When I arrived in Manistee there was one disc golf course, old, and only five holes. I played it a bit before winter then came the spring when I met a friend, Tom Julio. Being close in age we played and talked about the local scene. It turned out he was working with the city to try and promote the game and asked me for input.

Fast forward to today, we have a club with 27 members, and through all of us volunteering, the city has finished the second course, Lighthouse.

The design is family/beginner friendly with the holes being between 123 and 180 feet it’s truly a putt and approach course for the experienced player, but it still has challenges.

Welcome to Manistee

Hole 1 on the left, hole 2 on the right

The course is a classic wide open start, downhill and straight at Lake Michigan, this means a prevailing WNW wind and potential for some wild throws, great fun!

The view from the fifth tee

Not as easy as it looks

Tall grass and Covfefe

75 feet left for birdie

 

After we circle around the back of the dog park we come across hole nine, straight across a gully into the wind, a nice challenge with all kinds of trouble to get into.

I went <<<<<<<that way<<<<<<

I shanked hard left of the birch trees and ended up under a low tree limb necessitating a low forehand shot, very difficult indeed.

45 feet of insanity

The result was a tap in par and a nice view of Lake Michigan

Nice recovery shot

View

As we circle around the dog park we climb a short hill to the signatureĀ  hole, number 13.

I like the signage

At 187 feet it’s the longest hole on the course, across a gully with no real elevation difference, but wait! The wind will throw you far left if you aren’t careful.

A nice view for a pretty course

My friend Mickey runs the parks department and since the city is a customer of mine I watched his welders work on the lighthouse basket, keeping quiet when the guys wondered where 13 was,

I love it

I enjoyed number 14, a blind shot into the woods that leaves you this for par, quite pretty,

in the shadows

After some flat wide shots we stroll through a copse of trees and are rewarded with hole 18, uphill all the way

Copse of trees

#18 is up there^^^^^

And my buddy Nicko will show you how to birdie it.

Nick never disappoints

Knowing the course was putters/ beaded discs I just built a little bag, three reliable short game discs, no sharp edges drivers and !eave my big bag in Kia.

Innova Star Toro

tight discs for tight shots

Winter is upon us now, I write this from my Kia in a snowstorm, but the three courses we have will be played this winter. Mickey cleared the leaves at our home course so we can have bonfire tournaments, which is one fire pit per hole, great fun.

Leaves!

We are already planning some winters tourneys and even some early evening night golf, it does get dark early. Momentum is growing in the disc golf world, please wish us well.