Hastings, MI

Hammond Hill DGC

3.475(based on 36 reviews)
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17 0
DFrah
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 5.8 years 227 played 224 reviews
3.50 star(s)

YOUR AD HERE and a solid technical course

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

Pros:

Hammond Hill DGC is located near Hastings, MI. This course consists of two 9-hole loops that each circle back to the parking lot. The front nine is a little more wooded than the back nine, but both loops provide solid technical disc golf.

This course has enough teeth to challenge most disc golfers. There is plenty of distance, with several holes over 400' and a couple approaching 500' (everything is signed as par 3 but I think a couple of these longest ones should be par 4). Control is required here too. Some holes are semi-open but most are relatively tight - and that was my impression when I played in mid April. I bet the lines get even tighter in the summer with foliage grown in. Some fun shorter throws are mixed in to shake things up too.

The park has lots of elevation change, and it is used well throughout the course. The course starts off with a fun thread-the-needle type throw down a steep hill in the woods as many other reviewers have mentioned. Other holes I enjoyed particularly were #5 (tricky wooded dogleg right on top of a ridge) and #13 (a flatter dogleg left with a relatively wide wooded fairway, but with the basket perched on top of a large man-made mound). Quite a few other baskets are also positioned on steep slopes, creating fun and risky putting situations.

The course has two tee pads per hole with a distinct long and short layout. The long tee pads are concrete slabs in good shape. The short pads are currently natural, but it looked like they may be getting upgraded to concrete in the near future ("under construction" vibes). Where necessary, the tees have frames built into the hillsides to ensure that they remain perfectly flat. In a couple of places, high quality stairs have been cut into the hillsides as well. These safety improvements (at hole 1 in particular) looked to be recent, addressing the issue mentioned by previous reviewers. Trash cans and benches are placed near most tees.

Navigation is easy here thanks to orange clips in the bottom of basket rungs pointing towards the next tee, AND separate arrow signs where needed.

The baskets are red Chainstar Pros. The holes where pin positions are harder to see/over a hill from the tee have custom red flags on top, which was really nice. There is one basket per hole, but they are periodically moved between two pin positions per a schedule on the kiosk. I'd love to see two permanent baskets per hole, but the pin positions + schedule is the next best thing in my mind.

The front of the course also has a porta potty and donation box. There is a practice basket too, although the location of it is not very intuitive (it is on the opposite side of the parking lot from the kiosk/first tee). There is also actually a "practice" tee pad located 210' away from the practice basket. I think this is the first time I have seen a complete "practice hole" on a course!

Cons:

A couple of safety concerns:
- Hole 1 is great now, but there are a couple other places on the course that could still use similar stairs for traversing steep spots.
- Hiking/mountain biking trails running near some holes appeared to be popular. Stay alert (and note that the white numbered poles are trail markers, not disc golf tees).
- A couple of the holes played pretty close together.
- The parking lot defines one side of the fairway for the "practice hole". I'm glad this hole is not part of the actual course!

The tee signs could be improved. They are large, but most of the space is taken up by a huge sponsor ad. I actually did a double take upon seeing the sign for hole 1 - I thought it was ONLY a sponsor ad at first. Next to the ad is a small rough schematic showing the general flight path and distance to each pin position. I found myself consistently needing to either guess where the pins were located, or walk up the fairways to find out. They also only appear at the long tees. Refreshed signage at both long and short tees would definitely be nice.

The rough looked like it would be very thick in the summer. I think disc loss could be a distinct possibility at that time of year.

There was no course map posted on the kiosk as of my visit.

Other Thoughts:

This is a solid technical course. I would definitely think about a 4.0 rating if there were two complete sets of tees and baskets, complete with better tee signage. Writing this a couple weeks after visiting, most of the specific holes have already faded from my mind. But don't take that as a major knock. Although it may lack individual memorable holes, this is definitely a fun play overall - and challenging too especially if you play the long-to-long layout as I did. It's a little off the beaten path but if you find yourself between Grand Rapids and Battle Creek, this one is 100% worth a stop.
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11 0
BuzzArmStrong
Experience: 15 years 50 played 15 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Bring a friend and enjoy 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 3, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Lots of different angles and shots are necessary to navigate this course successfully. Ended up at 58 on my first time throwing the course and felt fairly good about it (+3). Great variety in terms of right to left, left to right. Having only played once I can say it would take a few goes to figure out where I feel I'd be better off with a forehand as opposed to a anny backhand and the other way around.

