Woodruff, WI

Brandy Lake DGC

3.55(based on 19 reviews)
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9 0
EspressoPatronum
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.3 years 316 played 298 reviews
3.50 star(s)

A Continuous Sprint to the Finish!

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 21, 2024 Played the course:once

Pros:

- nice full color tee signs with maps
- large concrete tees, nice and level
- good quality DISCatcher baskets
- dual pin positions (only one populated at a time)
- some garbage cans and benches
- nearly the entirety plays through technical wooded fairways
- tight lines through trees offset shorter distance
- some limited elevation change incorporated
- beautiful northwoods scenery overlooking Brandy Lake
- aromas of the forest add to the ambience of the course
- most navigation is intuitive and flows will with a few exceptions
- a few more open holes add some variety
- area is mostly devoted to disc golf with a few exceptions

Cons:

- no question, this course will be considered too short for some
- a few holes are too close to parking/playground area
- course is pretty dense so some holes play close to each other
- some specific next tee indicators would improve navigation
- par fours and above on this course are silly and unwarranted
- some minor traffic noise takes away just a bit

Other Thoughts:

I've had Brandy Lake on my list for my return to Wisconsin's northwoods, as I really enjoy well designed, short, technical 18 hole courses. This is one of the fastest 18 hole courses you'll ever play - you can probably finish it solo in 45 minutes or even a few less. For some, this will certainly be too short. You are not going to have any long drives on this course, but it makes up for it with technical challenge.

Brandy Lake is an above average course but not world class. What it brings to the table is a ton of fun. You feel like you are truly in the northwoods and get the sights and smells to go along with it, including animals like deer. This isn't quite like some courses where you'll feel "lost in the woods," you are always pretty close to where you started due to the short length.

This is one you go into with the mindset that it's going to be short and challenge you more on your accuracy. Lines are tough to hit in places due to the heavily wooded fairways, but if you hit the line, you'll have many birdie opportunities. Admittedly, the course may start to feel a bit repetitive, with only a few open holes to mix it up. That said, the course plays so fast I didn't really find this bothersome.

The equipment here is excellent, with nice tee signs with maps, large concrete tees, dual pin positions, and tried and true DISCatcher baskets. In my opinion, every hole on this course should be a par 3 - maybe hole 18 in the long position warrants a par 4, but I'm not sure it does. The course is fun and brings some challenge, but it's far from crippling. As I recall, the rough was also very limited and forgiving here which always makes for a more enjoyable round.

I was here very early on a Saturday morning and saw nobody else so can't comment much on how busy Brandy Lake gets. It's a multi-use park that probably sees other activity but I wouldn't expect the disc golf course to get too packed. It would have been cool if there were shots along the shore of Brandy Lake, but we have to settle for views only.

There is some limited elevation change incorporated here and you'll have to throw some different shots to wind around trees but most of your round is going to be midranges and fairway drivers. This particular area of NE Wisconsin is becoming a great destination. I really enjoyed this course, as well as Rookery Run somewhat nearby. Sandy Point is my all time favorite course, and nearby Squirrel Hill (literally 10 minutes from Sandy Point) is supposed to be cool too. There's easily enough disc golf to spend a full day in this area. If you head a bit further north, the often overlooked niner, North Lakeland, is in Manitowish Waters and I really like this little course too. I encourage anyone who loves wooded disc golf to make the trip to this region.
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2 1
BlackberryGirl
Experience: 15 played 15 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Love this course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 15, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

Loved this course. We drove past it because GPS not accurate but saw #1 tee pad. This course seemed in the middle of nowhere yet maintained and perfect.

Cons:

GPS may not get you to the parking lot. A bit of a walk back to car.

Other Thoughts:

Worth a stop if you like technical courses.
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5 0
DiscerJoe
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great Little Northwoods Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 1, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

This is an excellent park to bring the whole family to. There's a beautiful sandy beach for the kids to swim, basketball, baseball and tennis courts also grace the grounds.

The course plays very fair. No gimmicky lines or angles from the cement tee pads.

The course is mostly under a Red Pine canopy, great for escaping the hot summer sun.

The signage is detailed and well placed to guide you about.

Cons:

A few holes are almost identical to one another. The lack of substantial variety is the only negative here.

Other Thoughts:

If you are passing through the area, or up for vacation, stop by and bring the family to enjoy this great park. The course isn't professional caliber, but provides an afternoon of fun for everyone.
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5 0
ElementZ
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.5 years 221 played 209 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice stone work in the woods 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 23, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has a lot of things going for it.

+ Good equipment. The tees were concrete, the baskets were in good shape, and the tee signs were descriptive. The big course map at the beginning was helpful as well.

+ What stood out to me about this course is the stone work. What I mean by that is that every hole had stones that either surrounded the tees, or, in 12's instance, had rings around the basket. This added a nice touch to the course that shows that some love really went into making this course for everyone.

