Wednesday was my only free afternoon while I was in Sioux Falls and I took advantage with some golf. Shocking, I know! I finished work early and made the short drive over to Brandon Golf Course, located in – you guessed it – Brandon, SD. Brandon is about 20 minutes northeast of Sioux Falls. I am always on the hunt for a value course and Brandon Golf Course looked like it might fit the bill.

I paid the twilight rate of $32 and got started on an odd weather day. It was cloudy, windy, a bit smoky and looked like it was going to rain. Fortunately, the temperature was comfortable and I made it to the 17th hole before the rain started to fall. Unfortunately, all the cloud cover didn’t make for good pictures. If the sun was out, I think the course would present quite well.

The most unique thing about Brandon Golf Course is that it plays along Split Rock Creek. The clubhouse sits up on a bluff overlooking the course, which is down in a small valley. The 10th hole plays from the top of the bluff and into the valley, but that is the only hole that isn’t in the flat part. The course is mostly parkland holes and while a few homes can be seen, none should really be in play.

The front nine is fine, but nothing too exciting. The front is made up of mostly parallel, tree-lined golf holes. Once you get to the 3rd hole there is a lot of back and forth until you reach that fun 10th. Two water hazards guard approach shots into four holes on the front nine, so accuracy is important.

The back nine at Brandon is where the course starts to get more interesting. The stretch of holes from the 10th through the 13th play next to the creek and had me guessing at the right distances and lines. As I mentioned, the 10th is a good par-4 with the tees on top of the bluff. It tops out at 366 yards so there are a few options off the tee, depending on how far someone hits it.

The 11th and 12th are also par-4’s (387 and 414 yards, respectively) and two of the course’s toughest holes. The 11th fairway gets skinny, thanks to the creek pinching in on the left and a pond on the right. The 12th is a bit strange with a dogleg closer to the tee than the green. As best I can tell the option is to try to hit driver over a large group of trees at the corner of the dogleg or layup to a completely blind section of the fairway. I made a bogey on the 12th and wasn’t upset at all considering the hole’s quirk.

At 6,376 yards, Brandon is a shorter course. It is a par-71 with a rating of 70.4 and a slope of 122, so it isn’t the most difficult course around. The toughest part will likely be driving the ball in play. A missed fairway significantly limits the chances of having a birdie putt because of all the trees that line the fairways. However, if someone is able to drive the ball straight then they should have enough birdie/par chances to stay interested.

Considering the budget price, Brandon was in very good shape. The fairways were full and lush. The greens had plenty of trickle and were firmer than I expected. The rough was thick which made judging shots tricky.

I walked away impressed after my round here and think Brandon Golf Course is a borderline hidden gem. I’ll admit the design is a bit plain and there are other local courses I’d play first, but for $32 I have no trouble recommending a round here. As long as someone sets their expectations right, then I think the course will exceed those expectations. So far I’ve enjoyed the golf courses in this part of the country and Brandon is no exception.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):