only seen it outside of peak summer season, so, without full undergrowth I'd recommend this for beginner and intermediate players.

What a great little course secluded in the UP! I was up camping this last week and we decided to play this course on our way out and it was the best decision we could have made! The course has a great variety of distance, elevation chance, and variety of shots. It was a beautiful course playing along the Sucker River and was extremely easy to navigate for playing it for our first time.

If you're every up here, I suggest you stop on by and have a quick play!

The only downside that I have for this course is the teepads are just dirt/sand which can make for a tricky run up, but that is the only thing I can think of.

If you play, do make sure you donate a little to the cause up there for the group that has put it together. There is a little donation box on the main sign by tee 1.

Aesthetic-- plays through a school forest that borders the very very scenic Sucker River. Not much chance of meeting up with anyone that's not discing unless they are mushroom hunting... or hunting for that matter.

Natural Beauty-- I'm going to add this for a second time. This course is absolutely gorgeous. the walk from 16 to 17 is one of the most picturesque of any that I've seen in DG. they even put a bench in to just be in awe of nature. Absolutely one of the most beautiful courses I've played.

Baskets-- ChainStars, could be more visible in the deep woods but they do the job. they appear almost brand new.

Signage--Tee posts give a distance, a rough line and the number. they do the job. one shows a hideously hard turnover and it's really not that bad. that was the only one that was difficult to follow.

Routing and nav-- reasonable, white arrows lead your way from hole to hole and back to your vehicle.

Uniquness-- hole #8 is awesome throwing over the bank of the Sucker River into thick trees. Placement shot here is essential. there is no huck and hope. you will lose a disc. #17 playing over the ridge and up a small sanddune with thick schule on the right is just awesome. I was in love with these two holes specifically. there are several others that will make you scratch your head as well! also, 18 finishing on the top of an oxbow in the river is just such a perfect finish.

Challenge/Variety-- the challenge here is in the variety. you will need every throw that you have in your bag to do well here. do not bring your weak game. you will need shots to go right, left, over water, straight, down banks, up banks and around tight corners.

Seclusion and serenity-- you literally can be out here and have no one around for miles. this course could be one of the most peaceful rounds you will ever play.

Teepads-- Sand with kick strips. I hope these improve with time. some of the kick strips are pretty high out of the ground and present a tripping hazard.

Overgrown fairways. I understand keeping a course as natural as possible but the ferns in the fairways are a bit excessive at times..

This course was a very pleasant surprise and much better than the 2.5 the last guy gave. if you are up here on vacation, pack a fairway driver, mid and putter and hit this course up, seriously!

-Scenic: All 18 holes are heavily wooded, and after hole 8, the Sucker River will bend in and out of most holes, making this course rather scenic and relaxing.

-Secluded: This course is located several miles outside of Grand Marais. After turning down the two track road, a mile and half or so you will find the small parking lot. This gives the course a real 'out of the way' feel where making it relaxing and quiet. During my time on the course, i only ever ran into one group of other players in what i'd consider the peak time of the day (3-6).

-Easy to Navigate: At the end of each hole, there are arrows pointing to the next tee which made the course easy to follow even for it being my first time.

-Challenge: The course is somewhat of a difficult one. The trees and sharp cuts left or right makes the course more appropriate for experienced players who can appreciate a good challenge. Hole 18 offers a very difficult ~450 hard dogleg right along the river. A good score on this course is very rewarding to the player.

-Lack of Variety: The course had very little which made it stand out. There are only a few holes which stand out in my mind as interesting and unique. One can only experience the same mid range holes that either dog leg left or right before starting to get bored with it.

-Overgrown: Although the bed of ferns adds to the scenic experience, it also makes it very frustrating spending extra time on holes looking for discs after each throw. Most of the time there was no real difference between fairway and not.

-Challenge: I know i put this on the Pros list as well...however i feel that this also detracts from the course as well. The amount of trees and overgrown bushes made this course rather frustrating after a while. I feel as though clearing some more trees would improve the course greatly.

All in all this course was fun and the overwhelming quiet is hard to find, but i have no desire to play here again. The combination of the boring hole design and level of foliage that is found on this course greatly detract from its value. I wish the course would've incorporated the river more, that may have made things much more entertaining. However, it's a free course and it sure beats working or going to class!

An added note, a huge Pro for the course came from the blanket of wild blueberry bushes which was can be found on the entire course. If you have a chance, coming in late July or early August will give you a special bonus!