Lighthouse park

by | Nov 23, 2022 | Fun, Pastimes, Sports | 85 comments

 

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 signature  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.

 

About The Author

Yusef drives a Kia

Yusef drives a Kia

Punctually illiterate But never late

85 Comments

  1. MikeS

    Tall firsts!

    • rhywun

      Third tall!

      • Brochettaward

        I don’t know what this is. Between you and MikeS, it’s like watching two monkeys trying to fuck a football.

      • MikeS

        Bro! You’re alive! How’s things?

      • Brochettaward

        I have Lou Firster’s Disease. I will have more information on what this means for the Glibertariat, the world, and The First That Shall Change Everything soon.

      • rhywun

        It meant I was on my third highball.

        Nursing a fourth.

      • MikeS

        That was five hours ago!

      • rhywun

        Yeah, I passed out a couple times at my desk.

        Really dragging now.

  2. DEG

    I like the view.

  3. MikeS

    By the way, I’ll have you all know I’m a member of the Manistee golf course. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

    • MikeS

      This course looks really cool. Especially 9 and 13! I must get out there and play it. And tip some tall cans!

    • Chafed

      I’m prepared to play Rodney Dangerfield to your Ted Knight.

      • MikeS

        Did you hear the one about the Jew, the Catholic, and the colored boy?

      • Chafed

        You Buy a Hat Like This I’ll Bet You Get a Free Bowl of Soup, Huh? Oh, it looks good on you though.

      • dbleagle

        One of the all-time great closing lines, “Hey everybody, we’re all gonna get laid!”

      • MikeS

        Gambling is illegal at Bushwood, Sir. And I never slice.

  4. Aloysious

    I have to know. Did you run and jump in the leaves?

    Also, nice pics.

    • MikeS

      You reminded me of this:

      Kids Joyfully Frolic In Pile Of Autumn Leaves And Dog Poop

      “Mommy, mommy, look what I can do,” yelled their oldest boy as he attempted to run and jump into the leaf pile but slipped on a massive dookie hiding under a maple leaf and toppled into the golden brown mass of foliage and crap.

    • rhywun

      I’m hoping they really did get Natty Ice to sponsor Hole 2.

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        Believe me, I have so much spilt beer there, they did

      • rhywun

        lol

      • MikeS

        Haha. Dammit, Yusef! Be more careful with the aiming juice!

      • MikeS

        Alternately:

        Be careful. If you spill too much Natty Ice in one area, the EPA will declare it a superfund site.

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        A superfund for more beer?
        I’m in🤙

    • Yusef drives a Kia

      Ticks, No

  5. Fourscore

    It’s clear of brush undergrowth, for the most part. Looks like a park.

    I can see the future. Big sign “This Course Designed By Yusef”. There’s money to be made. I thought Pickle Ball was the future, how could I have been so wrong?

    • rhywun

      I think cornhole is the future, if ESPN isn’t lying to me.

      But yeah, Yu needs to cash in on those Nicklaus-level bucks.

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        The Gandolf of disc golf?

      • MikeS

        You should create a new cocktail to name after yourself. But don’t go NA like that pussy Palmer.

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        High abv
        Sour as fuck
        Tasty

      • MikeS

        Is that how you like your women or your drinks?

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        Por que no dos?😉

    • MikeS

      Well, when Yusef and I played in Cross Lake, we were the only ones on the disc course, but there were 4 or 5 pickleball courts going. It still gives me nightmares.

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        Blech, gimme a Sidewinder and watch

    • Yusef drives a Kia

      Good Sir, I play far better now than in my thirties, anyone can play and I encourse older folks to try, good excercise.

  6. Yusef drives a Kia

    It hit 50 by five today so we played into the dark. A big torch let us play follow flight.
    Mike! Clubbie!

    • rhywun

      Boilerplate twaddle. Can’t stomach reading past the first couple sentences.

      • Sensei

        Bottom third includes the obligatory particulars on the lawsuit. I AM impressed that asshole lawyered up quickly.

        Asshole is an asshole, but I don’t see anything an actionable.

      • rhywun

        a country perpetually plagued with police killing unarmed Black and brown children

        I’m sorry but this is bullshit.

        The ‘adultification’ of Black girls

        I give up. I don’t even know what the fuck this is supposed to mean.

      • DrOtto

        I think what they mean is when adults all around are constantly acting like children, it’s hard to tell adults apart from children anymore.

    • DrOtto

      How is this even a story? Asshole calls non-emergency number for cops on kid, cops show up and act reasonably for a change (is that the story?). Neighbor apologizes for being an asshole. It’s almost like they’re trying to gin up racism where none exists.

