After my round at Rainbow’s End Golf Club I decided to take the back roads to get to my parent’s house. I didn’t feel like messing with the back up on the interstate on a Sunday afternoon. That part of my plan worked well and my route took me right by Brentwood Golf Course. The weather was nice and the course was convenient, so I couldn’t pass up a chance for a new course.

The parking lot was empty when I arrived and the proshop said that if I was riding, there probably wasn’t enough time for me to golf before they close up. I asked about walking and was told I could take longer to play if I was walking. So, I paid my $13 to walk and headed to the 1st tee. I played fast and walked in about an hour.

The course is a shorter par-36 and only plays 2,707 yards from the blue tees. There are two par-3’s, five par-4’s and two par-5’s which is pretty typical at most regulation courses. However, all the holes here are short and the par-5’s are only 390 and 408 yards. I didn’t realize until I finished the round that the 3rd and 7th holes – the par-5 holes – were actually par-5’s. They played like tough par-4’s to me. With all the short holes the course is a good spot to hit some drivers and work on your short game.

The layout at Brentwood is better than many short courses I’ve played and it has good bones. While homes are off to the sides of the course, the holes themselves have some elevation change, slight doglegs and quality bunkering. The course sits on a small hillside and the up and down adds plenty of interest. There are many pretty green complexes and like most courses in this area of Florida, cool oak trees dot the layout.

The 3rd through the 5th was a good stretch. The 3rd is one of those par-5’s I mentioned earlier and it turns to the left while the fairway slopes to the right, with the hill. The green complex is blind from the fairway and it would be a strong par-4 on most regulation courses. The 4th is a short par-3 with interesting bunkering while the 5th is a downhill par-4 (344 yards) with options off the tee.

Unfortunately when it comes to the conditions, everything besides the greens had a neglected feel to it. The fairways had tons of bare areas, the rough was all mixed grasses and there were plenty of weeds everywhere. The tee boxes were okay and the greens were good. The course looks way better in the pics than it played.

I got to enjoy a nice evening outside and get in plenty of steps, so the round here wasn’t a complete loss. However, I did regret another round on crummy fairways, especially after playing Rainbow’s End earlier. Overall, I’d be more excited about Brentwood if it was in better shape.

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