Fairways are tight but at the same time fair. There are lines to hit and if you hit them you are rewarded. If you do not hit your line there is a lot of what would be referred to as natural OB which can and will add strokes to your round. This is my favorite type of course as it tests your scrambling skills as well as your ability to stay out of those situations to begin with.

Quality cement tee pads at each hole with little stones embedded in them with the hole number.

Hole 1 is an extremely fun starting hole. Straight downhill tunnel shot. I laced the tunnel and landed a few feet from the basket but an errant drive could certainly kick into some nasty areas. Great looking hole as well as a hole that is indicative of the nature of the course.

Holes 1 through 9 continue for the most part in a similar fashion; heavily wooded with nasty rough, significant elevation, well placed baskets. Multiple holes in this front 9 I would consider memorable.

The back 9 opens up a little bit and plays through some areas with tall grass carving out the fairways. The wind plays a much more significant factor and gives a different feel than the heavily wooded front 9. Elevation is still significant and plays a large role in keeping the back 9 fun and interesting.

Hole 14's basket is on top of a 8 foot high mound of dirt with no real landing zone on top. This hole is the lone par 4 (at least with the current basket positions). I'm not sure entirely sure how I feel about it. I got a par on the hole this first round but could certainly see it being frustrating. It certainly discourages running a birdie put in favor of trying to lay up (which can be risky business in and of itself). I'm sure the fact that I I Par'd it impacted how much I enjoyed the hole and the fact that I'm putting this in the pro section. I could certainly see this being in the con section as well...I guess time will tell as I get a few more rounds in at this course.

Though there was only one set of baskets there are multiple pin positions denoted on the maps that give different looks.

Cons:

Let's start with hole 1. As much as I love throwing the hole I really didn't enjoy getting down to my shot. There really needs to be some sort of rail road tie step system implemented or something...even a rope to hang on to would be great as it is pretty steep and eroding pretty heavily.

Lots of blind tee shots. This isn't so bad if you have a spotter or if you know the course really well. If you are not familiar with the course you will be walking half way up a lot of fairways to sneak a peek at the basket before you throw especially because the tee signs don't really help too much. Not only are the multiple pin positions noted on the pad but the signs themselves lack detail so they aren't too helpful.

I didn't think the rough was too bad but I stayed out of it for the most part. It could certainly be trimmed back in some areas without ruining the difficulty of the holes. At the very least the course would look cleaner if it was cleaned out a bit.

A few areas could use some directional cues as there are a lot of trails going through the woods for the bicycle riders.

Other Thoughts:

I was lucky enough to play my first round at Hammond Hills with two guys that knew the course. We routinely acted as spotters for each other which was super helpful. I would not suggest playing a solo round at this course until you had already played it a few times.

I had a great time playing this course..I would come back in a heartbeat. With improvement to tee signs and safety measures like steps on hole 1 and fighting back thorn bushes I think this course could easily earn a 4. I was seriously torn between a 3.5 and a 4 wanted to give it a 3.75 because so many of the holes are memorable and stuck in my head but I couldn't justify it when the cons are things that are easily fixable.
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8 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.8 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Reggie Hammond Hill DGC! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 31, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

First of all, does anyone know of a cooler, more awesome, Opening hole than # 1 here at Reggie Hammond Hill? I'm old and drifty and quite possibly could have forgotten over the years, but I think # 1 here is a pretty awesome way to start your round. Having said that, I don't think falling down the # 1 hill and breaking my head would be a great start to a round here. I wouldn't want to climb down that hill in March or any time in wet weather.

There are so many things to like about this course but it has it's warts, too. The starting area by # 1 has a kiosk with disc golf information. Is this where the info is about where the baskets are. somehow, I missed that part because I seldom read what's on the kiosks. There are picnic tables, garbage and concrete pads. The baskets were Chainstars, I thought??? Did I miss this? I liked the small colorful rocks imbedded in the left corner of the pads showing the hole #.

There is this neat little pagoda by # 7. It's primitive looking with a thatch roof. Is it there for staring at the lake or for us disc golfers? That brings up another question I have. Is this a city, county or state park? Is it private? Usually, there are ways to tell the difference but I never could tell.

This course has enough features to make it challenging. There is some length, all the blind baskets placements, some of the lines are tight and in some cases, there are no fairways. I had some trouble navigating at times. Actually, all these challenging features would be less disruptive if one were playing Reggie Hammond in a group instead of trying it solo, as I did. Probably would have helped if I had seen the sign telling which positions the baskets were in.

