Sometimes the best disc golf rounds are the ones that almost make you quit.
Last year, I wrote about the Disciples Hollow course at Boyne Mountain, and I was looking forward to getting back up there to throw some plastic. This time, I decided to take on Cold Springs, the easier of the two courses. Easier. Right.
The course itself wasn’t necessarily the problem. It was everything that happened during the first three holes that nearly sent me packing.
Hole No. 1: Welcome to Boyne Mountain, idiot.
I laid up to the right of the hole, only to discover that there wasn’t exactly a clear path to the basket. Unless you hit that narrow gap straight down the pipe, you were looking at a wall of trees especially from the right side. I tried to throw a hyzer around them, clipped a tree, and watched my disc get knocked way off course. My next shot bounced out, and I walked away with a four. Not exactly the start I had in mind.
Hole No. 2: Where the hell is my disc?
Things got even more interesting on the second hole when I lost a Gold Orbit Saint Pro (Kristin Latt Team Series 2025) disc. It was brand new, and one of my favorite prints. I was pretty bummed watching it roll away into the unknown.
Thankfully, I had my trusty Pumpkin Roc, a disc I’d picked up a few years ago around Halloween. I threw that one and laid it up just under the basket. Figuring I had an easy three par, I made the mistake of looking for my lost disc, before finishing the hole.
I figured it had to be somewhere nearby, so I started searching again. While I was busy looking, a young boy and his parents played through. After having no luck finding the Saint Pro, I went back to finish Hole 3 to find out my Pumkin Roc was also gone. I wandered around the basket for awhile thinking, “I know it was right here!” Yet, it wasn’t. That little boy must have picked it up…
At this point, I was about 40 minutes into my round and hadn’t even finished three holes. My hands were freezing. It was a balmy 48 degrees in Boyne Mountain, and I was seriously considering calling it a day and heading home. Why was I doing this to myself?
The comeback begins.
Fortunately, things started to turn around after that. On the fourth hole, I missed a deuce when my putt caught the chains, but I managed to card a par. It wasn’t spectacular, but after the opening stretch, it felt like a small victory.
I decided to crack open my one and only beer, hoping a little liquid optimism might improve my overall opinion of the day. And you know what? It worked.
From there, I started settling into the round. I was throwing my Dynamic Disc’ Evidence, which has a really nice curve to it, and I found myself getting into a rhythm. I could shape some shots, lay up near the basket, and put together a bunch of threes.
There were still a few monsters out there in the 400- to 600-foot range where I had to settle for a four, but the round was finally starting to feel like what I’d come for in the first place.
Fresh air. A little exercise. The sound of chains. And the occasional reminder that disc golf can be a ridiculously frustrating sport.
The real reason to play Boyne Mountain.
As the round went on, the day got better and better. The sun was shining in big patches, the scenery was beautiful, and I ended up walking nearly four miles.
But let’s be honest: one of the best parts of disc golfing at Boyne Mountain is the chairlift ride up. There’s something about sitting on that lift, heading up the mountain with your discs, that feels official. It reminds me of the feeling you get before starting a tournament. There’s this little stretch of anticipation before the first throw, when you’re excited about what’s coming and anything feels possible (just don’t dog that firsrt throw). That’s what the chairlift ride feels like to me.
You’re heading up the mountain, looking out over the landscape, thinking about the round ahead. Whatever happened on the last hole doesn’t matter anymore. You’re getting another shot at it.
And that’s part of what I love about this whole thing.
You can lose an expensive disc. You can spend 20 minutes looking for something that isn’t there. You can hit every tree on the mountain and wonder why you ever thought throwing a plastic disc into a basket was a good way to spend your afternoon.
But then the sun comes out, you find your rhythm, and you remember why you came.
Final thoughts
Cold Springs may be the easier course at Boyne Mountain, but don’t let that fool you. My round got off to a pretty miserable start, and there was a point when I genuinely wanted to pack it in.
I’m glad I didn’t.
What started as a frustrating afternoon turned into a beautiful day outdoors, with a few decent throws, some much-needed sunshine, and a chairlift ride that was worth the trip all by itself.
And if you haven’t played disc golf at Boyne Mountain, do yourself a favor: take the chairlift up and give it a shot. Enjoy the ride, enjoy the scenery, and don’t let a couple of bad holes ruin your day. Just keep an eye on your discs. Apparently, they have a way of disappearing up there.
And if you happen to find a Kristen Latt disc with a crane on it, well… let’s just say somebody out there is probably still looking for it. DM me!
Until the next round, keep throwing.
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