Fremont, MI

Branstrom Park DGC

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3.845(based on 38 reviews)
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6 1
SteveHultquist
Experience: 29.9 years 489 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Branstrom Park DGC ❤ 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 20, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

A great bit of variety that will test every players level, and sometimes sanity. Elevation changes on almost every hole. Beautiful park. Ample parking.

Cons:

Signage has been lacking however is being addressed at this time. Hoping for new signs (#s 1-24 to eliminate confusion) and next tee signs as well.

Other Thoughts:

This course is a diamond in the rough and is looked over because of mainly Flip City notoriety. Nothing against Flip. Who wouldn't want to go there? ðŸ™'.
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14 0
DFrah
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 5.8 years 227 played 225 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great course, but needs some TLC 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 31, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

Branstrom Park DGC is located in a large multi-use park of the same name in Fremont, MI. In most people's terms, Fremont is about an hour's drive north-northwest of Grand Rapids or a 30 minute drive northeast of Muskegon. In disc golfer terms, it's about a 30 minute drive southeast of Flip City.

I mentioned that this is a multi-use park, but during most of my round it didn't feel that way at all. Most of the holes here are wooded, and the lines are sometimes very tight. However, there are a few semi-open and a couple wide open holes mixed in. Good mix of left-turning and right-turning layouts as well. One hole has a V-shaped teepad and two completely separate fairways that run the 300' ish from tee to basket.

The course also makes great use of the elevation present in the park. Several holes play down steep valleys and back up. One hole is only 123' but slopes steeply uphill in tight woods. Hit a tree and your disc might roll all the way back to the teepad. Another hole (#13) is a 215' fairly open throw down a steep incline. You can reach this basket with your putter from the tee...but be careful of the lake behind it!

The baskets are old Chainstars but all are still in good shape. The tee pads are all cement and in good shape. There are plenty of trash cans and benches at tees. A couple tees are a little close to the previous basket, but overall it's not an issue.

Cons:

Some of the fairways here are seriously steep. A few of them have wooden logs that are meant to act as steps, but real steps would be a good safety improvement. Wear boots or shoes with good grip. Also, the downhill hole 13 doesn't have any steps and is one of the steepest grades on the course.

There are some hiking trails that run through the park, routing near several holes. Though this could potentially be a safety issue, more importantly it adds to the navigation issues.

Which brings me to the biggest con here...signage and navigation. There is a nice sign at the end of the parking lot pointing towards hole 1...unfortunately that turns out to be the best sign on the entire course. Many holes are missing tee signs. The tee signs that are present are wood boards painted blue with a rough sketch of the hole, hole number, distance, and par routered in. These look nice but even some of the ones that are present are on the ground.

There are no Next Tee signs, and they are badly needed in some spots. There is a kiosk structure at the front of the course, but it doesn't have a map on it. Use the map here to help with navigation, even though that map looks like it is from the Stone Age.

Holes 16 and 17 have crossing fairways. These are both wide open holes so it's more of an inconvenience than a serious safety issue. Another reviewer mentioned that the #16 basket was moved across 17's fairway to make way for sledding in the winter. It was Memorial Day when I played so I think this change might just be permanent at this point.

No practice basket.

Will be buggy in the summer months.

Other Thoughts:

With the tee signs in such bad shape, there is no easy way to really verify distances or pars. I think the distances listed on here are fairly accurate for most of the holes. The pars listed on here are appropriate for amateur DG'ers. Experienced players could shoot under this par on their first round, but again this may not be the actual course par.

This doesn't really affect how the course plays, but the hole numbering makes zero sense. All you really have to do is look at the map to understand why. Holes 1A-6A are interspersed into the other holes 1-18. The course layout is such that it would be impossible to skip any of the 1A-6A holes unless you literally just walk up their fairways. If you come here, plan on playing all 24 holes. Why not just number them 1-24?