Other than # 1, I liked # 11 a lot. It plays 400' over a valley with the basket visible up that next hillside. # 13 was quite a handful of hole, too. It's 450' over some tall grass. Into a lovely, natural looking fairway and then the basket in set in the woods on an 8' mound of dirt. Challenging hole, eh?

# 16 fooled me quite a bit. Looking from the tee pad, I judged that basket to be just past the center tree but after I softly threw my approach shot , I see the basket is like 125' past the tree. Add another stroke!

Cons:

Late August the rough is extra thick and all that grass on the back nine was tall and intimidating. There 2-3 holes I didn't care to take the chance of hunting/losing my discs on. Then I came to # 17 and there was nothing but tall grass and deep, nasty rough. I couldn't spot a basket and had no intention of throwing any disc into this black hole.

The tee signs were not done well. First, the sponsors ad is way bigger than the disc golf map. It should be the other way around. Keep it simple. This hole sponsored by XYZ Insurance and then a big map. Also, the route on each map is printed, like upside down or backwards if something. They never seemed to make any sense to me.

Something needs to be done to help players down the hill on # 1. Some steps, a rope or maybe as escalator.

There is a next tee sign for 13 or after 13. It has red letters on a faded brown sign. Almost unreadable. How about some yellow paint or white?

Other Thoughts:

There is so much to like about this course. Great start with # 1. Lots of challenge for players of all levels. Quality signs and pads. Lovely piece of land for a course. Some nice engineering has been done. Neat little rock numbers imbedded in pads.

Then there are my negatives. Tough to navigate, overgrown rough and fairways. Too many blind basket placements.

Don't attempt to play this course solo. Not a great plan.
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7 0
Reniger
Experience: 20.9 years 49 played 10 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Serenity 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 23, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

• Variety: This course will offer you challenges with tunnels, tight fairways, low ceilings, left-to-right holes, right-to-left holes, severe elevation changes, thick rough, and distance shots in the woods. Not an impossible course by any means, but it will force you to play smart golf.
• Scenery: Hammond Hill is the definition of Michigan disc golf. Beautiful rolling hills, open fields, and thick forest combine to make a scenic evening's hike.
• Signage: Two tee pads and two possible pin placements for each hole. Each tee sign has accurate signage for each tee and pin with a suggested line and distance.
• Multiple Layouts: I have only played long teepads, but each basket placement offers differing challenges to keep the course feeling fresh.
• Tee Pads: Blue tees are all well laid, level concrete in good shape. They are approximately 10', so no worry of a stubby tee pad to hit on a run up.
• Well Maintained: Very clean, very little trash, did not notice and graffiti, and well manicured fairways. I actually ran into the grounds keeper on a mower on hole 2 as I played - very friendly, offered some direction and additional information.
• Baskets: Chainstars in good condition. Catch well, but would benefit from a chastity belt for visibility in the woods.
• Layout: Easy to follow paths from hole to hole, front 9 ends at the parking lot for a quicker round.
• Traffic: Very, very little traffic. No worries about hold ups, distractions, or throwing a few cubby runs.
• Wildlife: Several deer, squirrels, and aviary life to compliment the beautiful scenery each round I've played.

Cons:

• Insects: As you'd expect in the Michigan woods, there are plenty of mosquitoes, spiders, flies, and other small pests.
• Rough: Not a big detriment to me, but the rough can be punishing. I enjoy this aspect, but I have experienced first hand how hard it can be to find discs off tree kicks, or even to get to your lie once you spot it!
• Amenities: Only one Port-A-Potty. With this course being fairly remote, I completely understand and I don't expect them to build bath houses, but it is not my first choice for restrooms.
• Blind shots: My first full round I had to walk to the yellow tee pad on most shots. I really enjoy the course now that I know it, but it is difficult if you're not familiar with placements.
• Experience: I love this course, but would never consider bringing a novice to play. Punishing rough, blind shots, and challenges could get frustrating to those with less time in the sport.

Other Thoughts:

Very enjoyable hike through the woods. Offers challenges on every hole, forcing you to think about every shot. A great course to go test your skills in a technical course with some friends and enjoy a secluded environment.
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1 9
My arm hurts
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Could be better 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 9, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good layout, good signage, the baskets are maked as well , pretty easy to find for out of towners.

