I was very impressed with this course. This course covers a large area and the layout is easy to navigate. I also like that hole 18 brings you back pretty close to hole 1.
Brown Deer has some of the coolest wooded /technical holes I've seen. There are also a few huge holes thrown into the mix.

Clean park, friendly locals, easy to navigate, nice variety of holes.

Nothing special about any hole in particular. Course is tucked away with little signage to tee #1. Overlaps some common park areas, but secluded for the most part.

Like the nearby Dretska Park which I played the same day while visiting Milwaukee, Brown Deer is a decent course with little to offer above the average.

That said, it was for the most part a well-maintained course with enough challenges and thought-out technical holes to keep you interested.

Little in the way of elevation changes. Locals were friendly. No water fountains or nearby bathrooms I could find.

Full community park with amenities for non discers. Good mix of open & technical holes, and stays away from other park-goers for the most part.

I preferred Brown Deer over Dretska, but would put neither in my faves list. That said, a great course for locals and if you want to get a round in if visiting the area, it's a solid, if average, course.

- Course is set in a large park that has lots of forest as well as some open areas. Park has lots of pavilions and such, so there might be some interference by general park users, especially by the entrance road.
- Roughly half of the holes are set in dense forest, full of tight lines and small windows. The first five and last two holes require pinpoint accuracy to avoid tree jail especially. Good mix of slight RHBH hyzers and some anny/FH shots here, with a little spot of water on #4 to spice things up. Overall, a straight shot is key. Some very tight entrances on the more "forgiving" holes, like off the tee on #16 or into the woods on #14.
- The rest of the holes are more open, either bordering the forest or containing mature trees to get around. #6 is a long RHBH anny around the forest, and #8 is a downhill sloping shot through groves of trees. These all have a lot of character and provide some challenge, a righty is going to need much more than a plain hyzer here.
- Two holes stand out, as they are both around 700' long! #7 has some interesting finishes, with one basket position on top of a hill and another behind a large group of mature trees. Getting max distance off the tee is complemented well with tougher approach shots. #9 is tough, too, as the fairway gets narrower and narrower closer to the basket, length and accuracy are both needed.
- While there are only a couple holes with significant elevation changes, many holes have a slight slope that adds fun or challenge. The super-tight holes in the forest are especially affected by this; throwing up or down while keeping it straight is noticeably tricky.
- Fantastic variety in hole length, with some long ones and short ones inside the forest and out. Multiple pin positions vary these even better; some can be quite brutal in terms of both length and difficulty.
- Good baskets, teepads, and signage, all in great shape. Navigation can be a bit tricky, like crossing the road to get to #3 from #2. Map is a big help.

- Holes in the dense forest can feel a little repetetive; having a straight accurate shot is extremely important over and over again. Not saying it's a bad thing, but it's a lot of the same thing.
- Parts of the course are pretty close to the entrance road, and other park activities. When I was there I had to navigate around some kids chilling by a teepad, and wait for some pedestrians to clear a fairway. Wouldn't be an issue but the park seems EXTREMELY popular.

- Really not that many cons here! The terrain is pretty flat overall, but it is still used well to provide some good sloping holes here and there. Great mix of tight and open holes, of varying difficulty and differing lines. The different basket positions can really change each holes in terms of fun/difficulty, which is a bonus. Probably too tough for beginners, I think everyone else should greatly enjoy it.

- Not intended for beginner players. there is very little to no chucker traffic here.
- If its not a tight tunnel shot than its a well designed bomber hole.
- all of the long holes require descent shot placement off your drive and EXCELLENT shot placement on your second shot.
- ACCURACY is the name of the game. if youre more than a few inches off your line you are mostly likely not going to be pleased.
- shooting a 54 on most layouts is essentially like shooting a 1000 rated round.
- there are maybe one or two holes that are 'easy' to birdie. at the same time they are very easy to bogey as well.
- requires a strong mental game. bogeys will happen, you cant let it get to you.
- there are a few true par 4s
- the pin placements theyve added since Worlds have been very creative and greatly improved on the challenge of the course.
- there is very little to no land wasted here. without knowing the limitations the designer had from the park dept.
- they took a few of the trees out on some holes that were overly ridiculous since worlds.
- love the local routes, their crazy but work so well!
- smart play and course management are a MUST!!!
- picnic benches and trash cans at almost every teebox.
- a bag of several different shots will help greatly.

