Midland, MI

Chippewa Banks

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3.235(based on 30 reviews)
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5 0
codeman1703
Experience: 11 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Would be one of the best if it was maintained drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 1, 2023 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- New Dynamic Discs Veteran baskets as of 2022
- Concrete tee pads that are a little longer than most disc golf courses
- New pin locations brought more variety to the course
- Great balance of forehand/backhand shots
- 300-450 ft range holes
- It's not riddled with mosquitos like other Michigan courses

Cons:

- Grass is always a little long (the city cuts the grass with a tractor and a brush hog and it's usually not often enough)
- There is absolutely ZERO maintenance when it comes to trees, bushes, etc. There are holes that have completely changed into something else over the years because of how unkempt the course is. Branches and trees are overgrown into fairways and almost touching each other from opposite sides of the fairway in a couple of places. The only maintenance is maybe picking up a dead tree after it's been knocked down for 3 years. This course would be phenomenal if you could actually throw, but some of the holes are so overgrown there isn't even a line to get you there.

Other Thoughts:

Midland Parks needs to come out here and just start trimming back the trees. It's out of control.
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2 0
The Meech
Experience: 9.9 years 82 played 6 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Bad maintenance = wasted potential 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 15, 2017 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-some interesting holes that allow you to throw fun shots
-mostly disc-golf exclusive. There is a walking trail that runs along the river, but it's almost always out of play
-easily navigable
-good signage

Cons:

-Unfortunately this course gets extremely overgrown in the summer and there is almost never any actual maintenance done except by local members who get sick of all the crap in the fairways. Lines can get almost nonexistent, and the amount of brush and hanging branches that ruin what should be good shots gets a bit ridiculous and extremely frustrating. The grass is almost never mowed, either.
-Rough is EXTREMELY thick and dense and there is far more of it than fairway. Very easy to lose discs here.
-The Mach 3 baskets here are probably the worst baskets I have ever played on. The model sucks to begin with, but add in that these things are extremely old, worn, and bent, and it often seems like good puts are more likely to spit out than stay in.
-The local alcoholic likes to bug players and ride his bike around in the fairways while people are playing
-Course is usually super crowded
-Some really bad hole design in a few places

Other Thoughts:

This really would be a nice course if there was actual maintenance done and it wasn't so overgrown all the time. Even in the fall/winter/spring when the foliage is down, there are waaaayyyy to many unkempt branches that just ruin what should be the lines at the hole. It just keeps getting worse, and until someone comes in and spends about a month fixing this place up, it's going to be a straight-up jungle in about 2 years. This course really needs to take a page out of the nearby Wickes' book. Creating actual lines about a year ago on holes that had none (cutting out spray n pray trees), filling in low areas with mulch and stones, and consistent maintenance has turned that course into a premier course when it was just a usual municipal course. The potential is here for for this course to make the same turnaround, but it's going to take some serious TLC.
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2 2
jmherman
Experience: 6.8 years 15 played 15 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Very good course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 14, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

I like this course. It's easy to navigate and well laid out and maintained. Variety of holes is okay and do provide some good challenges. This is a course I look forward to playing again to keep some variety in the courses I play.

Cons:

In a public park. Gotta watch for pedestrians. After a while, the course kinda seems to be the same old same old.
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5 0
apdrvya
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 13.9 years 350 played 293 reviews
3.00 star(s)

shaq needs icy hot, this place is cramped! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 20, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Aesthetic-- plays as part of a very large complex. area is dg exclusive but I'm sure that there are some non-dg'ers who will be around...

teepads--long and in great shape. concrete.

Teesigns-- wonderful, the best of the day by far. very colorful and even shows the basic layout of the next hole...

Baskets--older DGA's but in good shape. double chained.

Length-- I was shocked at how much dg was shoved into this little space. none of the fairways intersect or are even close to one another. crazy well designed!

Pin placement-- reasonable. I liked how a lot of the pins are somewhat buried in trees, makes the approach so much more interesting.

Length variety-- there is plenty of length variety here. short and long are evenly represented.

Cons:

Variety-- ho-hum after #7. there aren't any memorable holes... but at the same time, there aren't any throwaway holes here either. just not all that inspired.

garbage--a ton of garbage here. I'm sure with some more garbage cans, this place might be cleaner? but I'm not sure.

the stink of dow-- yep, this place stinks from the chemical plant. you get used to it after a while but is that really something you want to get used to??