Cons:

The folage is way to thick , very easy to lose discs if it were not for that one simple thing would have gotten much higher rating from me.

Other Thoughts:

Maybe in the spring or late fall this course would be great .
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3 7
xrayskid
Experience: 10 played 8 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Worth the drive 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 1, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Was in town for a wedding and someone told me there was a course nearby. This hidden gem is well worth the drive if you are ever in Southwest Michigan. Nice mix of left and right handed holes. It's quite hilly and many off the holes are heavily wooded. Well designed course.

Cons:

Course could be better cared for. It's a bit shaggy in some areas. Signage also needs improvement.
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8 0
Hfactor
Experience: 17.7 years 38 played 11 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Hammond is excellent 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 22, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course is about 40 miles straight west of Lansing. Has excellent layout with ups and downs, Hyzer and anhyzer. There is a posting at the start of the course where the tees are playing from and to. July was Long to Long and played very tough. They change up the Tees or baskets once a month and post this on the sign by hole 1. Make sure you read this sign before playing.

The traffic was very light which made for comfortable golf. We never got bored of any of the shot selections.

Another pro is that the first 9 bring you right back to the parking lot so you can go get something to drink if you ran out on a hot day.

I guess this course was worse in the past according to the previous reviews, but it seems to have got alot better. The tee signs are not vandalized and give good representations of the hole. The rough didn't eat any of our discs and play was very smooth.

Cons:

Hole 1 is very steep and could be dangerous to climb down for some people. Some might consider the pads to be too short but I think they were just fine.

There is no water on the course but some would consider this to be a pro.

Other Thoughts:

I played doubles with a friend and we didnt get a single birdy! This course is tough but extremely fun..

I lost a Yellow Buzz Discraft Elite x Custom Stamp Jbird on hole 17 or 18. I didn't actually lose it I think I just left it in the fairway. If you find it and email [email protected] or message me on here that would be awesome.
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10 1
apdrvya
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 13.9 years 350 played 293 reviews
3.50 star(s)

not sure why I put this off so long... 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 19, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

--aesthetic--beautiful piece of property with lake views on the front 9 and rolling meadows on the back. a hiking trail winds through most of the front.

--baskets--Discraft with nice big orange bands for visibility. the vast majority of these are BLIND throws, so visibility makes all the difference.

--teepads--nice and big, brushed concrete. many of them had brooms for deadfall

--signage--great signage (though #1 is missing) shows distances to the multiple pin locations and designated landing areas.

Cons:

--Blind shots--as has been covered before, huck and hope is the name of the game out here if you don't want to play the course twice.

--navigation--tough in spots. Next tee signs would be helpful. The front 9 plays pretty straight but the back plays through meadows that make it tricky to follow somewhat.

--Hole 17--the tee points down fairway "x", but the basket is down fairway "y" very difficult to know where to throw. I got very lost and just found 18 and back tracked.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a workout in a good way, the hills keep you huffing and puffing the whole round! Talked to a local after my round, apparently they want to expand the course to 24 holes AND add a second 24 hole course in the future. exciting stuff there. course is clear and the hastings huckers have been out clearing deadfall. you can tell by all the burn pits that have fresh ash and tinder.
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9 0
Central Scrutinizer
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 34.8 years 166 played 17 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Updated Review from 11 Years Ago: A Phenomenal Improvement!

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 4, 2023 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Wonderful and varied terrain for Disc Golf: In and out of wooded areas, plenty of elevation. It's in a remote area with beautiful, tranquil surroundings: lots of nature to enjoy while playing, and most people there are Disc Golfing, with a few hikers and bikers about.

Somebody said they've sprayed for bugs in recent years, and all weekend I never had a mosquito bite. That was a big improvement over my experiences back in 2012 here! Don't know if that's true all the time but on this early June weekend all I had was one or two of those dumb fat deer flies orbiting my head that you can catch with your bare hand. I didn't need the Off I sprayed on myself in the parking lot, but it would be smart to have a can with you in case I was just there on an exceptional weekend.

Hammond now features both long and short cement pads in excellent condition. The brand-new short pads will make it so a much bigger portion of the Disc Golfing population can now fully enjoy this wonderful property. I didn't play them in our tourney but walking by them I noticed they will suffice for beginners and be enjoyable for lots of others too.

The baskets have been upgraded to the wonderful newer red Discraft Chainstar Pros that can be moved to two pin positions (and I think a few holes had a third?). If you like elevated baskets there is one very prominent tall mound one and at least one other on a "rollaway" mound too.

