Mt. Pleasant, MI

Deerfield Park - Original

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4.235(based on 32 reviews)
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Deerfield Park - Original reviews

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13 0
DFrah
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 5.8 years 227 played 224 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Actually has deer - and good disc golf too!

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 22, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

Deerfield Park is located just west of Mt. Pleasant, MI. The park has a beach on a smallish lake/river, but the main attraction appears to be two 18-hole disc golf courses. This review is for the "Deerfield" course, and the other course on site is "Wildwood".

The Deerfield course provides a fun round of disc golf that will be suitable and interesting for a variety of skill levels. Maybe 2/3 of the holes play in wooded areas, with some fairways cut through cathedrals of huge pine tree trunks and others routed through younger growth areas with thick brush lining the rough. Some of these holes are quite tight. I thought the mix of left, right, and straight lines were all fair, but I can definitely see players who prefer more open throws complaining about some of these fairways. To appease those players, the remaining holes are much more open. From the long tee, hole 5 is a 500' par 4 that plays down a wide open sledding hill and will be very scoreable for bigger arms.

Elevation changes are present here too, and add challenge to many holes. Hole 11 is a fun throw that tees off from the top of a small hill. You'll have to thread the needle through the trees for the first 125' or so (from the long tee). After that the fairway flattens out and opens up a little bit, running another 275' to the basket. There is also a significant water hole in #14. Standing on the long tee, there is a lake on your left and in front of you for maybe 225' off the pad. To the right, the lake gives way to a marshy area with thick brush then eventually open grass (where the short tee is located). Those nervous about the water carry could lay up towards the short tee, then over the marsh which is probably only 100' or so across at that point. I decided to go for it from the long tee and threw my high-visibility floater disc. It was a poor throw and the light breeze carried my disc off into the marsh, where I was lucky to find it about 20 minutes later.

The baskets are yellow banded DISCatchers. One per hole. A couple of them have poles on top to help with visibility when they are located behind ridges, etc.

The tee pads are concrete and there are two of them per hole, creating a long and short layout. I played a single round from the long layout. From the longs, this course is not overwhelmingly lengthy but decent power will help - and you will need to be accurate on the shorter wooded holes to score well. I would say the longs play at an intermediate level. The short layout looked like it would be more accessible to newer players, while offering a few different lines to baskets too.

Navigational signage is good. There are tons of "Next Tee" signs and they are all large, well made, and color coded by course (brown for Deerfield and green for Wildwood). If you look at the map, you can see that the two courses are not just adjacent but actually "overlapping". I'm putting that in quotes because I'm not sure what word to use - the overall footprints of the two courses overlap, but individual holes do not. What I'm trying to say is, this could easily be very confusing - if not unsafe - but the color coded signs are good enough to completely prevent this. I thought it was kind of bizarre to hear other groups playing in the woods nearby, but never catch up to them and know that they were not behind me either (because they were playing the other course).

There is a large kiosk at the parking lot that has maps of both courses on site, as well as a weatherproof box with scorecards inside. A couple of restrooms exist in the park, though it isn't obvious where either one is from the disc golf parking lot (closest one is tucked into the woods next to hole 18's fairway). There are many benches at long tees, and a few trash cans spaced throughout the course.

Cons:

The tee signs are just brown painted plaques with the hole number, distance, and par (Wildwood has the same plaques but painted green). These do appear at both long and short tee pads and they are good quality, but with so many blind holes I would have really appreciated a hole map or at least a rough line drawn on these signs. I didn't need the course map for navigating between holes, but I found myself referring to it many times just to figure out which way fairways turned. It got frustrating having to pull out the map on my phone and/or walk down the fairway to find the basket on hole after hole. I would also like to see "long"/"short" or similar language added to the tee signs. It's usually fairly obvious which is which, but there were a couple of places where the path from the previous hole took me to the short tee and I had to remember to turn and walk back to the long tee.

There is a volleyball net basically in hole 2's fairway. If this were ever in use, the hole would be unsafe/unplayable. Hole 14's short tee pad is also in hole 13's fairway, though at least it isn't blind.

