-
Discover new ways to elevate your game with the updated DGCourseReview app!
It's entirely free and enhanced with features shaped by user feedback to ensure your best experience on the course. (App Store or Google Play)
Mill Creek reviews
13
1
donnyv
Experience:
27 years
45 played
14 reviews
That one hot chick that plays hard to get... 2+ years
Reviewed:
Updated:
Played on:Oct 17, 2015
Played the course:5+ times
Pros:
*This review (preview) is from the course owner/builder/designer. Slightly biased, but I'm also the biggest critic. I'll try to be as honest as I can. I'll try not to spoil the mystery of the course but will say that you'll really like the place. As of NOV 2015, the course will rate out around 4.25 for me since all the foliage has fallen off the trees. BTW, Hole 18 is awesome! Actually, holes 14-18 are my favorites.
Pros
Versatility ~ Portable and Privately owned. Mill Creek can be (somewhat) easily modified & re-routed for special events (or at the owner's need or desire) with portable tees and baskets. Baskets and tees are left alone for most of the season but can be changed upon course improvements or weather-related incidents. The baskets and tees at Mill Creek have also been used at public parks to promote the sport.
Challenge ~ Mill Creek is no push-over. She'll throw the kitchen sink at you. Choose from 3 sets of tees. Hardly any tee shot and/or approach will look the same. Even though everyone says it about every other course, you WILL be trying all kinds of shots on this technical course. Lots of mature trees will have you shaping shots like never before. Recovery shots stand out here as the thick and nasty are tamed back or removed for a better playability. Red tees are just tough enough for beginners. White tees are recommended for the casual player (900 rated or below). To play the Blue tees, you'll need to have the ability to shape your disc's flight. That's the layout where you'll be scrambling if you are not used to trying the tougher shots the better players can execute.
Variety ~ Hard to say if Mill Creek favors right or left handed players. All in all it's a well balanced course in hole layout/design. With multiple tees, routes and/or fairways for each hole, you get everything all at one place. Basket placements are interesting, yet fair, and the greens offer many different looks at the basket. Nothing really repeats itself here. Very unique terrain and holes for a little plot of land.
Quality Land ~ Finally, a good chunk of desirable land to work with. Nothing too extreme, just the right amount of woods, water, elevation and land to pull off a sweet disc golf course out in the country. You can fit in 27 quality holes on 30 acres without being too cramped. The piece of land is a true gem and leads to some good golf. Nice views and a clean creek that's in play. Dozens of massive trees pop out at you and are also in the mix. An awesome place to live and play!
Flow ~ To squeeze it all in and make sense, a ball golf course type of flow was needed. The next tees are relatively close by (but out of the way) to limit long walks between holes. The course loops back by the clubhouse and parking lot a couple times and is very convenient if you're short on time and can only play nine or twelve. Multiple loops and layouts can be used. Next Tee arrows and hole number and hole signs, benches, trash cans, etc throughout. Course has grown and updated tee signs will be installed this winter to reflect the upgrades.
Pros
Versatility ~ Portable and Privately owned. Mill Creek can be (somewhat) easily modified & re-routed for special events (or at the owner's need or desire) with portable tees and baskets. Baskets and tees are left alone for most of the season but can be changed upon course improvements or weather-related incidents. The baskets and tees at Mill Creek have also been used at public parks to promote the sport.
Challenge ~ Mill Creek is no push-over. She'll throw the kitchen sink at you. Choose from 3 sets of tees. Hardly any tee shot and/or approach will look the same. Even though everyone says it about every other course, you WILL be trying all kinds of shots on this technical course. Lots of mature trees will have you shaping shots like never before. Recovery shots stand out here as the thick and nasty are tamed back or removed for a better playability. Red tees are just tough enough for beginners. White tees are recommended for the casual player (900 rated or below). To play the Blue tees, you'll need to have the ability to shape your disc's flight. That's the layout where you'll be scrambling if you are not used to trying the tougher shots the better players can execute.
