When I pulled into the parking lot for the first time, I had a strange sense of deja vu... The characters in the parking lot, the buzz of activity out on the course, someone selling discs out of the back of their truck...then I remembered a similar scene when I visited some of the "classic" California courses several years ago. I later found out the Brahan Springs is the oldest course in Alabama, and dates back to some of those early California courses, and the hand of Steady Ed and the founders of the game are evident. It's in the middle of the city of Huntsville, and has a dedicated group of players ready to play anyone who shows up. If I rated this course on just the physical attributes of the course, it might rate out as a two. With the course's history and the player culture, it bumps up a full point to a three.

-Excellent Mach-X baskets, well mounted, no unfair or gimmicky greens

-Well done cement tee boxes, safe run-ups and follow-throughs. Most (all?) have benches.

-Mostly technical woods shots "in the pines", but mostly fair lines.

-Cool Saturn V rocket themed tee signs. Seemed accurate, not sure on "alternate" basket placements. Course navigation was pretty easy.

-Neutral design, doesn't particularly favor lefties, righties, forehands, backhands... there's a balanced mix of shot shapes. Most holes have more than one possible line through the trees to the basket.

-Low chance to loose discs, at least if you are willing to look through the pine needles a bit. Not a bad course to introduce beginners to the game if they can not get too frustrated by the tight lines.

-Free, a public course

-Quick play, even when the course is busy it will usually play in under an hour. With the lack of elevation and not punishing distance, you can easily fit in a couple of rounds without a break.

-With only one tee and one basket, the course is a fun challenge for a rec player, but I suspect advanced ams and pros don't get too much of a challenge and need to leave their distance drivers in the bag.

-The course is flat with no water features to add variety and challenge to the round.

-This course rates high on the "spirit of the game" a chance to meet other players who are more than willing to share knowledge.

-At 4,658', all holes are par 3. The shortest are just under 200 feet, the longest is the open first hole, just over 400'.

-I suspect this course can get crowded, I played on a cool drizzly winter day, I didn't have to wait to tee off but there were groups on nearly every fairway. The second time I played was in howling winds and threatening skies... I didn't think anyone would be there, but there were several groups of die-hards out there enjoying there round.

This course is one of the oldest in the world, and by the look of how many locals were playing on a Sunday morning it many be one of the most well loved also.

Plays mainly through and sometimes around a small forest of old growth pine trees, and relies on those trees as its main feature of interest.

You have to shape shots in many different ways to score well here, but other than the first hole they are not very long so anyone who is precise even if not powerful can have a great round.

Pads are in decent shape and plenty big for a course where you never need to throw all that far. Signs are also appealing and have a good representation of the hole on the as well as standard distance and par info.

Baskets are mach x and I am a fan. They catch really well and the chain shape makes for a very good target.

It's basically the ideal league course. Anyone can come and compete, but precision and experience are rewarded. It's also one of the best courses I've ever played on a plot this small. It doesn't feel cramped despite not being a huge area.

Great benches on almost every hole and many have cable spools you can use as a bag holder, which is a very nice touch.

The fact that after hoes 1&2 you are basically throwing line shaping woods shots can get a bit monotonous I suppose.

It's also pretty darn close to flat the hole way which for me is a slight con because i live a good elevation change, but for many players could be a plus for the ease of play.

Some players while I was there also complained about the navigation and one gentleman when I asked him where the first tee was said, "it's your first time? Oh **** your going to get lost in the trees". I didn't get lost in the trees however and other than one spot where you could see two pads from the previous basket I had no issue.

Feels very old school, but not all in a bad way, the lack of features other than line shaping through the trees is the main knock.

And all the park bathrooms were locked.

It's a fun play, and I'll definitely play it again when I'm close. It's also a easy low impact play, so if your not super young or have any mobility issues is a great spot to enjoy a round without a ton of pressure.

Overall very enjoyable and has a touch of whimsy that older courses tend to develop.

No undergrowth
Clear basket shots
clean area
Shaded from the hot sunny days

can be crowded on certain days
Some of the wood benches need repair

may need some newer baskets but overall it is a fun course that everyone needs to play while in the area.