There are areas near the end of the course that have permanent signs declaring that there is poison ivy present. I get that 1) this is a NATURE park and 2) poison ivy can be difficult to control. But I still thought it was a little odd to spend the time and effort putting up nice signage, when that time and effort could be put towards getting rid of the stuff. These officially signed areas are right next to a couple of fairways, so you should plan accordingly. I was fortunate that none of my tree kicks went in that direction.

Speaking of the end of the course, I was generally underwhelmed by the last few holes. After hole 11 or so, this course really flattens out - and other than the water carry on hole 14 it just felt kind of bland. It's not that there are anything wrong with these ending holes necessarily - they just didn't keep me as interested as the first 2/3 of the course did.

There was no practice basket, and plenty of room to add one!

Road noise from M-20 can be heard throughout the course, detracting from the aesthetic a little bit.

Other Thoughts:

There is a $6/day fee to enter the park, payable at a staffed entrance station. Credit cards accepted!

As alluded to in the review title, I did see two deer while playing this course - despite the fact that I played in the middle of the afternoon.

As of this writing, Deerfield is the #3 rated course in Michigan on DGCR. This course is good but I'm a little bit skeptical of a podium placement. The last 1/3 of the course or so is pretty forgettable other than the one water carry, and I feel there are some pretty obvious things that could be improved like tee signs, etc. I think it's close to a 3.75 rating today, but decided to round down for now. I can definitely see myself returning here in the future, reconsidering, and upping my rating to 4.0 - but not beyond that unless changes were made to address the things I listed as Cons. I would put Deerfield Park more in the company of, say, Northend Riverside Park in Big Rapids and not Flip City, Whiskey Hills, or Burchfield Renegade's Trail/Devil's Den .

I don't mean to discourage anyone from coming to Deerfield Park and tossing some plastic though. This is no doubt a solid course that is worth the price of admission - and with Wildwood also on site, it's a no-brainer for me to recommend this park to any disc golfer within a reasonable drive!
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12 0
davetherocketguy
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.6 years 114 played 105 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Field of Deers 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 15, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

- What a great Michigan course. Tucked away in the woods and for the most part separate from the other park activities.
- This course is a lesson in how to do signage and navigation. With 2 courses intermingled and hiking trails scattered throughout good navigation is imperative and this course simply nails it perfectly. Never once did I feel lost or the need to us UDisc.
- There were some longish walks between holes but the course flow was intuitive.
- I really liked the short tee options. In a lot of cases the shorts were not a shorter version of the longs but a completely different look at the basket.
- This course simply has everything you could ask for. From tightly wooded holes to wide open mowed bomber holes (like #5) to dog legs and all sorts of elevation changes.
- Benches everywhere. Trash cans everywhere. Hardly any trash on this course. This course is well loved and maintained.
- There's even a water hazard on 14. Very well executed design.

Cons:

- The biggest con for me was hole 2. The tee pad and basket placement were fine I just thought that throwing over a volleyball court was a tad cheesy and really took away from the shine of this course.
- I have no idea what else to put here.

Other Thoughts:

Deerfield is a well thought out and designed course. It will challenge every skill level from the long tee pads and even offer up challenges from the shorts. With two courses on site you can spend an entire day here making the pay to play very very worthwhile. We were only charged $6 and for a quality like there no one should ever complain. Seriously. Keep in mind there is some poison ivy on the course and like every place in Michigan the bugs could be bad. With the rolling hills this plays through I'm not entirely sure I would use a cart again especially since there are plenty of benches. Get out to Mount Pleasant and play this course. You won't regret it.
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1 12
spinninglens
Experience: 17.8 years 4 played 3 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Always Interesting 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 2, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Somebody is a very lucky guy to play here. Short tees and long tees. Shoveling the pads is a whole lot of fun!! Everybody should do it it is just great.

Cons:

Need a pass but a year is cheap.

