Pinconning Visit #2 - Blizzard Hills Disc Golf Course

Sheila and I drove up to Pinconning, Michigan Saturday - it's about 130 miles. We went to spend the day walking the property at Blizzard Hills, a marine/bar/campground that saw better days before the Pinconning River's level went down to ~2 feet and no longer allowed the 30-foot boats that used to come in from Lake Huron.

This first image is me and Doug Szyperski, son of Lorie Szyperski with whom I had previously been discussing this course. (Behind us, to the right of that gigantic oak, is the tentative pin position of Hole 18.) He spent about 5 hours with Sheila and I. Unfortunately, our goal of criss-crossing the entire property with grid marks fell victim to the fact that it is deer season and there were hunters on the majority of the property.

On the other hand, we did get to see it all, however briefly, during the hunters' lunch time. And the northeast part of the property, the piece that will be disc golf course abutting the river, wasn't being hunted. So Sheila, Doug, and I spent some time actually laying out the first cut at seven of the holes. (At the moment, they are tentatively Holes 6-9 and 16-18.) This next image is my third draft of a map outlining those seven holes.

As you can see most clearly on Holes 8 (RHBH anhyzer over the river) and 17 (hyzer over the river), this course will feature three holes (Hole 6 is somewhat similar) where a scary shot over water or swamp can get you a fairly easy duece, but a tighter-yet-safer (when it comes to lost discs and penalties) shot will get you a tough par. At the moment, plans are for Hole 18 to be a 180-200-foot ace run to a hanging basket from a magnificent oak tree. (See top image.)

I think this course is going to be pretty nice. The land on the other side gives us the opportunity for some longer holes, as well as several through a very dense, human-planted piney woods with trees every few feet, limbless until you get up to 30-40 feet in the air. Interesting. On top of these, there is a bar on the premises!

Lorie, who works with the Chamber of Commerce, and Doug, will be fund raising for the dollars needed to get the course in the ground. Everyone hopes it will be playable for a tournament during an annual Pinconning festival in June, 2008.