This course has all of the ingredients to be fantastic. If you don't mind the lack of signage and can hike up and down the steep hills, it is arguably already fantastic. With some of the upgrades above, it could become a near-destination level course.
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15 0
davetherocketguy
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.7 years 114 played 105 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Gimme some lovin’! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 14, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Course set in a multi use park but until the 15 thru 18 series it did not have a multi use park feel at all. This plays through rolling wooded hills.
- Really enjoyed a lot of the pin and tee locations. This is a very well thought out design. 13 for example is a very reachable basket with a putter but whooo boy that water behind it makes the tee shot very tricky. 8 is another great example where the green is very accessible with a putter but going a little long means a death putt slope on the tee side of the basket.
- While a lot of the holes are challenging I never felt they were truly unfair. Sure, there are some really tight lines to hit but they are very reasonable.
- I really enjoyed the use of elevation here. Sure there are some steep spots so maybe it isn't totally cart friendly but I managed to get by with mine.
- This course has been around a while there are some areas of thick brush but a lot of it has been beaten back so with the exception of really bad shots discs are easily found most of the time.
- A lot of times I felt like the tees were a little too small but every one of them were still in good shape. They're all the typical brushed concrete.

Cons:

- Far and away the biggest con is the lack of tee signs and any sort of navigation. UDisc is a life saver here. It's definitely an old enough course where you could follow the beaten path from one hole to the next but there are hiking trails all over the place which can be really confusing.
- Need more benches!
- Some of the slopes are super steep on foot and quite treacherous. I know I'm being picky but there are a lot of spots that really need some steps.
- Did not care for the 16 and 17 layout. Those fairways criss cross. In fact, teeing off of 17 presents a huge opportunity to black ace the 16 basket which I suppose would be really amusing. I'm told that 16 is moved in the winter so the hole can remain playable and the hill there can be used for sledding...but it's now mid May and the snow is long gone.

Other Thoughts:

This is a classic Michigan course. The holes wander through rolling hills set in a heavily wooded area surrounded by swamps and marsh. I imagine the bugs here in mid summer are super thick and annoying so come prepared on warmer days. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here at Branstrom and would suggest anyone anywhere near here come play it. It's a lot of fun with a well executed design. This course though really needs some TLC starting with the signage and then maybe some steps in the steeper spots. It a not a horribly long course for 24 holes but you'll sure want plenty of water and decent footwear. This is not a hucker with flip flops friendly course.

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11 0
1-UP
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 56 played 20 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good Bones but Somewhat Neglected 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 17, 2018 Played the course:once

Pros:

Branstrom begins from a small parking lot near a play structure in a park. It was pretty easy to find and parking was nice. It would probably fill up during a tournament it's more than adequate for typical usage. Right off the bat I was impressed because there was clear signage directing you to Tee 1 - a feature sorely lacking on the vast majority of courses I've played.

First tee brings you through a nice wooded hole. The brush here was my favorite sort - a clear delineation between fairway and rough but the rough is a scattering of low plants and forest debris that makes finding your disc simple and throwing a recovery shot plausible.

The next couple of holes went through the usual holes you find on good courses - nice fairways with a couple of lines to take and a few obstacles to avoid or turns to navigate. It was like a random restaurant pizza - the key features were all there and while maybe unremarkable, it lays the foundation for at least a pleasurable experience.

Then it hit - we came across one of those features that just makes a course pop. Hole 6 (I thought) involved throwing over a gulch or gully of some sort. That's what I'm looking for! What's at the bottom? Hell if I know - water, brush, chunks of pavement, broken glass and discarded needles - could have been anything based on my view from the tee. All I knew is that this was pretty sweet and I was going to throw over it. At least, that was my plan until I smacked one of the trees on the other side and watched my disc flutter down into the abyss. Oh well, guess I'll find out what's down there regardless. Wasn't going to have much choice because the path to the tee led down there anyway but the worry about what I was going to be fishing my disc out of as a punishment for the bad throw definitely kept me engaged.

