Michigan New Course Updates

[esdubya]

Bandemer Park in Ann Arbor just replaced the very old baskets (hand me downs from Brown Park?) with some new Chainstars. Just went in on Monday and they did a little course trimming as well. Wish they would have gone with Chainstar Pro baskets but will take what we can get as those old ones were getting pretty bad.

Poor decision IMO. Those early stage Mach 3 targets were a nice fit for Bandy.

Chainstars are hard to see in low light or dark conditions, they get darker over time. If you are gonna do it, at least put in some high-vis targets that have a color band on top, or powder coated metal bits.

 

[The Shide]

I just got sent an article that Montcalm Community College (between Stanton and Greenville) has put in a course. Looking at the satellite view it seems like there might be the possibility for a serviceable course there. Hopefully I'll get a chance to check it out over Thanksgiving.

https://www.montcalm.edu/disc-golf

Just looked this course up on uDisc & it's not there yet.

 

[davetherocketguy]

Sooooo I am travelling to Wixom on Saturday to pickup our clubs very first State berth. Wondering if anyone can recommend a good store to stop to fondle plastic in the area. I don't believe Discraft has a company store at the factory - do they? Anyways, I looked at a few on this site and then look up their web sites and FB pages and it's pretty hard to tell what kind of selection they have. For reference, I'll be coming there from the west side of the state. If nothing else, I may just stop at Otters Oasis in Kalamazoo...

-Dave

 

[davetherocketguy]

Silly 5 minute edit time...

Also I am meeting a friend in Kalamazoo so I'm also looking for recommendations for courses to hit up between Wixom and K-zoo along the 94 corridor as we go back home. Just looking to avoid courses that are closed or are otherwise exceptionally difficult to play in the snow for whatever reason. For example, the park in Albion is a decent course but lots of water hazards - not real interested in that lol.

 

[Future_Primitive]

For example, the park in Albion is a decent course but lots of water hazards - not real interested in that lol.

Well actually winter is a pretty good time to play Albion as most of the water is frozen. The river by 13/14 doesnt freeze, usually, but the duck pond (by 11) and big swimming pond (12) do freeze and make for nice skip shots.

Doubles league will be there Sat @ 10 am so if you play after them good chance pads are shoveled too.

 

[Future_Primitive]

From Kzoo down I-94, heading up 14/23, then down 96 to Wixom.

* Exit 147 Big Portage Lake (approx 3-1/2 miles from 94), short technical course ideal for winter rounds.
* Exit 4 off 14 is Bandemer Park (right under 14) 9 hole course with 3 sets of tees, lots of leagues keep pads shoveled.
* Territorial Rd exit off of 23 is Independence Lake, 24 holes with pads and park is usually great at keeping them shoveled.

 

[esdubya]

Sooooo I am travelling to Wixom on Saturday to pickup our clubs very first State berth. Wondering if anyone can recommend a good store to stop to fondle plastic in the area. I don't believe Discraft has a company store at the factory - do they? Anyways, I looked at a few on this site and then look up their web sites and FB pages and it's pretty hard to tell what kind of selection they have. For reference, I'll be coming there from the west side of the state. If nothing else, I may just stop at Otters Oasis in Kalamazoo...

-Dave

CJs party store on N. Territorial Rd in Dexter has a great selection.
Holdens party store in Milford also is great.

Independence Lake and Hudson Mills both play well in the winter, that's where I'd go..

 

[mball1684]

Holdens will be the closest fornsure. Great family owned party store with a very nice disc selection

 

[ru4por]

Holdens will be the closest fornsure. Great family owned party store with a very nice disc selection

Agree with this and Kensington is probably the closest course. Per DGS the shorts on Black Locust are shoveled. Thanks to Kevin VilleMonte. Though it might not matter this weekend.

 

[davetherocketguy]

So took the road trip today and stopped at Holdens in Milford. This was a good stop and we bought some plastic.

Then stopped at Big Portage Lake, played with some locals and guess what we saw in 40 degree weather...Mosquitos. Not just one. Many.

W.
T.
F.

This course is truly cursed.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

From Big Portage Lake's DGCR course condition section last May:

>>First, course appears to be in great shape. But the mosquitoes are ungodly now, bring 2 cans of bug spray if you decide to come here right now.<<

Then you see mosquitoes a couple of days after 48 hours of sub -10 degree weather in winter. I can't help but imagine the ones you saw survived the polar vortex just flying around and their descendants will soon take over the world. I welcome my new super-mosquito overlords.