Other Thoughts:

There was a time when disc golfers were once misidentified as biology students on some field trip.
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6 0
SpartanDisc
Silver level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 21.7 years 237 played 27 reviews
4.50 star(s)

More fun each time I play 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 26, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Amazing course. Great layout. Exceptional variety. This course has a lot to offer. It has tons of elevation, it has an over water shot, it has open holes, it has tight holes, it has left turns and right turns. This is the type of course where you will throw just about every shot in your bag. From a 550ft bomb down a sled hill, to a short, uphill blind shot into a cluster or trees to a few narrow fairways running through rows of pines and quite a bit in between.
- Every time I play certain holes I find myself contemplating the right shot as if I'd never seen the hole before. There aren't many holes where I step up and just say "well XXX shot is clearly the only option to take here."
- Dual tees. I don't think I've ever played the shorts, but looking at them they seem to offer fairly unique new looks on some of the holes. So many courses have shorts that are the same shot as the longs, just 40ft shorter. While there are some of those out here, on some they do seem to change the hole just enough to make for an interesting new look at the fairway.
- Very clean and well maintained. There are signs pointing to the next tee. Nice, concrete tee pads. Trash cans scattered throughout.
- Since it's pay to play, it doesn't seem to get as much traffic as other courses. Less wait times and less trash and vandalism.
- Scenic and honestly just a fun place to walk around
- Good exercise with the elevation
- 2nd course on site makes for a very fun full day of disc

Cons:

- Some poison ivy in areas
- Tees could be longer (they aren't short, just somewhat average)
- Pay to play? Honestly, this doesn't bother me at all and I probably prefer it over a crowded free course.

Other Thoughts:

Every time I play Deerfield (once or twice a year since it opened) I quickly remember how fun it is. I'm always pleasantly surprised and it seems that it almost gets better every time I play. I can't stress enough the great shot variety here... the course was designed very well on a beautiful plot of land. Bring a full bag when you play, because you will use just about every shot you have (and probably want to empty your bag on a few holes).
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2 2
stndpenguin
Experience: 24.9 years 53 played 7 reviews
4.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 17, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Gorgeous, clean
- Pay to play so riffraff tends to stay away
- 2 sets of pads
- All shots covered
- Perfect flow
- Toilets, Well pump for water

Cons:

- uh.. could use more trash cans?
- poison ivy

Other Thoughts:

Definitely one of my favorite courses period. Worth traveling to especially now that theyve added the second course. Just watch out for the wooden posts that line the parking areas when they're covered with snow ;)
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2 3
bglrabbit
Experience: 11 years 15 played 5 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Still my favorite! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 11, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course is always clean and well-kept. Signage is awesome, and the concrete tee pads, Innova pins, and alternate tees on all 18 holes are all in great shape! The variations between each hole keep you on your toes. 5 is awesome for those who love long, open, downhill drives. I will never grow tired of this course!

Cons:

I just played this course in early April, but I have heard once the trees grow in a little more, that the course becomes much more challenging... Not a con so to speak, but definitely a game changer. Hole 9 does not take you back to the parking lot by hole 1. $6 county park fee is a little steep, but I get the yearly pass for $25 because I come so often.
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5 0
Puckstopper
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.7 years 36 played 36 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Top notch course 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 1, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

2 sets of concrete tees. These tees are frequently set up to require totally different shots, as opposed to similar shots from different lengths.

Starting with a short first hole that plays over 30' uphill, there are tons of elevation changes on the first part of the course.

GREAT mix of tight wooded and reasonably open shots.

Beautiful scenery and a nice walk.

There are a couple nice areas to sit down and have a drink or a cigarette, as well as a pump to fill up water bottles about halfway through the course.

The parking lot is usually at least half full, but I've never felt rushed, or held up by other players on either course.

Cons:

Concrete tees are shorter than I'd prefer. Some don't have room for an additional runup from behind the concrete, which throws off my timing somewhat.

Poison Ivy is present, but not overwhelming.

Wildwood course weaves through original Deerfield, and I've talked to people who've gotten confused.

Other Thoughts:

The original Deerfield course is a well established, nicely laid out course. As I mentioned in my Cons, Wildwood weaves through Deerfield in a couple places. The Wildwood course has "Wildwood" engraved in it's tees which are longer than Deerfield, and plays to DGA baskets instead of Innova baskets. So mixups should be few and far between. There are several unique pin positions that force you to play over a hill to reach the pin. These are all well marked with flags on top of the pin. Deerfield has a few longer holes, but for the most part they'll run from 250' to 400' and be fairly tight so bring your precision game and enjoy. If you're passing through the area you need to try both Deerfield and Wildwood. If you live in the area and haven't played these courses, why the heck not? Get out there! :~D

Edit 2/16/14: After playing here last summer this was the course I found myself comparing all others to, and as winter has dragged on, this is the course I find myself most looking forward to of getting back out on. It may not have all the elements to make it a 5 star course, but it's definitely the most all around enjoyable course I've played to date.