The course was regularly spotted with these neat holes. The gully would come into play twice more - one more shot across it and then another hole that played next to it, promising that any flipped disc or bad kick was going to force you to drag your keister the 30 or 40 feet down that treacherous incline to retrieve your disc, throw an SOB of an upshot through trees to get back on course (if you play where it lay), and then scramble back up to finish the hole. Another hole punched through the woods and brought you to a bridge over a river of forest plants cutting through the dirt fairway - not ferns I think but something low and leafy. It may be wet during the spring but it was an interesting obstacle to avoid even as is. Another hole was a steep downhill toss with a lake behind it that I wouldn't quite classify as a dead putt but the margin of error was close enough that I imagine the water gobbles its fair share of plastic from those occasional long running downhill shots. Another was a sort of dead putt, but instead of water it was backed by tall meadow grass.

The vast majority of the course is played in the woods and the trees will have a habit of punishing you if you get anything but a gift kick. I would hesitate to call any hole a "Plinko" style though - there's pretty much always a decent fairway. Heck, a lot of the fairways are outright generous with only a few that demand truly precise lines. Occasionally you break into a small meadow or field that gives you a change of scenery. I would not call the course monotonous.

Cement pads present with an occasional bench. Benches seem like they got rarer the deeper into the course you got and there was some concern about my somewhat out of shape friend dying around hole 15 or so but we managed.

Bathrooms available at the parking lot.

Cons:

If you have ever owned a fish tank, you understand how its maintenance and upkeep goes. There the recommended level which can at best be described as preventative maintenance - you change the water weekly or whatever even though it looks perfectly fine. A bunch of small tweaks to keep it perfect. I don't know too many folks with the slightly obsessive personality to do this. Then you have the "It's been a while and it's looking a bit rough" level. You know you've pushed its cleanup a while but it's due. I like to think most folks clean the tank at this point. Then there's the next level - "It looks like hell and I"m pretty sure there's fish in there but it doesn't smell bad yet" which is really just a precursor to putting it off long enough to the "Christ it smells like a dock in here, I better nuke it to the gravel and reset the whole mess" stage. Yeah, this park is really flirting with the third stage.

It's not trashy or anything like that, but there are some significant problems that have really been let go too long which to me is a warning that the course just isn't being taken care of.

The biggest problem is erosion and washout. Some of the tee pads were half-covered in sand and I don't mean an inconvenient dusting I mean "looks like an archaeologist just discovered this thing and is taking a lunch break before excavating it fully" type covered. Of bigger concern are the log "stairways" up and down the gulch that are similarly washed out. There's really more of the impression of stairs/steps than actual functional ones. This is not a great situation because the slopes are significant and you are clambering up and down them quite a bit.

The brush is really starting to intrude a bit as well. I get it - I played late summer and that's likely the height of brush season. The fairway having a bit of extra leaves and branches making the windows narrower is to be expected. Some of the later holes were outright difficult to navigate due to the overgrowth, however - a dramatic change from the earlier stuff that seemed downright manicured in comparison. One hole that sticks out requires a throw up through the woods and into a meadow. It's not super far, maybe 150'(or less) or so to the window, but it's uphill and somewhat narrow. I was in a large group with a mix of experienced and new players. 6 of the 7 shots did not clear that window and we ended up more or less single file on a trail as folks scrambled to find/retrieve their discs and throw out. There wasn't room to walk around so it became a rather excruciating wait and throw ordeal. Probably not a problem for small groups with decent players but I'd never before encountered this situation on a course.

The downhill hole is neat but that climb down is treacherous. One of our party managed to slip and fall as they were sliding down it and I was praying that my shoelaces weren't going to snap on the strain as I slowly poked my way down. It really needs some sort of trail or path down it (there may be one but we did not see it).

