Brewer Park is located on a large plot of land a bit south of Grand Rapids, MI. The front area of the park features some of the typical amenities, but there is a spacious back section of the park that is dedicated to disc golf only.

This park has a long and complex disc golf history. This review is for what I understand to be at least the third major incarnation of disc golf at this park.
1. The park started(?) with four 9-hole layouts "Blue", "Red", "White", and "Gold" which existed prior to 2012.
2. The park was then two 18-hole layouts "South" and "North" from 2012 to 2017.
3. Most recently, the park was a single "Championship" 18-hole layout that existed from 2017-2020, plus a "Family" 9-hole layout. This "Championship" layout is the only previous version that I played.
3.5. For those who played the most recent "Championship" layout, this latest "refresh" (2021) retains about 2/3 of the holes from that layout (renumbered) and has a similar feel overall when playing from the Gold tees. The reviews here prior to this one are also for that most recent layout.

This course now has two tees per hole that play to a single pin location. The Gold tees offer a "championship" level round with distances appropriate for high-level disc golfers. The Red tees offer a shorter, but still respectable length par 3 course. Holes 1, 9, and 11 use the same tee pad for both layouts. The remaining holes have two separate tee pads. All of the tee pads (both Gold and Red) are large, concrete, and brand new. There are trash cans and benches at some tees.

The first six holes are in a moderately wooded area north of the parking lot, with scattered old growth trees providing obstacles. There are no holes here that I would call "tightly wooded", at least by Michigan standards. Only a few areas in the Gold layout might force a particular line.

After holes 1-6, the course moves to the south side of the parking lot and things really open up for holes 7-18. The terrain here is a rolling grassy field, dotted with a couple of large trees. There are a few baskets on gentle slopes, but nothing extreme.

There is thick brush around the outer edges of the entire course that can come into play on several of the holes.

A couple of the holes are memorable. For me, the signature hole is probably #11 (I think it was numbered #12 before the refresh). This is one of the three holes that has the same tee for Gold and Red. It plays 336' down a wide open hill...until about 275' off the tee where two large trees form a double mando. Beyond the mando, a small low-lying area (could be damp in spring, or after a rain) sits in front of the basket.

Those playing the Gold layout may also remember hole 4. At 795', it narrowly edges out #18 for the longest hole on the course. It plays maybe 350' straight ahead in a moderately wide wooded tunnel...then kinks sharply left up a fairly steep hill for 150' or so. There is a clearly marked mando here preventing you from cutting the corner off. Then, at the top of the hill the hole kinks sharply left again for the remaining 300' to the basket. This last section is almost a 180 degree turn from the first section.

The baskets are beautiful red Chainstar Pros, the same ones that were recently installed at Flip City. Brand new here in 2021.

Each tee pad (both Gold and Red) has a beautiful color tee sign showing:
- The hole number on either a Gold or Red background, depending on which tee pad you are at. For holes 1,9, and 11 the background is half gold and half red to indicate the single tee pad.
- The rough hole layout, distance, and par for both layouts on that hole.
- Any hole-specific notes (OB areas, etc.)
- A QR code that you can scan with your smartphone camera, which links to a YouTube flyover video of that hole. That's the first I have seen this last perk. I tried the code for hole 1 and it worked, I assume the other ones do too.
Wow.

The other signage does not appear to be complete yet, but it looks like it will be equally fantastic. There are "Next Tee" signs for the first few holes that are color coded Gold or Red, pointing you to the appropriate next tee. Later in the course I spotted new posts in the ground at locations where I was looking for a "Next Tee" sign, leading me to believe the signs will soon be added.

There is a kiosk at the front of the course with a rough map of the new layout - hopefully a map that uses the same graphics style as the tee signs is coming soon!

You could easily play only the front nine or the back nine. Or holes 1-12 for that matter.