Edit 9/2/14: Upped rating by 1/2 point. This is the best course I've played outside of Flip City, and I want it's rating to reflect this.
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6 0
BogeyNoMore
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.8 years 479 played 183 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Gem of a course 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 4, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Quality course with plenty of eye appeal in a nice, clean, well maintained park. Course is located in a section of the park that seems dedicated to disc golf... for the most part.
• Dual concrete tees provide significantly different looks rather than just longer/shorter versions of the same hole
• Good shot variety with a nice mix of fairway shapes and distances. Mostly well wooded with a few open shots. Well-conceived water carry on 14 may not be all that far, but wind can definitely be a factor. Course offers quite a few risk/reward opportunities.
• Elevation: course is draped over rolling terrain. Most holes feature significant changes from tee to basket. Absent any truly monster hills or drops, elevation is an ever-present factor on the first 11 holes or so. Course flattens out a bit toward the end.
• Flags and such employed to help locate the pin on holes where elevation obscures the basket.
• Innova Disctatchers distinguish the original Deerfield holes from the Wildwood course (which overlaps much of the same section of the park). They're easy to find in the woods and help eliminate confusion as to which basket to play to.
• Mostly a technical course, but not quite to the extent of Wildwood. While there are plenty of tight fairways requiring finesse, Deerfield features a few long holes that are relatively (but far from completely) open, allowing you to air it out a bit. Other holes feel a bit more open off the tee, but have well-guarded pins or well-placed trees to keep you honest, but there's no shortage of holes where tree love will come in handy.
• Good signage: color coded tee markers (yellow for longs, red for shorts) provide hole #, distance and par. Abundant use of "Next Tee" signs keep you moving in the right direction. First course I've ever played with signage cautioning you to watch for Poison Ivy.
• Interesting use of timbers, rocks and other materials to intelligently combat soil erosion to keep course looking/playing better for longer.
• Nice benches located all along the course - present on many (if not most) holes.
• Sections of the course provide nice stretches of shade on hot summer days.
• Another quality course on site - more "ching" for your park admission buck.
• Vault toilets located just after tee off on 18, near parking - no running water but it's there should you need to card a deuce.

Cons:

• Shares much of the same land as the Wildwood course, with several tees for both courses located near each other. Bound to be confusing for visitors, but a lot of thought went into avoiding what could have been a complete navigation nightmare. See other thoughts for more on this.
• Some relatively long walks connecting a few holes. Not really all that bad, but most are fairly short, so the longer ones tend to stick out. Walked over to a few of Wildwood's tees only to realize I wasn't where I wanted to be.
• Hole 2 plays near a volleyball pit - could definitely be a problem if it's being used.
• Not saying tee markes need a overhead map, but a directional arrow would be nice on blind holes.
• Poison Ivy's always a con (even when they put up signs to warn you of it).

Other Thoughts:

Much of Wildwood weaves in and around holes from Deerfield's original course. This has the potential to be a directional dilemma, however, they've done quite a lot to help make the best of this situation:
•Map (available when you pay to enter the park) clearly shows layout of both courses (green for Deefield/Original, brown for Wildwood), so you can see the relative positions of each set of tees at the same time.
• If the front of the tee says "Wildwood" then it's the wrong tee.
• Different color tee markers for the two courses.
• Different basket types (Chainstar/Innova) help establish whether you're playing the hole as intended.

Deerfield Original really is a gem of a course and accommodating to players of all skill levels. Nice setting to play quiet, peaceful round. While both courses are great in their own right, I think Deerfield Original is better balanced in terms of overall shot variety and fairway type, hence I think it earns a 4 disc rating.

$6 a day /car is a bit steep for a single person playing one round, but pretty reasonable for two 18 hole courses. It's a downright bargain if you have some people in the car with you - several parks I've visited charge more.
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4 1
apdrvya
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 13.9 years 350 played 293 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 30, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Aesthetic- Beautiful park. Multi-use park but most of the area where disc golf is, it's exclusive. In some areas some sand volleyball courses are in play.

