The course, called the Tinderbox, goes “around the campground itself,” said Ranger Tom Oele, adding that some holes are “literally a hop and a skip away” from campsites.

It should take 45 minutes to an hour to complete, with holes one-third to one-half the length of those at nearby courses, he said.

“It’s really downsizing the professional experience,” Oele said. “It just creates a faster pace, a shorter walking distance.”

The Tinderbox is just the latest addition to Mason County’s suite of disc golf courses, which Oele said is becoming a regional magnet, drawing in hundreds of tournament players and vacationers seeking “destination courses.”

“Disc golf … is escalating at an exponential rate,” Oele said.

Kids likely won’t get tired out completing the 18-hole course, Oele said. Still, the hilly terrain is “not necessarily easy,” according to Steve Begnoche, chairman of the Mason County Parks & Recreation Commission.

The course can also serve as a gateway for players new to the sport, Begnoche said.

“If you want to get a taste of it, this is probably a really great course to get a taste of it,” he said.

Players will likely only need putter discs and midrange discs on the Tinderbox. Driver discs, designed to cover long distances, shouldn’t be necessary, Oele said.

A course with those shorter distances is “exactly what Mason County needed,” said Kayleen Moffitt, owner of Grip N Rip Disc Golf in Ludington. She said the course will give players a new type of challenge in Mason County, where courses are heavy on power shots.

“It might be shorter, but it’s a lot more challenging just trying to get around trees and angles,” Moffitt said.

Though the campground is closed for the season, the course is open year-round. Visitors can park at the main gate and walk to the Tinderbox’s first hole.

The sixth hole is currently blocked by a few “massive” oak trees felled during an Aug. 10 storm. That storm’s pounding winds wreaked havoc on the course just as work was wrapping up.

“It was completely disheartening,” Oele said. “We basically had to redo it from scratch again.”

An entire course near the campground, Beauty, remains closed due to damage from the storm. About 200 trees fell across the campground and picnic area, according to Parks Manager Deb Roberts.

Oele said the Tinderbox was possible due to the “direct support” of Begnoche, Roberts and Jeff Schwass, president of the Mason County Disc Golf Association and parks and recreation commissioner.

“They moved mountains,” Oele said.

The course is the first to be managed by the campground itself. Three other courses near its picnic area — Beauty, Beast and Goliath — are leased to and operated by the disc golf association.