Buck Buchanan Memorial reviews
11
0
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Experience:
19.4 years
316 played
302 reviews
UP Courses are Multiplying!
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 19, 2024
Played the course:once
Pros:
- excellent tee signs with large maps and all tee/pin combos
- dual pin positions with easily identifiable red and blue bands
- brand new DISCatcher baskets
- really cool terrain to play over with areas of significant elevation change
- Bad River and pond hazards come into play on multiple holes
- uphill and downhill shots incorporated
- lots of tight, technical wooded fairways make this course quite challenging
- good mix of hole lengths
- course area entirely devoted to disc golf
- course maintenance looks very good so far
- driving range with distance indicators by parking lot
- ample parking
- some cool/challenging pin positions on steep edges
- woodchips applied to the course where needed
- multiple practice baskets
- hole numbers on all baskets
- benches at many tees
- dual pin positions with easily identifiable red and blue bands
- brand new DISCatcher baskets
- really cool terrain to play over with areas of significant elevation change
- Bad River and pond hazards come into play on multiple holes
- uphill and downhill shots incorporated
- lots of tight, technical wooded fairways make this course quite challenging
- good mix of hole lengths
- course area entirely devoted to disc golf
- course maintenance looks very good so far
- driving range with distance indicators by parking lot
- ample parking
- some cool/challenging pin positions on steep edges
- woodchips applied to the course where needed
- multiple practice baskets
- hole numbers on all baskets
- benches at many tees
Cons:
- some rough is definitely still... rough
- turf tees are just ok
- some navigation aid signage would be a good addition
- a few of the par 4s here seem too generous
- missed opportunity to force more of a water carry over the pond around holes 9-10
- turf tees are just ok
- some navigation aid signage would be a good addition
- a few of the par 4s here seem too generous
- missed opportunity to force more of a water carry over the pond around holes 9-10
Other Thoughts:
What is the Marquette area to do with a lone 18 hole course on one side of the Dead River? Well, build another (perhaps even better) 18 hole course on the other side, of course! Buck Buchanan Memorial is a new course in Marquette that is already looking great and is a tremendous addition to the area. This course has multiple water hazards, large rock outcroppings, heavily wooded and technically challenging fairways, and long distances. Wide open holes are in shorter supply, but there are a couple of more open shots throughout the course.
There are so many ways to play this course given the dual tee pads and dual pins, which are both populated. I played long tees to short baskets (blue to red), as red tees to either basket seemed pretty short. It's great that there are options for ANY skill level in terms of distance here. Regardless, it's going to be a tougher round due to the level of technical challenge. The turf tees are ok; for a course of this caliber I'd kind of expect concrete, but for the moment the turf is brand new and level.
After early water hazards playing along the Bad River, the middle of the course has some really cool terrain, throwing up and then down a large rocky incline. This is followed by throws near a large pond and wetland area, and this is where the rough was pretty brutal. On hole 11 you have to throw a straight dagger of a shot down a narrow fairway, or throw to your right out over the water and fade back. This is one of many tough shots on the course.
There are some legitimate par 4s here, but definitely some holes where par is a bit generous. There are shorter holes where birdie opportunities are available too; it's not all brutally punishing, but you will be challenged on most holes.
Right now, next tee navigation is in the form of pink tape wrapped around trees to point you in the right direction. This worked well enough but won't hold up long term. Putting in some permanent next tee signage would help elevate this course towards the 4.5 territory.
The amenities are pretty top notch here; I've only been to a few courses with driving ranges, and there is a huge course sign with a great map, plus benches, dual tees and dual pins, multiple practice baskets, etc. This does seem to be one of the busier courses in the Marquette area so be aware it could get slightly crowded later in the day and on weekends.
This was a really hard course for me to score. I probably have it around a 4.25, but I'm not sure it's QUITE at the level of some of the 4.5s I have played. It is a phenomenal course, and I think the 4.0 is a bit harsh. If you are in this area you should definitely make a point of playing this one. I opted for Old Town and this course over Powder Mill and they were both fantastic. If you have the time, Powder Mill is right across the river so there's lots of disc golf to be had.
