- Plenty of parking available.
- Camping on site.
- Nice area to warm up some shorter shots in.
- Multiple tee pads for each hole.
- Challenging, mostly wooded course.
- Plenty of distance required for a wooded course.
- Layout is pretty easy to follow.

- Course can get buggy during the summer.
- Could get pretty soggy after rain.

BEP is such a solid course! Perfect weekend getaway with the camp sites right nearby the course. Such a solid course in general that will test your gap hitting and shot placement abilities!

+ Beautiful location!! A state Natural Area. The woods are mature with extremely tall trees that provide a canopy to block the hot summer sun and a light rain.
+ Mature trees provide a plethora of technical shots from tee to green. Forces players to shape shots through well-designed and challenging lanes.
+ Multiple teepads increases the challenge and playability for every skill level. Addition of 7 alternate pins gets this course closer to a championship level course.
+ Hole signage is visible, helpful, and accurate (not updated with new pins).
+ Amazingly, free to play; donations are accepted. Please donate to help make this course even better.

- Teepads are rubber (but are leveled out and in excellent condition). The volunteers who maintain this course do a wonderful job and cannot be thanked enough.

I drove 2 hours from Sparta, WI to play in the 2014 Summer Smack Down and had never played the course before; boy am I glad that I took the time to experience such a wonderful course. I would love to have this course closer to anywhere I live.

I normally pick what I think to be a signature hole when I review, however, many of the holes could be considered signature based on their design, layout, and shot types.

I suppose my favorite hole would have to be #5. It's a 607 ft dogleg left with a split fairway at around 300 feet. The fairway is divided by a few trees and tall grass, but is not impossible to throw a recovery shot from. There is OB 50' to the left of the fairway (Road). If the pin is in the long position, it is tucked behind a thin barricade of trees with a little overhang, forcing a left to right approach.

This course could be better with the addition of water, elevation, and cement teepads.

This is a must play if in the Wausau area.

This is a very well-kept course, appreciate the signs and amusing hole names. The park itself is beautiful and you can easily make a day or a weekend out of coming here. Nice baskets, nice tees, the three tee placements per hole is a great plus. The nature and scenery add to the enjoyment of playing here. It's easy to find your way to the next tee.

A lot of this course demands both precision and a big arm. The distances are substantial, and the penalty for missing your line is often that you have no options for your next shot other than to just toss your disc to somewhere you can make a shot from. Even the wooded holes, which look a little more open, play this way, miss the fairway end you have no chance of making a decent throw through the trees. On the holes with grass rough, I thought the fairways were rather narrow, especially in light of how nasty the rough was, a combination of tall grass, thistle, stinging nettle, and raspberry bushes (the raspberries were delicious). Discs burrow into this 3-foot deep mess and just disappear. Throw in the flies and mosquitoes and searching becomes painful. I'd have rated the course higher, but there were a couple or three holes where even a tee shot to the fairway presents a terrible second shot due to the fairway splitting around obstacles. You have to make a shaped shot to a very small landing area and if you miss, you could lose a disc and/or spend a lot of time looking. On these holes, good players have to execute a perfect shot, and lesser players have no real options, there are no "outs". There should always be a way for a lesser player to lay up and take a couple extra shots rather than forcing a try which will end badly.

Whoever is maintaining this course is doing a fantastic job, and I'll make a point to get here any time I'm in the area.

1) Location. The Disc Golf course is situated at the end of the park road, which during the summer months provides a scenic winding road to travel before arriving. Also situated next to one of the parks 2 campground areas, and a playground, oh, and the boat landing.

2) Course design. between the parking lot and Hole 1 is a "practice basket" that is ideal for brushing up on ones putting game before a round. The course itself has 2 9-hole loops that meander their way back to the parking area. Fairways on each hole are well defined, and the "rough" is definitely rough - but not so bad as to cause injury (i.e.: tall grass and ferns do a GREAT job of hiding that errant toss, but not too many "thorny" or "prickly" plants to wreak havoc on your clothes or skin. Use of varying distances is also a plus. Holes range from a 185' (shortest red tee) to 660" (longest blue tee). Great mix of open "bomber" holes and technical "finesse" holes to keep you on your toes. Nearly every hole has 3 different tee pads to shoot from and those placements almost invariably change the "look" or "shooting lane" you are presented.

