Pros:
Beaverbrook DGC sits in the back of a campground . You must first check in at the front gate . Make sure you have your license plate number with you ( more in cons ) . You are given a scorecard with a tiny map on the back of it .I didn't remember seeing a bathroom near the course , but there are ones at the nearby campground . The small parking lot is next to a rock wall the you walk through to get to hole #1 . There is a bench close to the hole . History Note : This is an original Ed Headrick ( Disc Golf founder ) design and considered the oldest disc golf course in the eastern section of the US (1976)
The Equipment - The tee signs aren't bad . most hang from a nearby tree and many are pointed in the direction that you throw . Tee boxes are natural and not framed .Most have little orange flags to identify them . The baskets are said to be Mach 1 , but I am skeptical . The paint has worn off and all you have a gray single chained remnants .
The Landscape - The woods here is nice and somewhat quiet . There will be a few disc golfers here and there , but it isn't a bad walk . The course is all woods and features boulders and rocks everywhere . The terrain rolls some , and there are a couple of short steep shots .
The Highlights . No great holes here . I think the Bomber hole was 310' ( #6 ) and the next longest hole was 255 ' , but 14 of the holes were 200' or less . #7 was a fun 140' putter run off a steep incline . #9 was a hiiden basket behind a boulder ( 155' )
This is your chance for a lot of ace runs and birdies .
Time - This course took me a bout 45 minutes to play . A foursome will blaze through here in 90 minutes or less .
Disc Risk - Low . While the course isn't well maintained , and there are chance of ricochets everywhere , the holes are short and you are able to track your drive on almost every hole .
It's a fast play and the type of course that a camping family will like to do together . The course is short and easy to navigate without a map .
Cons:
#1 Safety . The course is confined to a small part of the woods and is therefore a little cramped . Since many of the players are going to be enthusiastic kids that are staying at the campgrounds , it isn't going to be a stretch that someone might get plunked by a drive here . You won't need to keep your head on a swivel , but you should be aware . Tripping at the tee pads are an issue , too ( See below ) .
#2 Pay To Play - I almost always am good with pay courses ,,,,, but not this one . $6 to play all day , and $5 to play if camping . You are charging the campers paying to camp to play ? WOW !!! Pay To Play normally holds the course accountable to give the players a good experience . Not here . . There are sticks on the fairways and all over the course . I guess they want to explain that " those were the sticks and branches that Ed Headrick walked over when designing this course " .
#3 Equipment - If you want to stick with the history lesson and keep the Old School baskets , fine . At least put toe boards down , or maybe even planks . Most of the natural tee pads have roots or rocks that you step on when throwing . Kids or parents that have to lurch forward while throwing are going to trip . Maybe add steps going down to #7's basket .
#4 Checking In - Good Grief ! How hard does it have to be ? I got out of my running car , climbed the steps up the the cahs register , I mean office , with my money in hand . The woman at the window( it reallyl ooks like a box office window ) Then proceeds to tell me that she needs to have my license plate number , too . Does she think I am going to steal the camp shower curtain , or one of the pristine disc golf baskets ? I had to walk back down the steps then walk back up to give her the plate # . It just seemed that they acted like they were doing you a favor by allowing you to play here . I can play Ghost Tree for the same money !
#5 Challenge - Great challenge ,,,,, if you are 10 years old! The course is 3260' total . You should be shooting for deuces on almost every hole . If you shoot a 4 , you will want to stand in the their pond with a string of hanging campground lights in your hand and electrocute yourself .
Bring bug spray . The bugs can be bad in the woods in the summer .
Other Thoughts:
The only redeeming value of Beaver Brook is that it contains historical value .This is what we in the Review World would call a Cash Register Course , where you ring up the money from the players coming in , but never put any of it back into the course ( other than tee signs from 2008 ) . Case in point : Honey Bear Hollow is a campground in Indiana and has the oldest disc golf course in that state ( ca 1978 ) , also designed by Ed Headrick .They keep their course clean , it has had concrete tee pads installed , have added 6 new holes a short walk from the original 18 , are happy to talk to you , have a pro shop , and only charge $2 per person for the day . Natural or cement , tee boxes on pay to play courses shouldn't be marked by orange flags .
My Recommendation : Too easy , too primitive , too unsafe , too much trouble . If I lived at one of the campsites , I would pay my $5 play it one time , then go to one of the spectacular courses nearby . Not worthy enough for an intermediate on up , not fun or good enough deal for the locals . Too out of the way for the traveler . Unless a Course Collector is in to disc golf history and want a good look at an " Easy Ed " original , they might want to try a multi course destination other than here . Do Yourself A Favor , and Take A Pass On This One .,