Signage was...mostly optional I think. This created a significant issue as the lettered holes are integrated right into the natural flow of the course. You literally have to go out of your way to skip them if you wish to play only the standard 18. I'm not even 100% sure there are trails allowing you to skip them or if you just have to walk down the fairways. Take a look at the available map if you're skeptical. It makes absolutely NO SENSE what has been labeled an alternate and what has been labeled a main hole short of maybe that was the order in which they were put in.

Speaking of trails, there are quite a few running through this area. It can be difficult to navigate without a map as some of them are hiking trails as opposed to paths to the next hole.

Other Thoughts:

The course took us a very long time to play. I think we clocked in at about 3 hours. Now granted, we were in a large group that included a few kids so that's somewhat to be expected. We had planned, however, only doing the main 18 and skipping the extra holes. Given that we were sort of roped into the extra it made for a very long round and we were all pretty bushed by the end.

One hole had two teepads available, apparently one for a left line and one for a right line. It was very odd and I'd never seen anything quite like it before. Not sure what happened with the design here. It's not necessarily bad, just difficult to understand unless you just have a guy who really likes laying cement.

I had a very difficult time deciding what to score this. There has been some references to this being comparable to Flip City and initially I was startled to think this course could even bring it to mind. On reflection though, I think I understand. Branstrom has perhaps a half dozen holes that have unique enough features to be considered "signature" holes. It's challenging, it's interesting, and it is certainly worth a trip out to play it.

What Branstrom doesn't have is Flip's polish. It's missing that bit of care and work that make it the whole package. Given a year of serious work and I think it could get there, but from a first glance type of opinions I'm concerned it's sliding in the other direction.

I think I"d like to see it take a page from Whitehall's playbook. Add 3 holes to make it 27 and relabel/adjust the holes for 3 sets of 9. If that's not possible than an 18 + a bonus 9. If that's not possible just relabel the blasted holes 1-24 instead of this lettered nonsense. One guy with a router and some log discs for hole signs and next tee signs could fix one of the biggest problems of the course.

Leave the cart at home and bring sturdy boots/shoes.

It's a good course, I recommend you you out and play it. You'll certainly find some memorable holes here. If the right group of guys and gals get together and put some time and resources into it I think it could move up into "Great Course" territory.
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3 3
Steven Hultquist
Experience: 29.9 years 286 played 4 reviews
4.50 star(s)

William J Branstrom 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 4, 2016 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Concrete teepad on every hole, fairly intuitive layout and easy enough to follow course flow. Good mix of types of shots required and difficulty. Good use of elevation and landscape.

Cons:

Some of the tee signs are damaged. Holes should be 1 through 24 instead of implementing letter holes scattered sporadically throughout the course.

Other Thoughts:

Being so close to Flip City the course doesn't seem to gain the recognition it deserves. A true technical hidden gem.
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5 1
SpartanDisc
Silver level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 21.8 years 237 played 27 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Beautiful and technical gem 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 18, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Beautiful course spread throughout a large park. Most holes are very technical and fairly tight, but very well designed so that you can visualize that perfect line to throw off each pad. Good share of left and right curves and a lot of high risk/high reward shots. There's a fair bit of elevation that plays well into a few holes. Many signature holes beg to be driven over and over just to try and hit that perfect line.

Cons:

Some holes have a bit of a walk between them and "this way to next tee" signs would help new players not get lost. There aren't really any big open drives for big arms (16 is 350 downhill but I kept overshooting with my putters and 18 is long but with a low ceiling about 200 ft out). Would be nice to have 1 or 2 where you can really open up and let one rip.

Other Thoughts:

I feel this course deserves a lot more than the 3.8 rating it has at the time of this review. The design is masterful, and it seems like it doesn't get much traffic. Being so close to the legendary Flip City, I could see this course remaining a bit of a hidden gem of the area, but a must play for those coming in from far away to try Flip.
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1 5
Creepy Anhyzer
Experience: 16.1 years 30 played 10 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Freemont Disc Golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 23, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very challenging course with great use of elevation. Well maintained park with beautiful fairways. Shooting under par here will be difficult for most players. New tee pads which is a huge upgrade to the old carpet/rubber pads.

