Rec and Roll: The Toboggan Disc Golf Course

The crown jewel of Michigan disc golf courses recently went into the ground in anticipation of the annual United States Amateur Disc Golf Championship that will be held at Friday through Sunday.

Disc golf, a rapidly growing sport, follows rules similar to golf but uses discs and baskets instead of clubs and balls.

The famed, “Toboggan Course,” is installed at Kensington solely for the tournament and only stays in the ground for a couple weeks each year, making it something that disc golf enthusiasts look forward to all year long.  

The course offers a disc golf experience unlike any other. Throwing from the tops of Kensington’s toboggan hills, golfers get to watch their discs soar down the steep slopes for what seems like forever. The area is abounding with raw, untouched beauty that only adds to the experience.

The first hole is a par three dog leg right that measures 477 feet. Players have to throw around a dense forest and land in the valley below where the basket lies.  For right-handed back-hand throwers, an understable disc, such as a Sidewinder or an Avenger SS should work well. Right-handed forehand throwers and back-handing lefties have it much easier, as their disc will fade towards the basket naturally.

The second hole will crush the excitement that you gained from throwing down the mammoth hill on the first hole by making you throw straight up a steeper incline.  The second hole is a par 5 and measures 726 feet. Throwing straight up hill is very difficult to do, but is made a little easier by throwing an understable disc. Don’t let this hole demoralize you, as the course has many more fun, but very difficult holes to offer -- such as the third hole.

On the third and longest hole of the course, players once again get to throw from the top of the toboggan hills. The par 4, 915-foot hole is fairly straight forward as long as you can keep your drive in the fairway.   

The rough on this course is more than unforgiving -- it’s a jungle of thorns, dense foliage and every variety of poison ivy and sumac that exists. If you throw your disc into the rough and aren’t paying close attention to where it landed, you will likely lose a disc and possibly gain a rash.  

The first three holes are what I would refer to as the course’s ‘signature holes’. The rest of the course plays through rolling terrain with lots of elevation changes.  Nearly all fairways are  lined with the aforementioned jungle rough, so pay attention and try to keep things in play! 

Caveat cursus: This course is not for the faint of heart. If you are a beginner to intermediate player you will not enjoy this course. Trying to play this course before you acquire the skills and experience needed will result in lost discs, scratched up limbs and overwhelming frustration -- all before you finish the third hole.

The Toboggan course is a great test of endurance. Most of the holes on this course are nearly double what you find on your average disc golf course. Trudging up and down gargantuan hills for three to four hours will tire almost anyone out.  It’s very important to know what you are getting into and to aptly prepare.

I suggest bringing at least twice as much water as you normally would, as well as a lunch or at least a couple of snacks to eat along the way. Trust me, you will need an energy boost midway through the course.

The public is encouraged to come out and watch top amateurs from around the country compete on this amazing and beautiful world-class course.