(2.793 Rating) (REVISED - replayed June 2023) A historic pine tree filled layout that's fun to play in big social groups.
- HISTORY - According to the PDGA, this is one of the first courses to have chain baskets in the world, somewhere between 3rd and 5th to get them planted, although locals will say it's the second oldest. A Steady Ed Headrick and Tom Monroe creation back in 1976. This notion by itself, makes Brahan Springs a destination course.
- UPGRADES - When I first moved to Huntsville, I scored this course a 2.5. Since that time, I've been slowly creeping up the rating every year as things keep getting added. Since late 2017, 6 alternate placements have been added. Benches have been repaired and/or added to all but two tees. New tee signs were added in 2018. Basket flags have been added and bag tables have been placed at about a third of the tees. For these reasons, I have added about a quarter point to the rating and it just tipped over the 2.75 threshold on my scales for a 3.0
- FUN FACTOR - This is the busiest course in town for a reason. There are ample opportunities for birdies. Errant throws are not further punished even though there are lots of pines to weave around. The odds of losing a disc is near zero. For the most part, just about no areas where you'll have to search in the overgrowth. On my first 2 rounds here, I showed up solo but ended up finishing in a group. This is just such a fun place to throw a laid back round.
- ACEABILITY - There are lots of opportunities to run at the chains. Most of the holes play between 200 and 300 feet and have at least one clear line to the basket. The windows to the baskets are tight on many holes, but there's almost always a path. Skip plays are a very real possibility, and it's often the best way to run at the chains. I have eight aces here as of this revision on holes (6), (8 twice), (9 twice), (10), (12) and (18) and more than a dozen chain outs.
- AMENITIES - The equipment and amenity extras are above average now. To start, modestly sized 4 by 10 concrete tees. A vast majority of the tees are shaded and wind protected. Nice MachXs baskets with yellow flags on top and a practice basket. As noted in the upgrades pro, benches are at nearly every tee and there are several spindle tables to stow a bag. There's a community board with course info and two shelters with a couple tables. The only substantial drawback is just two extra tees and extra basket placements are limited to five holes. Hole (9) has 3 placements.
- SHOT SHAPING - Although the holes are on the shorter side, players will still need to put some thought into just about every shot. Lots of flight path planning is needed. Several holes have multiple lines to the basket. IMO, (7) is the only wooded hole without a pure line.
- SKILL LEVEL FRIENDLY - This course draws players with a wide swath of skill levels. You'll see MA1 level players out here working on their short game lines, but also Beginners as well.
- QUICK PLAY - I've run all 18 holes solo in 40 minutes on an empty course. Groups of four will generally take about an hour and a half. The course does tend to get heavy play so expect an extra of 15 to 30 minutes to get the round in during prime hours.
- NAVIGATION - The newer tee signs have next direction arrows on them. There are also a few directional cues in the trees. There are a couple tricky transitions, (5) to (6) and (11) to (12), so be sure and peak at the signs on these holes. I have had a few occurrences where first timers have asked me for directions.

No issues of substance with Brahan Springs Park, my complaints are basically a lack of complexity.
- HOLE VARIETY - For an almost fully wooded course, one of the lowest courses I've scored in terms of variety. Holes (1) and (2) are both wide open shots and then the last 16 wooded holes all have a similar feel. These 16 holes all weave through a tall ageing pine canopy. Sure the lines will cut left and right, but the surrounding elements are always the same. The lanes are moderately defined. Pockets to slide into are either loosely defined or non-existent. There are no water elements to contend with other than maybe the casual water in the ditch along holes (2), (3), (11) and (12). No par 4s or 5s either.
- ELEVATION - There is very little grade change out here. Maybe 3 or 4 holes dive or climb by around 10 feet. Mastin Lake is the only City of Huntsville course with a bunch of good elevation changes to it.
- AVERAGE CHALLENGE - The difficultly out here is just south of average. As an MA2 level player with about a 920 rating, I've been averaging 4 down out here on league and tourney rounds. There are only four holes that will challenge MA1 players; (1), (3) (7) and (17). MA1 players I've met seem to typically shoot 6 to 8 down or more, unless their talent is skewed heavily to throwing bombs. MA1 bombing type players sometimes can't even break par.