Cons:

really no cons the course is very challenging for most players.

Other Thoughts:

Not sure if there is a league out here or not.
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5 0
ElementZ
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 14.9 years 212 played 197 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun round in the woods! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 16, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Branstrom is a pretty cool experience. This totally wooded course (with the exception of the last three holes), will really test your line hitting ability and sets the player up for a challenging and fun wooded round.

What I liked most about this course is that it doesn't get too monotonous. I've played many wooded courses where the holes all start to look like one another but this one does a fairly decent job of keeping it fresh and exciting.

Another thing I really liked about this course is that the chances of losing a disc here are pretty slim, especially in the later holes. I played in mid-summer and the rough was very controlled. I'm not a fan of blind shots and this course only has a few. For the most part, no spotters are needed which is great.

My round here was very chill. We were the only people on the whole course for the entire 2.5 hour duration of the round. It's a very secluded area of the park used only for disc golf (and some walking trails).

The design does a good job of mixing up long/short and left/right. It takes full advantage of the terrain.

All in all, it's a pretty solid course worth playing. However, with so many great courses in this area of Michigan, it's definitely outshined and maybe even neglected.

Cons:

My biggest complaint is probably the flow. Without a map, I would bet you'd get lost playing here your first time and the walk between some holes are abit long and would have been even longer before the bonus holes were installed.

It does also get a bit monotonous in the woods. But if tight and technical is your thing, then it's definitely not a con.

Other Thoughts:

All in all, I enjoyed my round here. I played this course during the same trip I played Macatawa and Flip City, so this was definitely not the highlight of the trip. It was kind of like the baked potato to my steak, if that makes sense. Definitely worthwhile to play and worthy of a 4.

p.s. The review below mine is excellent. Check it out!!
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15 0
bygwyllay
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.9 years 93 played 77 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Branstrom's Deception 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 17, 2012 Played the course:once

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!
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2 1
nickrockey
Experience: 18 played 18 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Branstrom 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 10, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Lot's of land to cover!
Beautiful trails
It's hard for beginners
Some really dificult shots

Cons:

It's hard for beginners
Too many really long holes
I can't remember what hole it is, maybe 18? They have picinic tables on the fairway! Some lady was trying to read as we came through and the wind was agianst us, I was worried about hitting her

Other Thoughts:

wear hiking shoes, bring bug spray
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5 0
mashnut
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 22.1 years 831 played 767 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great variety 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 2, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course plays through a large wooded park with no interference from other park activities. Most of the course plays out in the woods and feels very secluded. There is great length variety, with ace runs and longer shots in the woods and a couple holes with more open long drives in the open. The wooded holes offer plenty of different lines to hit, with a good balance of left and right turning holes, some straight shots, and a few holes where s-turns or other creative lines offer the best chance at a birdie.

There is fun elevation in several spots on the course. I enjoyed the ravine shots, it's fun to have the chance at an ace run but risk a bad tree hit sending the disc to the bottom of the ravine leaving a tough upshot. Several other holes offer fun downhill shots or tough uphills, with a few nice pin positions that have roll away potential. The grassy areas of the course were mowed, and there wasn't too much trash or vandalism evident when I played.

Cons:

There are some holes where the lines aren't clearly defined, and luck plays a little too much of a role in determining scores. The holes with steeper elevation changes could use some stairs and/or erosion control, there are definitely some safety and erosion issues evident. The flow of the course isn't great, there are several long walks and it's not at all clear where to go in some spots. The 6 added holes aren't well labeled and it's easy to skip some of them.

