The Golf Course at Branch River
About
The Golf Course at Branch River, located just west of Manitowoc, is an extension of the former Lakeside Country Club that was established in 1909. Branch River is an 18-hole course that sprawls across rolling, wooded hills. The fairways are lined with mature trees and the gently undulating terrain guarantees a few uneven lies. Strategically placed sand traps and water hazards will further test your accuracy. The vigorous golf course is a good test but it is not so formidable that beginners should be intimidated. The par-4 second hole offers one of the most interesting risk-reward situations on the course. Golfers who are feeling confident with their driver can try to hit it past the big tree hanging over the right side of the fairway, but those who are less confident can play to the 100-yard marker and use a short iron from there.
Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|---|
Blue | 72 | 6696 yards | 72.5 | 125 |
White | 72 | 6450 yards | 71.5 | 123 |
Gold | 72 | 5932 yards | 68.9 | 118 |
Gold (W) | 72 | 5932 yards | 73.9 | 123 |
Red (W) | 72 | 5185 yards | 69.9 | 115 |
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blue M: 72.5/125 | 404 | 318 | 584 | 412 | 157 | 407 | 196 | 402 | 522 | 3402 | 418 | 404 | 319 | 176 | 510 | 435 | 395 | 172 | 465 | 3294 | 6696 |
White M: 71.5/123 | 388 | 309 | 575 | 389 | 134 | 386 | 183 | 391 | 513 | 3268 | 403 | 389 | 310 | 167 | 491 | 424 | 386 | 157 | 455 | 3182 | 6450 |
Gold M: 69.1/119 W: 74.2/124 | 329 | 309 | 523 | 342 | 128 | 380 | 167 | 300 | 501 | 2979 | 390 | 336 | 310 | 153 | 484 | 370 | 320 | 135 | 455 | 2953 | 5932 |
Red W: 71.9/119 | 316 | 300 | 418 | 342 | 94 | 293 | 146 | 300 | 409 | 2618 | 297 | 332 | 232 | 153 | 430 | 256 | 317 | 105 | 445 | 2567 | 5185 |
Handicap | 9 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 18 | 16 | |||
Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
Handicap (W) | 7 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 15 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 18 | 4 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
RestaurantAvailable Facilities
ClubhouseAvailable Activities
Swimming, Shooting, BilliardsAvailable Sports
TennisReviews
Course has nice blend of interesting holes.
The fairways and greens were in very nice condition.
The pace was very slow. Had gentlemen foresome ahead of us who were playing some sort of presidents game, and would not let us play thru. Very rude. The nats (bugs) were very bad, course provided bug spray which we did not see till we were done.
The front nine was fairly flat, and the back nine had some very interesting holes. More hilly. #12 hole is a beautiful downhill slight dogleg right with a high hidden green. Very nice. Would suggest checking out green first before hitting second shot, if you have not played there before. Hole #13 is also a beautiful downhill par 3. Had a great time will go there again soon, with bug spray.
Great course at a great price.
This course moved from private to semi-private over the last few years so peasants like myself can now play. My son & I booked a great deal on GolfNow and walked 18.
Positives - considering the recent heavy rains the course was in great shape with no standing water or plugged balls. The members seem to do their part by filling in divots, raking sand, etc.. Pace of play was terrific as it was a 3PM round on a hot muggy Sunday afternoon.
Negatives- the pro shop is separate from the main building and still has a 1970's motif. Moreover the crew is often off performing other duties so you have to find someone to check you in. Pin placements were consistently on the edge of a mound so there was zero room for error and lag putting was almost impossible. I don't mind a few like this but pretty much every hole was a challenge to two putt. Lastly I'm not wild about the 3 foot wide creeks. I likely helps with drainage but widening them would make the hazard more legit.