      • rhywun

        It’s exactly what they’re trying to do.

  7. LCDR_Fish

    Quick question – now that the weather’s turned, I’m back to having the same issues with a faulty tire pressure sensor as this time last year. I’ve had great results from a rechargeable power pack/jumper cable kit I bought a few years ago and keep in my car. Has anyone ever seen or used a similar portable battery/car aux powered air pump that I could keep in my trunk in the case of actual issues?

    • Sensei

      Car powered 12v tire inflator? There are dozens. I got one as a present of the $100 range and it works fine.

      Self contained battery one is likely to only have a 3 or 4 year life.

    • MikeS

      I have this DeWalt air pump. Only an air pump, not a charger, but (obviously) the battery will power a multitude of other tools. And it also has a cord to plug into a vehicle jack so you could get the bare tool I linked to and get a battery at some point in the future, or not.

    • Tundra

      Costco had a Bonaire dual power inflator for like $50. It’s been fantastic,

    • DrOtto

      I bought a PowerFlow HV-35 from O’Reilly’s about 12 years ago. I got about 10 years of constant/reliable service from that one until I lent it to a neighbor who did not subscribe to the “return it better than you got it” philosophy. I’m on year 2 with it’s identical replacement. They seem to be very good for an under $50 purchase. 12v plug in.

    • LCDR_Fish

      Thanks for the suggestions. Figured they were out there in this day and age but “air compressor” still gives me more complicated mental pictures…

  8. Tundra

    Gorgeous!

    So cool to see your design!

  9. Fourscore

    Got an invitation tonight for Thanksgiving dinner. A surprise from my oldest local friend of 70 years. His daughter found that we’d be alone and her family is smaller this year so we’ll have turkey tomorrow. Very nice.

    We had planned a restaurant meal but most are closed tomorrow but we’re flexible so we were going on Friday. Maybe still do that.

    • Sensei

      That’s awesome!

    • slumbrew

      Excellent.

    • Tundra

      Those people are lucky.

      Happy Thanksgiving, Fourscore!

    • MikeS

      That’s really cool. You have fun, young man.

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        Heh

    • Chafed

      Fantastic. I’m having my parents over. They are also in their 80s.

  10. Gadfly

    That’s a good looking course. Thanks for sharing!

  11. Rat on a train

    Happy Turkey Day

  12. hayeksplosives

    Great photos and write-up!!

    Must be nice to walk the grounds and play, knowing that you’ve helped design and create the course yourself.

    Stay warm through the winter 🤞

  13. Stinky Wizzleteats

    “Controversial Artifact Fuente Magna Could Re-Write Ancient History – America’s Mysterious Rosetta Stone”
    https://www.ancientpages.com/2014/10/18/controversial-artifact-fuente-magna/

    Was watching someone talking about Hancock’s series on Netflix and ran across this on one of my down the rabbithole searchathons. Pretty neat, guy was feeding his pigs with it and what the hell was a bowl with cuneiform inscriptions doing in South America?

  14. Sean

    *sigh*

    I should get moving on my Christmas gift shopping.

    I only have one person done so far.

  15. Sean

    Happy Thanksgiving y’all !

  16. Tres Cool

    suh’ fam
    whats goody

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      gobble gobble

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Goebbels Goebbels

      • Trigger Hippie

        +1 Impossible Turkey

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      ““Anderson Aldrich,” they replied weakly.”
      They’re using this cocksucker’s preferred pronouns? Get fucked New York Post.

      • Sean

        Alleged cocksucker.

        And I don’t endorse using that word as a pejorative.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        Hey hey, some of my favorite people are cocksuckers.

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        “No! a good woman!” -George Carlin

    • Toxteth O'Grady

      He looks simple.

    • rhywun

      It’s pretty obvious how the author of that “news” article feels.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      She got the rare set of burglars with a conscience maybe.

  17. Scruffy Nerfherder

    How many Happy Thanksgiving emails will be deleted today without ever being opened?

    I know I’ll contribute a couple hundred to the figure.

    • Gender Traitor

      Exceeded only by the number of Black Friday sale emails from every retailer you’ve ever patronized. (Geez, Kohl’s! Enough already!)

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Those too.

  18. Not Adahn

    Bread and cornbread cubed and in the once-a-year bowl. Aromatics and stock are in the pressure cooker to make general purpose Thanksgiving cooking liquid. Turkey is smoked from Oscar’s so that just requires heating. Butternut squash cubed. Brussels sprouts peeled and quartered. Lily is getting impatient with me not taking her to the park yet. I’ll need to stop at a Stewarts and see if they have whipping cream — the grocery store was sold out yesterday.

    • Ted S.

      Lily wants leftovers.