- all tho the teepads are level i have a few issues with them. first, the majority of them are raised up off ground level a couple inches (this is annoying if you want to do any kind of run-up that isnt the length of the bad. second, they were not 'roughed' up enough at installation and when slightly wet are very very slippery. third, all the long holes teepads are surrounded by mud (not wood chips) and are therefore very muddy.
- lots of standing water, bug haven in the summer. most of the natural drainage was disrupted at installation and not fixed.
- the schule is a bit much. if you go more than a cpl feet off the fairway you have to really work to get an out shot alone. there are a ton of tiny skinny trees everywhere. have your approach rollers ready.

Brown Deer is an awesome course for Advanced and Pro players to refine their game and a great place for Intermediate players to develop their accuracy and course management. because of the difficult of the park, there is almost never anyone there except the more 'serious' dgers so it makes for a more relaxing and peaceful round or two. the park is very clean and looks like it doesnt ever see chucker damage.
The teepads are very agitating for me. it makes it difficult to take my timing steps before i go into my run-up. and on top of that they are always muddy as heck when its been wet out.
I think the part i like most about this course is the fact that you can really test your current skill level. Whether you like it or not, the course will show your weak points. if you can keep your disc down the fairways youll be able to hit any line on almost any other course. also, the fact that a 54 is close to 1000 rated it helps to measure your level compared to the best.
if youre in the area PLAY this course. Dretzka Original is still my favorite Milwaukee course but Brown Deer is a very very close second. Dretzka is just a really really fun course to play, and my all time favorite course.
BRING YOUR WATERPROOF SHOES IF ITS BEEN RAINING.

Always fun to play
Unique holes
Never crowded
Good for practicing unique throws

Kinda hard to find the next hole if never played there before
Bad for beginners

Good park to stop by if your in the area, its not hard to find and its in a nice area.

- This is the Premier course in the Milwaukee Area.

- The course in maintained regularely by the area pros and you can definately tell that there was a lot of care put into the course.

- There are ever changing pin positions and more and more positions being put in every year to make the course better than it already is.

- Lots of good length with some holes being in the 600-700 range and a few in the 500.

- The easy holes still require you to hit a tight line to have a good shot and the easy holes can be made hard depending on what position they are in.

- If you like tight long courses then this is a must play for sure.

- A few of the teepads on the long holes are slightly elevated so the opportunity to get a run up is almost non existant

- If you have never played the course before you are going to want to follow a group of people if possible or get someone to play with you who has because there are times when a guide might be needed.

- Hole 1 - park by the tennis courts near the woods and walk behind the tennis courts to find the tee for hole 1.

- Hole 1 and 2 are in their own little wooded area.

- Hole 3 - After hole 2 take the path to the left and cross the road, after you cross the road walk about 100' and look for a path on the left to find Tee 3

- Holes 4 thru 11 are pretty straight forward.

- Hole 12 - After hole 11 cross the road left and look for a path in the woods and that will take you to hole 12.

- Hole 12 and 13 are over the road.

- Hole 14 - After hole 13 cross the road left to get to hole 14

- Hole 15 - After 14 take the path right NOT LEFT, right will take you to 15 and left will take you to 16.

- The rest are straight forward

--Very nice location
--Beautiful large trees throughout entire park
--Challenging long holes
--Multiple pin placements are changed often and change the course dramatically (hole 8 especially)
--No dull pin placements
--Tunnel shots
--Heavily wooded holes w/o sacrificing distance
--Nice signs on every hole
--Plenty of garbages
--Teepads are in great condition
--Amount of challenge keeps you coming back for more
--GREAT for glow discing
--Plenty of other things to do in the park
--Surrounded by great courses (4-5)
--Never gets too crowded

--One set of pads
--Park closes here and there
--NO Elevation
--Limited water hazards
--Nowhere to buy discs nearby
--Holes 7 & 9 can be argued as boring.

