Hart Hydro DGC is located a short drive south of Ludington, MI. It plays near the Hart Lake hydroelectric dam. There are nice views of the lake to be had throughout the course.

The infrastructure here is quite good. The Chainstar baskets are in fine condition. The teepads are flat concrete slabs. The tee signs are adequate - showing the hole number with distance, par, and a line. There are trash cans and benches scattered around. There is a nice map posted at the first tee, and a box next to it with high-quality scorecards and pencils available. There is a porta potty at the parking lot. Clear Next Tee signs are posted throughout the course. My favorite signs, though, are large hole numbers posted on the tee posts, oriented in the direction you are approaching from. For example, between holes 8 and 9 there are the usual Next Tee signs, but there is also a large #9 affixed to the side of that hole's tee sign that you can see as you walk down the steep slope towards the pad, reassuring you that you are headed in the right direction and won't have to backtrack up the hill. This is a really nice touch that I wish more courses had.

As you might expect near a dam, the terrain here is bumpy and there are some significant elevation changes. The number of open downhill tosses is significantly higher than you would find on the average Michigan course. There are a couple of very interesting holes. Hole 12 is one that tees off from the top of a steep hill, and this one next to the dam. The river below the dam is on your right and there is open grass to your left (and on the slope of the hill). About 250' into the 350' hole, the fairway narrows into a smallish path that winds through some bushes to the basket. Big arms might be able to bomb a well-placed tee shot over the bushes and get down for a birdie. Unfortunately, I had to intentionally shank my drive off to the left a bit as there were multiple fisherman at the river bank.

I also liked hole 7 a lot. This one is only 210' and flattish, but it curls sharply left with thick trees on the left side of the fairway. The right side of the fairway is open, but it slopes downward. The tee faces the lake, although that lake is too far away to come into play. The basket is perched on the edge of the hill, with an even steeper slope behind it. When I visited, there was a strong wind blowing off the lake. I had a decent enough tee shot into the wind, but left my approach a little short. I decided to try to throw in from about 20' out for par. The wind gusted just as I threw and my disc sailed past the basket and rolled all the way down the hill. It took me two more throws just to get back within putting range in the wind, then I proceeded to miss again. Yes, I'm not ashamed to say I five-putted the hole! And I still enjoyed it!

Out of almost 100 courses played, this one probably makes it onto DFrah's safety podium of shame. In other words, there are a LOT of serious safety issues here!! As documented by other reviewers, some of the most egregious are:
- Hole 13 and hole 14 play up and down literally the same fairway. And it's blind. And that fairway is a decaying one lane cement road cut into a hillside.
- Holes 10 and 15 have crossing fairways.
- Hole 4's basket is basically in hole 5's fairway.
- Baskets 9 and 17 are easily in play from hole 8's tee.
- Hidden off to the left of hole 5 is a very steep downhill. It's steep enough, and close enough to the fairway, that I think they need to cut some steps in to help people safely retrieve their discs.
- To reach hole 16 from hole 15, you have to walk through hole 8's basket area. In the summer, people at hole 8's tee pad will not be able to see you.

Other holes play over and around a walking path.

Even where the layout is safe, it is convoluted. There are lots of long walks between holes. After playing hole 12 as described above, you have to backtrack and walk all the way back to the tee, up the steep hill, THEN turn left and walk across the dam, to find hole 13, which again is a terrible hole anyway. Kind of negates any fun vibe you got from playing hole 12.

Distances are pretty short (only three holes above 300', and all of those play downhill).

Several holes are wide open with few to no obstacles between tee and basket. And on the flip side, some of the wooded holes are ludicrously tight. It will take more luck than skill to reach the basket on holes 8 and 9.

Between the steep hills and all the long walks between holes, this course is a workout!

As I can personally attest to, wind can be a MAJOR factor here with the course's location right on the lake and many holes directly exposed to it.

This is another one of those 18-hole courses that maybe would have been better as a 9-holer. There is some interesting terrain here, and it could be used to create a safe layout that still retains some challenging holes.

Even with the great infrastructure, there are too many safety/layout issues for me to recommend this one to anyone but the most serious of baggers (I guess I have to count myself as one of those baggers after reading wolfhaley's review - literally titled "Don't Even Bother" - and still, well, bothering). Hopefully, those baggers can visit at a time where few to no other disc golfers are trying to play. I was fortunate to visit at such a time, and have to admit I kind of enjoyed my round here. Sort of. I would love to say I'm planning on returning and redeeming myself from five-putting #7...but it probably isn't going to happen. There are plenty of better courses, and even a few world-class courses, within a short drive.

Hart Hydro DGC plays along the damn in a nice little section of the park. Seems to be mostly disc golf exclusive except for the trail along the lake.

The baskets are Chainstars that are in excellent condition and catch great. One pin position per hole.

The tee pads are all concrete or asphalt. The asphalt ones are fine. Not the greatest, especially on holes 13 and 14. The other pads are excellent. Pretty large, I'd say standard to above average size. These are really well done. One tee pad per hole.

The signs are nothing special, but are actually probably the best out of any course in the general area. They have the hole #, distance and an arrow showing the basic shape of the hole.

Mix of open and wooded holes. Elevation used nicely. Course is free to play and permanent.

Where to begin.

Let's start with the course design. There is some good space to put a disc golf course in here. No doubt about it. However, 18 holes is WAY too many here. You could make a really solid 9 hole course, even a 12 probably. The safety issues are ridiculous. Holes 2,3,4,5 and 6 all practically play on top of each other. Same with 10,11,12 and 15. Oh yeah, and 13 and 14 share the same fairway. And each tee is blind from the other tee. Did I miss any? Probably.