Teepads- Dual pads per hole (except #1?) offering unique looks at each basket. there are some places where the shorts are way more forgiving than the longs and vice versa

Routing-- super easy, no map required. enough "next tee" signs to choke a clown ( please choke a clown! they're creepy!!) Paths are nicely worn in the event of signs missing but there are many many access roads that cris-cross this property that could make it extremely trick to navigate here... there are a few baskets that could use maps to know where to throw (#2 comes to mind)

Baskets-- Innova baskets, nicely visible in the woods with flags where it could be tricky.

Teesigns-- nicely present on all holes but no maps. could use maps in a lot of places where the throw is blind.

Cons:

Risk v Reward- there is risk v reward here but it's mainly in the form of thick thick shule truly punishing errant throws. Keep track of where you're throwing or pay the price!!

Rough-- VERY VERY thick and punishing.

Variety-- someone compared this course to flip city. I have to laugh as these courses are NOTHING alike. I would agree however that this course is very reminiscent of Branstrom in Fremont (Bill designed as well). I do question some of the lengths on the teesigns as being inaccurate though. I would strongly prefer there to be more open holes like #5.

Other Thoughts:

Got a chance to look at the "wildwood" course which intertwines with the original course. I kind of find it odd that the courses are concurrant rather than separate but time will tell. the course looks pretty sweet. the pads are in and the fairways are roughed in but no baskets are in.
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6 0
apparition
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.1 years 47 played 39 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Brings a tear to Bilbo Baggins' eye 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 6, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

+ Accuracy is more important than distance, however both are needed on many holes; likely challenges every skill level
+ Creative design on many holes keeps your attention throughout; no holes are "duds"
+ Booming with natural growth: very tall trees, aged natural/planted forests, green grass
+ Some elevation changes also add an element of difficulty
+ Lots of "tunnels" (more like alleys)
+ All good teepads; all distances marked, even from AM tees
+ Not busy on a Sunday morning
+ Cared for/maintained
+ No attendant to take our moneys :)
+ Ample parking
+ No ghosts
+ Innova baskets are easy to see, though block high shots, whatevs

Cons:

- Poisonous plant-life (clearly marked, but dangerous and scary)
- Buddy lost his brand new Teebird on hole 14 :-/, but still a great hole!
- Am tees seem to take a lot of the challenge out of the course
- No hole diagrams
- No directional signs (might be confusing for first-timers without a guide; I had help)
- Hole 2 volleyball

Other Thoughts:

**UPDATE**: Played here in the snow on a Sunday around noon. Wow, this is such a great course. Great shape and playable in winter. Locals were friendly including the sledders who got out of our way so we could drive on hole #5. I'm very excited for the second 18 hole course!

This is a most-memorable course for many reasons. I believe a lot of disc golf's appeal comes from the natural beauty and I believe the designers of this course preserved the forest's aged beauty. It was magical wandering through the trees listening to the dew drop from their leaves. The morning sun shown through the trees in the middle of the course in ways only a master wizard could craft. The muggles have done a good job of keeping this course on form.

Insider tip: Check dgscene.com's Talk pages for this course and the local clubs for possible events going on here. We didn't go one weekend because of Civil War reenactments because we saw the Doubles league had re-located one day. I also read that they have league course clean-up days. Very, very cool.