Every time I've been here lately, those who keep this course have done a phenomenal job. Fairways are nicely kept and tee areas look amazing with some great stairs and bench areas surrounding them. You can tell there are people putting love and sweat into this place. I was told there are lots of bigger and better things yet to come in the near future as well, including an entire new 18-hole layout added to the one already there!

The challenge level is fantastic, and the shot selection is nicely varied. Several blind tees are done well. Plenty of rollaway potential on greens and thick rough if your drive isn't on the fairway. Once the foliage grows in, you will be punished for shanking a shot like you should be. Lost Discs can occur, but I found all of my bad shots this weekend. Most of the holes had well-placed obstacles in their fairways too. I never felt like any of it was dumb luck at all. Some guys were complaining about trees in the putting circle, but I thought if you were careful enough on your upshots you could set yourself up for a cleaner look. As it should be!

At the tournament I played, MPO guys shooting 50 on 18 holes were at about 1000 rated for the "Dream" layout we shot (it was mostly long stuff with a few shorter pin placements sprinkled in). I played up in MA-40 when nobody else signed up for MA-50 and it gave lots of us a bigger challenge than what we normally see. I'd call it fair and tough for my ability as an old guy. My best round was a 907-rated 60. The other round was the second-worst rated round of my entire 25-year career! I deserved every inch of it too, an 833-rated 68).

Cons:

The only thing missing is conspicuous water hazards. There IS a lake to the left of some of the earlier woods holes, but you'd have to be very, very unlucky to wind up in that water.

Not necessarily a con since they're good holes, but it's helpful on several of the long blind tees to have a spotter.

I've seen better tee signs, but I've seen way worse, and what was there was sufficient. I don't know for sure, but with all the improvements going on I imagine this might be one of the things to be addressed. It didn't bother me at all.

There are walking and bike trails going here and there but during both days of the tourney I didn't see any problem.

Other Thoughts:

All the love this place has been getting has resulted in a huge improvement at a place that was already pretty good. If you're coming to the Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo area, it's definitely worth your time if you like a course with a little teeth to it with tons of natural beauty. Can't wait to see what's up with the talked-about new 18 coming and all the other stuff!
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5 0
rshrevo
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.8 years 45 played 34 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Hammond Hilly 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 19, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice Concrete tee pads. Decent signage indicating alternate pads and both basket locations. fairly easy to navigate from hole to hole. Nice and quiet meaning that the only people generally out there are only disc golfers. You aren't sharing the area with other uses. nice mix of shots needed to navigate the holes. each 9 seems to loop back to the parking lot.

Cons:

I didn't have a problem with it but the rough could be bad at times. Hole 1 really needs some type of work to help you get down the steep hill with out fear of falling or tripping down the hill. don't mind blind shots too much but there seemed to be a lot of them. i would walk ahead a bit just so i could get an idea as to where the pin placement was in order to determine where i wanted my disc to land. looks like it could get very buggy out there so would recommend bringing bug spray.

Other Thoughts:

Port a John on site is nice. saw some brooms near the pads on some of the holes. It was a nice scenic walk through the woods while playing. Like the view of the lake as we walked down the sixth fairway. I would advise that you bring plenty of water with you. you may need to refill after the first nine. Especially if you are out of shape like me. the up and down hills really gave me a work out. Played it in spring so could get interesting on some of the holes after the leaves start appearing on the trees and bushes. I like the kiosk by hole 1 telling when which holes would be in the long or short positions. want to go back and play it again this time i will be more prepared for it.
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5 3
Griplock
Experience: 54 played 5 reviews
3.50 star(s)

A surprisingly fun round. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 12, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Good tees, signage, easy to navigate.
-Nice variety of shots for both lefties and righties, sidearm or backhand. Nice elevation on a few holes.
-Most holes have several lines to play, play it safe or be the hero.
-Little to no foot traffic, no vandalism and very clean.

Cons:

-I can see where the rough is thick, though with even my moderate skill I stayed well clear of it. Mark your shots and you'll be fine.
-On your first visit, check the map at hole one for which pins are in play. Pins move monthly between two alternates. It gives the course replay value, but I list it as a con because it reduces that comfort of playing familiar holes.
-BUGS. All caps for a reason. Spray kept them from biting but at times it was hard to concentrate through the fog of mosquitoes.