Brahan Springs DGC is a fine course for Beginners through MA2 level players. Some MA1 players will enjoy it too, as the lines require just enough thought to not make it a bore fest. Perfect for big groups with wide skill level differences and for local's looking to shoot a laid back round or for the social atmosphere, or both. For those outside the area, the biggest reason to check out Brahan Springs is the History. There are no older basket courses anywhere outside of California. Overall a 2.75 course to me.
- NATURAL BEAUTY - Average. The 50 to 60 year old pines that occupy 90% of this layout looks really nice on first arrival. However, after you run 5 or 6 holes of what seems like the same backdrop, you'll realize that the course has a real monotonous feel to it.

First things first, a little slice of history. Outside of California, this is the oldest basket course left anywhere. It's pretty remarkable playing a course nearly twice my age.

As far as physical facilities go, Brahan boasts concrete tees and Mach X baskets (definitely not so historic, but man, they catch everything), including a practice basket. Mandos are marked unambiguously, and next tee arrows point the way to many (but not all) of the less obvious tee locations. There are benches on a majority of holes.

After two open rips (formerly wooded, cut down to contain pine beetle), the course plays from a moderately dense stand of pines. There is no undergrowth, and aside from one or two shots, no ceiling that a reasonable shot would challenge, even thrown overhand. As such, it's pure park golf, all about shaping your line through the trees to rack up birdies. That said, although it is forgiving, reasonable good accuracy on a wide variety of lines is required to park holes.

The vibe is also great - you will almost always find a dozen or more other disc golfers out there, and so if you do get turned around between holes, someone will almost certainly set you straight.

Not much in the way of risk/reward calculation - there's little reason to not go for every hole out here, and the word scramble just doesn't mean much. Also, aside from a slight, gradual drop down to 1's basket and a ~2' drop behind 18, very little elevation is in play.

Tee signs seem to keep wandering off - when I visited most recently (Feb 2018), there was exactly one left. When they are there, OBs aren't marked on them - I think the parking lot, road, and beyond are OB, while the water is casual, but who knows? While the lack of tee signs may have exaggerated the issue, a few holes seemed like they could have used nexT signs in addition to those already signed so. On a pet peevish note, the DGA number plates atop the baskets are really difficult to read from any useful distance.

With the crowd comes a propensity for gang golf and sloppy drunk golf, neither of which is enjoyable to be stuck behind.

Drake Springs is right across the road.

Great beginner course that plays through mature pine trees. Many different lines and shot shaping needed here. Plenty of shade in the hot Alabama summers. Brand new baskets! Good concrete teepads. Tons of ace runs and even two holes for the long bombers. Can be played quickly and is not strenuous due to the flat terrain.

Tee signage - It's movable and doesn't give you the distances or a layout of the hole.

Can be very busy. Especially for league night on Wednesdays. Seventy to 90 players are currently showing up for leagues.

This course can challenge all skill levels. It's very easy to shoot 10 or more under par on a good day when you're hitting your lines or shoot a 10 over par when you're smacking trees just missing your lines! The pressure for advanced players to get those birdies is immense.

I say it's the toughest Steady Ed course I've played to date due to the others being almost void of trees. These tall pines at Brahan Spring have just kept growing. It gives today's players an idea of what disc golf was like in the late 70s/ early 80s. Maybe they will try throwing a lid here instead?

- Older baskets but in good shape.
- Appropriately sized concrete pads with the perfect amount of roughness for grip. Seriously, you do NOT need a 20' run-up for these holes - mmmkay?
- Not a lot of signage for "next tee" but the course flows well enough and is small enough where this is not an issue.
- I really like how 9 and 18 end near the parking lot which makes just playing a quick 9 a real possibility.
- Many of the holes have multiple paths to the basket making shot selection easy for both LH and RH players alike.
- The lack of any sort of shule makes it easy to recover from errant throws.

- The design of the course is a little repetitious and other than #1 and #2 there really is no place to grip it and rip it.
- This course is almost too easy. Anyone above an Am2 should be scoring well below 54. #18 for example is just a 198' spike hyzer to an easy peasy deuce.
- #16 has a missing tee sign.
- For some reason the walk from #6 to #7 is confusing as all get out.
- Baskets are really starting to show their age. As I understand it, some of the locals stated that they are in the process of installing new ones. They could really improve this layout by installing some extra sleeves and having alternate pin positions.
- This plot of land is really flat.

