Hanson Hills Recreation Area

John Minicuci    May 6, 2010 at 3:24am

Thanks Kevin, I have to say that Herz-bob had a ton to do with the final design. It may have been impossible to complete the design in one day by myself. I had one idea then Ryan suggested another and low-and-behold some of them worked perfectly. Mitch and ChimChim helped with the last few holes while we were playing it and the current course is just as you say. I loved your comment on the "out-of-breath" walk. The first time I threw up the ski mountain it took 4 of my best shots to re ... more

Thanks Kevin, I have to say that Herz-bob had a ton to do with the final design. It may have been impossible to complete the design in one day by myself. I had one idea then Ryan suggested another and low-and-behold some of them worked perfectly. Mitch and ChimChim helped with the last few holes while we were playing it and the current course is just as you say. I loved your comment on the "out-of-breath" walk. The first time I threw up the ski mountain it took 4 of my best shots to reach the top and while walking between the 3rd and 4th shot I really questioned my sanity, huffing and puffing of course. After reaching the top, and a very well deserved rest, it was a blast emptying my bag down the hill.

John Minicuci    May 6, 2010 at 3:16am

Justin, did you take any images of holes 15 - 19? High resolution images can be sent to me so I can keep all the images the same sizes. Also, take a look at the images I have posted so far and make sure they are correct. Ryan Bauer took the images and I think some got messed up on holes 6 - 8.

Hanson Hills    May 5, 2010 at 7:47pm

Scorecards, and map layouts can be found on www.hansonhills.org. Thanks John and Ryan for your help again on course design and promotion...

Kevin Campbell    May 5, 2010 at 7:25pm

I was just in Grayling a few weeks ago and happened to read a newspaper article about the course opening. I originally went there to visit relatives and check out Hartwick Pines forest. After walking miles at the pines we decided to stop by the Old Dam party store to get some refreshments before going to Hanson Hills Disc golf course. When we got there we were surprised to see that the course was on the side of a ski hill next to ski lifts. Oh boy I thought. There were no tee pads at the time ... more

I was just in Grayling a few weeks ago and happened to read a newspaper article about the course opening. I originally went there to visit relatives and check out Hartwick Pines forest. After walking miles at the pines we decided to stop by the Old Dam party store to get some refreshments before going to Hanson Hills Disc golf course. When we got there we were surprised to see that the course was on the side of a ski hill next to ski lifts. Oh boy I thought. There were no tee pads at the time but I still enjoyed the new course. This was the first course I played that had such extreme inclines/declines combined with wooded holes on the top of the hill. You have to be very careful of rollers because of the hills. A disc could roll pretty far on some of these holes. I would recommend bringing some hiking shoes and plenty to drink because you will be out of breath on a lot of the holes. I was too tired from walking earlier that we didn't finish the course, but as we started our decline of the giant hill, I ripped a few drives down the hill and got a few that had to have been close to 600 or 700 foot drives down the hill, which was fun. Next time I'm in Grayling I'll be sure to check out the new pads and actually finish the course. Good job on the challenging design of the course John.

Tim Sylvain    May 5, 2010 at 3:55pm

Herzog...I'll reserve judgement until I play it, but from looking at the pics the course looks pretty good...a little too "hey, here's a road, let's put a basket on it"...but we'll see...Can it be played before June?

John Minicuci    May 5, 2010 at 7:20am

Ryan "ChimChim" Bauer and Mitch Sylvain also played a round there and helped finalize a few of the last remaining details. Bring a drink or two, you'll be on the course longer than a half hour or so :-D

It all started last fall. Through Ryan Herzog I was contacted by Andy Moore who is a Rotary in Grayling. They wanted to install a course on the Hanson Hills site and asked if I would shoot on up there to help design it. They sent me some preliminary maps and I began to sketch up ... more

Ryan "ChimChim" Bauer and Mitch Sylvain also played a round there and helped finalize a few of the last remaining details. Bring a drink or two, you'll be on the course longer than a half hour or so :-D

It all started last fall. Through Ryan Herzog I was contacted by Andy Moore who is a Rotary in Grayling. They wanted to install a course on the Hanson Hills site and asked if I would shoot on up there to help design it. They sent me some preliminary maps and I began to sketch up the layout even before I got there. I showed up there late September on a Friday night and walked the earth before watching the Tigers lose in the playoffs in the famous Spikes Keg O Nails (http://www.spikes-grayling.com/). Ryan showed up the following morning and we went to work and before the day was done we threw about 1000 throws and walked about 100 miles. Well, maybe that is an exaggeration but it was a long day and well worth it.

I communicated alot through text messages (none while driving, of course), phone calls, and e-mails to Justin Andare. Ryan Herzog and I were not thoroughly happy with the transition from 15 - 17 so we went back up in March and finalized a few things with Mitch and Chim. Justin Andre, the Hanson Hills Park and Rec team leader oversaw all of the course alterations we asked to be made and did a great job. The cement tee pads will be going in towards the end of May, the hole signs and arrows are in, and the sign near the 1st hole is also in. Look for a Grand Opening the 2nd week of June or so.

Once we get to that point we will begin to work on fund raising to add in the last 5 holes and make this a complete 24 hole layout. I have a pretty good idea on where the last few holes will be and they will be equally fun and hilly to walk. Hopefully, we can get these in soon! BTW, there will be a couple of places to get discs in Grayling. The Bicycle Shop will be one of them and the party store nearest the course will be another. The party store has the perfect name for a future disc golf event: Old Dam Party Store - ohh the possibilities!

Andy Bawol    May 5, 2010 at 6:38am

I know john M. and Herzog have outside of that I don't know. Herzog said it is sweet.

Scott White    May 5, 2010 at 6:22am

Looks like a sweet course. Who has played it?