Other Thoughts:

We played on a Friday afternoon and didn't see a soul except the grounds keeper out mowing. Maybe 10 minutes total spent looking for discs even with multiple throws. The longest pin (right now) was about 430', which was perfect some ace runs and birdies with my arm, but some might find it too easy. I wouldn't drive hours to play the course, but if you're nearby don't miss out on this one.
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7 0
Mark R
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.7 years 115 played 89 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 23, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

A fun course with a lot of diversity, including wide-open holes, tightly wooded holes, and many in between. Excellent, large size cement tee pads. Traverses at least three ravines, which are at once scenic, entertaining, and hazardous. Has several elevation changes (Holes 1, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 17) in addition to a lot of short (<50 feet) yet steep hills which often have the tees perched on top. Large signs with distances posted (not sure of the accuracy). Different tee positions significantly alter the character of the course, with back nine long tee positions greatly increasing the degree of difficulty. Has no real standout holes but several holes vying for signature hole status, including ravine holes (1 and 7), semi-wide open bombers with tree obstacles (2, 11, 12, 14, 15) and tunnel holes with just enough room to throw hard (3, 4, 10, and my favorite, Hole 13-a compound hole with an enclosed tee). An underrated, free course that is worth the drive for anyone from GR or Lansing.

Cons:

Many holes have very thick, disc-swallowing rough (have lost a couple of discs here). This has improved with some clearing work done inn the last couple of years. No really long holes like those at Leviathan, Flip or even Oshtemo. Bugs can be horrible, rivaling Silver Mountain with massive swarms of mosquitos awaiting you in mid-summer, even with bug spray on. Some wooded holes seem like filler holes, but these form a distinct minority.

Other Thoughts:

Imagine a dirt bike trail made in the 1970s that winds through a remote park and deep woods along a completely undeveloped lake (Carter Lake) and you'll get the idea of what this course is like. Holes are right-sized (150-450 feet), and most are better than average, with significantly more fun than you might expect. An isolated location at least 20 miles of two-lane highway from the nearest population center (equidistant from Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Lansing), which keeps the crowding situation in check (a few Oshtemo refugees like me head here frequently). Generally underrated by reviewers on this site.
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1 5
Khuv
Experience: 17.8 years 114 played 2 reviews
2.00 star(s)

blind from the start!! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 4, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

I would say that there are 3 good things about Hammond Hill DGC
1. They have pretty good tee signs and I love how they use 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc to describe holes. Unique little twist for those who are into detail.
2. They have good tee pads with trash cans and a place to sit on most holes.
3. Its not a course that you have to worry about the general public getting in the way. So your free to enjoy

Cons:

Well I would say the biggest con is the fact that there are only 3 holes that you can see from the tee pad. So this mean that you essentially walk the course twice just to get a look at the pin. Im sure if your a local you would have a better idea of pin positions but it looked like most positions are blind from the tee. The other big con would be that the course still needs a lot of work. If you get off the tight fairway you will spend some time looking and will leave with cut up legs.
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4 0
sgamerp
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 16 years 99 played 73 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Beautiful 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 2, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Variation- lots of different shots. Even different placements of tees.

-Tee Pads, nice and big cement tee pads.

-Signs they have signs showing both pads and both baskets

-Trash cans, there seemed to be trash cans at most holes.

-The back nine is unlike any other back. All of them are fairways to tight wood endings. Amazing.

- Pin Placement, is awesome here.

-Chainstar baskets.

Cons:

-The rough is really bad. If someone came in here with a weed whip for for a good amount of time, I think this would make this course up to a 4.5

-Lots of blind shots, this is the kind of place you should bring a friend.

-Can be very buggy, normally this is average for disc golf, but this place can be bad. I also saw a few snakes out there. Didn't bother me but could others.

-The first hole could be kind of dangerous as its a super steep hill.

Other Thoughts:

The front nine is the definition of Risk and Reward. Tight fair ways with tall rough on the side. The back night is amazing fair ways and it seems almost all end in the woods.

**Updated 5/15/2012**
This place has defiantly had a lot of clean since the last time I've been there, but still needs a little bit more. A few locals made it seem like a lot of people are doing work on this and it show.s
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3 1
Switters213
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.7 years 77 played 21 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Could use a little redesign 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 22, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

- Nice mix of open and wooded holes
- Many holes are a little longer than typical for Michigan. A few good spots to throw long bombs.
- Plenty of parking space
- Sweetest smelling Porta-Jon in all of disc golf...seriously...that orange can they got out there right now is like taking a leak inside a bag of skittles!

