Udell Rollways is located in the Huron-Manistee National Forest, which stretches across several large areas of northern lower Michigan. The particular area of the forest where this course is located is easily accessible - about a 25 minute drive east of downtown Manistee and only about 2.5 miles off of the M-55 highway (on a well-kept dirt road). The official brown road signs on M-55 point towards "Udell Rollways" and there is an unmistakable symbol showing a disc flying into a basket underneath. I think this is the first I had seen this - cool!

The course plays on the top of a bluff, with the Manistee River down at the bottom. The 18 holes play along tight wooded fairways. Playing the course feels like a nice walk in the woods throughout the round, with very few man-made structures visible other than the disc golf infrastructure. Several fairways are covered in patches of moss, which further added to the aesthetic for me.

That infrastructure is surprisingly good for a course that is kind of in the middle of nowhere. The yellow banded DISCatcher baskets (one per hole) are in good shape and are easy to see in the woods. There are two tees per hole. The long tee pads are large slabs of cement in good condition. Located at each long tee pad is a nice tee sign with hole number/par and a map of the hole/distance from both tees. There is also a separate sign at each long tee discussing the local flora and fauna, which I thought was a nice touch. The short tees are cement too, although quite small (only large enough to stand and throw). There is not signage at the short tees, so some of them were a bit difficult to find under last fall's leaves (to help locate if needed, look at the tee sign at the long tee). I can confirm that as of this writing, the short pads are all there!

I played one round from each set of tees. From the long tees, this is a challenging technical round. Hole distances range from 186' to 578', and although most holes are in the 200'-325' range the amount of trees to work around helps make up for the lack of longer distances. The short tees offer a round that is more approachable for beginners and families, with several holes under 150' and all but one under 300'. It also bears mentioning that the front nine is much shorter and easier than the back nine regardless of tee - and the layout is such that you can easily play only the front nine or only the back nine. Non-DGers or families might find enjoyment in playing just the front nine from the short tees. Those looking for a challenge (and feeling lucky - see below) might want to skip to the back nine and play the long tees.

There are nice Next Tee signs throughout the course, as well as a few OB signs. Located near the parking lot are a kiosk with large course map, practice basket/area, permanent outhouse, and trash can.

As others have said, some of the fairways here are simply too tight. All of them are basically walking paths through the woods, and there are many holes where trees near the fairways could be thinned out to make the course more approachable. On a few holes the layout of trees guarding the basket is so thick that there just isn't a realistic line through and you will need more luck than skill to score well. Some fairways also zigzag through the woods, suggesting lines that no disc could follow. On several holes, I found myself abandoning the established fairways altogether and taking a different path through the rough that seemed like an easier line to the basket (this would likely not have been a viable option in the summer with leaves and underbrush grown in though).

The bugs here are probably horrendous in the summer. They were just starting to swarm when I played in early May. There also seems to be a tick problem - I found several of them on my legs on both days I visited (after hole 11 each time, for what it's worth). Between the bugs and the grown-in underbrush, this course could conceivably be a nightmare to play in the summer.

The walk from hole 9 to hole 10 is a little convoluted, and the shortest path between these holes passes through other fairways.

Unfortunately, even though the course is on the edge of the bluff and there is a river nearby, neither of these elements come into play at all. To be fair, I support that decision by the course designers - the bluff is too steep to try to put a course on. But the course is almost perfectly flat throughout.

I know that staffing here is probably minimal, but a few benches and trash cans on the actual course would be nice. There was trash scattered around on the ground - if there were just a few trash cans that could be emptied a few times a year I think that would help a lot.

The Udell Rollways day use recreation area is pay-to-visit. There are a couple of different options but realistically most visitors will choose the $5/vehicle day pass, which you can obtain at a self-service station on site. Besides the disc golf course, there is a picnic pavilion and a long stairway that leads down the bluff to the edge of the river. There are a LOT of steps - do not make this trek down to the waterfront unless you are able to walk back up! The view at the bottom is nice, as the area is located right at a horseshoe bend in the river.

