Buck Forest is a fun, short, backyard course. For the confines this layout faces, this is an excellent play.
- Course is better than it seemingly should be. 20 holes, 10 baskets, less than 3 acres to work with, and yet there are some quality holes.
- Not surprisingly, course primarily consists of mid-range and shorter holes. The tree open holes that play on or alongside the road (#1, 10, & 11) come in at 299, 417, and 420 feet respectively. The remaining 17 holes are all under 250 feet. Needless to say, I was throw the same several discs for the majority of tee shots.
- Great use of the land. Slight elevation factors on a series of holes. Three baskets are located close to the creek, making for some high risk/reward tee shots and putts.
- And, most notably, two baskets/three holes (#8, 12, and 20) play alongside the barn. In my round playing with Rob, we had shots hit the side of the barn, and the wire, fence alongside it. #20 begs you to ricochet your tee shot off the barn wall to get to the basket.
- I felt there was a lot of variety in terms of layouts and tee shots. Plenty of straight shots, doglegs, extremely tight lines, and perhaps most importantly, holes with multiple lines to the basket. On several holes, I had to debate which of the lines I should throw. If it was a good shot, of course I picked the correct line. A bad tee shot meant I picked the wrong line, never accounting for user error on those shots.
- A high risk/reward element on the creekside layouts. #5 - 7 have tight lines that can lead to easy birdie 2s, or bogey 4s with a slight misthrow or unfortunate bounce. On one of the holes, I've got a 15 foot birdie putt, but I'm blocked by a large tree because the disc went 3 feet too far. An aggressive putt brings the water in play. So, I'm forced to lay up and two putt rather than risking the penalty.
- One of the best things to say about this course is that as soon as I finished, I wanted to play again. There were holes I know I should have birdied but threw a bad tee shot, bad putt, or had an unfortunate bounce.
- This is a fantastic course for an ace race or simply for someone looking for an ace, consequences be dammed. 20 aggressive tee shots will lead to several runs at the basket. You'll also have several bad scores. If a handful of bogeys and double bogeys is worth an ace, then have at it.

Natural tee pads. Just watch your footing if you need longer run ups on some holes.
- Confusing layout, especially for new players. That said, you need permission to play. Most likely your initial round with will be with Rob or another club member.
- Several holes play on the road. If you're against having discs land on pavement, you may not enjoy watching your disc land and scrape along the top of the surface.
- Course is tight and overlaps. If there are multiple groups, be prepared for slower rounds than to be expected. Rob and I had the course to ourselves and it still took 1:45 to play.
- Lack of amenities. To be expected for a backyard course. And you're only 5 - 10 minutes from gas stations, restaurants, and what not. So not a major issue.
- No signage: tee signs, next arrow signs, hole numbers on baskets. May cause for slight confusion at times as you'll see multiple baskets at times.

Buck Forest is fun. It's not a world class design. It's your hole-in-the-wall burger or bbq joint that you choose to visit rather than the prestigious steakhouse.
- I'm glad I got to final play this course. Rob was a gracious, friendly host. It was a pleasure getting to spend time with him and hear his insights into the course design.
- The more you play here, the more you'll be familiar with the best lines to the basket. There were several holes where I had honors on the tee pad, picked a route to throw, then saw the course owner Rob throw a different, and in turn, better line. When lots of birdies can be had, any chances to pick up a stroke or three will be beneficial.
- #18 was the best overall hole in terms of quality and challenge. A slight downhill, dogleg left hole, there are several lines to the basket depending on how much of a sweeping shot you want to throw. The straightest line is the tightest; the one to the furthest right is the widest line. A good tee shot ensures an easy par. A great tee shot puts you in birdie range. Compared to many holes on this course, you do need to throw an excellent tee shot to see a birdie putt.
- #19 is another solid layout. A slight downhill hole to one of the baskets along the bank of the creek. An aggressive shot is going OB in or past the creek. Without the water, a lot of us are parking are tee shots for easy birdies. With the water, I'm landing my disc 25 feet short.
- As for the closing hole, this is a gimmick layout, but it works. Earlier in the round, I asked Rob what was the most aced hole on the course, and he mentioned the last one. We're on the tee, he mentions most aces are from a ricochet off the side of the barn. I proceed to throw, hit the side of the barn, ricochet off of it, hit the chains, and.....have it fall out for a 12 inch birdie putt. So, so close to a great end to the round.
- All told, I'm giving this course a 2.5 rating. It gets much higher marks for the fun-factor and appeal. Worth a play.