Keep up the good work Deerfield!
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3 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.2 years 1508 played 475 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Falls just short of the 4.5 disc rating. 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 21, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Hole #, Par, and Distance on the signs. This helps in navigation and shot selection. There is no diagram which is always a negative, but most of the holes are visible anyways and I think single basket placements.
2) Excellent effort on the directionals to help guide you around the course. There sometimes were multiple signs directing you to the next tee and there even was a sign pointing you to #1. This effort is appreciated by the travelling disc golfer.
3) Nice Innova Discatchers help with visibility in the woods. I think these are the best baskets for wooded courses because of the yellow band.
4) Very unique idea for a bunker on Hole #2. There is a raised mound, then behind that mound about 6-8' is the basket which is actually a depressed area and then on the other side of the basket is also another raised mound. Effectively you want to get your disc in between the mounds for a drop in putt. The top of the basket is not visible from the approach, but they do have a flagpole above the basket to help with location. It is a little different and some may call it gimmicky . . . but I think it shows creativity and changes up the norm a bit.
5) Although the park has poison ivy in spots . . . they also have signs indicating the locations where the poison ivy is. I think it is extremely important to make the public aware of trouble areas like this . . . although I hope they are working to eradicate the PI too.
6) The variety on this course from tight wooded, to moderately wooded park like holes and even a couple pretty open ripper holes. It is always appreciated when a disc golf course throws just about everything at you, and it is rare to find a course that has everything. This course even has the tough to find water.
7) Dual concrete tees allow for all levels of play. Beginners may struggle but it is a playable course for beginners to see what disc golf can be like in terms of challenge.
8) It's always a positive when I get a hole to throw a roller on . . . #18 and it curled back and actually did a complete 360 around the pole for a drop in deuce. Not every course has the hole for a roller, but this one actually had 2 holes.
9) The long tees really give this course more variety in the distance department, but because we had a long weekend of disc golf we decided to play the shorts. The variety was not tremendous in terms of distance because they were all virtually 1 shot holes, but they went from putter shot to mid-range to a handful of drivers. That is enough variety for me even though the distance isn't huge.
10) Moderate elevation changes on some holes. It isn't anything too extreme, but enough to alter your shots. It sure is fun to throw down the big hills.
11) You need to be able to throw all your shots here. There is a nice variety of discs needed and you need to be able to work the disc in both directions. Couple that with the fact that holes are uphill and downhill it is a true test of your shot making ability.
12) The park is a $6 cost for the day or a seasonal pass is available. This certainly seems to keep the riff-raff out. Fortunately no one was in the booth so we pulled in, I put $6 under my windshield wiper and a note saying no one was at the booth. Lucky for me, no one came to check for the permit and I got my $6 back, but I would say it is worth it if you have a couple people playing. Alone $6 might be kindof steep considering Flip City charges only $1 per round per person.

Cons:

1) Tee-signs are missing the diagram which I always find helpful. Sometimes it just shows you what the intended routes are, now you just have to figure them out.
2) Volleyball court is right in the middle of the #2 fairway. It could be dangerous if someone was using that area. Other than that the course is pretty solitary but this point is an issue.
3) Poison Ivy in spots . . . I know it has signage but I sure hope they are trying to eradicate it.
4) Dangerous in a few spots because of tees close to fairways or greens. These are things that need to be avoided in good design. While the spots aren't the worst I have seen, they still are worth noting.
5) The rough areas can be gnarly in spots. There is some underbrush in spots that really puts a premium on being in the fairway.

Other Thoughts:

This course was pretty special. It had a little of everything and it was fun at the same time. It was very scenic and beautiful and it was completely isolated from other activities (except volleyball on #2). I thoroughly enjoyed the course and am really happy we made sure to include this course in our plans. It is what I would consider a gem in the middle of the state, so if you find yourself nearby be sure to stop. I would drive a while to play this course though too, and the options of the long or the short tee makes it all the more enjoyable. I would love to come back and play the long tees, I looked at them and it looked like it would be a real challenge.
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2 0
acton1js
Experience: 4 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Deerfield Park: A Thrill a Minute 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 19, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Gotta say, this is a very refreshing break from CMU's sub-par putt-putt course. Every hole presents a unique tee shot, challenging you from tee to green. It will keep you honest, but at the same time reward well executed shots. The scenery is gorgeous; Michigan woodlands are some of the more beautiful in the country. The pay-to-park keeps some of the "trash" out and the experience more enjoyable for everybody. Number 5 is the holy grail in my opinion, nothing but 500' of grip and rip, right down a sledding hill. If you live in Mt. Pleasant, you would be a fool to not come play this gem.

Cons:

Definitely bring your deep woods bug spray.

Also, be weary of poison ivy, although the more dense areas are marked off.

Pretty long shot over water on hole 14, no shame in playing the shorter tee there.