While the cons exist for this course (as weak as they are), the pros definitely outweigh the cons for Brown Deer, and that is why this course is getting a 4 from me. Dretzka is getting a tie score with Brown Deer because the enjoyment and elevation from Dretzka matches the professional feel and beauty of Brown Deer. I find that I play Dretzka more often, but enjoy both equally. Even with the lack of elevation, this course will wear you out. On to hole 7.... I can see why a critic would shout about how this is just a filler hole, but I can't help but get excited for it when I step up to the tee. Its either a chance to throw as hard as you can and try to nab a rare par, or work on your roller. Same can be said for hole 9.

In Southeastern Wisconsin, there probably isn't a more frustrating first hole. Right out of the gate, this course bats down your drives and laughs at your tree-weaving confidence. This can leave a sour taste in a beginner's mouth. The holes don't get any easier after that, and Brown Deer isn't an ideal beginner course as a result.

In a sentence, I'd say bring your favorite "sixer," a full load of energy, and a strong arm out to Brown Deer Park and give 'er hell!

Brown Deer is a very good wooded course that will provide a significant challenge for most players. A few long bombs provide for a chance to air it out, but this course is mostly for those who can navigate tight woods off the tee. Line shaping here is paramount, and being able to throw straight for distance is vital to success.

While this course is very challenging, it's fair. There are legitimate, but difficult to hit flight paths on all shots, and there's significant punishment for bad shots. There isn't much underbrush off the fairway to lose your disc, but if you do land off the fairway chances are you will have a very difficult second shot.

This is one of the best wooded courses I've played. Despite its location in a large multi use park, the course has a very secluded feel. Locals are lucky to have this course; playing here will make you better.

Other reviews mentioned that the tee signs did not have distances on them, but they were written in by hand on all signs when I played. The concrete tees are top notch and the baskets were all in good shape.

The big distance holes are pretty boring; they're just long bombs across wide open fields. #7 incorporates a big hill and a few trees, but that likely won't come into play until your second shot. These were just very long and mostly uninventive distance shots, that only offer an excuse to huck a few tee shots between the technical wooded holes.

The challenge is fantastic here, but the fun factor is reduced a little. This place is not conducive to a casual round, or a round with newer players. The challenge here is enjoyable for intermediate and advance players, but tough wooded shot after tough wooded shot, will probably frustrate and wear down most casual players by the end of the course.

Medium distance drives through tight fairways is what this course brings to the table, and it does it well, but there are no other natural features that come into play (i.e. elevation, water)

Navigation here is awful. Next tee signs are sorely needed. And none of the baskets were numbered. In a few spots where baskets from different holes are close together, numbers would have been helpful (notably #6 & #9). This would probably be a 4-star course for me if these navigation issues were fixed.

This is probably the most consistently challenging courses from hole to hole that I've played. The challenge makes this course fun and replayable, but for more casual players, Dretzka a few miles down the road is probably a better option. With some tweaks to the navigation and a little more imagination in the design of the 3 long tee shots, this course would go from very good to excellent.

- Moderately wooded test accuracy and shot shaping
- Nice variety between open holes and wooded holes
- Cross winds can provide an interesting challenge in open areas
- Even after rain the course was not to muddy

- Holes are either miss numbered or not numbered. (i.e. Hole 16 had a sticker that said hole 1)
- Course is missing signed to indicate where a hole is located.
- Broken glass around multiple tees
- People from the soccer field parked their cars on the grass between the tees and holes
- There is no signage to direct you to the next hole
- The holes can jump around.. (i.e Holes 1 and 2 and no where near hole 3)
- Course is very flat
- People from the soccer fields will wander into the field of play and just stand in the way.
- Hole height felt inconsistent. Some holes felt to low to the ground, and a couple felt as if they were to high off the ground.

I was actually very surprised by the course after reading past reviews. Some friends and I made a trip to Milwaukee from Joliet area of IL and was very disappointed with this course due to maintenance and lack of signage. We spent more time trying to navigate around the front 9 then we did playing. The course did become easier to navigate on the back 9.