There is no practice basket. Hole 12's basket is near the parking lot and might look like a practice basket if it is your first time playing the course, as the hole plays blind up and over the hill shooting right at the parking lot. I would recommend walking up before throwing this hole or using a spotter. Clearly marked practice basket(s) somewhere else near the parking lot would make me feel better about this. Maybe a different color basket?

The refresh also did not address the safety issue mentioned in previous reviews with hole 17 and 18 playing next to the entrance drive. The drive defines the left side of the fairway on both holes, and the baskets are near the drive too.

Several holes are just open with few or no obstacles to prevent an easy throw to the basket. This is true even when playing the Gold layout. This isn't a particularly interesting course, and other than the Gold layout distances I can't say that it really presents a ton of challenge either. There are few tight lines to hit, no water hazards, and only rolling elevation changes.

There is now a fairly long walk to the first tee from the parking lot, and currently no signage pointing to the first tee. Hopefully this is added along with the other signage. Fairly long walks exist between some of the holes as well.

The freeway can be heard in the distance, detracting from the aesthetic a bit.

Not to prompt another refresh, but it seems like the course could start at what is currently hole 5. This hole has the Gold teepad right at the parking lot. The walk from what is currently hole 18 to hole 1 would still be kind of long, but not too bad. And then for those playing the Gold layout the course would end with the wild current hole 4 described above. Not critical though, the walk to hole 1 would be fine with signage.

Looking at the previous extinct versions of the course here on DGCR, it looks like they were all decent but not outstanding (scoring between a 2.75 and 3.50 average). This latest refresh is nice but I just don't think there is interesting enough land available here to push the course much higher than that. In general, I applaud the effort to add the Red tees and make a shorter course that has a lot of the same flavor and is more accessible to newcomers, while also retaining the length of the most recent layout with the Gold tees. It is now a solid option for players of all skill levels. That said, I think the Gold tees will remain the main attraction here. From the Gold tees this is one of the longest courses in the area, with a lot of chances for better players to air it out. From the perspective of a local noodle arm like me, it is a nice course from the Red tees but there are many other options in the area with similar length and more technical challenge. I see myself coming here occasionally in the future, but it still isn't likely to become my go-to course.

TL/DR: Good for locals or visitors looking for some length. Still not a destination course.

UPDATE November 2021: Played the course again. Extra practice baskets next to hole 12's basket have been removed, greatly reducing but not eliminating my safety concern there. No change in my rating.

This course has a lot of long holes with a decent variety of layouts that can challenge you in different ways. Some are in the woods and are somewhat narrow, while others are out in the open and usually have a few trees and bushes as obstacles. The hills in this area are a big factor on some of the holes, because there are times when you have to throw uphill and there are also times when you have to throw downhill. There are several blind tee shots, a few doglegs, a couple mandos, and a basket that's sitting on top of a small boulder. Most holes have two tee pads: one that's farther away and more difficult (normally par 4 range, but occasionally is par 5 or par 3 range), and one that's closer to the basket and easier (always par 3 range). Also, each tee pad has helpful signs detailing the layout, distance, and par for that hole.

There are a few holes that are kind of hard to find, the hardest of which being the very first hole, so some signage on how to navigate the course would be helpful. It's kind of awkward how you have to do a lot of walking to get to the first hole when there are a few others that are real close to the parking lot. It would've made a lot more sense to make one of the holes hole #1. Some of the holes outside the woods are too wide open and could use more obstacles like trees or bushes. The layout for the fourth hole's longer tee pad is kind of awkward because it's a really long V-shaped dogleg with a mando that forces you to throw your disc a long ways away from the basket before you can throw it up a steep, heavily wooded hill toward the basket. That makes it very difficult to get par on that hole, which is a par 5.

Overall, this is a good course to play for players of all skill levels. The shorter tee pad locations are convenient for less experienced players (though some of them can be pretty tricky for most players), while the longer tee pad locations are convenient for more experienced players. Some holes could stand to be a little more challenging, but overall there's a decent amount of variety to this course, and it has it's fair share of challenging holes. Also, the quality of this course is really good.