Other Thoughts:

amazing the use of space here. I would be willing to bet you could fit another 6 holes here the way it's laid out!
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1 0
apparition
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.1 years 47 played 39 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Flat, straightforward, and getting better? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 3, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

+ Easy to navigate with the exception of hole 7/18's tee placement
+ Because the course wraps counterclockwise, it is a good place for RHBH and straight shots
+ Surprisingly the teepads are all intact
+ New course sign and tee markers
+ 18 full holes to play between Sanford and Freeland, so a good course to add in when playing either of those courses
+ Deliberate fairway designs with minimally rough OBs
+ Good parking and there's usually a portajohn on site
+ Open year round

Cons:

- Repetitive and unimaginative layout, not much variety
- Vandalism
- Flat, but not much you can do about that
- Buggy
- When it's muddy, it stays muddy for a long time

Other Thoughts:

Midland stepped up a little bit and revitalized this course with a new course sign and tee markers over the past year. It's a bit nicer now. This summer (2013) they did a good job with the addition of wood chips around the pins, though the grass hasn't been mowed since the spring (and it's August now). Disc golf can't be priority #1 for every parks department, though, and the important thing is that this is a decent 18-hole course in a good location. Overall, it's pretty typical. It slightly favors RHBH (like most others around) with longer hole lengths than Freeland, but it's more repetitive and I easily get bored here after hole 6. There are longer courses nearby, nicer ones, and all the nearby courses have better layout/design.

After a year of playing this course, I can easily say it's my least favorite course around. It's just a bit boring. It's also quite often trashed, unfortunately. The best part about Chippewa Banks, though, is that it's easy to navigate and a good place for RHBH beginners. The layout combined with the fact that the OB/rough areas are pretty forgiving make Midland a good stepping stone for new throwers from the easier but bigger course, Memorial Park in Frankenmuth to more challenging courses in the area (Sanford and Wickes Woods). Intermediate level throwers will appreciate a few of the better designed holes, but won't find much of a challenge and will likely get bored.

Thanks for reading!
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1 0
jon33jon2003
Experience: 11.6 years 9 played 5 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Loved it 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 17, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice layout, very diverse, challenging in different ways from hole to hole. Best course in the Saginaw/Midland area in my opinion. Guy set up at #1 tee selling new and used discs for really fair $$. No problems finding next tee.

Cons:

A little too quick and short. Signage not the greatest, a lot of loose trash around tees, tall grass can hide your disc when you fly just out of fairway on a couple holes.

Other Thoughts:

I played this on a weekday afternoon and didnt have to deal with weekend traffic, I can see where it could be a problem when the course is busier. First 7 or 8 holes where suited well for a right handed newbie like me and the rest were still very playable. Had a great round with very few negatives.
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4 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.2 years 1508 played 475 reviews
3.00 star(s)

A missing phone and a body found int he river. 2+ years

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

Pros:

1) Signs have Hole #, Distance, Par, and a map of the hole. Virtually everything needed for me to give the sign a thumbs up.
2) Very challenging tight and technical course. I always prefer a challenge over a simple walk in the park. You really need to hit your lines in order to do well here too.
3) There is a portopotty behind #1 basket, a picnic table by the first tee, a kiosk with information about the local scene.
4) Plenty of garbage cans around the course. These do not keep all of the garbage from being thrown around, but overall there are plenty of opportunities for people to toss their trash in an appropriate spot.
5) There are plenty of nice mature trees here . . . they may be surrounded by some less desirable trees and underbrush, but the framework of a nicely wooded course is there on some of the holes. There also is a good variety in the density of the trees.
6) Nice rolling terrain . . .while it doesn't go up or down more than 10' they use the subtle terrain changes well to make some fun shots.
7) Shot variety here is great. There are a couple air it out shots, some tight turning woods shots (both directions) and then the moderately open holes where you need to work around just a couple trees. You can pick your line on some holes and are forced to throw a particular shot on others. This leads to never getting bored with your shot.
8) Dual concrete tees on some holes are always a plus.

Cons:

1) Distance variation is somewhat lacking. Most holes are in the mid 200's to 300's. A few outliers, but no really short aceruns and many holes play about the same distance.
2) There are plenty of rough areas you really need to avoid. The underbrush can be punishing and can force you to toss out on occasion. Stay on the fairway if you know what is good for you, but some of the fairways are super tight.
3) There are a lot of worn out areas on this course. It is going to happen in this dense of woods, when everyone walks in the same place, and also at different times of year I would imagine the ground remains wet. Coming out of winter would be especially hard on the turf here as the frost comes out of the ground.
4) Vandalism and littering seems to be a common thing here . . . I even saw that at one point or another, someone burned down the portopotty . . . there was melted blue plastic all around the current toilet. Who would really want to smell a burning porto?
5) The middle of the course is a little repetitive because it is hole after hole of tight tunnel through a densely underbrushed forest. That is what the property provided, but sometimes it is nice to mix it up if at all possible.
6) This course is far from being beginner friendly because of the thick underbrush in spots.