Variety ~ Hard to say if Mill Creek favors right or left handed players. All in all it's a well balanced course in hole layout/design. With multiple tees, routes and/or fairways for each hole, you get everything all at one place. Basket placements are interesting, yet fair, and the greens offer many different looks at the basket. Nothing really repeats itself here. Very unique terrain and holes for a little plot of land.
Quality Land ~ Finally, a good chunk of desirable land to work with. Nothing too extreme, just the right amount of woods, water, elevation and land to pull off a sweet disc golf course out in the country. You can fit in 27 quality holes on 30 acres without being too cramped. The piece of land is a true gem and leads to some good golf. Nice views and a clean creek that's in play. Dozens of massive trees pop out at you and are also in the mix. An awesome place to live and play!
Flow ~ To squeeze it all in and make sense, a ball golf course type of flow was needed. The next tees are relatively close by (but out of the way) to limit long walks between holes. The course loops back by the clubhouse and parking lot a couple times and is very convenient if you're short on time and can only play nine or twelve. Multiple loops and layouts can be used. Next Tee arrows and hole number and hole signs, benches, trash cans, etc throughout. Course has grown and updated tee signs will be installed this winter to reflect the upgrades.
Cons:
Cons
Premium Tees ~ While artificial and natural tee pads are in good shape and adequate for the lower volume of play, concrete is king for premier courses. Heavy duty artificial pads or concrete is a possibility a few years down the road. The opportunity to "move" the current tees does have it's advantages over permanent tees though.
Not Quite Finished ~ Yes, there are a TON of trees at Mill Creek. It might seem like I'm a Tree-Hugger or something. I do like trees and all but it's taken some time to weed out the good from the bad. Many of the pesky "in the way" dead trees have been marked for removal but quite a few are larger than one guy should be cutting down by themselves.
Also, only 22 out of the 27 holes were playable this year. I've only lived here for two years, and don't have a tractor, so it has taken longer to finish up the heavily wooded portion of the course. It's also the farthest from the house so it doesn't get as much attention as the creekside holes. This con should be gone by Spring 2016.
Since the course is still young, the character is not quite as strong as some older courses might already have. There still are distinct landmarks and characteristics that will set the course apart from the others and the course will most likely age like a fine wine.
Accessibility ~ Hard to find? Check. Owner needs to be there for first-timers to play? Check. Police called on un-expected and un-announced people showing up? Most likely. It's a course that also is at our home. We moved further away into the country to get the privacy we wanted. Maybe in a few years I could follow Flip City's model or even operate the course for a decent living. Until then, I'll soak up the peacefulness that God has blessed us with.
Honestly, I like to have people over to play and usually it only takes a phone call to set up something. I accommodate pretty much everyone, but I'm also a family man so I do have other important obligations to attend to sometimes. Not necessarily a con, just a little tougher to access than your local public park.
Premium Tees ~ While artificial and natural tee pads are in good shape and adequate for the lower volume of play, concrete is king for premier courses. Heavy duty artificial pads or concrete is a possibility a few years down the road. The opportunity to "move" the current tees does have it's advantages over permanent tees though.
Not Quite Finished ~ Yes, there are a TON of trees at Mill Creek. It might seem like I'm a Tree-Hugger or something. I do like trees and all but it's taken some time to weed out the good from the bad. Many of the pesky "in the way" dead trees have been marked for removal but quite a few are larger than one guy should be cutting down by themselves.
Also, only 22 out of the 27 holes were playable this year. I've only lived here for two years, and don't have a tractor, so it has taken longer to finish up the heavily wooded portion of the course. It's also the farthest from the house so it doesn't get as much attention as the creekside holes. This con should be gone by Spring 2016.
Since the course is still young, the character is not quite as strong as some older courses might already have. There still are distinct landmarks and characteristics that will set the course apart from the others and the course will most likely age like a fine wine.
