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The Edge DGC reviews
13
0
"The Edge" of what?
Reviewed:
Played on:Jun 28, 2022
Played the course:once
Pros:
The Edge DGC can be found an easy 15 minute drive east of Ludington, MI. This 24-holer plays in the back of a combination park/campground, but stays so far away from those other amenities that you will only see them on the way to/from the course in your vehicle.
This course plays through two distinct environments. Holes 4-15 are cut through a relatively young forested area. These holes are mostly on the short side - only two longer than 270', and eight shorter than 210' - but are quite technical with thick rough off the fairways. If your tee shot doesn't land in the fairway, it will be tough to make par. In stark contrast to this environment, holes 1-3 and 16-24 are located in a much more open area and appear to be mowed out of huge bushes and stalks of grass. The fairways in this area of the course are often very wide and also much longer, with several of them eclipsing 400' (I feel that a couple of holes should be signed as par 4). The bushes/grass off to the side are thick on the ground and generally about 5'-10' tall, so you have to aim a bit upwards if you choose to bomb drives over them and (hopefully) watch your disc fade back into the fairway. You'll definitely want to keep an eye on your drives throughout your round here - and expect to take extra strokes just getting back to the fairway when needed. Overall, the variety and distances make for a round of disc golf that will challenge players up to an intermediate level or so.
The baskets are Chainstars in fine shape. One per hole.
There are a few trash cans and benches scattered throughout the course.
This course plays through two distinct environments. Holes 4-15 are cut through a relatively young forested area. These holes are mostly on the short side - only two longer than 270', and eight shorter than 210' - but are quite technical with thick rough off the fairways. If your tee shot doesn't land in the fairway, it will be tough to make par. In stark contrast to this environment, holes 1-3 and 16-24 are located in a much more open area and appear to be mowed out of huge bushes and stalks of grass. The fairways in this area of the course are often very wide and also much longer, with several of them eclipsing 400' (I feel that a couple of holes should be signed as par 4). The bushes/grass off to the side are thick on the ground and generally about 5'-10' tall, so you have to aim a bit upwards if you choose to bomb drives over them and (hopefully) watch your disc fade back into the fairway. You'll definitely want to keep an eye on your drives throughout your round here - and expect to take extra strokes just getting back to the fairway when needed. Overall, the variety and distances make for a round of disc golf that will challenge players up to an intermediate level or so.
The baskets are Chainstars in fine shape. One per hole.
There are a few trash cans and benches scattered throughout the course.
Cons:
As others have noted, the tee pads here (one per hole) are not good. They are smallish rubber mats that could definitely be slippery when wet. I didn't have any trouble playing on a dry day, and to be fair there are brushes at many tees to wipe them off - but I'm not sure if that would really solve the problem. I feel like I read somewhere that it may not be possible to pour concrete in this environment for whatever reason - but nevertheless, still a Con.
The signage is meh. The tee signs are the same "Ludington style" signs I have described in reviews of other local courses - carved wood posts with the hole number and distance plus some artistic touches, but no information on the actual layout of the hole or par. I also could not find a course map to refer to, so I walked up many fairways to locate baskets. Navigational signage is usually present where needed (same style as tee signs), but there were a couple of places where I could have used a few more arrows.
No practice basket, porta potty, or kiosk. There was a mailbox for scorecards at the first tee, but it was empty.
What does "The Edge" refer to? It's definitely not any kind of elevation change - the course is almost perfectly flat throughout. It's not the edge of the river - that is nearby but not visible from anywhere on the course. The only "edge" I could think of was the "edge" of the wooded area, where it gives way to the more open area.
A couple of the open holes have almost nothing between the tee and basket except for 300'-500' of grass.
This course is probably waterlogged to the point of being unplayable in the spring - or even after a heavy rain. I think that it's possible to visit and have "water" in play on three or four holes, but it was all dried up when I played. The most "memorable" hole for me was probably #3, but that was only because my tee shot landed in a low-lying area with thick cattails that I had not seen or accounted for from the tee - then I found my disc, thanked the dry weather, and proceeded to make about a 30' throw in from the middle of the cattails for birdie.
In the summer, this one could also be very buggy. The bugs were just starting to swarm at the time of my visit (late June).
The signage is meh. The tee signs are the same "Ludington style" signs I have described in reviews of other local courses - carved wood posts with the hole number and distance plus some artistic touches, but no information on the actual layout of the hole or par. I also could not find a course map to refer to, so I walked up many fairways to locate baskets. Navigational signage is usually present where needed (same style as tee signs), but there were a couple of places where I could have used a few more arrows.
No practice basket, porta potty, or kiosk. There was a mailbox for scorecards at the first tee, but it was empty.
What does "The Edge" refer to? It's definitely not any kind of elevation change - the course is almost perfectly flat throughout. It's not the edge of the river - that is nearby but not visible from anywhere on the course. The only "edge" I could think of was the "edge" of the wooded area, where it gives way to the more open area.
A couple of the open holes have almost nothing between the tee and basket except for 300'-500' of grass.