While the course does provide for some challenging play I would not make a second trip back to the course. If I were in the Milwaukee area again I would stick to playing Dretzka.

If your going to play the course I would also bring some deep woods off as the bugs can be horrible.

makes you bring you A game. tight with lots of trees. and 7&9 are open but really long. super tough when theres a cross wind.

no yardage markers or pin placement signs.

stay out of the woods on the right of #9 its thick and lots of tent worms.

Tricky and long placements in wooded areas. Beautiful park. Cement tees.

Signs are poor. No yardage. Pin placements. Picnic people might get in your way.

One of Milwaukee's better courses north of the city.

This is a great course that has a little bit for everyone. There are short and long holes which offer players with technical accuracy to succeed and players who can bomb have an advantage there. There is also a nice mix of wooden and open shots that play through a park. Truely a must play if you are in the Milwaukee area along with Dretkza. The courses main challenge is the wooded aspect. You will need to have technical shots with the right amount of arm while avoiding the trees to succeed in this part of the course. Tees are concrete and the course is fairly easy to navigate once you get started.

There aren't any water holes which I would have loved to see over one of the ponds in the park. The tee signs are pretty but are lacking with telling you where to go. If you have a big arm the long holes tend to be boring because of the open area aspect. No risk reward for those of you who can bomb a shot. Also I wish there were alt. tees that were in place.

This is by far my favorite course in the Milwaukee/ SE WI area, and it is a must play.n The course offers a little of everything for your shots and still remains a very difficult which will challenge the best of players. This is a challenging course in which you can get trouble with shooting in the woods. I would really suggest playing in the summer/fall because this course is absolutely gorgeous.

-This mostly-wooded course tests accuracy but has a couple of longer open holes requiring a good arm.
-Long/mid/short pin placements adds variety and significantly alters the feel of the course. Local club members were switching pin positions during my round, so I had the opportunity to experience some holes long and a few short.
-Concrete tees; some trashcans and benches throughout.
-Almost completely flat, the course does its best to squeeze play out of the least scrap of elevation.
-Free. Located in a large park with tons of other amenities and facilities.
-Friendly and helpful locals.

-Lack of sufficient signage might lead to some confusion in one or two places, especially coupled with non-intuitive flow in a few places. Finding #3 can be difficult for first time players. Cross the roadway (w/tennis courts behind you to the right) and look for the path into the trees. The signs provide the hole number but nothing else.
-Some broken glass/litter.

-Brown Deer has a well-worn feeling (in a good way.) The underbrush is light to non-existent in most places, making it difficult to lose a disc. Although located in a bustling city park, the course tends to feel more secluded than it really is, while doing its best to avoid any interferences with other park goers.
Update: Descriptive hole signs have been added since my last visit. This alleviates much of the signage problems listed above and are a nice addition to the course.

This course has a lot of variety.

*alternate pin and tee placements are cool.
*some tight control shots.
* lots of woods which is very challenging.
* Very challenging course it is personally one of my favorite courses.

* pretty tough to navigate through so try and go with someone who knows the course.

* if you have control issues you may lose a disc beacuse this course has some pretty heavily wooded holes.

Its not a "5" course but probally one of the best courses in Wisconsin in my opinion.

It will definitley challenge you. If you are a first timer I would recomend valley view park in new berlin. or spassland in germantown.

The course plays through a very large flat park that his mostly wooded with some open grassy areas. Other than a couple long open shots that test your distance and placement on long drives, the course plays through a mix of park style holes with scattered trees and some heavily wooded holes with some brushy rough to punish errant drives. There is a good mix here, so it doesn't feel like you spend the whole round in the same kind of setting.

There is a good balance of shorter and longer holes here, with some wooded ace runs, some long bombs, and lots of holes that are reachable with a great drive, but not easy. It felt pretty balanced between right and left turning shots too, with a good number of each.

There are good concrete tee pads, and basic but nice looking hole signs marking each tee with the hole number. The baskets show some wear, but still catch well. The park is beautifully maintained, with nice grass, and no trash or vandalism.

