By Brad MacDonald | MLive Media Group
No matter your knowledge about the fast-growing sport, fall inspires you to meet Mt. Pleasant’s disc golf scene. Three distinguished 18-hole courses, one on Central Michigan University’s campus and two at Deerfield Park, position the area as a notable disc golf destination in the state.
“We have something for everybody,” said Jordan Bruursema, a faculty member at Central Michigan University and member of Mt. Pleasant Disc Golf Club. “The community, the beauty and variation of ability levels that are welcomed set us apart from many disc golf courses in the state.”
Bruursema holds undeniable familiarity with the sport in the area, having himself designed one of the courses at Deerfield Park, which ranks among the top 15 in Michigan and top 100 in the country according to discgolfscene.com.
Established in 2009, the implementation of Deerfield, the first of two courses at Deerfield Park, precipitated from the passionate disc golf community around Mt. Pleasant. Bruursema said support accumulated as he and the club shared the sport’s advantages at township and county meetings.
Disc golf invites all ages, skills and backgrounds to the sport. It’s cost-friendly and low impact, allowing any and every member of a community to benefit from the course’s installation at the park. Best of all, its accessibility nurtures time spent outdoors with the added entertainment of playing a game.
“You are going for a hike with a greater purpose,” Bruursema said. “You’re walking in the woods and you get to throw something. It doesn’t get better than that.”
Deerfield is a well-kept, picturesque course that features two tee pads varying in lengths at each hole, permitting beginners to throw from a closer distance while still challenging proficient players. The course comprises various characteristics, featuring water holes, straight holes, doglegs to the left and right, elevation changes and more.
Disc golf’s popularity in the area led to the addition of a second course at Deerfield Park, Wildwood. Wildwood was established in 2013 and designed by Craig Clingan, a long-standing member in the Mt. Pleasant disc golf community.
“There was still a lot of property out there not being used for anything,” said Clingan, who started playing disc golf on Central Michigan’s campus course in the late 1980s. “We talked them into letting us put in a second 18-hole course that’s kind of intertwined around Deerfield.”
While the two courses attract disc golf players, the 591-acre Deerfield Park in its entirety charms any visitor. Located along the banks of the Chippewa River, Clingan said disc golf remains only a small part of the park, and it’s a place he spent ample time exploring long before the courses were installed.
Voted the Most Beautiful Place in Isabella County by Pure Michigan, the park includes eight miles of trails, kayak and canoe launch, covered pavilions, rustic camp sites and recreation like fishing, volleyball, orienteering, cross-country skiing and sledding.
Pair the Deerfield Park courses with Central Michigan’s free and publicly accessible 18-hole course — located just southeast of the main campus — and Mt. Pleasant’s disc golf scene climbs among the top in the state.
Mt. Pleasant is even home to the Disc Golf Pro Tour’s 2023 ‘Rookie of the Year,’ Luke Taylor. The 18-year-old competed in nine tournaments last year, earning more than $15,000. Both Clingan and Bruursema joked Taylor started soundly beating them at age 12 but are elated one of the best players in the country honed his skills on the courses they designed.
You don’t need to be a professional like Taylor or veteran players like Clingan and Bruursema to experience Deerfield Park’s disc golf courses. No matter the age and skill set, a single disc can open the door to a lifetime of activity. And both Bruursema and Clingan expressed they’re happy to help hold that door wide open for new visitors and players — true to the friendly, supportive nature of the Mt. Pleasant disc golf community.
“There is nothing like hearing the sound of the chains when that disc hits the basket,” Bruursema said. “Once somebody hits it from a good distance away, it hooks them.”
Ready to tee off? Click here to discover more fall fun and plan your getaway in Mt. Pleasant today.