I would love a course like this near me. This is an easy but challenging enough course to be interesting which favors accuracy over distance. I honestly believe that players at all levels (except for maybe Am2s and above) would have a good time here so that makes this a fantastic course to introduce newbs to the sport.

It's fun to play here to see how the game has changed over the years. The course is fair and fun with very cool, pretty tall pine trees. You won't lose any discs here and it's fun for the whole family.

To keep it real, I play this course with two cyclones and an aviar and wear really tight short shorts. (Sorry about the visual)

Normally, I'd say that the short length of the course is a con, but in this case I think it's great to be able to play an old school layout.

I really don't have any major complaints.

If you're in the area, I recommend stopping by for a quick, fun round.

Great course for working on control of mid-ranges.

Played two years ago and had to wait nearly every hole. Game is popular, so is this really a con?

Course have "matured" over the years as the trees get larger and get thinned out. Played here back in the late 70's and early 80's. Back then, it was rare to see someone else. We gotta remember how the game has evolved over the years.

This is a fun and compact course and it compliments the diverse Huntsville area courses nicely. It's nestled in a really nice mature pine forest with little to no shule. Plentiful shade will be welcomed during the hot summer days. It's also really compact. In fact, you can just about see every basket from anywhere on the course. During non peak times a quick round could be had in about 30 minutes if desired. Although it's almost 35 years old you can hardly tell. It's well kept, clean, and has plenty of amenities.

Beyond the ample parking, you'll find a basket for some quick putting practice. There's a nice kiosk near hole one with plenty of info about the course. Concrete tee pads, nice signs, and next tee indications are all here. A bathroom near the ball fields at the bottom of the hill is there if necessary.

Hole one is the course's longest hole. It's a wide open, gradual downhill shot coming in at around 430'. Hole two offers another wide open shot but is slightly uphill and around 300'. Beyond those two it's into the woods. There you'll find some shorter holes, mainly between 200 and 300 feet. Although short, the holes do ask for some accuracy. There are a few guarded strait shots with several route choices. Also there's some sweeping fairways and even a couple of pronounced doglegs here as well. Given the land available, there is a good design here and it's very fair.

I am told that during high school football season the back nine is lighted by the stadium lights so some night golf is possible.

Some more elevation would be welcomed. Being so flat and tight, some of the more open course fans might get a little "short wooded hole" fatigued. Additionally, those who prefer the longer holes with some par 4 and 5's mixed in are going to be a little disappointed too. Some might consider its somewhat unchallenging nature to be a con especially if this is your local course and you play it over and over.

I am told by locals that the nature of the course makes it one of the busiest in the area. They say at peak times large groups with less than desirable etiquette can interrupt an otherwise enjoyable round.

I thought it was pretty cool playing one of the oldest courses in the world. The nostalgia itself is worth the visit. I really can't imagine anyone being just totally disappointed in this course. For the beginner, the shortness can be friendly training and the experienced will enjoy the birdie opportunities and upshot practice. As I mentioned it's really a fun little course. Enjoy!

There are several good things about this course
1. Tees are concrete and long enough for the holes
2. Signs are well marked with throwing options and OB's are labeled on each sign
3. There are arrows hung on tree to let you know which way to the next tee
4. Transitions are easy and out of hams way
5. Course plays really fast and my group was never held up
6. Very begginner friendly. It would be hard to loose a disc here.
7. Most of the hols present a challenging shot that you must think about before you shoot. Its easy to get into a long second shot situation.
8. Very well maintained with no under brush

There a few of cons that I saw but nothing that would be aggrevating,
1. There are only two long shots, the first and second tees, both of which can be birdied fairly easily, the second hole makes fore a good ace run
2. I think all the other holes are under 300 ft
3. The holes become repeatitive after about the 5th hole
4. There isn't alot of room to work with, you have to be careful to make sure you don't hit someone so keep your eyes open for people who are within your throwing distance
5. I didn't like some of the mandos but the did make you think.

Over all it's a good course, not a great one, I would like to see a couple of alternate hole, maybe a couple more long shots. I didn't have lng to play so this was definatly the right course to play. It's quick, fun, and has great potential for a lot of birds. If you have an hour and you are passing through huntsville, stop in and play a course from the 70's. You won't be dissapointed.