Other Thoughts:

If you play after 7 during the longer summer days, you will not have to pay at the gate, although an annual pass will pay for it self really fast if you play there frequently.
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6 0
thesamiam
Experience: 17.8 years 41 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Worth the 1 hour 40minute drive! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 3, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

I wont bother to give a long winded review because a couple of other reviews on here pretty much cover what could be said. Especially helpful (IMHO) were BUCKETBONANZA with the great hole by hole description ( Ahhhh... I felt like I was still there)and SEANBLITZ25 with a nice addendum.

All that I can add is that we do an every other week travel to a course to play a new or favorite course in the area. After driving 1hour and 40 minutes to play this course, it will be added to the rotation as a new favorite. All of the tee pads are cement now and with the great variety of holes it truly was a great course and lots of fun to play. I agree with bucketbonanza that #13 is a bit ridiculous to play as a par 3. I think that is our own fault (as Michiganders) we always tend to want (at our own confidence losing peril) to play EVERYTHING as a par 3. I played some disc golf down South for a summer and they play the (actual) pars called out on the courses. Hole #13 IS actually called out as a par 4- 500 ft for the yellow (long tee)on the sign so....

Aside from that, the course was not very busy which made for smooth flow. Traffic that was faster, played through the larger groups and was out of the way quickly.

Cons:

The only thing I could maybe go with for a con was that the tee pads were quite slippery from being sandy and there weren't any brooms for sweeping. We just used our towels to "dust off" the pads when needed.

Other Thoughts:

To the disc golfers that like fun and challenging courses:

If you're in the area go play it.

To the fellow "travelers":

Go play it, its worth the travel time.
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1 3
ZdybelT
Experience: 12.9 years 55 played 16 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 7, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-elevation change is great.
-variety of holes.
-great distance shot.
-use of land and water was good.
-Not repetitive and different from other course.

Cons:

-poison ivy right near the hole.
-pay to play.

Other Thoughts:

It was a great course to play on. Nice for a wooded scenary with different elevation changes. Also if you go on a bad looking day you probably wont have to pay to get in.
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1 1
jcarter
Experience: 17 played 17 reviews
4.50 star(s)

awesome course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 6, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

this is an awesome course, every tee pad is up to date, trash cans on every hole, very easy to follow, had signs on where to go to the hole, great signage of distance, every hole was great. Hole 1 is on top of hill, was out of breath though, but was very good exercise. Baskets were innova. water shots were awesome, u have to have a long throw on some of the holes, but it is great to have holes like that. Bathrooms throughout the course.

Cons:

wow I just cant say anything bad, I guess the $6.00 fee would be my only con, we didnt have to pay bc no one was there to collect, but when we were leaving there was

Other Thoughts:

will be back when they have the other 18 holes up.
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1 5
Jeffro Skull
Experience: 14.9 years 115 played 12 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Spend the time and drive the extra distance... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 29, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a great technical course with a couple of long open holes to stretch the arm.
Park ran course but primarily a DG exclusive course.

Cons:

A few blind shots, so if you play solo keep an eye

Other Thoughts:

Great park & rec site, so bring the family and make a day of it.
Go ahead and knock me for the "piss-poor" review, but I like to keep is short and simple! ;)
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1 5
Gyro
Experience: 13 years 17 played 17 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 23, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Excellent variety of shots; distance, elevation, water hazards, and technical shots. Fun to play through twice using both sets of tee pads. Beautiful park to have a course in.

Cons:

Tee pads and $6 fee. A couple spots have a lot of poison ivy, but at least there are warning signs.
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3 5
ViolaBouquet
Experience: 15.8 years 17 played 2 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Have all of your discs 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 15, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great all around course. Every hole has two cement tee pads, and will test every one of your shots. What is great about the alternate tee pads are that instead of just moving you closer, many times it completely changes the direction of your hole. You can easily play 18 long, and 18 short for a great day of 36 completely different holes

Cons:

Nothing now that the cement tee pads are in!