What used to be be 2 is now 1. While there were things to like about the old set up I'm going to try to not judge the new course based against the old to the best of my ability.

About a half half mix of moderately wooded and mowed fairway/tall grass rough through a park full of rolling hills. The front 9 is moderately wooded forcing you to pick and hit lines where the back 9 features wind as one of the more prevalent obstacles.

Tee pads are concrete and grippy. Baskets are new (and oh so much better than the old baskets).

Hole 2 is a fun shot that starts out straight but then hooks downhill and to the right into a basket nestled back in a grouping of trees.

A couple of solid par 4's that reward good drives and consistent upshots. The stretch from hole 6-8 is really solid. If I had to pick one hole on the course it would certainly be 7 that requires a well placed downhill drive that hooks hard to the left at the end in order to be well oriented to hit a gap through mature trees. A solid par 4 that requires a precise drive and upshot to be rewarded with the birdie.

Hole 12 with the double mando is a super fun downhill shot that forces you to commit to your line.

The flow of the course is really easy to follow and is designed in such a way that drops you off at the parking lot after 10 which can aid in the ability to play a quick 10 if you don't have time to play the full 18.

Nice practice basket area featuring a few of the old baskets as well as one of the new baskets (maybe to remind us how lucky we are to have new baskets?). Always nice to have a good area to warm up putting before starting off.

Everyone has already said it but hole 17 is a little reckless in terms of course design. Using that road as OB considering the sight lines isn't a great idea and it's only slightly better on 18.

Holes 1, 9, 11, 14 are pretty boring holes. Straight open shots with small elevation changes. Kind of common place, really seems like they lack creativity.

No tee signs. I imagine these are on the way eventually.

It's hard not to compare this to the old 2x18 lay out. There are certainly some holes from the old course lay out that feel like they were better designed holes than some of the dud holes on the new design. There are also some new holes on the course superior to what used to be in place. With tee signs and a fix for the hole 17 issue I think this could be a 3.5 but I wasn't overly thrilled with the layout. It's solid but it leave you feeling like they could have squeezed a little more out of the available landscape. Maybe they were a little too set on making it completely new. I think leaving in a distinctive hole from the old design on both the north and south course would have been a smart way to get on the good side of people who liked the old design. I know I was sort of angered when I saw that hole 9 from the North course had been butchered into the new hole 3 and 4. Hole 3 and 4 are okay, but hole 9 was a hole that had so much more character and challenge than either of the new holes that use the same land.

It seems to me that in both the old layout and new layout the courses at this park feel like they aren't quite living up to the potential that the land has available.

PS - dgguy1 - This is clearly not a one star course...hopefully you can untwist your knickers and give this course a fair review. If you don't want to wait at all at the tee box there are plenty of courses in the Grand Rapids area. I'm sure you can have a nice open tee box at Johnson, Rotary North, Riverside, Garfield, Jaycee, or Old Farm to name a few. Just be happy that there are so many quality free courses in the area and if you're willing to drive a little ways there are a ton more within 30 minutes.

Having never had the opportunity to play the original Earl Brewer layout, I can't make that comparison and complain about how I liked the previous four "9s" more. The course now really feels like two separate 9 hole courses with the front nine playing shorter and through the wooded part. Then the back nine opens up, and is longer as it plays across the rolling, wind swept rolling hills.

The park is green and lovely. There is a sign at the start directing you to hole 1. The concrete tee pads are extra long. There are no tees signs yet, but there were small wooden stakes with the hole # and distance written on them. Most were pulled out and lying close to the pad somewhere. There are some fun, creative holes on the front nine. I thought # 3 that plays 388' over a small hill and then you have to hit your line through a gap in the trees was enjoyable. This is a pretty hole and offers up a nice challenge. The short little # 4 which plays up a slanted fairway to a basket 179' is a cool little toss. 7 & 8 are both over 600' so there is plenty of length on the this nine.

