Brentwood Golf Course Review

Brentwood Golf Course Review
Thirteen at brentwood is a 569 yard par 5.

Brentwood Golf Course Review

Brentwood Golf Course
White Lake, Michigan
Grade: C-
Teachers’ Comments: A development course with unrelenting views of people’s back yards and power lines.

Brentwood Golf Course, in White Lake, Michigan is a development course, winding unnaturally past homes, along roads and under high tension power lines. “Intrusive” is the word that comes to mind when I think of this course. With a few exceptions, I never felt the peace I look for on a golf course.

Built in 1995 and designed by Jim Ludwig, Brentwood features two distinct nines. The first nine are wooded, and challenged by marsh. The back nine is pasture land styling itself as a “Scottish Links.”

The front is the better of the two. Playing around woods and marsh, it offers a variety of strategic challenges. The woods also served to block out the backyards.

The back, however, felt tacked-on and is oppressed by high tension power lines and unpleasant views of people’s homes. I saw something through one person’s sliding glass back doors that I will never unsee.

It’s also much less interesting as a design. The holes are mostly wide open, with little to worry about if you’re offline. Ten is pretty interesting, with a blind shot over a marsh. Eleven has a tunnel of trees tree shot to think about. But after that, it’s bomb and gouge.

The third at Brentwood is a 315 yard par 4.

My favorite hole was the third. A short part 4, it measures just 315 yards from the tips. A dense treeline closes in on the left side of the fairway, which also is the side that offers an open shot to the green. Hookers beware. Slicers, however, will welcome the wide right landing zone. The approach from that side, however, is threatened by a large bunker in front of the elevated green. Too far to the right, and the ball can find itself on a side hill lie.

Because the third is just 315 yards, it encourages the use of something other than driver off the tee. A nice six iron to the middle left of the fairway, followed by a short iron into the green offers a nice change of pace.

Brentwood’s ninth is a 130 yard par 3.

Brentwood also has an interesting peninsula 130 yard par three on the ninth. The tee boxes not only vary the distance, but also the angle into the green. There is more room behind the green than I thought.

From the back tees, Brentwood stretches to 6, 424 and plays to a 71.3/136. A tee up, it comes in at 6,001 and 69.4/122. If you’re a bogey golfer, play from the middle tees.

Lots of spots on the fairway were rough.

Conditions on the day I played were relatively poor. Fairways were soggy and dead in some places; dry and dead in others. The entire course could have used a trim. The greens were good, though.

Given my impressions, I don’t think Brentwood is a particularly good value for the money. Summer prime time rates are $53, but I have seen Group Golfer rates for as low as $24, which is a bargain.

The Brentwood Golf Course Review was first published on March 6, 2019 from notes and photos taken on a round in August 2018.

A Brentwood Golf Course photo tour follows:

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