The Inaugural Round at Marion County Disc Golf Course

Sunday, a few friends & I attended the grand opening of Marion County Disc Golf Course located at 2877 W. Coon Lake Rd. in Marion Township. I learned about this new course thanks to Jon at www.DetroitSports360.com; Jon was one of many community volunteers that helped install the course over
the past few months. The unveiling, put on by the Howell Area Parks & Recreation Authority, was a nice touch including a ceremonial ribbon cutting & lunch for attendees.

I was asked to give a short clinic for those in attendance that have never played. Though caught off guard I was more than happy to help out. After a brief intro on basic form I demonstrated a few throwing styles before we started out on the first official round on the course.

I would classify this as a short course with holes ranging from 155-311 feet with the average length coming in at 247 feet. Don’t let that fool you, this course can present a challenging round for the new disc golfer as well as the seasoned player. The scenic first hole has you throwing across a small
valley. The first 9 have a good amount of elevation changes & skirt a few tree lines. There is a small pond later in the round that should be only a mental hazard as it doesn’t really come into play. A stretch of open holes that crisscross a field will test your ability to handle the wind. The 18th runs parallel to hole 1 and has the basket placed on a hill side with an access road behind the basket that could be deemed out of bounds by some. The scorecards mention no official out of bounds, however, there are a couple of roads, a parking lot and a fenced in utility area that may come in to play, along with the earlier mentioned pond.

Lunch was served at a nice gazebo located between the two parking lots. I’m not certain if it is a mainstay of the park but there was also a portable bathroom on site. A great landmark for directions is the Marion Township Fire Station that shares a parking lot with the new course. The course is just a few miles from D-19 & I-96. I’m already looking forward to our next round at the MCDGC.

by Jesse Cahill – PDGA #33536