The course signage could use a major upgrade. The tee signs have no information about the hole, so there's no indicator of hole length or layout, and you'll end up walking up several of the fairways to see where to shoot. There are no next tee markers, which is a problem in several places. There are a couple long walks that aren't obvious unless you have someone to follow, especially the walk after hole 2. There are also a couple places on the course where the tee that's in view from the previous basket is not the right hole, you have to backtrack to avoid skipping holes.

The course can be crowded, both with lots of players, and lots of other park users on the more open holes. Some picnicking areas can be in play if you throw off line, and picnickers can spread out into the fairways a little. There's no elevation or water here, and for me a course without either just isn't as much fun.

This is definitely a course to play when you're in Milwaukee, and makes a great day of disc golf when paired up with the even better course at Dretzka. Beginners may find the course a bit daunting at first, especially the wooded holes with thick rough. More experienced players will find some good challenges here, and will need to have several types of shots at their disposal to shoot well. I recommend a stop here if you're in the area.

If you like a challenge then this is the course for you. As the title says I have never played a harder course.

There is a great mix of holes. However, most of the holes are deeply wooded. The distances might not be long on many of the holes but there are plenty of trees to get in the way. A 300ft hole could easily turn into 6 strokes if the trees are feeling mean. As far as the open holes go they consist of some large distances from the tee box to the basket. It gives you a chance to flex your muscles if you can drive for some big D. One of the most interesting open holes is hole #7. The basket is pretty much a straight 600ft from the tee. But after about 500ft you have to shoot up this monster of a hill. If you overshoot your disk flys past the basket and rolls down a good deal into the woods of a neighboring hole. If you undershoot, then you still make for a tough next shot and have to worry about your disc rolling back down to where it came from.

Although I have probably made this course sound pretty tough. There are still a number of deuces that are sitting out there if you can weave your way around some trees and are smart with your shot and disc selection. Don't feel like you need to throw a driver on every hole. You do not. Especially on some of the wooded holes a reliable mid-range like a Buzz or Roc would be an excellent choice.

Because there are so many wooded holes, Mosquitos rule this disc golf course so come prepared. They are band enough during a hot afternoon so I can't imagine what they would be like on a cool summer night.

If this will be your first time playing the course try and find a course map or play with someone who knows the course. It can sometimes be hard to find the next tee.

A lot of people don't like this course because of its difficulty. Sure it might not be one of my favorites, but it is still very deserving of a good rating. When I play this course, I tee of knowing that it is going to kick my butt. If only easy courses existed disc golf would be too predictable.

Some of the long open holes could get boring for some people who aren't able to or aren't fond of bombing a disc.

Maybe too many trees? (You will understand once you play this course).

This course is definately worth a try. I can garuntee it is going to be one a the hardest courses you will ever play. A very good score at this course could be around a +10.

Play it with an open mind and try not to let the trees get to your head.

-A great mix of wooded and wide open holes
-Lots of long and challenging holes
-You almost never run into trafic
-Solid and large concrete tee pads
-Benches and trach bins at every tee
-You will use your driver on every hole

-Signhs only say the hole #
-Little tree stumps are sticking up all over the place so watch your step
-On some holes you can not see the pin from the tee pad

Wear closed toed shoes on this course. It's definitly one of the best courses in the area.

- Multiple basket placements. Makes it fun, unless it's not in your favorite position.

- Lots of tight wooded holes that are a nice change of pace in the area.

- Great variety of holes. Anywhere from grip and rip to conrol and finesse. and every where inbetween.

- Despite the heavy traffic in the park, the course is designed well so that no one is in your way.

- Great, large tee pads.

-Great mix of shots. Bring everything in your bag for sure.

- Blind holes you can't see the pin. Not too good. Some people may like it, but I'd rather know what/how to throw.

-Horrid signage. Only the hole number, nothing else.

-Sometimes an idiot will wander onto the course. SEE ABOVE.

- Sometimes people there are a bit, loud, obnoxious. But hey, thats milwaukee.