If you are passing through the area, it would be a mistake to skip playing this course. It is one of the best courses I played in the Marquette area with beautiful scenery and lots of fun. While there is elevation change, most of the major changes are on a few specific holes so it is not really punishing in terms of physical exertion. Definitely worth the time to play and right in the Marquette area, near Presque Isle Park and other attractions.
There are so many ways to play this course given the dual tee pads and dual pins, which are both populated. I played long tees to short baskets (blue to red), as red tees to either basket seemed pretty short. It's great that there are options for ANY skill level in terms of distance here. Regardless, it's going to be a tougher round due to the level of technical challenge. The turf tees are ok; for a course of this caliber I'd kind of expect concrete, but for the moment the turf is brand new and level.
After early water hazards playing along the Bad River, the middle of the course has some really cool terrain, throwing up and then down a large rocky incline. This is followed by throws near a large pond and wetland area, and this is where the rough was pretty brutal. On hole 11 you have to throw a straight dagger of a shot down a narrow fairway, or throw to your right out over the water and fade back. This is one of many tough shots on the course.
There are some legitimate par 4s here, but definitely some holes where par is a bit generous. There are shorter holes where birdie opportunities are available too; it's not all brutally punishing, but you will be challenged on most holes.
Right now, next tee navigation is in the form of pink tape wrapped around trees to point you in the right direction. This worked well enough but won't hold up long term. Putting in some permanent next tee signage would help elevate this course towards the 4.5 territory.
The amenities are pretty top notch here; I've only been to a few courses with driving ranges, and there is a huge course sign with a great map, plus benches, dual tees and dual pins, multiple practice baskets, etc. This does seem to be one of the busier courses in the Marquette area so be aware it could get slightly crowded later in the day and on weekends.
This was a really hard course for me to score. I probably have it around a 4.25, but I'm not sure it's QUITE at the level of some of the 4.5s I have played. It is a phenomenal course, and I think the 4.0 is a bit harsh. If you are in this area you should definitely make a point of playing this one. I opted for Old Town and this course over Powder Mill and they were both fantastic. If you have the time, Powder Mill is right across the river so there's lots of disc golf to be had.
If you are passing through the area, it would be a mistake to skip playing this course. It is one of the best courses I played in the Marquette area with beautiful scenery and lots of fun. While there is elevation change, most of the major changes are on a few specific holes so it is not really punishing in terms of physical exertion. Definitely worth the time to play and right in the Marquette area, near Presque Isle Park and other attractions.
18
0
The Buck Stops Here, and You Should Too!
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Aug 1, 2024
Played the course:2-4 times
Pros:
Buck Buchanan Memorial is the latest addition to the Marquette, MI disc golf scene. It is located just across the Dead River from the existing Powder Mill course, in a large area dedicated to disc golf only. I had made a small online donation to support the construction of this course, so I knew it was coming soon. That said, it was complete luck that I happened to book a visit to Marquette the same weekend that the course opened to the public! This review reflects the state of the course at that time.
This 18-hole course has four permanent layouts available. Each hole has a long Blue and short Red tee, and a long Blue and short Red basket. I played the Blue tees to Red baskets on my first visit, and returned to play the Red tees to Blue baskets two days later. Having done this, I can confidently say that the designers did a great job with placing both tees and baskets to not only increase/decrease length, but also offer different challenges and lines depending on the chosen layout. The two intermediate level layouts I played felt like two different courses. The Red to Red layout looked beginner friendly, and the Blue to Blue layout looked tricky enough to challenge almost any disc golfer.
The course design here is mostly technical woods golf, with some nice elevation changes and water hazards mixed in. There is a great mix of different fairway shapes here, from sharp left turns to sharp right turns and everything in between. You'll have to shape your shots in all sorts of different ways to score well. Following the trend of other courses in this area, the wooded fairways can get quite tight. I thought they were all fair, but I could see those who prefer more open golf getting a bit frustrated. There ARE a few more open throws to help balance things out.