Oh and the 3 holes in the wooded section also play practically on top of each other. Any tree kick on these three has a great chance of careening into an adjacent fairway.

I wasn't a huge fan of the cliffsides right off the fairways of 5 and 13. They're almost vertical drops. And there's no indication warning you of hole 5's, which is just into the woodline on the left. I got a bad tree kick to the right on 13. Of course it slid halfway down the cliff. Trying to retreive it, I had the stump above me give way and roll down into the back of my knee. Fun!

Holes 13 and 14 are just an abomination of course design. Hole 13 plays blind, uphill on an old road/walking path. Hole 14 does the same thing just backwards. Just awful.

Easy to lose a disc in a few spots. Basically any of the brush along the outskirts of the wooded holes. Most notably holes 7 and 16. Especially hole 16 which is an extrem dogleg downhill and to the right. And totally blind.

I wouldn't recommend this course to anybody. I rated it a 1 (poor) based almost entirely on the equipment. Great tees and baskets. Literally the only worthwhile aspects of the course. One of the unsafest designs I've ever seen. Pick literally any of the other nearby courses if you need to play a round. Don't Even Bother.

The course was in pretty good shape.
Short holes for beginners.

Poorly marked
Holes are all pretty boring, no diversity
Course is mostly in the open, very hot
All the holes are very short and easy

It was a good idea to put a course in Hart, but it just doesn't compare to the courses around it. If you're a beginner looking to play a local course, however, this is a pretty good course.

- Brand new Discraft Chainstars. They catch great unless you're a 1000 rated pro with an inability to putt with a velocity south of 60 mph.
- Concrete tee pads are also wonderful. Finished with a broom to the grippy texture that everyone loves. Some may argue that these are a touch small but it didn't bother me at all.
- Ignoring the rather idiotic layout for the moment...I will say that the design of a few of these holes really impressed me. For example, #12 is a sharp downhill with a fairway that goes from wide open to very narrow and a pin placement that is really touch to reach. If that weren't enough, there's a creek on the right side that isn't quite in play but close enough to get in your head. I also loved 16 and it's crazy left to right sharp as all get out dogleg. 18, 7, 15 and 10 I also thought were pretty good layout.
- Its a scenic course really with the reservoir right there. With all that open space over the water I can see how wind will present an additional challenge to some of these holes. Also be sure to note on the map that it appears that 18 throws over a roadway. That is not the case. That is concrete spillway for the dam. It'll be pretty hard on the plastic but FYI nothing indicated the concrete pad was OB.

OMG...where to start...

- First of all, after all the courses in the world that have been installed I kind of assumed that people would have learned not to design courses that have criss-crossing fairways. Wrong. 10 and 15 cross...WHY?! Welp...there's reason #1 no TD is going to touch this course with a 10-foot pole for a tourney. Check out reason #2...It's pretty sweet!
- And here's reason #2 smart TD's will never run a tourney here...13 and 14 share a fairway. Not just happen to be next to each other but you throw UP the hill to the 13 basket turn around at the 14 tee and throw DOWN the EXACT SAME 15' WIDE FAIRWAY. And it gets better...Both tee shots are BLIND. Are you freaking kidding me??? I could be standing on the 14 tee and have no clue someone is standing on the 13 tee that I am throwing directly to. You could not manufacture a more silly safety hazard...I just don't know what in the world to say to this one. Both of these holes ought to be yanked and put somewhere else. ANYWHERE.
- The first 5 holes are bland and pedestrian. 200' shots in some tall-ish grass. Yawn.
- The #4 basket is WAY too close to the #5 fairway.
- Watch out for a wonderful tangle of hundred year old rusty barbed wire the end of the fence on #4. Yeah, thanks Hart Hydro, I had to get a tetanus shot today. >:-(
- 8, 9, 16 and 17...Welcome to the woods and poke -n- hope HELL. I'm standing on 9 and thinking, "I'm supposed to throw it 200' uphill and hit a 5' wide gap? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA guess I'm playing plinko...
- I like how the #9 basket is so close to the #8 tee that I think if you paint the putting circle for 9 the 8 tee will touch the circle. There is no good reason for this. Seriously.
- Then there's the hill from hades. Whoever laid this out obviously hates disc golfers or is a sadist with a penchant for unneeded aerobics. You go down the hill on 10. Then back UP on 11. Then DOWN and then UP on 12 because instead of putting the 13 tee sorta near the 12 basket - oh no it was put where you have to walk back up the 12 fairway and up the hill yet again because 13 is over the other side of the creek. This hill is the earthen dam that is holding back the water. It's probably 80' tall and at a 45 degree slope. Sherpas, while not required, are certainly recommended. And by the way, I'm not saying that my 46 year old knees and ankles hate you Hart Hydro...Oh wait, that's exactly what I am saying they hate you with a passion.

This course is wildly frustrating for me to rate. I just hate being the first to review this course and be such a debbie downer but hey, gotta tell it like it is. There are so many things that this course gets right and so many things it gets wrong - and I mean REALLY WRONG. For example, as I've already stated 12 is a great hole - if it's in a vacuum away from all the other absurdities. But with the back-tracking down 12 to go to 13 it really takes away the shine of that hole. And again, 13 and 14 have to be yanked right now. I just don't get with all the room to the north of the course why that wasn't used. There's plenty of room for 2 more holes there assuming the property line on the map is accurate.

And no, I'm not punching anyone. This course is just maddening and yet another reason that huckers on copious amounts of crystal should never design a course. Like, NEVER.