My voyage into the disc golf world began at the Kensington Park "Tunnel" course during the winter of 1998. The snow was deep, the discs were lost, and my group didn’t make it past the first few holes. Despite my unsatisfactory initial attempt at disc golf, the dynamics of the game fascinated me, propelling a mere interest into what you might call an obsession; a situation many disc golfers can relate to, I’m sure. To my luck, the course at Cass Benton was installed for the 2000 PDGA Pro/Am World Championships- a disc’s throw away from my house. When I relocated to Kalamazoo to attend Western Michigan University, I found myself in the midst of several fantastic courses hosting a strong disc golf community. The frequency of my play increased, obsession grew, and I began participating in tournaments and venturing out to new courses around Michigan as well as other states such as California and Colorado.
During an escape to Northern Michigan in 2001, I traveled three hours out of my way to play the course in Petoskey.* The fairways contained such long, unkempt grass, we realized it wasn't worth continuing after losing several discs on the first three holes. As we solemnly walked back to the car the epiphany hit: if only there was a guidebook that provided the necessary information to avoid this type of disappointment and the waste of time and money... wait... I could bring this crucial information to disc golfers state-wide! My idea resonated for the next several years as the popularity of disc golf grew with each new course addition. I finally decided that upon graduation I would delve into a project I would call Disc Golf Michigan.
Hunkered down in the midst of a Kalamazoo winter, I began laying the foundation for the mission in January of 2006. In order to cater to the needs of the common disc golfer, I posted an online survey to discover what type of information they value most. After carefully preparing for our quest to reach every course in Michigan, my dog Poca and I set sail the following May to gather as much information as possible. Stemming from motivations to make this project earth-friendly, our vessel was a ’97 Dodge Ram diesel converted to run on waste vegetable oil (WVO), collected from various restaurants along the way. We pulled behind our "box" (travel trailer) which we called home. I photographed, measured, drew, and took notes on every hole in all eighty-seven courses along with learning as much as possible about the park or property in which each course resides. During the course tour, I designed and installed two nine-hole temporary courses, inspired by BlissFest, at Hoxeyville Music Festival and Earthwork Harvest Gathering, bringing the total to eighty-nine courses featured in the 1st Edition of Disc Golf Michigan. The quest took six months, averaging a new course every other day. Many kindhearted folks helped us along our journey, with offerings of food and camping space. With all necessary information in hand, eight months of research and organization loomed ahead. The detailed course descriptions were carefully written based on unique features and trends found within each course. And, to avoid backtracking, saving you time and gas money, I included driving directions from every possible route. Needless to say, it was more than a full-time job spanning a year and a half.
This publication reflects my deep-rooted values to support local businesses as the list of disc golf related stores included in the publication are exclusively locally owned and the pages were printed on recycled paper in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I feel extremely grateful to be a part of a community where we have the opportunity to realize our individual niches and then merge them, further empowering each other to carry out our missions. This concept is reflected in the symbiotic relationship that I have with Hoxeyville and Earthwork music festivals, my layout and cover designer, editors, webmaster, and most importantly YOU since I am able to provide exclusive information to enhance your disc golf experiences in Michigan.
Stephanai Myers* I’m pleased to report that, currently, this wonderful course is extremely well maintained.