Other Thoughts:

Beginners might find this course a little punishing off the fairways, but it's not too long or too rough for newer players to have fun. More experienced players will find a lot of putter and mid shots, but the variety of line shaping challenges and the few longer holes mixed in make up for that and keep it fun throughout.
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8 1
jarnson
Experience: 13.8 years 27 played 27 reviews
4.00 star(s)

BRANstrom Challenge 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 20, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

- 24 course, lots of changes in the terrain, hilly and forested area. A good second to FlipCity.
- Good distance on every hole but if you aren't strong when it comes to throwing straight; luck, a good practiced tomahawk or Mid-Ranges are the way out to the chains.
- Great hyzer and anhyzer holes, (starting off going towards left then right...or right then left)
- Good signs explaining hole setup
- Good chains (goals, net, what have you the "hole" is called) and they also sport a nice orange paint job in the middle to locate them through the brush.
- Some water hazards, nothing too difficult.
- Last hole is a long distance shot, OPEN! (except some trees...) and the chains are in a group of trees (637ft.)

Cons:

- Pads are carpet... fine during most of the time, but when wet, disaster for your shot.. and health.
^^ (Cement pads would be amazing for this :p )
- Finding the next hole is very difficult, would be nice to know on sign where the next one is off the chains.
- There are steep hills and stairs or logs placed nicely would help with going up and down to golf (They have a bridge made by some Boy Scouts and his Eagle Project on Hole 5)
- No bathrooms, water, trash can, etc.

Other Thoughts:

- If you play around the night, watch out, you WILL lose discs easily! Bring a nice NEON color disc or glow disc and FLASHLIGHT!

All and all, a very nice course, know as the 2nd Place to FlipCity for its challenges and length. A good hour and a half to two hours to finish... (or close to three with a large group)

**HINTS:
1) Hole 8, 14, 15 are hilled holes, take them carefully, try not to roll and try to get above the peak of the hill.
2) Hole 13 is a putter shot, can be completed if good in 2 shots or even ACE.
3) Hole 16 is the drop, goes down and a little to the left and Hole 17 goes up and to the left. U shape part of the course
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3 3
gbrum
Experience: 15.8 years 11 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 10, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a fun course to play. Lots of challenging
holes. A good mix of hyzer and anhyzer shots. uphill and downhill shots.

Cons:

Get rid of the carpet on the tees. Very slick when wet. need cement.
Could use some better signage to find the next hole.

Other Thoughts:

bring a water bottle and wear good shoes.
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2 2
dohlfhauldhagen
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Good, but beware of thieves! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 1, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Let me start off by saying that I loved this course. Really beautiful scenery and fun holes. All of the main holes are marked with blue signs, and the 6 extra holes are easy enough to find. All of the roles have lots of variety.

Cons:

The tees are really the only thing I can think of about the course that I don't like. They are made of carpet and are really short to boot. I would rather have just a dirt tee than these!

Also, beware of locals who steal your discs. My friend threw his and it landed in a very open area near some other players who were waiting there for no apparent reason (They had already finished the hole). They took off literally a few seconds after the disc landed, and we couldn't see exactly where the disc landed due to it landing over a hill and behind a tree. The disc was nowhere to be found, and when we went to confront the players who were standing there, they quickly took off and didn't even finish the hole they were on when they saw us coming. So please, pay extra attention when throwing your discs near people you don't know!

Other Thoughts:

Other than the disc thieves and carpet pads, I really enjoyed this course. If it got cement tees then it would be a 4.5 or 5 easily.
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13 0
deBebbler
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 28.8 years 75 played 34 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Bell Bottom Blues 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 15, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has you feeling like a mouse on a mogul course. The terrain is a constantly changing set of small hills that give ample elevation variations within the holes.

The trees' low ceiling allows for significant ground growth, and contributes to a very secluded feel between the holes. Trails are beaten in within the trees aiding navigation (for the main 18).

From the course kiosk, you are immediately in the woods. The holes alternate well between Left and Right, before opening up a bit with some wider fairways and fewer trees as you finish the round. Great risk/reward factor on some holes.

Wonderful course feel and atmosphere. Thin creeks can be found among and through the holes. One of the small bridges was the project of an area Eagle Scout.