Some highlight holes are:
- #4 was my favorite on the course. This one starts next to the river, and although the river doesn't really come into play it's a gentle right turning fairway playing up and over a ridge for about 300' from the Blue tee to the Red basket. For those playing to the Blue basket, the fairway continues for another 100' or so across a small creek.
- #7 is one of the shortest holes on the course, but it plays sharply uphill in a wooded area with lots of exposed rock. Plenty of risk/reward here with the drop-offs near each basket.
- #8 is probably the most open hole on the course. This one plays up onto another rocky area that also slopes down from left to right. Playing to the Blue basket holds an extra challenge which I didn't fully appreciate until it was too late - there is almost a sheer cliff about 15' behind the basket with some thick brush and a pond at the bottom. My birdie attempt rolled off the cliff and I had to carefully scramble down the rocks to retrieve it. This is definitely not something I'd recommend unless you are very able-bodied and sure-footed!
- #10 curls gently to the right around the edge of the same pond. There is also another creek crossing (or at least a low-lying area) just before the Red basket.
- #18 is another one with both baskets located on rocky upslopes. What can I say, I guess this sort of thing stands out to me!
There are a couple of other water hazards not mentioned here, and great elevation changes in play throughout much of the course. The other thing I want to praise is the initial clearing work. The fairways here are already SO CLEAR. Usually when I think of a brand new course, I think that the fairways and rough might need a little beating in. These fairways are so well cleared that you'd be forgiven in thinking the course has already been here for years. There are also footbridges already built over the low-lying areas. Shout out to all of the designers and volunteers on this great work.
The baskets are DISCatchers that are color coded blue and red. The tee signs are the typical Watch It Bend style, with a satellite map of the hole, suggested lines, and all of the other required info. These are also color coded and appear at both the Blue and Red tees, giving the distance from the current tee to each basket. The tee pads are large, high-quality pieces of turf that are flat and well secured to the ground. I think these are perfectly fine.
There is a great warm up/gathering area at the front of the course - complete with a beautiful wooden kiosk/large course map, several brand new picnic tables, two practice baskets, and a driving range net. There is also an open field on the opposite side of the parking lot with distance markers for additional driving practice.
Navigation is decent. Currently, the main aids are pink tape on trees marking paths between holes. The general direction of the next hole is also pointed out on each previous tee sign, and of course you could take a photo of the map on the kiosk. It's passable now including a long walk between holes 7-8, but more permanent signs would be a nice future improvement (bonus points if the future signs also differentiated between Next Blue and Next Red tees when appropriate).
This 18-hole course has four permanent layouts available. Each hole has a long Blue and short Red tee, and a long Blue and short Red basket. I played the Blue tees to Red baskets on my first visit, and returned to play the Red tees to Blue baskets two days later. Having done this, I can confidently say that the designers did a great job with placing both tees and baskets to not only increase/decrease length, but also offer different challenges and lines depending on the chosen layout. The two intermediate level layouts I played felt like two different courses. The Red to Red layout looked beginner friendly, and the Blue to Blue layout looked tricky enough to challenge almost any disc golfer.
The course design here is mostly technical woods golf, with some nice elevation changes and water hazards mixed in. There is a great mix of different fairway shapes here, from sharp left turns to sharp right turns and everything in between. You'll have to shape your shots in all sorts of different ways to score well. Following the trend of other courses in this area, the wooded fairways can get quite tight. I thought they were all fair, but I could see those who prefer more open golf getting a bit frustrated. There ARE a few more open throws to help balance things out.
Some highlight holes are:
- #4 was my favorite on the course. This one starts next to the river, and although the river doesn't really come into play it's a gentle right turning fairway playing up and over a ridge for about 300' from the Blue tee to the Red basket. For those playing to the Blue basket, the fairway continues for another 100' or so across a small creek.
- #7 is one of the shortest holes on the course, but it plays sharply uphill in a wooded area with lots of exposed rock. Plenty of risk/reward here with the drop-offs near each basket.
