Eagle Rock Disc Golf is a 9-hole course that is located on the grounds of a school in Marquette, MI.

Given its location within the largest city on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, I did not expect much from this schoolyard course. In fact, even after reading the previous reviews I was thinking I could probably arrive ten minutes before sunset and quickly bag it before it got too dark out. I was wrong, both because the course flow is a little crazy (which I will get to below) and because it is a much more interesting course than I thought it would be.

When I returned late the next day, I was able to play a full round. The school grounds are wide open near the building, but most of this course plays in the woods to the north and west of the school. The terrain in this wooded area is surprisingly hilly, and those hills are used to create a few sneaky good holes of disc golf. There are large rock outcrops that define a couple of the fairways as well. My favorites were the last three holes 7-9. Hole 7 is a fun little throw that I estimated at 225'. If I recall correctly, it is a slight right turn down a gentle slope in the woods. Hole 8 plays down a surprisingly steep wooded valley and up the other side. I estimated the distance at about 225' again. The basket is perched on the slope, making for a potential risk/reward opportunity. Hole 9 is similar to hole 8, but maybe slightly shorter. Most of the fairways here are pretty tight - it will require some accuracy and shot shaping to birdie these holes.

The baskets are Chainstars, all in good shape. There are a couple of benches scattered around the course. There is also actually a little kiosk at the parking area, although it didn't have a map on it when I visited.

Plenty of safety issues here. Hole 6 plays directly towards the school, with the school drive right behind the basket then the building itself. The first hole plays next to a small mountain biking track that is on site, the "V-Boom Pump Track." What kind of a school is this?? The hole would be unplayable if people were using the track. There is a firepit next to hole 2's basket. On a couple of the later holes, the street could come into play if your disc sails well past the basket. A couple of the holes are pretty close together as well.

The distances are short. I estimated the longest hole to be about 225', with most holes in the 150'-200' range. Better DG'ers are going to be thinking about shooting -9 here.

The tee pads are small rubber mats on wood foundations. Some of these were in rough shape when I visited. The tee signs are just blue painted posts with the hole number. There were a couple of "Next Tee" signs, but the course flow is kind of odd so a few more would be an improvement. I also made a map and uploaded it here, that might help you. On the plus side, you do end up back at the parking lot after hole 9.

I did not see a trash can.

You should assume that this course is unplayable when school is in session.

This course was my final stop on a perfect early October Saturday that saw me play five courses in the Marquette area - Powder Mill, Old Town, Al Quaal, and Sawyer being the others (I had hit Silver Creek the previous evening). Zooming out a little bit, Eagle Rock also ended up being the grand finale of my 10 day, 2600 mile road trip discing and sightseeing in the UP and Eastern Wisconsin. The entire trip was a blast, and you should absolutely plan a similar adventure in this underrated area.

The 2.0 rating I am giving here honestly feels a little high. But I have to say, I enjoyed this course. It was not difficult, but fun and quirky. I was impressed that the designers managed to jam a 9-hole course this interesting onto the school grounds. If I lived in Marquette, I would be practicing here all the time. It is a fine option for beginners or students, as long as they step carefully on the wooded hillsides. If you are visiting the Marquette area outside of school hours, this course may be worth 30 minutes of your time. I wish my school had been this cool!

Challenge - this course is mostly putter shots, with some mids here and there. I didn't use a single driver my entire round, but still had to execute precise throws to navigate very very tight woods fairways. The little valleys and steep little hillsides are used to the best of their ability here

Quick - if you are strapped for time while in town, or just live in the area and only want a quick 9 - this is the place. I would be shocked if I spent 45 minutes playing here when I did.

Ace opportunities and deuce or die fun is the main draw for any player in MA2 level or above. You can shoot hot here and have a chance for a couple 1's if you're dialed in. Of course this is a great intro to woods golf for beginners with most holes being around 200 feet or less.

Decent tees, good silver Chainstar baskets in good shape.

Some pretty things too look at, like the giant boulder on the side of the fairway on hole 1, and the little valleys and mini cliffs around holes 8 and 9.

Upkeep - while alot of this course is just dirt and some bushes, there are a few holes where there is grass growing, and it hasn't been touched, AT ALL. Hole 4's basket was almost swallowed by thick grass over waist high, and the surrounding green was lush and thick. It is barely a 200' hole and it still threatens to send you on a scavenger hunt for your disc. 20 minutes of weed whacking could fix this, but it seems nobody cares. Hole 5 is in a similar state of fairway disrepair, but not as bad. Really tarnishes the overall look of an otherwise decent looking course.

Flow - I dunno what the heck is going on here, but the flow is miserable. It's like a spider web of holes branching out in all weird and random directions. You have to walk all the way down the fairway of hole 2 just to shoot all the way back up it. Many next tees are further away than the tees that are right next to the basket you played, which are for holes further down the line. Very confusing - there are a few next tee arrows but they are so small and easy to miss. U Disc is the savior for navigation here.

Cramped - all the holes seem to nearly crash into each other and seem very squished together in a weird asterisk type layout. 8 and 9 seem to break away from this trend though.

Hole 5 is another one of those "Marquette gaps" - it's barely passes, what in my head is the minimum width for a wooded fairway to be. Although it is a short mid/putter throw, it still feels extremely like you should just close your eyes and hope for the best. There seems to be one hole like this on every Marquette area course.

No teesigns - just a 4x4 post painted blue with a number on them. It's not bad - almost all the holes are obvious as to where you should be shooting - it's more of the next tee navigation that's the issues, but it still should be mentioned.

No garbage cans and there was some litter strewn about.

Very good for a fast spin through if you are crunched for time, but I would not make it a point to come here. I only came to bag a new course since I had already played the big 3 in the area multiple times, and while I had fun, shot well at four under par, and hit the cage on hole nine, I still feel like my time would've been better spent at Powder, Silver, or Old Town. But if you're with kids or just starting out in the game, come give this course a try, it's not bad even with it's rough upkeep.

Aesthetic-- Plays through a side woods/yard area of an alternative education high school. I would recommend playing on non-school hours as there was literally no one else around.

Baskets--Big Bright Banded ChainStars. Easy to find. Some holes were blind but the risk of disc loss here is minimal.

Routing and Nav--Easy, next tee signs helped. There was a little confusion at hole 5 (IIRC) because the basket is in the middle of the yard with no real route to the next tee

Uniqueness-- Starting with hole 1, this course reaks of uniqueness. Loved the blind throw over the giant rock on the first hole that I almost aced. Hole 9 over the swamp was fantastic.

Challenge--Man, for such a short little course, accuracy is demanded at most every turn. The woods are thick and the elevation changes add to the fun

Teepads--Flypaper. In good shape. A little slippy due to loose sand.

Proximity to the street-- This course plays extremely close to the street in some cases (Hole 9) and could potentially be dangerous for errant throws.

Great addition to the Marquette disc scene!!

Great use of the land and woods. This is a fun and quick 9 hole course located in Marquette Township/Trowbridge park. There is a map at the start of the course for reference.

A little awkward with playing through parts of the playground. The 9th hole goes over a swamp, with a bridge in the middle, a dangerous hole!

This course has a lot of potential, it would be nice to see it become another strong course in Marquette county.