Personally, this is the kind of land I think of when someone says "perfect for disc golf."

Cons:

I have only 2, and they are significant.

Next tee signs:
It is easy to find the main 18 holes, but you wouldn't have any indication that alternate holes existed without a map, or in my case, a DGCR scorecard. I had to hunt for each one, and I still missed one.

....And believe me when I say, you don't want to miss any of these holes. Once, while I was searching for one of the alternates, I saw the basket first. It was surrounded by shade, with one bright ray of sunlight directly on it. I felt like I should cue the harp and choir to accompany it. It was that kind of course.

Tee pads:
I cannot, for the life of me, imagine a situation where a brilliant course of this design was implemented, but when it came to the tees, they said "carpet tees are a good idea." It's like painting the Mona Lisa and deciding to frame it in feces.

A non-defined dirt tee is infinitely superior to these 70's Shag disasters. Was Huggy Bear a course designer? Call a Teamster and get some cement!

Fix these two issues, and it will not be just be proximity that will have Branstrom and Flip being placed in the same sentence.

Other Thoughts:

This was the first course I hit on the way to my second trip to Flip City. That I was "going to play Flip in 40 minutes" is the *only* reason I did not go to my car, swap out my water, and walk right back in and play it again. I was floored by the fun factor of this course, and writing this review is making me salivate.

There is no way that I can give this course 4 Discs with the carpet tees. The fact effort was made to put something in that absolutely makes the round more dangerous is a deal killer. This course with dirt tees is a 4 Disc, however.

I loved the unintentional hilarity of having the hole (#13, and my favorite) with the most dangerous grade to climb up/down, sponsored by an insurance company. Just perfect.

I am not unhappy that this course is so far away from me, but that is only because it is so close to Flip. You can bet your butt I will be back.
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6 1
rshrevo
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.9 years 45 played 34 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Branstrom 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 25, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Very scenic course. while walking to the next tee i actually scared up a pheasant. Great course that makes you work on your shot placement and selection. Lots of elevation changes. You get a workout even if you walk the course and don't throw a disc. Love the fact that hole 16 down the sledding hill is so open that you can just let one fly and see how far it can go. concrete tee pads are nice. 13 is short but you are throwing downhill so no real problem there.

Cons:

navigation was fine till i started towards hole six. saw the sign for 1A decided not to play it due to steep ravine and wet conditions at the time. tried to follow the guide signs to hole six stumble across hole 2A on my way to six played that hole finally found hole six. again had trouble finding my way to hole 8. as i was approaching the tee pad for hole 8 i noticed the basket for hole 4A. backtracked it to the tee. while at the tee for 4A i saw the basket for 3A. didn't feel like backtracking again so i skipped 3A. so apparently i missed the signs directing me to those alternate holes.

some of the descents down the slopes can be really tricky especially on wet ground.

Other Thoughts:

I was getting a little flustered trying to navigate the course until i joined another group who has played the course before. then it started to get fun again. I like the downhill shot on 13. it is a challenging course. course starts out like a nice gentle course at first then starts to show its teeth when you get deeper into the woods near the end it opens up and lets you wind down with some nice open grip it and rip it holes.
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10 1
apdrvya
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 13.9 years 350 played 293 reviews
4.50 star(s)

updated review...4 years later. 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jul 8, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Aesthetic-- plays through a heavy woods in a largeish park. Course intertwines with hiking trails so watch out for non-dg'ers but it's normally not an issue.

Teesigns-- the non-alternate holes have very nice teesigns. big and blue (visible in the woods for sure) with a diagram, distance and hole number. The alternates have non-descript poles with no numbers or anything other than what has been sharpied on. With recent improvement, I'm sure new teesigns are in the works.

Teepads-- some of the nicest teepads out there. This is a huge upgrade from the carpet teepads they used to have here. 22 of 24 pads are in and only the two most remote pads haven't been filled. 4a and 8 are the only ones without new pads.