- #8 is probably the most open hole on the course. This one plays up onto another rocky area that also slopes down from left to right. Playing to the Blue basket holds an extra challenge which I didn't fully appreciate until it was too late - there is almost a sheer cliff about 15' behind the basket with some thick brush and a pond at the bottom. My birdie attempt rolled off the cliff and I had to carefully scramble down the rocks to retrieve it. This is definitely not something I'd recommend unless you are very able-bodied and sure-footed!
- #10 curls gently to the right around the edge of the same pond. There is also another creek crossing (or at least a low-lying area) just before the Red basket.
- #18 is another one with both baskets located on rocky upslopes. What can I say, I guess this sort of thing stands out to me!
There are a couple of other water hazards not mentioned here, and great elevation changes in play throughout much of the course. The other thing I want to praise is the initial clearing work. The fairways here are already SO CLEAR. Usually when I think of a brand new course, I think that the fairways and rough might need a little beating in. These fairways are so well cleared that you'd be forgiven in thinking the course has already been here for years. There are also footbridges already built over the low-lying areas. Shout out to all of the designers and volunteers on this great work.
The baskets are DISCatchers that are color coded blue and red. The tee signs are the typical Watch It Bend style, with a satellite map of the hole, suggested lines, and all of the other required info. These are also color coded and appear at both the Blue and Red tees, giving the distance from the current tee to each basket. The tee pads are large, high-quality pieces of turf that are flat and well secured to the ground. I think these are perfectly fine.
There is a great warm up/gathering area at the front of the course - complete with a beautiful wooden kiosk/large course map, several brand new picnic tables, two practice baskets, and a driving range net. There is also an open field on the opposite side of the parking lot with distance markers for additional driving practice.
Navigation is decent. Currently, the main aids are pink tape on trees marking paths between holes. The general direction of the next hole is also pointed out on each previous tee sign, and of course you could take a photo of the map on the kiosk. It's passable now including a long walk between holes 7-8, but more permanent signs would be a nice future improvement (bonus points if the future signs also differentiated between Next Blue and Next Red tees when appropriate).
Cons:
There are already stairs built at a couple of steep spots to help with safety, like the path down from hole 1's blue tee. There are a few other steep spots that could definitely use similar stairs, such as the walk from hole 8 to 9. Some aid to get down behind hole 8's Blue basket would be nice too. I would definitely recommend wearing hiking shoes here and not bringing anyone who isn't sure-footed. Your cart is really going to be a burden in a few spots as well, although you could probably work around them.
Similarly, I was impressed that there were already a couple of benches built and installed at long Blue tees. I do hope that more benches are planned, including a few at short Red tees.
Other amenities that don't yet exist include trash cans, a porta potty, and a course sign at the road. Truthfully, this latter item would help both here and at Powder Mill down the street. I'm sure locals know exactly which of the several dirt drives to turn off of CR-550 at, but it can be tough for those of us who do not visit as often. The entrance to Buck Buchanan is the third right after the river, and the second right leads to somewhere that heavy machinery trucks were driving in and out of when I visited. I did see one of the small "disc golf flyings discs" signs at the correct entrance when I looked closely, but a larger sign would be a nice improvement.
The long walk between holes 7-8 passes pretty close to a high voltage power station. You can literally hear the electricity buzzing as you walk by. This is nowhere near in play, but a couple of Danger signs wouldn't hurt since I'm nit picking on signage.
Holes 13-17 or so are all pretty flat, and kind of blurred together for me a bit. It's not that these holes are bad by any means - they still have a nice mix of different challenges. But I just didn't think they were quite as interesting as the rest of the course. More a limitation of the land available than anything. Also - even though technical woods golf is my preference, I think a perfect course would probably mix in a couple of long and mostly open holes for the big arms to really be able to air one out.
Similarly, I was impressed that there were already a couple of benches built and installed at long Blue tees. I do hope that more benches are planned, including a few at short Red tees.
