Pros:
From its quaint parking lot the course sure didn't look like much. A pavilion and a children's playscape gave way to a walking trail, with a utility shed off to the right. There was a family picnicking on a large blanket in the field beyond, as the sun warmed the temps into the mid-seventies. The sign for the first tee had its back towards us, and as we walked up to the carpeted pad, we couldn't help but think the setup a bit antiquated. Yet much like the small town in which Branstrom Park is located, the course was a lot more than we bargained for...
***
Branstrom offers a lot of what makes a good course great. Excellent signage, well-planned fairways and tough shots abound as you weave your way through a truly mammoth spread. Looking back on that first scene, there was no way to know that I was heading into an endurance test.
The first third of the course plays through lightly wooded areas and small clearings with bushes lining either side of the fairways. There are some difficult shots mixed in with some easy decisions, and the course punishes you for errant tosses accordingly. The signature hole here is #4, which has you atop a small incline and facing a trio of thin tree trunks, tightly clustered about halfway down the fairway. If you reach the midpoint successfully, the approach is a downhill glide with a blind pin and sharp thorny brush to greet you should you overshoot.
After pin seven, the course takes you further away from that quaint parking lot and into heavy woods with tight fairways and steep hills. We couldn't believe we were on the same piece of land. Hole #8 is one of the best Branstrom has to offer, and one of the most exhilarating ace runs I've ever come across. While only a mere 169 feet in length, it's at least that in depth. Firing off the edge of a cliff, you attempt to dodge the myriad of tree trunks and branches, leaning with your disc as it perilously sails through the forest. Even a glancing blow can send it tumbling down to the bottom of the ravine, leaving you with a series of precarious upshots that will more than likely have your disc rolling back behind you as you curse the game you love. Hole after rough, wooded hole, the forest finally lets up after #15, but not before an absurd uphill incline with absolutely no fairway to speak of that breaks into a wide open clearing where the pin awaits. Make it through unscathed and you'll be rewarded handsomely.
No doubt by this point you are feeling it, having battled through thus far. You may have reached your breaking point. But I'll tell you what: coming out onto the green of #15 felt like a rebirth. The sun was shining; not a cloud in the sky. Put the past behind you can get ready, because Branstrom boasts one of the best finishes around.
#16 would be the signature hole on your standard suburban course, but here it only adds to the mystique. A behemoth blind drop awaits you at the top of the hill; a sickly sharp hyzer needed to bend around a huge outcrop of shrubs to the pin below. The whipping wind does you no favors; spotters are damn near required on this bomb. #17 has you head back UP that same hill, again another sharp hyzer needed to avoid the woods to your left. Distance is deceptive here as well, as the sharp incline and winds coming down the hill will cut your drive distance in half. Tired, thirsty, probably scraped up, you make your way to #18... THE END - all 800+ feet of it! A great finish; mostly open with mature trees as your obstacles, and once you get to the last 300 or so, it tightens back up with huge pine trees coming to a point behind the basket. If you par this you are not human, and if you are not wiped out after playing through then congratulations; feel free to go the gauntlet again!
Cons:
More nuisances than anything. Navigation can be a bit confusing, especially if you are cutting through past the bonus holes (a neat feature) so make sure you're staying on top of that. A few of the holes were laid out in extremely peculiar ways, and not to the benefit of the round. Pretty much from #8 on, Branstrom is a time consuming round through rough terrain and overall it can be a bit of a drag at times. While the layout was good, the flow felt choppy to me, and I think this goes back to the fact that after the first few holes you have no reason to think this intense of a round lies ahead. The carpet tees are bad but manageable, but on some holes it was better (and safer) to throw from the dirt. Lastly (and to no fault of the course) Branstrom lies on the way to Mecca AKA Flip City. Many people (including my group) played this during a road trip to Flip, so we couldn't give it a fair enough shake at the time. I played this course back in August and sat on this review for a while, letting it digest in my mind before giving it my rating.
Other Thoughts:
Overall, Branstrom is a dynamic and aggressive course that blew me away. I only wish we had courses like this in the Metro Detroit area. How this one exists in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere (no offense) and there not be one in the 'burbs baffles me. Make sure you know what you are in for by packing lots of fluids and some snacks, especially if you are playing with a group of four or more, as it will take you a good 2+ hours to play (3+ if you play the bonus holes). While there were a few things that bugged me, this course is easily in my top 20 - highly recommended and definitely deceiving. Don't judge a course by its first few holes, and let it stand alone in your review!