This course is probably waterlogged to the point of being unplayable in the spring - or even after a heavy rain. I think that it's possible to visit and have "water" in play on three or four holes, but it was all dried up when I played. The most "memorable" hole for me was probably #3, but that was only because my tee shot landed in a low-lying area with thick cattails that I had not seen or accounted for from the tee - then I found my disc, thanked the dry weather, and proceeded to make about a 30' throw in from the middle of the cattails for birdie.
In the summer, this one could also be very buggy. The bugs were just starting to swarm at the time of my visit (late June).
Other Thoughts:
This course is a little bit tricky to find. Once in the park, drive straight back past the campground office and through the campground itself. You're getting close once you pass the "Western Michigan Old Engine Club" sign on your right. When you see a "Feel free to spin your disc, but not your tires" sign, continue over the small ridge and down into the flat field to park.
The Edge costs $1/day to play, payable in a box at the first tee. In theory, this same dollar also allows for unlimited play at Leviathan and the three Mason County Park courses on the same day.
Unlike the other Ludington area courses, I wasn't impressed enough here to be able to partially ignore the poor signage (and in this case, the poor tee pads). Overall, I feel that this is clearly the weakest of all the options in the area - and should therefore be last on the list for visitors. This could be a common view among the locals too, as I had the course completely to myself on a Tuesday evening from the moment I arrived to the moment I left. The only thing this course really has that can't be found elsewhere in the area is the unique flora off some of the fairways.
All this isn't to say that The Edge is an awful course by any means - I enjoyed my round here. It's just hard to recommend this one with so many superior options close by.
The Edge costs $1/day to play, payable in a box at the first tee. In theory, this same dollar also allows for unlimited play at Leviathan and the three Mason County Park courses on the same day.
Unlike the other Ludington area courses, I wasn't impressed enough here to be able to partially ignore the poor signage (and in this case, the poor tee pads). Overall, I feel that this is clearly the weakest of all the options in the area - and should therefore be last on the list for visitors. This could be a common view among the locals too, as I had the course completely to myself on a Tuesday evening from the moment I arrived to the moment I left. The only thing this course really has that can't be found elsewhere in the area is the unique flora off some of the fairways.
All this isn't to say that The Edge is an awful course by any means - I enjoyed my round here. It's just hard to recommend this one with so many superior options close by.
14
0
Not Real Edgy 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 6, 2020
Played the course:once
Pros:
- Sprawling 24 hole course in the back side of a campground.
- Somewhat well signed. The tees are typically close to the previous baskets so no "Next Tee" signs are really needed. As a result, the flow from one hole to the next was not bad.
- Chainstar baskets all seem to be in decent shape.
- Really appreciated all the benches at most of the tees.
- 1 through 15 are a nice set of holes that can be a real confidence booster with their rather short nature. Many of these holes are very deuce-able for most Ams.
- The longer holes of 16 through 24 are kind of nice as a place to really get your bomb out. However, straying off the fairway in these tall bushes is highly unrecommended.
- Somewhat well signed. The tees are typically close to the previous baskets so no "Next Tee" signs are really needed. As a result, the flow from one hole to the next was not bad.
- Chainstar baskets all seem to be in decent shape.
- Really appreciated all the benches at most of the tees.
- 1 through 15 are a nice set of holes that can be a real confidence booster with their rather short nature. Many of these holes are very deuce-able for most Ams.
- The longer holes of 16 through 24 are kind of nice as a place to really get your bomb out. However, straying off the fairway in these tall bushes is highly unrecommended.
Cons:
- The rough in super duper rough in a lot of spots. For example, the left side of #8 is just stupid thick.
- Didn't care for the shed/guardshack or whatever the heck that building is on #2. Not a fan of manmade structures in the middle of fairways.
- The tee pads are unholy abominations to disc golf. These should never EVER be used. EVER. These are stupid slick rubber mats. Why anyone would think these are good for this use is beyond me. Tee off anywhere else other than the tees. Your welcome.
- Unlike other Mason County courses this place has very very little to offer in elevation change. The entire course is just super flat - but this might be a good thing for some folks.
- Didn't care for the shed/guardshack or whatever the heck that building is on #2. Not a fan of manmade structures in the middle of fairways.
- The tee pads are unholy abominations to disc golf. These should never EVER be used. EVER. These are stupid slick rubber mats. Why anyone would think these are good for this use is beyond me. Tee off anywhere else other than the tees. Your welcome.
- Unlike other Mason County courses this place has very very little to offer in elevation change. The entire course is just super flat - but this might be a good thing for some folks.
Other Thoughts:
This is the kind of course you can go to in Mason County to take a break from the other area courses. Much of the 1 through 15 holes strike me as a flatter version of Madeline Bertrand in Niles, MI. Then the course completely switches gears on you and plays in the rather odd mowed out fairways of 16 through 24. I have no idea what the 10' tall bushes are that grow on the backside of this course but you DO NOT want to land in them. It is instant jail and can be tough to get out.
I would love to rate this course higher. Much higher but IMHO the biggest thing holding it back is the lack of decent tees. These are just plain dangerous.
I would love to rate this course higher. Much higher but IMHO the biggest thing holding it back is the lack of decent tees. These are just plain dangerous.