Cell phone service is spotty here - plan accordingly.

I was between a 2.5 and 3.0 rating for this one - so I guess I feel that the current 2.75 average is spot-on. I personally enjoyed the course, but it aligned with my preference for technical wooded golf. I also think I was fortunate to visit at the time of year I did. Those who prefer longer open holes and visit in midsummer could be very frustrated here.

This is by no means a destination course, but is worth a stop for those in the Manistee area. I am in this area several times a year and can see myself playing this course again occasionally, but more often than not I will be making the slightly longer drive down to the Ludington area where there are quite a few superior options.

way off the beaten path, very rustic with nobody else around when we played. very nice long pads, shorts are useless other than a place marker to throw but very difficult to find so play the longs. nice yardage maps on each tee but some are reversed making it difficult to understand the hole. Bring plenty of bug spray!

Trash everywhere! I don't understand why players cannot pickup after themselves. Unlike some other courses, this course only has trash cans at the 1st tee area/parking area. There was empty bottles/cans on every hole. People please have some respect of nature and pack out what you bring in. No excuse for littering!!!!

Deadfall from storm damage makes some holes difficult to navigate. Some trees need to be cleared to make some fairways. many holes have pretty much non-existent fairways. Plan on beating up some plastic because you will hit trees. No way around it.

Aesthetic-- plays through an old abandoned campground along the manistee river. there are hiking trails and fishing areas here where you may encounter some non-dgers.

Teepads-- nice and in good repair. the longs are all long teepads, the shorts are 1'x2' concrete blocks set in the ground. More of a marker than a usable teepad. I would actually have preferred these to be marked dirt pads.

Signage- good on 16 of 18. Missing on 17 and 18. distances may have been a bit exaggerated on the short side. I think some holes were much longer than they were advertised. I know these signs were done by houck designs but they are seriously weird in some places. in some places the teepads are on the bottom of the sign, on some, they are on the top. Not sure why this is how it is.

Routing and nav-- easy enough. plenty of next tee signs and other ways to help you through the course. the walk from 9 to 10 is a bit long and crosses many fairways.

left and right fairway on two holes-- this is kind of cool and adds to the risk v reward factor.

Challenge--the challenge is the trees for sure. there are so many trees here it's almost rediculous. that said, some of the short tees are jokingly short and would provide a good starting point for new discers or youngin's...

Variety--yeah, there is plenty of variety here, but it seems like there are a few too many right running holes to be balanced.

Deadfall--the deadfall here is insane. I think this course is too far out of town to have too many locals to help keep the course clear.

Lines-- the lines here are insanely tight to impossible to hit. There is a hole on the back 9 that you basically thrown into a stand of trees and there is no way to cleanly get through it...

Complete difference between front and back 9's-- the front 9 is nice and short and is easy to complete in about 30 minutes. the back 9 is way longer and way more challenging taking about an hour or more to play.

This course is an interesting mix in an uber remote location. Nice overall balance between long and short, and dual tees for the whole family.

Set among mature hardwoods in what used to be a rustic camground. Design makes good use of the available terrain. Front nine is short and demands accuracy, some holes have no obvious "fairway" but there was a line (usually a lefty and a righty line) available - they just demand accuracy to negotiate successfully. The back nine plays longer, while still placing a premium on accuracy. Well balanced between lefty and righty holes. The long tees have adequate pads, the shorts too small for anything but stand and deliver. Very nice signs from Houck Designs as well as a secondary sign at the tee describing somthing about the local flora and fauna. Did not see anyone else in the park while we were there. New outhouse near the second tee. Course map and a practice area near the first tee.

Very remote, Make sure you have snacks and supplies before you arrive.

I played this course after all the leaves were down, some of the lines might not be available with full foliage.

A great place to hang out for a day, covered pavilion, BBQ grills, a spectacular view of the Manistee River valley at Horshoe Bend. Stairs to the river for swimming or fishing. Close to other recreation opportunities.