Cons:

- walking down Hole 1 is a danger to myself and anyone below me. Needs some steps or a rope or something.
- the rough is seriously rough. having a spotter is recommended for almost every hole on the course.
- something like 16 out of 18 holes are blind off the tee. As an out-of-towner, I spent more time walking upfield trying to find the basket than I did throwing.
- maps are terrible. with no picture of the major trees on the hole, and some terrain information, the distance lines are virtually useless.
- underbrush is seriously dense. could really use a little slash and burn to knock back the thorns.
- long holes are great, but not when the fairway is 10 feet wide for the entire length. Nobody wants to throw a 500 foot Par 6.
- layout involves some backtracking between holes. clearly visible "next tee" signs would be a big help.

Other Thoughts:

- with just a little redesign, this course could be fantastic. they've got the space, and the elevation.
- 16 blind drives from the tee pad sucks. chop out a few dozen trees and move the basket placements slightly and this course would play like a dream.
- the whole "basket on top of a ten foot tall pointed pile of dirt" thing has got to go. Once on a course is a neat, creative feature, but I think this course has something like 3 of them. Any more than one and it becomes a hokey gimmick. Elevated baskets are fine, but put some kind of landing area up top there. The way its done now doesn't make the course more challenging, its just kind of silly.
- I would also chop out some of the trees around the baskets. Once in a while its nice to have to thread past a ring of trees to a "well guarded" pin, but this course has them on like every.....single....hole... As with many of the other features on this course, a few is nice, but don't beat us to death with it.
- this time of year (late spring) the front 9 has mosquitos from hell. bring bug repellant.
- also this time of year watch out for snakes out here. been chased by water moccasins twice already here. I've had it with these muthaf@#& snakes on this muthaf@#& disc golf course!
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12 0
landon77
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 24.5 years 78 played 43 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Underappreciated, Solid and Challenging 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 11, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

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-Excellent variety. There is a lot of elevation, wide open fields, and dense forest to play through.
-Cement Tee-pads
-Alternating basket scheme! A unique perk. See the bulletin board for details.
-Sufficient trash receptacles
-Porta Jon on site, and lots of hidden bushes
-Dog friendly
-Good maintenance
-Lots of benches and clever use of dug out land to provide seats
-This course has a high Natural beauty and seclusion factor in its favor.
-High fun factor with the challenge it provides

Cons:

----------------
A little rough in some spots, this course will reward you for playing conservatively.
Some treacherous and steep terrain due to erosion can make play very dangerous. Hole one is going to need some type of stairs implemented, use Coldbrook Park http://www.dgcoursereview.com...se.php?id=438 in Kalamazoo Hole 4 as an example of what can be done.

Other Thoughts:

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I believe that this course is a result of an Eagle scout project. They did a great job! One of my favorite courses for 2010. I have been debating between 4.5 and 4.0 as my rating. I would settle for a 4.25 right now. I think the overall score for this course is low, but I can see if someone rated it a few years ago this place would seem like a jungle (or modern day Fort Custer in Battle Creek http://www.dgcoursereview.com...php?id=2845). The course still has much potential for the future.
Very fun course for my game. There are a lot of holes that are long but require good accuracy off the tee.
I love the alternating basket scheme. The hole placements are generally well done and this adds a nice element to this course that I have not found anywhere else.
The land use is excellent, there are some really nice scenic spots overlooking the lake. It seems that they have more land to use and I would hope that they use it to expand this nice course. Make it 24 holes and it can be an easy 4.5 course.
I have played this course in the spring, summer and fall. If you have a chance play it on a sunny dry November day for pure Michigan disc golf!
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1 7
Jazzbones
Experience: 14.5 years 30 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 19, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Great variety of elevation, open, tunnel shots etc. Good risk reward. We basically had the place to ourselves on a late summer Sunday.

Cons:

Some of the short tees are kind of easy.