Other Thoughts:

I hope very much that the person who lost their cell phone on the course wasn't kidnapped, raped, or killed. Their phone was locked and it seemed like it had been used for an emergency. I tried to unlock it, in fact I thought there was an incoming call and I tried to answer it but could not. It was just a little suspicious. I told a gentleman who was helping setup and tear down for a 5K race and I think he went over to grab that phone that we had left on the picnic table by #1. I have since done some research and found some stories about a missing person report that was filed eventually leading to the discovery of a body in the river. This is so eery, I am going to have to call the Police Department tomorrow to tell them of this strange occurrence. I guess it tells me if I am ever suspicious of anything happening just call the police immediately. I know in this case it wouldn't have stopped a crime (if in fact this is the same woman who lost the phone) but perhaps it would have helped them figure it out. I bet no one else has a story like this in their course review!
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2 1
ZdybelT
Experience: 12.9 years 55 played 16 reviews
3.50 star(s)

great course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Apr 24, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

variety of turns for many different shots.
has long and shot distance holes.
baskets well kept.
large tee pads in good condition.
easy to find your way around if you play more than once.

Cons:

sometimes it has trash all over.
large groups of drunks that wont let you play through.

Other Thoughts:

it is a great course to practice all kind of shots and the variety of holes is good.
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3 0
TheGame
Experience: 16 years 21 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 4, 2011 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very good course that has a nice variety of holes that will make you throw different. This course will challenge you and give you a few easy holes.

Cons:

Groups of disrespectful kids have dumped over garbage cans, destroyed the signs and the cages.Just last week some morons decided to remove the cage from hole 13. The course is constantly a mess. I have heard of people parking on the side of the road waiting for people to throw and they run out, grab your disc and drive off with it... luckily for them I have yet to see this.

Other Thoughts:

Thank you for everyone that found the cage for 13 and put it back in place. Its people like you that keep Disc Golf enjoyable.
This is a fun course to play... just have to go early to avoid the multiple idiots.
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1 4
pistons_fan32
Experience: 14 years 2 played 1 reviews
2.00 star(s)

ok 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 16, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

good varity of shots. vary fast couase

Cons:

not many signs and if there was any they sucked. dics always justt bounce out of the basket. they seem smaller then most. some holes run in to each other

Other Thoughts:

other then that good couse just need some tlc
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4 0
SAxDrc
Experience: 15.8 years 23 played 16 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 15, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

-good variety.
-nothing too difficult, would be a good beginner course.
-nice tee pads. maybe the biggest I've seen
-a local guy showed me a few holes and gave a bit of helpful advice. a group of 4 let my group of 2 play through.

Cons:

-lack of signage and some navigation issues because of it. without a local telling me where to go I probably would have started on hole 5 and then went from 6 right to 18.
-pretty easy. maybe 2 shots where the basket isn't right in front of you.
-trash all over
-I didn't like something about the atmosphere of the place. can't really put my finger on it but it was just lacking in the "fun factor"

Other Thoughts:

I can't really name anything terrible about it but also there is nothing that makes me want to go back. pretty average course.
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4 1
Dogleg2rt
Experience: 12.5 years 4 played 3 reviews
3.00 star(s)

No Boots Required. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jan 10, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- cement pads
- scenic views on the river
- forgiving holes up front
- no holes too perplexing or unreachable w good shots
- "Air It Out" holes in the back

Cons:

- signage mostly gone or destroyed
- only narrow fairway mowed, much tall grass
- trash prevelant
- many recreational users and large parties at peak times
- very unversed recreational groups in slow play and ettiquete.

Other Thoughts:

Course In pretty damn good shape, considering...
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1 3
Gyro
Experience: 13 years 17 played 17 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Watch out for the River! 2+ years drive by

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

Pros:

It had a nice variety of shots and was pretty easy to navigate the course. Good tee pads.

Cons:

It isn't kept up very well and a lot of litter was present. Quite a few shots that run near a deep river. If your disc goes in that, it is gone.
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13 0
deBebbler
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 28.8 years 75 played 34 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Barren Without Bloom 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 31, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Deft course layout. This course designer must have had a packaging degree. This is a small plot of land that could lend itself to crossing fairways and crowded tees for many trying to fit in 18 holes. Although some fairways run parallel to each other, the foliage provides great definition, and only one basket-to-tee path could prove confusing.

Surprisingly long distances. Half the holes are 300' or greater, and not one comes in under 200'. Cement tees help you make the most of your drives.