Accessibility ~ Hard to find? Check. Owner needs to be there for first-timers to play? Check. Police called on un-expected and un-announced people showing up? Most likely. It's a course that also is at our home. We moved further away into the country to get the privacy we wanted. Maybe in a few years I could follow Flip City's model or even operate the course for a decent living. Until then, I'll soak up the peacefulness that God has blessed us with.
Honestly, I like to have people over to play and usually it only takes a phone call to set up something. I accommodate pretty much everyone, but I'm also a family man so I do have other important obligations to attend to sometimes. Not necessarily a con, just a little tougher to access than your local public park.
Other Thoughts:
Other
Upkeep ~ This is where the course really shines. Since I live here, I want this place to look like a million bucks. So far its looking great! Started from scratch and I haven't even done landscaping yet but I keep her pristine almost all year.
Amenities ~ Club house and pro-shop. Restrooms and shelter. Benches and chill-out spots. The list goes on... I'm not really into the disc selling business side but have a few discs to buy. Most of the Pro-Shop space is reserved for clubs holding tourneys here. Lots of space to stay dry and warm. Fridges for your cold ones too!
Parking ~ Since it's a home and not a business, only 5 spots are paved and the rest are grass parking which is only an issue during the winter or heavy rains. Fits 35 cars pretty good with overflow if needed.
Location ~ Secluded up-north feel with only being partially "up north" and the beautiful Mill Creek borders the property. Unique topo for St. Clair County. Slightly hilly (more rolling hills) and a few ravines. Hard to find in this area of mostly Michigan farmland. The land already has an epic feel to it that should only improve with time. Definitely worth the drive.
More pics and info here on DGCR...
or maybe
FB just type in Mill Creek, MI or something...
or try...
http://www.discgolfscene.com/...es/Mill_Creek
You can shoot me a text with who you are and how many want to play and we can get a tee time for ya. I just ask that the address remains PRIVATE and is not to be posted on the internet. Its for the best interest of the course as a whole to remain private. It's our home too
other reviews/ratings...
http://www.discgolfscene.com/...Creek/reviews
UPDATE: I had to change the course up a bit so it might take a little while to get used to new layout. I prefer old layout and flow but it is what it is. Still a pretty good course.
Upkeep ~ This is where the course really shines. Since I live here, I want this place to look like a million bucks. So far its looking great! Started from scratch and I haven't even done landscaping yet but I keep her pristine almost all year.
Amenities ~ Club house and pro-shop. Restrooms and shelter. Benches and chill-out spots. The list goes on... I'm not really into the disc selling business side but have a few discs to buy. Most of the Pro-Shop space is reserved for clubs holding tourneys here. Lots of space to stay dry and warm. Fridges for your cold ones too!
Parking ~ Since it's a home and not a business, only 5 spots are paved and the rest are grass parking which is only an issue during the winter or heavy rains. Fits 35 cars pretty good with overflow if needed.
Location ~ Secluded up-north feel with only being partially "up north" and the beautiful Mill Creek borders the property. Unique topo for St. Clair County. Slightly hilly (more rolling hills) and a few ravines. Hard to find in this area of mostly Michigan farmland. The land already has an epic feel to it that should only improve with time. Definitely worth the drive.
More pics and info here on DGCR...
or maybe
FB just type in Mill Creek, MI or something...
or try...
http://www.discgolfscene.com/...es/Mill_Creek
You can shoot me a text with who you are and how many want to play and we can get a tee time for ya. I just ask that the address remains PRIVATE and is not to be posted on the internet. Its for the best interest of the course as a whole to remain private. It's our home too
other reviews/ratings...
http://www.discgolfscene.com/...Creek/reviews
UPDATE: I had to change the course up a bit so it might take a little while to get used to new layout. I prefer old layout and flow but it is what it is. Still a pretty good course.