 

[ejvogie]

Big Portage, mosquitos in February? Glad I've already bagged it...

 

[joecoin]

Big Portage, mosquitos in February? Glad I've already bagged it...

Not worth playing more than once?

 

[davetherocketguy]

Not worth playing more than once?

Had there been more daylight available and no snow I probably would have gone for a second round this past Saturday. But if the bugs are as bad as the locals say they are I'm not sure I even want to play it one time when it's warm. I also hear that the poison ivy and shule is unbelievably thick which is obviously hard to tell in the winter which is yet another reason not to play in the middle of summer.

 

[Future_Primitive]

Got to be part of "They" as we spent hours cleaning off the pads at Big Portage Lake, nothing worse than frozen footprints beneath inches of snow. Took a group of us to get them all cleaned up for the tourney on Sunday. Shoveling, salting, ice breaking, ice scraping and brushing them off.

Big Portage is one of those courses you are better off playing in the Fall/Winter, a short course with some technical lines to hit. Can be very rough in the summer with the mosquitoes and thick rough. Not sure what causes the mosquitoes to get so out of hand there but it is real and terrifying. Stopped by last summer for a round and never left the car, as soon as I pulled in my entire vehicle was surrounded by a million of them. Started it back up and left for Lady in Blue round.

 

[davetherocketguy]

Got to be part of "They" as we spent hours cleaning off the pads at Big Portage Lake, nothing worse than frozen footprints beneath inches of snow. Took a group of us to get them all cleaned up for the tourney on Sunday. Shoveling, salting, ice breaking, ice scraping and brushing them off.

Big Portage is one of those courses you are better off playing in the Fall/Winter, a short course with some technical lines to hit. Can be very rough in the summer with the mosquitoes and thick rough. Not sure what causes the mosquitoes to get so out of hand there but it is real and terrifying. Stopped by last summer for a round and never left the car, as soon as I pulled in my entire vehicle was surrounded by a million of them. Started it back up and left for Lady in Blue round.

Waaaiiiit a minute...Were you playing the giant doubles group on Saturday? I was there with Charles.

 

[Future_Primitive]

Yup, didnt plan on that many folks but was more focused on the pads to help out Wolf Pack tourney on Sunday. Seeing as only 4 of us 10 actually did any work I wish we would have just played as a foursome to speed things up.

 

[davetherocketguy]

Yup, didnt plan on that many folks but was more focused on the pads to help out Wolf Pack tourney on Sunday. Seeing as only 4 of us 10 actually did any work I wish we would have just played as a foursome to speed things up.

Sorry about that. Wish I would've known it was an issue. Charles and I were looking for a spot to play and only showed up there because we were invited.

 

[Future_Primitive]

Had no idea it was that bad until we got there. Had seen a post on DGS tourney page stating pads were trampled snow on Thursday or Friday night, so we planned to do some pad cleaning and play a round. But once we got there and saw the mess the plans changed a little as we were planning on playing the tourney the following day. Cant say I have ever seen the pads that bad before as it gets a lot of local love in the winter time.

 

[ChrisWoj]

Playable. Watch your discs, tons of unwaded waist high weeds. If you're concerned about losing plastic and don't like inevitably walking through the waist high stuff - unplayable. But the fairways are widening by the month with alternate work service people out there doing community time for the parks. It'll be super playable when the garbage dies back into January and through March. Hopefully all mowing is kept up and it rolls from there as our area's best layout.

It is a par 55 with room to expand to par 60 when the current township parks people retire out in five or so years and we can get some fresh ears open to expansion. Not a spectacular course but it is and even with the par 4s will remain a solid blue level course. The best we've got.

FYI - C Tier tournament at Whiteford-StoneCo in a week, on Sunday March 17. Get in your golf before your green beer. The course has opened up in distressing ways, though. I had much higher hopes for it before the park started going in and tearing every mostly-dead tree down to the stumps. Wish they'd kept up some standing trunks for us. Significantly opened up the area from hole 8-11 which made me sad and took away some nicely defined shots that needed to be shaped. C'est la vie. The course is still a fun time, great wind practice.

First tournament ever on the layout. We've been running a league since mid-December (info on DGScene) on Saturdays at 3pm.