Accuracy required. The rough is pretty unforgiving, and full foliage makes for a lot of rough. On a few holes a shanked drive can (and probably will) blow through the brush and land in the Chippewa River.

Excellent blend of right/left and blind/open shots, with some very tight fairways included. Growth is a mix of large sprawling trees creating fat curving lanes with low ceilings, and groups of dense woody brush cutting off whole flight paths entirely.

Cons:

The presence of leaf-only vegetation means that this course is completely different before/after summer. I played it at the end of October, and I found it a very easy course. I could see how the foliage would make this course a challenge, but without it, it was quite a bore.

Replacing the shoddy dilapidated signage, and including some next tee signs in critical spots would noticeably improve game play.

No elevation. No direct water hazards.

Other Thoughts:

Given what land they had available, I can't see much to be done to improve the layout. The distances are fantastic, and you can make a 6 hole or 12 hole alternate loops if time is short.

There is another access into the course about halfway through the course. The parking lot to use is not clearly marked for disc golf, so I first tried to enter here. For the main entrance, look for the course kiosk across from the parking lot.

I really would suggest you play this course May-September only, as the lack of leafy bloom renders this course barren of challenge.
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6 0
toxicgolfer
Experience: 22.8 years 51 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 4, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

As many have expressed already, the course is definetly plotted out well to maximize the use of the land. The shot variation from hole to hole is nice and the trees throughout are sure to mess with every shot (drives and approaches alike). I was also glad to see that they at least attempted to use signage throughout the course (see my review of Tittabawassee Trail).

Cons:

1) As much as they tried to use signage, the locals have vandalized or removed much of them. This doesn't pose too much of a problem except for a few holes where the basket is hidden and the path forks. Also, after hole 6, if you don't pay attention, you can easily end up on hole 18. You must follow the path along the river instead. (-0.5 points)

2) The trash was pretty bad. There were only a couple garbage cans througout the course. Easy fix. (-0.5 points)

3) Lack of elevation changes. I know this isn't the fault of the designers, however, a "perfect" course would have a nice variation of this. (-0.5 points)

Other Thoughts:

This course was fairly well maintained and the foliage along the sides of the fairway were not too thick to find discs. I would suggest using a spotter on a few holes if you are playing with someone. However I played alone and didn't lose anything.

I also played at 8AM so I didn't experience the foot traffic that others have complained about.

Overall, very nice course with a nice atmosphere and not overly challenging. Also pretty easy to find. I would recommend it to anyone passing through.
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1 4
nik is best
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

pretty good course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 17, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

many differences from hole to hole and many, many challenges. fun time playing and a very beautiful course

Cons:

a lot of trash left from the college kids. you lose your disk pretty easily. a little too compact of a course for me
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0 5
midmittendgfiend
Experience: 19.1 years 9 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

wonderful course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 11, 2009 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

debatably my favorite course. its a perfect mix between memorial park in frankenmuth and in freeland so that makes it awesome

Cons:

trash everywhere. but oh well. they should just put more trash barrels at the holes.

Other Thoughts:

this place is just great
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1 4
JohnnyShoes
Experience: 18 played 5 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Oh The Locals 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 25, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Mix of long and short, left and right with trees everywhere makes this course challenging.

Cons:

Oh The Locals. There is a college near by, and a lot of the students have taken it upon themselves to dump over garbage cans, uproot signage and even the cages. The course is constantly a mess and full of mob golfers not letting groups through.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a hard course to play. But it is also a fun course.
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3 1
bigjohnd24
Experience: 16.9 years 7 played 6 reviews
4.00 star(s)

keeps me coming back... 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 15, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This course will challenge your game. There are trees practically everywhere, forcing you to make solid drives, approaches, and putts for pro par. A great mix of long straights and left and right doglegs. A very complete course for your entire bag.

There's also a guy who sells a great selection of discs out of his car some days. And usually, there's a bum who keeps the bottles and trash cleaned up.

Cons:

There are several opportunities to lose discs out here. I've lost the most on this course. A bad throw puts it in deep woods, deep grasses, and even deep water over the back of some holes.

It can get kind of busy during the afternoon to night and you get people wandering through the fairways sometimes.

Other Thoughts:

It's a great course that's fairly close to home. There's a party store about a mile up the main road that sells discs, too. Definitely worth a few rounds.
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2 2
Brentster64
Experience: 15 years 9 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 12, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very easy to find your way around. Tees are nice. Very well layed out and entertaining. Plus a bum that comes around and keeps all the bottles and cans up for you.

Cons:

Need to cut the grass more often and the mesquitos are gettin really bad. Go early cuz it gets busy. It is getting greener out there and is getting alot easier to lose your discs.
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