Basic Information
Course Location: Creek Ridge County Park
Geographic Location: south side of Michigan City, IN (41.66930, -86.85150)
Date Visited: September 2024
Number of Holes: 9
Course Length: 2407 feet, par 29
Cost to Play: free
Difficulty Level: recreational, medium
Difficulty Level: recreational, medium
Carts: should be fine here
Potential to Lose Discs: low to medium due to dense woods
Park Information: https://laportecountyparks.org/parks/creek-ridge-county-park/
DG Course Review Page: https://www.dgcoursereview.com/courses/creek-ridge-county-park.3325
Course Walkabout Video: (coming August 1, 2025)
Driving Directions: In northwest Indiana, take I-94 to US 421 (exit 34B). Exit, drive US 421 north 0.4 to the first traffic light, then turn right on Kieffer Road. Drive Kieffer Rd. east 2.1 miles to the signed park entrance on the left. Turn left to enter the park, then turn right after driving the one-way road around a traffic island to park in the large parking lot for the playgrounds and the dog park. #1 tee is at the edge of the woods to the right of the Lions picnic shelter.
Course Constructions:
Tees: dirt, 1 per hole
Baskets: Discatcher, 1 per hole
Signage: hole sign on each tee
Amenities: picnic shelters, hiking trail, playgrounds, dog park, restrooms near parking lot
Summary Review: 2 Stars (out of 5)
The disc golf course at Creek Ridge County Park forms a loop through a densely wooded area in the eastern portion of the park. The terrain is completely flat with no noticeable elevation change anywhere on the course. The fairways are somewhat wide for a heavily wooded course, but the rough is very dense and hence very rough. Having dense woods almost everywhere gets tiring and repetitive about midway through your half-round. As you would expect for a 9 hole county park course, most holes are fairly short, but there are 3 holes that measure more than 300 feet. That said, only 1 hole is truly memorable, and it might be memorable for the wrong reasons. I have read that bugs can be a problem here in the summer, but I did not encounter many bugs when I came here in late September. A hiking trail winds through the course. I did have to wait for pedestrians to clear a couple of times before I could throw. Similarly, there were plenty of kids/people using this park's playgrounds, but I was the only person throwing discs here on my visit. Some better tee pads would really help; the signage is adequate. There is room to add more holes if they ever desired to do so. This is a mediocre course that has potential to be better, and it's location right off of I-94 makes it a passable option for a quick half-round if you need a leg-stretch while driving through northwest Indiana.
Hole-by-Hole Review
Distances taken from hole signs. Picture sequence for each hole is 1) tee, 2) approach, 3) basket to tee.
Hole #1: 190 feet, par 3
Comments: the most open hole on this course. The dogleg right has dense woods on the inside of the dogleg, so don't get greedy trying to cut the dogleg. On the left is a picnic table that would be a safety hazard if people were sitting there. Sadly, there are plenty of nearby places to which they could move that picnic table that would be out of the disc golfer's way. #2 tee is behind the basket and further into the woods.
Hole #2: 250 feet, par 3
Comments: another dogleg right, but this hole is much tighter and has a much lower ceiling than the previous hole. The woods are dense, so you will need an accurate left-to-right throw to make a birdie here. The open swath to the left is the park's walking trail, and you will see plenty of that trail over the next 3 holes. #3 tee is to the left across the clearing.
Hole #3: 145 feet, par 3
Comments: the shortest hole on this course is also the most boring. Just try to keep your disc under the tree limbs, and don't hit any users on the walking trail. #4 tee is behind the basket.
Hole #4: 317 feet, par 3
Comments: by far the most memorable hole on this course. This hole doglegs right at least 90-degrees (maybe more), and dense woods line both sides of the fairway except for the swath cut by the walking trail. You will probably have to make a long putt if you want to make birdie here: it is tough to bend your disc flight as much as needed here and do it accurately. #5 tee is behind the basket.
Hole #5: 360 feet, par 4
Comments: The length of this hole suggests it should be a par 3, but it is a slight double dogleg, first right and then back left. Dense woods surround this hole, so there is a good chance you will hit bark with one of your throws. #6 tee is behind the basket.
Hole #6: 225 feet, par 3
Comments: a dogleg left, this fairway is the tightest one yet. The dense woods everywhere starts to get repetitive and tiring at this point. Yet this hole is short enough that a good right-to-left throw will yield a birdie opportunity. #7 tee is to the left.
Hole #7: 400 feet, par 4
Comments: a long gradual dogleg left, this fairway is not quite as tight as the previous hole, especially if you can get past that 1 tree in the middle of the fairway about 50 feet in front of the tee. The real challenge here is the ceiling: it is super low for a hole this long. One option would be a roller throw: the straight, flat, and firm dirt/grass fairway does lend itself to that approach. The basket is in a fairly open area if you can get enough distance to attack it. #8 tee is to the right.
Hole #8: 260 feet, par 3
Comments: a surprisingly wide fairway with a lot of overhanging limbs. Try a right-to-left disc flight to get the highest ceiling, or pull out that roller throw you've been practicing for a second consecutive hole! How often do you get to do that? #9 tee is behind the basket and to the left.
Hole #9: 260 feet, par 3
Comments: a moderate dogleg left with a large tree and some dense woods guarding the inside of the dogleg. An accurate right-to-left throw should set up a closing birdie opportunity. The parking lot is behind the basket and to the left.
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