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4.2
12 Reviews (12)
5 Stars
4
4 Stars
6
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.0
Value
4.2
Layout
4.0
Friendliness
4.8
Pace
4.2
Amenities
4.6
75.0%
Recommend this course
9 out of 12 reviews
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Value
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Layout
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Friendliness
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About

Holes 18
Type Semi-Private
Par 71
Length 6315 yards
Slope 126
Rating 71.0

Course Details

Year Built 1992
Fairways Bent Grass
Golf Season Open: 3/01 Closed: 11/01
Architect William J. Spear

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Dress code Appropriate golf attire.

Food & Beverage

Bar, Grill

Available Facilities

Banquet Facilities

Reviews

4.2
12 Reviews (12)
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 95
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Top 250 Contributor

Tale of 2 nines

Front nine starts easy with short downhill par 4. Rest of front nine plays through slightly sloping open farmland with the par 5 2nd being the best of the group. Back nine (original nine) moves into more wooded and hilly terrain that partially plays through the surrounding residential neighborhood. The double dogleg par 5 10th bordered by water was my favorite here. Par 3s and 5s were the strength of the course. Least favorite hole on the course was #18, a 90 degree dogleg par 4 with water bordering Inside of the dogleg for the length of the hole.
Course conditions were the disappointment here compared to the other courses played in the area.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Good value

Golfed Brown Deer many times and like it for the convenience (near where I live, but also 1 mile away from Interstate 80). 4 Tees gives you every opportunity to pick your level of pain. Back tees still afford a good look at landing areas. Front nine is somewhat up and down tee to green, back nine is very contoured with interesting tee to green play. Play is moves along, but playing through slow groups is never a problem.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 36
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Short, but challenging

Only played the back 9. Course was packed despite 98 degree heat. Layout forced you to play smart. A couple of par threes too short. Greens were fast! (I like that!). Fairways were beautiful. Traps could use more sand, but they were ok and well maintained.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Played On
Reviews 126
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Iowa Advisor
Top 100 Contributor
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Top Notch Public Facility

This was the first time I've played Brown Deer in a few years. I actually ended up playing 3 days in a row because I was in a tournament over the weekend, but this review focuses on day 1 when I played it under normal conditions.

The Good: The course condition is excellent. The bent grass fairways are very nice and the bent grass greens roll fairly true. Also, the pace of play was very good. The staff in the pro shop and in the restaurant were all very friendly which made for a nice experience both checking in, at the turn and after the round. Finally, the practice facilities are great!

The Average: The course layout is just okay. The front 9 is pretty open and more modern with a bit more width and an open feel. The back 9 is tighter with a few quirky holes (13, 15 and 18). After repeated playing, I actually enjoy the layout but it won't be everyone's cup of tee. The short par 3 14th is one of my favorite par 3s in Iowa.

The not so good: The greens were a little beat up with ball marks, probably because the course gets a lot of play. Also, the sand had quite a few small pebbles in it.

Overall, Brown Deer is a fine course. The Iowa City/Coralville area has a wealth of top notch public facilities for pretty reasonable rates. I would definitely recommend Brown Deer and look forward to playing again.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 16
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Excellent Course - Must Play

This course was in excellent shape, the fairways and greens were in perfect shape and it was a very challenging course. I would recommend it to anyone visiting the area as a course you must play. Some great views and wonderful holes. Must play!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Fix your divots

An unusual amount of unfixed divots in fairway. I would expect this on a course for hackers but this is no hackers course.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
Previously Played

Greens need help/respect

Not the course of old that I knew 10 years ago. There were dead spots all over the greens from ball make that weren't fixed. Have some respect people! The ants were taking over #6 green, they had their own green. Putting the ball was an adventure. Overall not too impressed with the care/ condition of the course, facilities were nice, staff was friendly.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Beautiful Course

The course was in great shape when we played Brown Deer. Unfortunately we didn't have the chance to see the whole course, there was a women's league tying up the back nine. I wish there was a way to communicate this to the golfers, I would have made plans to play another time had I known this was the case.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

great course

Course was in great shape. In my opinion best course in the area.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Worth the Drive

Our group drove 90 minutes to reach Brown Deer and we were all very pleased and impressed with how well maintained the facilities, clubhouse, course were and greatly enjoyed our experience. The Hot Deals on golfnow are an absolute steal for this course.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Fun in the Sun

Loved the layout of the course. A wide variety of holes to play. I will play this course again.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
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