For sure the best course in the area. A must play if you're in town.

Mix of wooded and open (bomber) holes should suit all styles of play, i.e. this is a good tourney course, that tour players will feel tests their overall skills. Technical players and big arms, will each believe they have an advantage on certain holes.
Dual pin placements. These seemed split rather evenly between long and short when we were there.
Shot shaping required on most holes. No shortage of length, even on the "shorter" holes. No pitch and putt going on here. Often, baskets that are reachable, are defined by forcing low ceiling shots, or something similar, to gain access to pin. This requires a skip at the end of a good line, to actually get to pin.
My roller is currently not in good form; but Brown Deer offers opportunities to use a roller shot on just about all of the long holes.
Bonzai trees on #11 and #12 (some sort of pines) are exquisite. I have a feeling that the course ideas here were begun with these holes; i.e. designer said, these MUST be part of the course.
Long hole that finishes at top of hill....has a fence behind pin; but, locals have broken/dismantled a 10 foot section of fence;; directly behind pin. Big arms can overshoot this pin and find themselves at the bottom of the hill, with a tough, 60+ foot shot back up the hill. Nice touch.
Course represents right and left favored holes equally.
Lots of putts/upshots with trees in play on the non open holes. Brown Deer utilizes this feature much better than Dredzka's more open pin placements.

Long, bomber holes are kind of plain; but, that's what bomber holes are about. Gold level players may feel there should be a finishing difficulty that is not present? Most of them require some shaping to get to desired landing area, for mere mortal players. Less than gold level players may find these plain; but the rest of us will be forced to make a good shot to get to landing area; followed by another long, quality shot to get near pin; and a good putt for a three.
Signs are nice looking; and add to the overall golf course feel of this course. However, there is no footage, nor hole diagrams. Signs simply have number for hole and attractive oak leaf; that is park logo.
One set of tees.
Primarily flat course. I don't really hold this against Brown Deer; as you only have, what you have, to work with. However, it can't earn any bonus points for elevation or water in play.
No directional markers. After #2, you must cross the park road to find #3. Somewhere around #12, there is also an unmarked road crossing required. The first crossing is right near the main lot and so you should be able to ask a local. Cross the road by the lot and stay to the left of the pond and enter woods on path to left if no one is around.

This course is close to a 4.5; or more properly, it should be noted that it's a strong 4 rating. Less than stellar signage, slight navigational issues, single tees, and lack of terrain available make rating this one as a slightly less than very top course appropriate.
With this said, anyone coming to Milwaukee should play Brown Deer and Dredzka and consider themselves blessed.
This course is played fairly heavily, but is a breeze, compared with the much more played Dredzka.
Original Brown Deer course was beat up as heck looking, with baskets falling over and glass and litter everywhere; by the time it went extinct. By comparison, this course is beautiful, visually. Gorgeous trees, and green grass everywhere....a course with a ball golf look, feel, but lots of technical, wooded holes.
54, for mere mortals, is a good score here. Under par, is an open rated round. If you save the bomber holes, and hit your lines in the wooded portions, it is possible though.

Challenging, but nothing too extreme.
Most of the holes are long enough to be able to use all 3 types of disc. Driver, Mid, and Putter. Which I really like, because on many courses i seem to use my mid's mostly and never get to bust out my drivers.
A mix of tree trunks, pine trees, open field and little nooks. There was one long hole that shot through a row of tree's then opened up and slightly went downhill, then there are wide spaced larger trees with the pin in a circled area kinda open. it had to of been a par 4 at least.

Its a fun course, not too many pedestrians and not too crazy of elevation and muck. So for being challenging, its really not too bad.

Fun, give it a try, the only reason I can't rate it a 4 or 5 is because I've played nicer courses before, but 3.5 is very good in my opinion.

I luckily went with a person who has played it enough.
If this was your first time without a "guide" good luck, there are a few holes that are hard to find the next, and at least a few holes where you might think one pin is your target when it totally isn't. SO, other than not knowing where to aim, and not being able to see the pin to a whole every time, its good.
but that can get frustrating.

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