Other Thoughts:

This is a must play if you are in the mid-michigan area
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11 0
BucketBonanza
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.8 years 47 played 30 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Don't Sleep On Deerfield Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 26, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Deerfield Park offers some great play and diverse terrain. Elevation changes abound and variety is abundant. Players have plentiful opportunities to exercise their shot making abilities as pin placements are well varied throughout. The course also makes use of a "true" water hazard in that a body of water must be traversed in order to make the simplest approach to a basket. Navigation is easy and directional cues are widely visible throughout as well as distance and directional signage at each tee. Two perfectly poured tee pads are present for each hole offering long or short starts to each hole. The course is well kept and clean, yet still offers a rustic wild feel that sets a great tone. Distances run between 190 feet and 515 feet with varying difficulty which allows most players to play within a comfortable zone without having to manage huge distances to make par. This course is a great walk and a great play over some fabulous land.

The first hole takes you on an uphill journey over a dirt fairway lined with trees to get things started properly. Two makes use of a blind hole with a severe dog leg right over grassy land. An American flag on a long pole reveals the position of a basket that is located in a depression past a volleyball court. The third hole is again a blind shot over one grassy hill and down a another. There is already great use of landscape right from the jump. Fourth hole is up hill and leftward again on grass. Quite a bit of variety. After a nice walk through a bushy labyrinth the fifth hole emerges and reveals a giant grass fairway and the longest hole on site. A grip it and rip it dream that caters to all styles as long as they include decent distance and a modicum of accuracy. So far, this course is greatly entertaining and wildly diverse! Hole six is another blind hole utilizing an American flag on a long beacon pole, again great use of hills. Holes seven and eight are your requisite tight wooded technical skill shot holes through narrow gaps with pines waiting to belt your shot into difficult positions off the open sand fairway. These holes are possible instabogeys and may cause the first hiccups in a previously smooth round. Nine is another valley shot similar to number five but more wooded and with a few scattered bushes to serve as obstacles on the way to a leftward basket. Ten is a return to the tight pine lined idea of seven and eight. Hole eleven is worthy of signature hole status. A great view and a 400 foot shot to the right over a ravine. Nice. Twelve is the first unremarkable hole on the path. A fairly simple hyzer with tall weeds being the only trouble. Thirteen is another longer style hole that allows a player to pull back and fire hard before commencing into a rather choked off corridor through pine rows to the basket. This hole gives you a view of the pond that comes into play on fourteen. Fourteen is about 300 feet over a pond from the long tee. This hole inspires a safety look to determine where a safe approach lies. The basket lies within pines about 100 feet from the water's edge. A great hole. Another worthy signature hole. Fifteen is another leftward shot that is open up front and narrows down into another pine forest. This course has great variance. Sixteen and seventeen are shorties through tight pine rows again with poison ivy adding to the headache. Eighteen leads back to the parking area and requires a RHFH sidearm shot to negotiate trees that block any straight path to the rightward bucket.

Cons:

Cons are minimal. I am hard pressed as a reviewer to find anything wrong with this course. Digging deep only dredges up the possibility that hole thirteen is an overly hard par 3 as it ends through a very tight grouping of pines after requiring a substantial tee shot and it is borderline unreasonable or unfair as some would say. Apart from this hole, skill will guide a player.

Other Thoughts:

This course requires a six dollar day pass for your car or an annual car tag. Disc golf is no extra charge, but be aware that you need cash to enter the park. I was greatly impressed with this course and I am surprised that more people haven't boasted it up because it is really solid. I wish it was closer to my home because I would be delighted to have the option of playing this on a whim. There were few people out there taking advantage of this great park. I appreciate that having to pay to play keeps riff raff out and the course is pristine. Play this course. It is worth a drive.
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3 1
Innovadude
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 25.8 years 235 played 180 reviews
4.00 star(s)

can't wait for real tees 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 10, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Epic hilly mostly wooded course with a few long open holes and a shot or two over/by a small lake.
Major elevation by state standards. New so it's not overgrown or too rough. Mix of hole types ranging from 200ft flick shots to 500+ downhill is nice.
Long and short tees.

Cons:

- Bad, large gravel small and packed in tight tee pads (soon to be replaced with cement*)
- RHBH biased, several holes don't have a lefty/sidearm route and/or shot off the tee due to trees close in front of the pad forcing an akward approach to the shot.
- Severe poison ivy on 3/4 of the last holes, complete with warning signs no holes should have been built there.

Other Thoughts:

With new soon to be cement tees it will be nicer.
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