Routing and nav-- paths have certainly cleared in most cases. the transitions if you don't hit the alternate holes are rougher I'm sure and some of the alts are a bit rough but all in all, routing is not an issue.

Amenities-- beautiful new benches are in place throughout the course and are VERY welcomed on a hot day.

Challenge-- one thing that hasn't changed is the challenge this course presents. this is still a very challenging course with tough lines to hit and enough variety to keep anyone entertained throughout the round.

Escape opportunities-- much of the back half of the course plays close to the access road and adds the option of early escapes if you want a shorter round.

Cons:

Minor issues here:
I do not like holes 1 and 2. never have, probably never will. I just don't like the lines presented. I'm sure this is a personal vendetta but I don't deduct for that.

long walks-- still some long walks here, especially if you skip alternate holes.

Other Thoughts:

the updates here are pretty staggering. Keep up the fantastic work!!
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3 0
BucketBonanza
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.8 years 47 played 30 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Barnstorming at Branstrom 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 23, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course will challenge your skills and force you to use all of your shots. A variety of ups and downs and rights and lefts through a fairly scenic piece of forest land make this course an intersting walk.

Cons:

Unfortunately this course is a bit heavy on the negatives for me. Right off the bat: carpet tee pads? Didn't appreciate them in a few places where they were more of a hindrance than a help. I would have rather thrown from straight dirt. Also more importantly, it seems like there are quite a few luck dependant "stupid holes" where there are no true paths to take even with a well controlled shot. I spent much of the time wondering how it was possible that there were trees everywhere my disc was. I am a big fan of having fun and I have to say at times out in Fremont fun was the farthest thing from what I was experiencing. Also I didn't find the course very easy to navigate. Had it not been for a local regular that served as our guide, I would likely still be out there trying to find my way out. The alternates need some work. The bathroom was so hard to find. I walked for a mile in search of an outhouse before finding out that I needed to go back to the beginning to find a station that was fairly well hidden along the treeline. If you get a call of nature, you had better have it at the beginning or else keep some tp in your bag because this course is a long hike. Biting flies! My word, you had better bring the deet!

Other Thoughts:

I want to like this course but I just want to punch it in the eye right now. I am going to give it another go and hopefully edit my review and give it a bit more sunshine. Hope it was just a really bad day. There were far too many holes that were stupid and luck based for my liking. It just wasn't fun. Fun is what I am all about. It felt more like a chore to finish this round. I really enjoyed myself on the last three holes though. The rest of the way was bloody murder. But this a very good course.
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2 1
mklahre
Experience: 18.7 years 7 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 19, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Nice variety of holes. Short Ones, Long Ones
Left Curves Right Curves. etc.
Tough but not too tough. (This may be wrong because I play on this course more then any other.)
Well marked. (again, this may be wrong)

Cons:

No concreate tee pads.
The carpet tee pads are sometimes covered with dirt.
After rain the ground will sometimes be boggy.
Not many trash cans along the course.
There are only two restrooms in the park and the only good one is closed most of the time.

Other Thoughts:

When you go there the will be a scorecard mailbox. Often it is empty. I have a couple of them and I can xerox them at request.

By the way for those of you who missed the 16th basket there is a reason why.
During the winter kids like to sled down that hill so they remove it so they don't get hurt.
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3 1
Opus
Experience: 14.9 years 20 played 9 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Quickly becoming one of my favorites 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 2, 2010 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course features a HUGE variety of shots. Left curve, right curve, up hill, down hill, short, long... you name it, this course seems to have it. Having only played it a couple of times, I can honestly say that when the mood strikes to venture out of the local courses, this course will immediately be a first choice course.

Cons:

The course really does need cement tee pads, and a couple more trash cans would be great too.

Other Thoughts:

I would not recommend this course to beginners. It is a challenging course and will test your various strengths. I definately enjoy the fact that there are some very technical holes that help out the guys with not such big arms, but doesn't leave out something for those guys that want to let loose and drive either.
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