+ Great flow. Playing this course feels like a walk in the woods. There is rarely any doubt on where to go after holing out.

+ In great shape. There wasn't very much trash on the ground and the "rough" outlining the fairways was very manageable. Losing a disc is tricky here, which I view as a big plus. The ground, when I played in June, was more sandy than it was dirty, which is likely why weeds aren't as big of an issue as other courses in the northwoods.

Cons:

- Past reviewers have mentioned that there is a great diversity here...but I disagree. I would say 90% of these holes are 150-250 feet in the woods putter approaches. The difficulty at this course comes from the abundance of trees, rather than distance. I wish there would have been more holes that were 350 ft +.

I found myself getting pretty bored of the same hole over and over after about 10 holes. That said, 15, 16, and 17 are a slight breathe of fresh air, but it's not enough to add the variety this course needs. 18 is more of the same, making it a pretty weak final hole.

Other Thoughts:

All in all, Brandy Lake is a slightly above average course. It's key features come from the attention to detail when it comes to landscaping the course. The boulders add a great touch. These, coupled with the towering trees, create a cool atmosphere for the course. The lack of variety and lack of elevation change make this is "meh" course.
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2 1
jeremyhilss
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 12.1 years 50 played 30 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Beautiful little 18 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 24, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Beautiful landscaping and maintenance

Challenging left right and straight shots, with many trees to provide some need for technical throws

A couple elevated baskets

Concrete teepads

Good directions for next tees (except for after hole 9 going to 10)

Cons:

Very short (no big deal to me but some might want longer holes)

Other Thoughts:

Absolutely gorgeous course, lots of fun, challenging shots make up for the short distances from the tees to pins. I just wish people would pick up after themselves, and shame on whoever the ********* is who decided to smash the glass on the beautiful information board - STOP VANDALIZING!
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6 0
wolfhaley
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.5 years 1165 played 745 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Beautiful ace run course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 3, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is one of the best looking courses I've played. They definitely took some notes from the fantastic sandy point resort and disc golf ranch about 20 minutes away. Theres a large board with any disc golf related info posted on it near hole 1. Theres a donation box on this as well as a box for scorecards. There were no scorecards when we played. There are huge, level tee pads on every hole. Very nice teepads! The signs were also top notch. They had the basic hole layout, distance and showed the different pin locations on each. Like I just mentioned there are a number of pin locations on most if not all holes. Although I don't care for disc catchers much, these were all in great shape and caught well. They also had hole numbers on them which actually faced the tee pads which seems rare. Theres a good mix of left, right and straight shots on this course as well. They have awesome benches on almost every hole but I believe only 3 trash cans. This course doesn't take long to play so 3 trash cans is plenty here. There are a number of tightly wooded holes with only a few open holes. There is a fair lane to the basket on all the holes. The course is set up so that it doesn't affect other park activities unless you really throw the wrong way. They have next tee signs all over the place which is nice in that there are 2 longer walks between holes.

Cons:

The main con anyone would have here is the distances. They are EXTREMELY short. This is the only con I can come up with here, however it is a pretty big con which keeps me from rating it any higher than I did.

Other Thoughts:

Not a course to go out of your way to play but if you are in the area it's totally worth a round or two. Like I said this is one of, if not THE prettiest free course I've ever played. A good course to work on your short game and just throw a putter if you wanted.
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5 0
harr0140
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 15.8 years 1512 played 480 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice fun short wooded course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 3, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

1) Nice signs with Hole #, Par, Distance, and a map.
2) A few garbage cans and some 5 gallon buckets at many tees for the trash.
3) Directionals are used to effectively help you find your way on your first round here.
4) Benches are found in some places which is always a nice touch to be able to sit during tourneys or behind slow groups.
5) Nice large concrete tees are always appreciated because they are consistent.
6) There is some really nice landscaping done on this course. The boulders on hole #1 and #2 add a nice touch.
7) The pine straw covers the ground and actually does a good job to keep the mud down, but it is also very padding to avoid compaction and erosion. Overtime they build up and create a softer surface to work on.
8) Cigarette buckets with sand on the tee posts. While it is not the most attractive thing, it is better than having butts all over the ground.
9) Nice Discatchers on this course. The yellow band is appreciated on a few holes making it much easier to see the baskets.
10) Brooms are located near many of the tees. Some of them are broken but you can still use them to keep the teepads free of sand and other debris
11) Very nice variety of shots to be thrown here. Some anhyzers, some hyzers, some straight shots.
12) Beginner friendly course. I enjoy a challenge, but we do still need beginner friendly courses.
13) This course can be played in a relatively short amount of time making it ideal for lunch breaks and quick rounds after work.