There were a couple of interesting, challenging throws on the back nine. # 12, which plays 318' on a slight downhill, has the double mando about 280' down near the basket in the trees. If you miss the mando, there is a drop zone about 30' in front of the basket. I think you should be more severely punished for missing the mando. I'd like to see this drop zone moved back about 20' more which would force players to make a longer putt in order to save par.

15 and 16 were my favorite holes on the back 9. # 15 plays 340' down a small hill. You need to hit a semi-narrow gap between two large trees and then the basket is set back, just into the tree line. Then the # 16 pad is back in the woods. There are two trees just about 10' in front of you. Missing them shouldn't be a problem for you mentally stronger players but they certainly got in the head of this old, rec player. There is this interesting concrete bench structure here. I finally realized this concrete was once an old tee pad. Great use out of old broken up concrete!

The back nine became somewhat monotonous. There are some boring holes there. # 9 is 410' to a open basket and # 11 uphill to an open basket both lacked any creativity.

The wind was blowing hard out in the open making the long, open holes more frustrating but also added to the difficulty.

Bogeynomore wrote about # 17 being a safety concern. I didn't really think about that when playing it. I think I was in some kind of "zombie like state" just trying to get through the course but as I think about 17, I feel he has a very valid concern.

No signs but I'm sure they're coming.

Earl Brewer certainly will test a player's resolve. You need a big arm to really battle here. Intermediates players and above will embrace the challenge of fighting the wind along with some very, long holes. There aren't that many courses where the top players can find a course that truly challenges them. This is one. I guess that's why they named this the Earl Brewer Championship Course.

New Baskets

Half as much course available to play.

Used to be two full length 18 hole courses. Now it's just one 18. This is one of the busiest parks in the area, so it is now 2x as busy as it ever was before. People on every single teepad, even late in the day when it should be slow.

For the most part (see cons), the new Brewer Champ 18 is a well-designed, well-executed, championship caliber course that is well suited to tournament play, but not necessarily intimidating to less experienced players, with some legit Par 4's. On the whole, there's a nice mix of fairway types, shapes, elevation and distances.

• Variety: Very good. Starts with 6 or so moderately wooded holes where a good portion of the old North Course used to be, then transitions to open, bomber type holes draped across the open, rolling fields where the old South course used to play.

+ The wooded holes do good job of forcing you to hit either a specific line, or at least a landing spot with a few options you could take to get there off the tee. Some feature well-guarded baskets, but all of them were quite fair, very executable, and never felt plinko-like. The wooded holes offer a decent mix of L/R/straight fairways, changes in elevation as well as a few flat fairways, and a nice range of distances.

+ The open holes present a wide range of distances, many of which play noticeably longer/shorter because of the elevation. For the most part, missing the fairway on these holes could cost a stroke if you end up a long way from the fairway (which, given the combo of distances and wind, is entirely possible) ...but big arms might be able to get back on track with a longer than usual (but well placed) 2nd shot.

+ By their nature, open holes can't really force a specific line. That said, well placed trees can eliminate some routes or force you to hit a window, while still allowing many ways to do so. One long (550'+), straight hole has brutally punishing rough all the way down the right side of the fairway: missing left is OK... missing right could be painful, and easily cost you a disc. There's a 300'+ downhill shot with two trees (clearly marked "MANDO") on either side of the fairway...basically forming a goal post framing the green. Split the uprights, and you should at least catch a glimpse of a birdie. Miss wide, and best case scenario is likely a bogie.

• Elevation: Very good. Nothing extreme, but Brewer's varying topography ranges from relatively flat to quite substantial. Course designers used it to great effect in a variety of ways, employing elevated tees, sloped greens, uphills, and a couple of looong, gently sloping downhills that really let you stretch out some of your longest tee shots.