3) Cleanliness. This course is usually devoid of litter - of any kind. This is likely due in part to the distance the locals need to travel to get there (which may limit the actual potential player population) and also the players who are there on a regular basis "do their part" to pick up any trash while playing a round.

4) Club Run Activities. During the Spring/Summer/Fall months, Wausau Area Disc Golf Enthusiasts AKA WADGE hold 2 wekkly leaguse (Monday is Handicapped Random Draw Doubles, Thursday is Handicapped Singles). Not to mention the various Tournaments held here (like the PDGA C-Tier event Summer Smackdown).

5) Wildlife. Sure, you're out in the woods, you expect to see a few animals ocassionally, right? I've seen deer, squirrels, racoons, herons, geese, and even saw a badger poke its head out of a burrow.

1) Topography. Due to the "lay of the land", there really isn't any opportunity to be challenged by serious elevation change.

2) Player Amenities. I found that though there are garbage receptacles on the course more might be nice. And have a few more places to sit for a spell would also be appreciated. Not to mention, as my wife has brought up, it'd be great if there were another type of "restroom" facility on the far side of the course from the one located at the parking lot.

Red, white and blue tees on almost all holes with a few having only 1 or 2 tees. Nice chainstar baskets that catch very well. Good change in distance and shot shaping between the different tees. Not really too busy. Practice basket before hole 1. Always lots of deer on the course which is pretty cool. Good amount of distance on this course, especially holes 7 and 17. Signs by each hole with basic hole layout and distances for all 3 tees. Navigation is very easy once you find the first tee.The first tee is about 25 yards into the woods behind the board with all the disc golf related info on it on the north side of the parking lot. Theres a nice elevated basket on the back nine that really makes you choose between going for it or laying up. Good mix of shots needed to score well here. This is my personal favorite course to play near my home in marshfield as its only about 30 minutes away. There are a few ace opportunities here but not many unless you got a big, accurate arm. The trees are the main obstacle here, and if you end up off the fairway it'll most likely cost you. Very quiet, peaceful place to play. This course will not dissappoint you. Much better than your average rec course. I gave it a 4 because i think that describes what this course is perfectly...Excellent.

Most teepads are gravel with a few having thick, black rubber mats. The gravel tees can be pretty easy to slip on, but the black mats can be even worse, especially if they are wet or get dirt or gravel on top of them, so be cautious. Some of the rough can be pretty thick, so make sure to watch closely where you threw it because you can easily loose a disc here. It would be nice if they would eventually add a few more alternate pin placements but this is an awesome course as it currently is set up so not really a big deal. Not really near anything, so be sure to bring enough water or beverages because the nearest gas station is probably 20 minutes away in Mosinee. BRING BUG SPRAY, the mosquitos can be terrible in the summer months.

Very fun 18 hole course in a beautiful park along the Big Eau Pleine Reservoir. I definately recommend playin this course if you're in the area. Not too far (half hour) off of interstate 39 south of Wausau. Course is designed by Randy Shukar who designs some awesome courses, and this is in my opinion one of his best. I'd recommend pretty much any course this guy designs.

-GREAT mix of distances on holes
-Excellent decisive fairways with challenging but fair rough
-Fantastic use of both wooded areas and "open" areas
-The three available tees on every hole provide very distinct challenge levels to every type of disc golfer
-The baskets are brand new
-There is no fee to play this course (although if there were it would be well worth it)

-The tee pads, by far, provide the biggest complaint. They are not the worst tee pads I have played on but a lot of them (especially the blue) are uneven and VERY slippery.
-The only water available is down by the lake from a well pump. It tastes like iron and has an orange tint to it, I wouldn't recommend drinking it. Bring your own water.
-There isn't a single open shot on this course. Even on the long holes you are required to navigate around a ton of trees just to put it in a very narrow landing area. It would be nice to be able to throw at least one bomb.
-There is no elevation change on any of the holes. Also, even though there is a huge lake nearby it isn't brought into play.

This course is a great course, don't get me wrong, but it is definitely lacking something. Maybe throw in a few mounds or provide one hole that is more open or create an island green or something. It needs that WOW factor.