Cons:

1) Tight and dangerous in a few spots. I know there were a couple tees in danger and a few of the fairways ran very close to others creating the potential for a bad kick to send you into another fairway.
2) Fairly repetitive distance. They are mostly 150-225 with just a couple outliers on the course.
3) Almost all of the brooms were broken . . . who breaks the only tool on the course to keep the tees clean?
4) There was a little bit of garbage around the course but it was just an occasional can or bottle.
5) A little monotonous in terms of the variety of hole. The foliage is just about all the same, it is just about the same density, and there are only a couple with turf on the holes. While this is a negative from a design standpoint, I can still appreciate all wooded courses. I simply do not enjoy grassed courses near as much as I do wooded courses.
6) Really goofy setup where you walk along an entire hole and around the tee to turn towards your next tee. You can cross the fairwaya nd shave off some distance but be sure noone is throwing. This is also one of the dangerous spots for sure.

Other Thoughts:

Not a bad little course. It was another heavily wooded course in the awesome Northwoods. The holes are fairly short but fun to throw. I had a bunch of birdies and one bad bogey. It is always a lot of fun to get a bunch of birdies on a course like this because you had to execute some goods shots to get the disc close.
There is an awesome bar and grill just around the corner called Saloon's. I stopped in after my round for a sandwich. It was a great Turkey Rachel with a pile of fries. I finished, asked if they took Discover and they said we do not take credit. They have an ATM but my ATM card hasn't worked in over a year . . . I guess I should have taken care of that!! I had $9 in my wallet and my bill was $16.50 for my sandwich and a drink. The bartender understood the predicament of me being 300 miles from hole and having no access to cash. The problem was I had made 3 donations at courses on my way up in the amount of $15 so I was getting really low on cash. I had more in my hotel room, but that was 40 miles away and he didn't expect me to drive back up and I didn't want to miss out on any courses because of this. He offered to cover me and said that would be his good deed. I got his address and said I will take care of this, and I appreciated his gesture. SO when I got home, I sent him $15 (on top of the $9 I had already given him) and a Disc Golf Experience mini in thanks. I told him to show the letter of thanks to his boss and gave him the url for my blog so he could check out my experience. I hope my gesture was enough thanks for his gesture of trust and compassion.
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1 0
SleekrBeekr
Experience: 15.4 years 63 played 22 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Brandy Lake DGC 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 2, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

18 hole layout.
High quality signs on every tee.
Multiple pin locations.
Very nicely groomed.
Attractive landscaping.
Relatively fast paced course.
Fairly easy, but offers enough challenge to be fun.
A park, baseball fields, tennis courts, picnic areas, and lake access offer plenty of activities.

Cons:

A few of the maps are a little off on pin locations.
Pretty short for 18 holes.
Gets a little repetitive in the woods, with most holes being fairly short and winding through the thick, but well trimmed, trees.

Other Thoughts:

This is a fun, quick playing 18 hole course. It plays mostly through the woods with a few open holes. There are a few O.B. roads, sidewalks, and fences, but they offer a nice challenge. Most of the holes are pretty short, but they require an accurate shot due to the thick forests. There are multiple pin locations on most holes and can offer a nice bit of variety to the course. Some of the maps are a bit off on where the pin locations are. This is mostly because the map will show more exaggerated hyzers or anhyzers then the hole actually plays.
The course is very well maintained, and the landscaping is beautiful. Most tee-pads are surrounded with nice stone work or wood chips and the trees on most holes are well trimmed. The course looks very nice and compliments the area. There are multiple things to do in the surrounding park offering a nice variety of activities and adding the overall replay value of this course. Additionally, the relative ease of the layout is nice for bigger groups and casual/beginning players.
This course is in a small town in a tourist area, so there is plenty to do on a little vacation. There is also a very high quality course about 20 minutes from this one, Sandy Point Resort. These two courses and all the local attractions offer more than enough for the traveling disc golfer, or anyone fortunate enough to spend time in the area.
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3 1
deafdgolfer
Experience: 125 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 2, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

I had spend my week vacation at Woodruff area, and it is my 5th straight year outing with my In Laws. Nice and quick escape to play a round. I have the chance to play 5 rounds there before I m albe to confirm its rating.
Nice tee signs/ sponsors
Well-maintained course
Family friendly gathering place (my son just completed his very first 18 hole round)
Friendly League night (missed my Lustig Disc Golf League night, however went out there instead)

Cons:

Lot of short holes!
Not all have concrete tees (10-15)
Mostly are flat

Other Thoughts:

I have played several short 18 holes around in Wisconsin and am pleased with Brady Lake course. There is lot of mixed shots to work on. If you are one of those seasoned players, I would recommend you to bring putters, overstable and beaten mids. I was able to work on my Wizards and Rocs.

I would have score it 3.0 but My 7 year old son had a blast time playing out there than other courses that he had gone before, which it bumped an additonal .5 pts

If you happen to be in the area, and in the mood to work on your approach shots, it is the place to work on!
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