Other Thoughts:

I left my yellow Stormtrooper dyed Sidewinder out there. Find it, get ahold of me at [email protected] and I will gladly dye you something of your choice for free in exchange for return.
Otherwise treat her well.
It Likes: Elevated tee pads and ani's in the wind.
It Dislikes: Water and fall leaves.
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4 3
chad groen
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 24.1 years 42 played 41 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Kind of Fun, but Kind of Nasty 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 26, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a hilly and wooded course with a decent variety of hole designs. The front 9 is mostly narrow because of all the trees; the back 9 is mostly open with the rough consisting of tall weeds and has some large bushes and trees scattered throughout. There are some nice layouts, especially on the back 9. This course has a lot of blind tee shots, and there are also a few doglegs. There are multiple hole locations and multiple tee boxes for each hole. The farther location for the 13th basket is unique in that it sits on top of a tall, skinny mound. Overall, this is a course that can really test your driving skills, especially in accuracy.

Cons:

The first hole needs some kind of stairway going down that steep hill right after the tee pad. That's not a good way to start this course. Most of the fairways on the front 9 are way too narrow. They look more like hiking trails in the middle of the woods. They need to widen those fairways because right now it's real difficult for players to throw their discs without them sailing deep into the woods, which are filled with trees, poison ivy, and mosquitoes. Some of the fairways on the back 9 are real narrow because of the tall weeds surrounding them, and it can sometimes be difficult to find your disc in them. There are some large and thorny autumn olive plants, especially on holes 14-17, that can scratch up your hands and arms if you have to reach in to grab your disc (these plants, by the way, are invasive to Michigan's environment, so they shouldn't even be on this course). A few of the tee pads on the back 9 are kind of hard to find. Also, the mound that the farther 13th basket sits on top of is so skinny and steep that it's kind of hard to climb up to get your disc out of it. I can tell that mound is man made, but they could've done a better job making it. This isn't a convenient course to play wearing a t-shirt and shorts because it can be easy for your arms and legs to get real itchy and also get lots of scratches from brushing up against the many trees, bushes, poison ivy, and honeysuckle plants (especially the honeysuckle plants). And don't be surprised if your socks and shoelaces are covered with little green stick tites when you're done playing.

Other Thoughts:

Although there are some decent holes throughout this course that are fun to play, the level of difficulty for a lot of the other holes is really high. This can be an unforgiving course if you're throws not 100% accurate. There is some potential for this course to be really nice and fun to play, but right now there's a lot of work that needs to be done. Right now it seems like Mother Nature has overwhelmed the course. Most players can easily spend a long time here because they'll be busy searching through the woods and weeds looking for their discs.
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3 3
bennyb
Experience: 32.8 years 27 played 8 reviews
4.00 star(s)

GREAT ADVENTURE COURSE 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 27, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

I think this is just a great course.
Elavation changes
Changing pin placements
Cement tee pads
Great walk in the woods
CHAINSTARS!!!!!

Cons:

The rough can be rough.
Not stroller friendly( is that really a con)

Other Thoughts:

This course can be grueling especially in the heat it was 85 and humid the day I played. Try not to play alone, a spotter is recommended.
I look forward to returning!
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4 2
BucketBonanza
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.8 years 47 played 30 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Might As Well Hit Hastings 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This was a nice little walk through the hillside. This course offers a good amount of variety and views. It has concrete tee pads and is fairly easy to navigate with a natural flow to the layout. It seemed quite well maintained and appears to be beloved by the locals as there is no garbage or other signs of destructive behavior. It is worn in well and judging from past reviews it has come a long way. Hole one makes things interesting right off the bat. It is nearly straight down with a neck breaker of a walk down a steep and rocky hill. The next few holes move from an open meadow that requires a fair amount of accuracy into some hiking trail holes that are tight and wooded. A lake is visible through the trees to the left which is a nice touch as you look out from this elevation. There is a really cool ravine hole back here, the number escapes me as I forgot my notepad and the course pictures here are lacking, that sends you over and up through quite a picturesque section of the landscape. Signature all the way. After weaving through the woods, the back nine takes you out into a more open area with hills and elevation changes. The front nine ends at the parking lot which is nice because you have the option of stopping if you are short on time or getting another refreshment. Eighteen takes you right back to your car.

Cons:

There really aren't many cons here. The first few holes seem a bit packed in, and the back nine is just a touch mundane. The signs were confusing to me as a first timer. They show basket A and basket B. I thought there were two baskets per hole. I guess the positioning changes throughout the season. This adds to variety and is actually a pro. There was no intangible here that made me feel that this course was greatness, but it is definitely a solid course with a decent design and layout. I think the designers did the best they could with this piece of land.

Other Thoughts:

If you are in the surrounding area this course is one to check out. It offers a different feel than the city courses and will definitely allow you to demonstrate your skills.
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