Not crowded. Three separate tee boxes. Lots of wildlife (deer are very tame). Good mix of short and longer holes. Some elevation changes. Hole 13 has an elevated basket.

Rough is pretty thick on some holes with some thistles and stinging nettles.

A nice course that is well planned out. If you want a quiet, secluded place to play this is it. You will see a lot of deer up close and personal.

Amazing scenery and lush greenery. With three tee pads on nearly every hole, the course can accomodate any level of player. Deep dark woods with tons of deer, and there's plenty of water and camping nearby. Huge parking lot and nice bulletin board.

Lots of skeeters and far too many white tailed rats for my liking.

I'm so glad the county let them put the course in!

-Three tee pads on each hole.
-Signage on each hole, outlining distance from each tee pad.
-Woods come into play on majority of the holes, with distances ranging from 215' to over 550'.
-Variation of right and left dog legs, as well as straight shots necessitates a variety of tee shots throughout the course.
-Trails from basket to next tee make for intuitive course navigation; on holes where more than one trail is present a sign directs to next hole.
-Lightly trafficked course with a secluded feel throughout.
-Every hole has punishment for misplaced shots, whether the obstacles of trees or the unpleasantness of finding your disc in the thick, nettles laden rough.

-Rough is littered with stinging nettles and thistles, especially the front nine
-Gravel tee pads
-No drastic elevation changes, terrain is fairly repetitive
-No O.B./water hazards

I just had the opportunity to play the 18 hole layout of this course and I thought it was excellent. After each hole on the back nine I was excited to see what the next hole would bring. The day I was out I saw at least 15 deer on the course, which just adds to the secluded feel of the course. Even some of the cons of the course did not bother me while playing. The rough is ridiculous and you will spend time trying to find your disc, but I felt that just added to the emphasis of shot placement on the fairway. The mosquitoes were fairly thick the day I played, so bring along some bug spray. Some may view this as a con, but you're playing in the woods in Central Wisconsin; mosquitoes are to be expected. The gravel tee pads were very well compacted and did not hinder my footing at all during the round, but I could see them deteriorating over time. Overall, BEP is an excellent course and highly recommended if you are in Central Wisconsin.

This is a very challenging 9 hole course. Very diverse and interesting, never would have believed something like this was capable at a 9 holer.

FORGOT MY DISTANCE DRIVER! Not the courses fault but again didn't expect I would need it. Very dense growth on ALL sides of the course, you throw to the rough at all and you will search for a little while. Wears shoes and long pants, Hole #3 is called Nettle Mettle (thorns everywhere).

If you are a first timer or slightly more you may get frustrated but don't dispair, it's only a 9. If you are into the nature aspect of the sport, we saw a herd of whitetail deer throughout the course and at one point was only about 20 feet away from the big doe. BRING A CAMERA.

This is a great course cut out of the Big Eau Pleine County Park forest. The course was designed to impact the wilderness as minimally as possible, but with the best mix of disc golf challenges. Pete Hoover designed the course, and kudos to him. There is a mix of short and long, and varying tee pads offer different challenges for different players. The tee pads are gravel set in wooden bases, and are designed to be flat in downward terrain, giving them a "launch pad" look and feel.

Fairways are sometimes narrow, play the short tees to avoid going in the rough. The rough...deep weeds and nettles. I've come home with some pretty good rashes from retrieving lost discs. This adds to the psychological challenge of the course my view - it's hard not to think about those nettles as you are preparing to drive. Again, for the more amateur player it's relatively easy to avoid by playing the short tees and laying up when necessary.

Update: Since I wrote this review, Pete and his crew have done a really nice job of clearing most of those really deep weeds and nettles. There is still a clear difference between the fairway and the rough, but it's a lot easier to find a lost disc than when I originally wrote this review.

Update on the back 9 (7/19/09):

The back 9 holes are now open at BEP, and I played them today. Consistent with the front nine, the course design is outstanding. Good mix of left and right, short and long, and multiple paths to the baskets.

Back nine snapshots: "Double Dog Dare Ya" - long round open round-about paths to the basket left or right, or one tight window through dense brush and trees in the center. "The Dominator" is 570' from the blue tees.

The back nine only improves this already excellent course.