• Challenge: Very good. Most of the challenge lies in the distance... there's some serious length to many of the holes... the kind of length where even Open players can get a full flight path out of distance drivers. Those who are distance challenged could feel overmatched. Your ability to handle wind (off the tee, when placing upshots, and while putting) will likely be tested as well. An elevated basket and pins near slopes will also challenge your decision making when considering to go for chains or lay-up.

• Equipment: Excellent. New concrete tees are reasonably sized, level, and grippy. New Discatchers are easy to spot and catch well... no more getting "Brewered" by janky old baskets!
Tee signs are coming, but were not installed as of this review, so I can't comment.
I did see several Next Tee signs where appropriate.

• Routing/Nav: Good. Overall flow was quite good. My guide was very familiar with the layout, but there didn't seem to be any real tricky spots. Experienced course baggers shouldn't need a map, and as busy as Brewer is, there are sure to be locals to point you in the right direction.

• Fun Factor: Definitely, but very dependent on how much:
a) you like/dislike "air it out," bomber type holes.
b) are frustrated by wind.

• Memorable Holes: I don't recall specific hole #'s because I was really enjoying the company I was with, but many of the holes themselves were memorable: A long tunnel shot through a gauntlet of trees, a couple of uphill ace runs and some real grip & rip holes. I particularly liked the last wooded hole before the open section (#6, maybe?): a long sweeping fairway where shorter arms need to hit a landing zone. Also liked the short hole up a steep hill, with the basket near the back of the hill with a nasty rollaway looming if you miss.

• Aesthetics: Every bit a nice, pleasant park setting, with some nice touches that add eye appeal as well as functionality. Big props for repurposing old concrete tees to create flagstone-like structures to combat erosion around a few tees, and provide seating/place to set your bag.

• Cart Friendly: Very. You have to get up and down hills, but there are no impediments or obstacles to work over or around.

First and foremost: WHAT THE HELL WERE THE DESIGNERS THINKING ON #17!??!??! This is a very long, completely open hole, where the park road (OB) defines the left edge of the fairway the entire length of the hole. It also plays slightly uphill off the tee, such that players can't see (or even hear) cars (or bike riders) coming in over the crest of the hill. Keep in mind that this course was designed for players who throw farther than the sight line on this hole... and they'll be throwing their fastest discs at 100% power on this this par 4 hole. Now factor in the wind this course gets... and that you have to throw multiple shots before you can putt.

I guarantee: the person driving the car ain't watching out for your driver.

Suppose a RHFH or LHBH player intentionally throws a hyzer line that plays over the OB to fade into the fairways (i.e. very likely the preferred line for many RHFH/LHBH players). Supposed a RHBH player fades into the street, or the wind catches a slightly hyzered flight plate to send it straight into the road.

Regardless how this hole plays, it is ranks as one of the most irresponsibly designed holes I've EVER seen... anywhere. It's not just possible for a player to send one (at speed) into the road - it's a likelihood. It's not a matter of "if" ...it's simply a matter of when and how often.

The risk would be greatly reduced by angling the tee away from the road (moving it a bit further from away as well), and moving the basket a bit into the woods.

• While the course is well-balanced, the long, open air it out shots start to feel a bit repetitive toward the end, (perhaps because they all follow one another). Would feel less repetitive starting in the open before going into the woods for bit, then finishing up in the open. The good news it that it's pretty convenient to start on one of the open holes and play it that way (which is how I'd play it if I were local).

• Full of solid holes, but other than sheer distance, none of them had any "Wow" factor.

This incarnation of Brewer is more complete and robust than either of two the courses it replaces, which were good (if unspectacular) courses, both of which I thought were solid 3.0's that made a better than good destination because of how well the two complemented each other with each offered what the other lacked.

For those familiar with them, this course reminded me a bit of Birdland in KS (sans the scenic lake views), and even Camden 1 in IL at times... both of which are very good courses. I'd have to say Brewer Champ 18 earns it's championship moniker and give it a solid 3.5.

Any thought I have of awarding a 4.0 is immediately silenced by the boneheadedness of # 17. Making the road OB won't stop discs from hitting cars.