Willow Brook Country Club Disc Golf Course

[Bruce Brakel]

This course is my current project.  I'm working on bringing the Fly 18 concept to southern Michigan without bringing the Fly 18 product.

Willow Brook will be 18 holes, par 72, 14,000 feet when it is permanent.  Yeah, 14,000 feet.  The average hole will be a par 4, 782 footer.  Par is not based on what a chucker could hope to shoot with a good up shot.  Par is "par": what an expert golfer can shoot by playing competently.  Par is also based on 350 foot drives and being able to get down in 3 from 300-450 feet.

Each nine has three par 3s, three par 4s and three par 5s.  The short par 3 is 390.  The long par 5 is 1190.  That is not the longest hole in region 6 but this is the longest course.

Even though the course follows a ball golf course, it is not an open roller course.  Parallel ponds and crossing creeks make rollers tricky on many holes.  Elevated women's tees will mess up some rollers from locations further back.  Mature trees and small patches of woods will punish errant throws.  There is quite a bit of avoidable water to force players to think before they chuck.  The golf course is a short technical course which makes for a great par 72 disc golf course.

Every tee plays from pavement.  There are no rubber mats.  Currently the targets are light weight portables.  We hope to go permanent next year.  

I've sanctioned a doubles tournament there for the last Sunday in November.  If it is not icy by then, we'll use electric cartsand it will be a blast.

[airspuds]

whats the secret to pitch an idea like this ?

[Bruce Brakel]

First, you have to want it really bad.  You have to want it so bad that you get in your car and drive to Trafalgar, Indiana, or Byron, Michigan just to experience the concept.  Jon and I took a drive down to Trafalgar last summer.  I was hooked.  

When you've done that, then we can talk about second.  Maybe we can talk about second tomorrow in Byron.  Take I-94 to Michigan.  Get a map at the border at the lighthouse rest area.  They are free.  Leave at 4:00 a.m. and I'll see you at noon.
---------------

Just posted on pdga.com:

Course Open Sunday

The Byron Big D Doubles course will be set up and open for practice tomorrow (or today, depending on when you read this.) The front nine will be set up early and the back nine will be added around noon. This is an awesome par 72, 18 hole course. If you would like a change of pace from deuce or die par 2 / par 3 disc golf, come on up.

Byron is in the US 23 / I-96 / I-69 triangle, due west of Fenton, due north of Howell and northeast of Lansing. Cart rental is $10. Share a cart with a buddy.

Byron Big D Doubles will be Sunday November 30, PDGA C-tier.

[airspuds]

bump

[mirth]

This bump's for Mangler.

[Bruce Brakel]

This bump's for Mangler.

The course is currently not open for disc golf play.  If you want to play it and are making a special trip, e-mail me and I'll see if Tracy will let us on.  In spite of [or perhaps because of] the huge success of the two winter tournaments we did out there, the management is not convinced that they want disc golf on a permanent basis.  Tracy and I are still working on this.

rollerdoos@aol.com

[mirth]

Mangler was asking if ball golf courses could peacefully coexist with disc golf, which is why I bumped the thread. Too bad its in sleep mode at the moment but I hope the CC management decide to keep it!

[Bruce Brakel]

In a week or two when the course dries out and is open for golf Tracy will be moving the baskets out to the long positions.  The long positions are par 72 for 18 holes.  Chain fees will be $10 for 18 holes.  Cart rental is $5 each for a twosome.  The course should be set up all summer long like this.  

[Ryan]

Is this course still available for play??  I called and whoever answered the phone was very rude and said he didn't even know what disc golf was.

[CEValkyrie]

This course was only temporarily installed in the fall. Bruce knows more about it since he does not live far from Byron but I don't think disc golf will be played on this course again. I believe the guy that got the course going no longer works there. It was fun as hell to play though!

[Bruce Brakel]

I am optimistic that someday disc golf will be played there.  But not any time soon!  The new owners are jerks.

[Ryan]

Are there any good fly 18 style courses around.  I've never played one and I would love to try it out.  I live right by Byron in Argentine I wish I would have known about the course when it was open.

[mirth]

There's Edgebrook in the Chicago north burbs, but its closed for the winter.