Pros:
-great wooded terrain, lots of tight holes
-design utilizes terrain features well: elevation, small pond, etc.
-very nice park in a nice suburb, very well kept
-3 sets of tees, nice rubber pads
-tees signs show distances from each pad (but no other info)
-a couple cool little bridges
-bathrooms on site, water fountain, pavilion and soccer fields, etc.
Cons:
-mostly short, not a lot of variety in distance
-very crowded and a mostly casual crowd, typical homeboy course
-rubber tees are short and often uneven
-3 different tees aren't very different, most are just a little further back
-no trash cans
-a few areas where navigation can be a problem
-you have to walk backwards across hole 16's fairway to get to the teebox, easy to for someone to get hit and bad flow
-hole 14 looks like you're throwing at 17's basket, 14 is tucked in the trees to the left
Other Thoughts:
Bear Branch is a fun little course in a nice wooded park. The holes are mostly on the short side but make great use of the terrain that is available. The fairways range from mostly open to very tight but most are in between with well protected pins. There are several holes with elevation changes and holes 3 and 4 play over a small pond.
There are 3 rubber tee pads on each hole. The pads are grippy (and probably great in wet weather) but some are uneven. Most are pretty short too but so are the holes so it works out. The different sets of tees do not change the way most holes play. Most either add a little more distance or play from a different but not much more difficult angle. Tee signs are very aged and show only the distance from each tee. No hole map, next tee, etc.
The park is easy to find, plenty of parking, lots of amenities. There are soccer fields, a pavilion, water fountain and a building with bathrooms on site. A couple small bridges add a bit of charm to this simple course.
There are a few places where course flow can be an issue and fairways are very close to each other. Hole 16 is particularly bad: from pin 15 you have to walk the length of the fairway for hole 16 to get to the tee. Poor flow and a definite safety hazard. Holes 2, 3, 4, 11 & 12 are all very close and there are several instances where a shot on one hole could wind up near the basket or tee pad of another.
The experienced golfer will not find much challenge here. The course is fun to play if you like short technical holes (which I do!) but those who like to bomb their distance drivers will probably be disappointed. That said, a few of the holes are very tightly wooded so it is not a complete walk in the park. Overall, a great course for beginners or casual rounds.
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