I had a wonderful time playing this challenging private course, and the host could not have been more gracious. You start and finish in the nicely-landscaped yards of some lovely homes, but the bulk of the course traverses an adjacent block of dense woods. Consequently, this plays as a technical woods course bookended with a few park-style holes.

With four layouts to play, this course offers appropriate challenge for a wide range of skills. The main options are Blue (4,810' par 56) and Gold (6,044' par 59), which have well-mounted rubber tee pads. There are also two shorter options, Red (3,291' par 54) and White (4,281' par 57), with mostly natural tees marked by painted bricks.

Highlights for me were the two short-but-tight holes that throw over a gorgeous landscaped pond. I also loved the wooded sections of the course, which challenge your ability to hit and shape lines.

Good equipment, particularly for a private course: Mach 3 baskets with number plates, solidly mounted rubber tee pads, and bridges as needed to cross the creek. The baskets are marked with colored bands (red, white, blue, gold) that match which layout you are playing.

Navigation is mostly straightforward, with the next tee or path usually visible and most walks between holes short (but see cons). The middle of the course swings by the driveway parking area, providing an opportunity to stop by your car.

Rough is thick on many holes, so the chance of disc loss is reasonably high during the growing season.

Hole information is currently spray-painted on the rubber tee pads, but tee signs would be helpful for first-time players. To be fair, I expect that most people who play here are regulars.

A few more "next tee" signs would help first-timers navigate the course. I took a couple of wrong turns in the woods and almost replayed the same hole twice. A GPS map will show you the way but cell signal is weak in some low areas.

Mach 3 basket are occasionally difficult to spot in the woods. A brightly-colored flag marking the basket would be beneficial on a few holes.

I played the Blue course with a few Gold holes thrown in and had a great time. Beaver Branch reminds me of BRATS, another wonderful backyard course. I rated Beaver Branch a strong 3.5 but with the addition of tee signs I would happily bump my rating to 4.0.

Arrange to play a day or two ahead of time, which is reasonable for a course in someone's backyard. When I texted, I received quick and helpful responses.

A few holes featured gentle elevation changes but overall, the course is fairly flat. I played after several rainy days and a few spots were muddy but nothing that detracted from my enjoyment.

There is no fee to play here, but I suggest offering a contribution to help keep this highly enjoyable private course up and running. I get the impression that this course is a work in progress, in the sense that the designers are always looking for ways to improve it.

I look forward to playing here again.