Other amenities that don't yet exist include trash cans, a porta potty, and a course sign at the road. Truthfully, this latter item would help both here and at Powder Mill down the street. I'm sure locals know exactly which of the several dirt drives to turn off of CR-550 at, but it can be tough for those of us who do not visit as often. The entrance to Buck Buchanan is the third right after the river, and the second right leads to somewhere that heavy machinery trucks were driving in and out of when I visited. I did see one of the small "disc golf flyings discs" signs at the correct entrance when I looked closely, but a larger sign would be a nice improvement.
The long walk between holes 7-8 passes pretty close to a high voltage power station. You can literally hear the electricity buzzing as you walk by. This is nowhere near in play, but a couple of Danger signs wouldn't hurt since I'm nit picking on signage.
Holes 13-17 or so are all pretty flat, and kind of blurred together for me a bit. It's not that these holes are bad by any means - they still have a nice mix of different challenges. But I just didn't think they were quite as interesting as the rest of the course. More a limitation of the land available than anything. Also - even though technical woods golf is my preference, I think a perfect course would probably mix in a couple of long and mostly open holes for the big arms to really be able to air one out.
Other Thoughts:
This course costs $5/round or $10/day to play. Fees can be paid online via PayPal by scanning the QR code on the kiosk, or I think there is also a cash donation tube.
I knew this course was going to be a strong addition to the Marquette disc golf scene, but on opening weekend it was already even better than I expected. I waffled between 4.0 and 4.5 rating here, and decided to round up because many of my Cons can be construed as a nit picking wish list. When polished it will be a 4.5 in my book for sure, although those who prefer more open holes will probably have it at closer to 4.0. For those who do not know, I have played every course in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (more or less - they keep popping up!) and this one is only the second that I have given a 4.5 or higher to. I don't think it quite has the jaw-dropping start-to-finish experience for me to give a 5.0, but obviously I strongly recommend playing here if you are anywhere near the area!
While I have your attention, I'll strongly recommend a trip to Marquette in general. This course and Powder Mill give 36 holes and 6 layouts of great technical golf that can be played without moving your car, if you so choose. There is a 27-hole course, and two other 18-hole courses with two layouts each, all within a 20ish minute drive - and all which I have rated at 3.5 or 4.0. Not to mention four decent 9-hole stops in that same range. Further afield, if you're willing to use Marquette as a home base there are a number of other excellent courses within day trip distance - up on the Keweenaw Peninsula, down near Escanaba, and a personal favorite of mine off the beaten path near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. If you're tired of disc golfing, Marquette also has excellent restaurants, breweries, etc. - and both Marquette and the greater U.P. have lots of great hiking, waterfalls, and other sightseeing opportunities. Come visit, and make sure to play this course when you do!
I knew this course was going to be a strong addition to the Marquette disc golf scene, but on opening weekend it was already even better than I expected. I waffled between 4.0 and 4.5 rating here, and decided to round up because many of my Cons can be construed as a nit picking wish list. When polished it will be a 4.5 in my book for sure, although those who prefer more open holes will probably have it at closer to 4.0. For those who do not know, I have played every course in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (more or less - they keep popping up!) and this one is only the second that I have given a 4.5 or higher to. I don't think it quite has the jaw-dropping start-to-finish experience for me to give a 5.0, but obviously I strongly recommend playing here if you are anywhere near the area!
While I have your attention, I'll strongly recommend a trip to Marquette in general. This course and Powder Mill give 36 holes and 6 layouts of great technical golf that can be played without moving your car, if you so choose. There is a 27-hole course, and two other 18-hole courses with two layouts each, all within a 20ish minute drive - and all which I have rated at 3.5 or 4.0. Not to mention four decent 9-hole stops in that same range. Further afield, if you're willing to use Marquette as a home base there are a number of other excellent courses within day trip distance - up on the Keweenaw Peninsula, down near Escanaba, and a personal favorite of mine off the beaten path near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. If you're tired of disc golfing, Marquette also has excellent restaurants, breweries, etc. - and both Marquette and the greater U.P. have lots of great hiking, waterfalls, and other sightseeing opportunities. Come visit, and make sure to play this course when you do!