Buck Forest is an 18 hole disc golf course in the suburbs of Columbia . It is hard to find on your own , so you want to contact the owner first . If you map it using DGR , look for the house with a basket in the yard . No outside bathrooms , but the owner will gladly let you use his if he is home . He lets you park in his driveway , but you must park away from the basket and tee pad for #2 .
The Equipment - This is an 18 hole/ 9 basket system . There is one basket that you use once , and one that you use 3 times . The baskets ( not sure of the make ) are temp kind and catch as long as you don't drive your putter in too hard . ( hey , it's a privately funded course ! ) . The tee pads can be anything from natural , to gravel to cement , as his neighbor is using his cement shed foundation , and the road is the tee pad for #'s 1 & 10 . The tee sigs are just numbers almost flush with the ground , and all are not there . You need the owner or a veteran player of the course to show you around or you will become turned around .
The Landscape - There is a slope on the side yards that make up some elevation . There is also some woods in the back . There is a basket that sits on top of a pile of rocks which was interesting . a chicken coop may come into play next to a fairway ( I had to drop my disc bag in front of a protective rooster to avoid a fight with him ) . A creek splits and runs along the back of the property and will come into play several times . You will have to throw along the road and use it as a brief part of the fairway twice . The owner has installed a couple of nice bridges recently .
Course Appearance/Atmosphere - After stepping back and taking the whole course in , you will wonder how Rob ( the owner ) pulled this off . He has a wonderful piece of property , with a nice house a chicken house , and woods property in the back , His back porch looks out over most of the property . If you stay long enough , you will be sitting on that back porch and having a cold drink with Rob .
The Highlights - I think #4 swings from the top of the slope down to the basket which is protected by the creek in both the front and the back . There is another hole ( 6 ? or 15 ? that has a tight alley to a basket that sits on sort of a creek inlet . And there is also the famous Chicken Coop Run , with the coop on the immediate right and the creek running the length of the fairway on the left .
The Time - The holes are short , so if you have a guide or know the layout , you will get through this in about 50 minutes . A group of 4 will accomplish their 18 holes in about 90-100 .
Don't let the owner tell you to play without him . You really have to meet him and his lovely wife .

You have to take this course for what it is . A unique setup in the middle of houses with decent sized yards .
Safety - With some space constraints , holes 1 & 10 tee off from opposites sides of a road . The cars will all wave at you , but you have to throw and move off the road as soon as you can . There is a mando on 2 to keep you from hitting Rob's fuel tank . A couple of blind shots on his property and the chickens might come into play . Don't force Rob to eat drum sticks for dinner because you broke one of thier legs . There is some overlap on the holes , so if several are playing , you will have to use caution .
Navigation - Navigation is almost impossible without physical help . Without all of the holes being numbered and no Next Tee signs , the course really needs a map .

I wandered through Buck Forest not sure if I played a couple holes twice and skipped over a couple , but it really didn't matter . The course isn't challenging and it doesn't have top notch equipment and amenities , but it's special . It represents what many of us would like to have . A course on your own property to be able to play , and have friends and neighbors stop by to play and entertain . Rob and his wife are those kind of people . His enthusiasm for disc golf has no bounds , and he will invite you onto his porch if you have enough time to talk . After talking with both for about 20 minutes, I felt as if I had known him for 20 years . He might be my best friend if I lived in Columbia . If you think that this is a midrange/putter quick play and get out type of course , you might be missing the point . Seeing a man's dream become a reality in a game that both them and us enjoy is the common ground . Even his son that has long moved out and is married is as eaten up with disc golf as his Dad . Rob has mini tournaments during some early weekend mornings , so you want to make sure that the course is open . Email ahead of time .
My Recommendation - Great intro course , family course , date course , and newbie-friendly . Locals should love coming here and try to run aces and improve personal scores . Intermediates and up will like to practice their short game in a relaxing atmosphere . There aren't much better stops on the way to or the way back from Myrtle Beach or Charleston than the Buck Household , where you can pick up some lemonade from the store and snacks and sit down with some down to earth people after playing a quick 18 . Course Collectors will love that the course is in the suburbs , but quick on/off I-26 and close to short 9 hole courses close by .
Not an Astounding course , but Astounding People . Check this course out if you have the time . Suburban Golf !

Well thought out use of very small piece of land. Lots of pride of ownership on this course. Owner REALLY did a great job with what he had to work with and created a really cool, Putter/Mid-Range course. I was expecting a whole lot less, but was pleasantly surprised

It's kind of odd playing around someones house. And I mean within feet in some places. and the 9 basket, 18 tee design is really confusing first time out.

This is a really hard course to review. On the fun factor, a solid 4. On technical, definitely a 3. But there's only one hole where you can even moderately air it out, and that hole is in the middle of the road!

If you're looking for a place to really tweak your short game, this is a great little 9/18 holer to do it on.

Private course built around the owner's house and neighbors back yard. It is a perfect example of what most disc golfers would do it they had 2 acres of wooded, hilly land behind their house, a dozen baskets, and a lot of free time. Baskets are single chain M-14 (I believe), tees are dirt but well marked, and the fairways have been cleared with a leaf blower to make numerous trails through the woods. There is a large creek that runs through the course and comes into play on most of the holes. Although the course is very short, there are enough uphill, downhill, hyzer and anhyzer shots to keep you on your toes. Throw in a couple of precarious pin placements, and all together the design was surprisingly very good!

The baskets and tees didn't bother me but throwing across the neighbors yard and from their backyard was a bit strange. Not to mention playing around the owners house.

Confusing layout with the 18 holes using 10 or 11 baskets. A lot of shared fairways and crossing fairways. NO WAY I could figure it out without a guide the first couple of times.

Rob (the owner) was very gracious with his time to show us around. He has spent a ton of hours landscaping the course, building bridges, and lining the fairways with rocks and other stuff to make you feel like your in a small park when your playing. After the first 3 holes around the house, I forgot I was playing golf in the middle of a subdivision. You can tell how passionate he is and that is what makes this course worth playing. There are no bad holes and the design was well thought out. I would say it's worth playing if it's on your way or not too much out of it. If you know what your getting into before you arrive and don't expect much, you will be in for a great time.