Overall, I still rate this course 5 stars as it offers a wide variety of lay outs and is consistently in great shape. Pace of play counts for a lot also.
great for the price i paid
Overall the course in very good shape, surprisingly went on a Tuesday morning and hardly anyone out there. The only downside I found was the greens were slower than slow a sand base underneath and that's sad because the rest of the course in very good shape.But when you have slow greens as they are kinda depresses you walking away after play.Its kinda like a upscale longer version of Royal Scott with a few unique holes.Surprised it was private becuzz its nothing special
Tough at first.
Course is in great shape! Can be a challenge if not hitting straight and keeping ball in fairway. Need to play more than once to truly learn layout of holes and where trouble is.
Ex member, course still has its private club feel
Used to belong here and sort of wish I still did. Greens are in much better shape than they were this spring. Shaun and the crew do a great job holding things together despite the apparent decline in business over the past couple years. The course is suffering from location problems, but that's good for those who know about it because you can play at a great pace and not wait much, if ever. The course (6,400 from the whites) is longer than most in the GB / Manitowoc area, and I always seem to appreciate the challenge. Wish it was just a bit closer to home but the drive down 43 from the East side of GB is easier than going to comparable courses down the 41 corridor. Clubhouse has very good food and fair prices. Wish they still had the pool as it really created a private club vibe to the place.
Fantastic 18 holes of golf and overall a great experience!
We had 2 golfers and went at 1:30 pm. The weather was cool and overcast. The Golf Now price was incredible as the 18 holes of golf we fantastic. The greens were like velvet, the carts were quick and quiet, the staff was most helpful and courteous. We did have some lightening and the horn was blown with our safety in mind. The course was in great shape. The only thing we found unusual was the greens were slower than we expected, but in good shape and very challenging. The roughs were thick and challenging as well. Loved the cliff hole!
Course was lush but greens need some work.
The course was in great shape however some of the greens had severe winter-kill. Careful for a 5-some of elderly women who were members when the club was private. They won't let a 2-some with cart play through, no matter what. They believe the course is still private!
Nice Layout but Greens Are diseased or recovering
Branch River is a nice course carved out of a modest chunk of diverse land. The front nine is a bit boring, not much creativity with the use of traps and hazards. The Par 4's usually were doglegs which were guarded by mature trees. the par 5's were of some distance, definitely reachable in two for the good long iron player. Par 3's in the front are a bit boring as well. Not all too creative in design, but they used the land they had.
The back nine offers a much different look to the golf course. You finally play around and over the "Branch River." The back nine starts off with a bland par 4 but following that there is great variety in the play. Elevation changes, more doglegs, a bit more adventurist type par 3's. The back nine definitely will make you think more than the front nine.
Overall this course is nice. The tee boxes are leveled well and well maintained. fairways look beautiful, and the rough is manageable. The greens however are horrible. Granted I golfed on May 14, after a long winter and a slow spring, but the greens look like they have been stricken by disease. there were only a handful of putts that I hit that rolled remotely true. much of the greens are burnt out, patchy and brown. Maybe this is something they are trying to fix, but i didn't see any evidence of seeding or stripping or work being done on any of their most horrendous greens.
Like I said, overall nice course, would be even better if they figured out what was plaguing their greens and fix it.
played early in the season, the greens need to improve, warm weather should help
pace of play was very good, the greens had quite a bit of winter kill, but they should improve with the upcoming warm weather
wide fairways and fair landing areas. Slicers should do OK here
this course has great views.
Usually this course is in better shape than right now, maybe in a month it will be ready for play.
Early in the year but the course was in great shape
The greens needed a little work but the rest of the course was in great shape for being so early in the year.
1st time playing, nice course.
Playing early season, greens in tough shape. Nice guys in the clubhouse. Nice layout, not too difficult, but feel the rough and trees will come into play more as we get into summer. No porta-potties out , assuming it is because of the early season. All in all good experience on a very nice course.
one of my favs, old private course well maintained
love the course, well kept, interesting holes, fast greens
Great shape and challenging holes
Golfed with friends there few times slow greens ball does not seem to carry there for some reason. Course in pretty good shape though and friendly staff. Overall rating would be between good and great and golf value very good thru Golf Now