Installed in 1976, this claims to be the oldest existing course, and it's still fun and challenging to play. The first two holes start are in an open field and the rest of the holes are played in the woods among many, many mature pine trees.

For the most part, the course is fairly short, but not necessarily easy. There are lots of different lines through the trees which help keep the course interesting.

The tee pads and baskets are in good condition. When I played here on 10/17/09, there were signs with diagrams and distances on each hole. I don't recall them when I was here a year ago and they are a nice addition to the course.

This course is pretty straight forward. There is little elevation, no water and no OB (except the road which doesn't really come into play).

I felt like the course was crammed in kinda tight, but was surprised when I played in a tournament here I didn't have any problem with discs flying too close to my group. I'm sure it's possible to hit someone with an errant shot here, but I guess the course is a bit more spacious than it appears.

I expected a course this old to be a birdie fest, but was surprised to find that's not necessarily true. There are definitely some easier holes on the course, but there are also some more difficult ones. And with this many trees, it doesn't take much to miss your line hit a tree.

Overall I really enjoyed this course. It's a great place to teach newer players some accuracy. Advanced players will enjoy the challenge of seeing how low they can score here.

This 18 basket course sits on a fairly small piece of mostly wooded (tall mature pine trees) land. I think 16 holes are played through the trees. It's short by today's standards but still challenging due to it's technical nature. Being accurate is the key here. The course is well signed. The pads are great. I like the fact that there is a nice balance of hyser, anhyser and straight holes. This courses requires a lot of thinking and looking for the right flight path. At least on the 430' # 1, most players get a one chance to air it out. There's almost no underbrush to deal with.

This is another course where what you see is what you get. It's not a course for the big arms. There's no water or elevation. It's mostly a recreation course. Hey, enjoy it for what it is. A classic old time disc golf course. Kind of the Wrigley Field of disc golf courses.

My son and I brought two professional baseball umpires from the AA Southern League out for their first disc golf experience. I think they're sold on it and will continue to play. I attribute a lot of their initial success and enjoyment to this course. It's very much beginner friendly. No searching for lost discs here. No water hazards to worry about. Just an enjoyable throw in a nicely shaded Georgia Pine forest.

Good conrete tee pads and Mach III baskets build a strong foundation for the course. There's well defined routes on each hole, and it's a great course to pick up a lot of birdies and have some ace runs. It's also a great place for beginners due to it's friendly nature, and you're likely to meet a lot of the locals out here later in the afternoon (beginners.....great place to pick up some advice and tips ). It's really the best course in the area for a fun, casual round of golf, that certainly won't wear you out.

There isn't a lot of variety here; minus 1 & 2, every hole winds through mature pines and are all pretty short. It can get pretty crowded during the summer as well.

This is one of the oldest courses around, opening in 1976. So there is a lot of history in those old trees, and they have the scars to prove it! The way I rate my courses is how the course delivers in what it is supposed to be. Meaning, if you're looking for a fun, technical, short course, this one most certainly delivers. It is what it is, but I think that it serves a purpose in the area. If you want a bomber's course, go to UAH; a slightly more difficult version of Brahan, go to Mastin, a much longer and more demanding wooded course, go to Monte Sano, and if you just want a sweet mixture of everything, go to Redstone. Some may disagree, but I feel this is still one of the better courses in the area due to it's history and fun atmosphere, even if the big arms and new discs have passed it by. If your in or around Huntsville, you must play Brahan Springs, or you'll really be missing out.

Favorite Holes: 3, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17

This is a great course which snakes through a pine tree forrest. A tight but fair, wooded course, Brahan tests your accuracy and disk durability. Its a great course for beginniners to learn how to actually control where their disc goes. There's a great mix of shots allowing you to practice just about every shot in your bag. For new players and shorter arms there's not a lot of distance with all but the first hole easily reachable from the tee.

Its a fairly easy course (at least now). I've seen pictures of the course from back when it was first put in and when world's was held there and it has lost a LOT of trees. With that said scores of -6 or -7 in a tournament are actually considered pretty low.

A nice complement to the other courses in the area (UAH, Mastin Lake, Redstone Arsenal), Brahan is probably the most played course in huntsville because its so user friendly. If you go to huntsville looking for a course to play while I would suggest UAH first and foremost this is course you could check out if you have a little extra time.