Cold Brook Park is a large sprawling county park centered around a large lake. There is a $5 charge to enter the park and you have to fill out the little form giving them all your pertinent information, including email address, social security number and all your banking and checking account numbers. It did seem a little excessive to me.

Twenty of the twenty-four holes play in a wooded area which is probably disc golf exclusive. Holes 19-22 play across the park road and there is a sign at # 19 stating these four holes are closed weekends.

There is a nice sized parking lot next to # 1. In this area is a kiosk with lots of tourney and league info, picnic table, sani-can and multiple garbage cans and there still are bottles in the parking lot. Help us out here players!

Most everything seems a little dated: older concrete pads, older baskets except for the brand new Mach III on # 6 and simple older brown signs. They show the hole #, distance and a route. No par is given. The engineering around the tee pads is first class with benches, retaining walls and wooden steps. Only a few courses anywhere top these amenities, Bryant Park in Minneapolis, being one.

Navigation is easy with many tee pads just a few feet away from the previous basket.

If you want a taste of what disc golf was like in the early 90's, then this is the course for you. With twelve holes weighing at less than 225', Aces are a distinct possibility, although hitting a tree is a bigger possibility. The course is mostly technical although there is always a fair route. The rough is there but it's not terrible. For me, the two scariest holes were 19 & 20. The most direct route on 19 plays dangerously close to the lake and any kick off a tree could get wet. Then the # 20 basket is set just a few feet from the lake on a precarious little ridge.

My favorite hole was 24. It's 460, straight for probably the first 200, then you hyser through a narrow window into the woods and hopefully down the hill. The basket is now in sight down below. If you can hit this gap and get a look at the basket, then you're thinking a 3. I'd still make it the only par 4 on the course.

Cons. I don't like the design on # 22. Big arms with a 400' drive are going to be throwing their tee shot blindly around the corner onto the park road. Us mortals will be throwing our second shot around and onto the same road.

# 5 sign is missing.

# 12 sign is trashed.

Some of the equipment is showing it's age. Some tee pads are breaking down and puddling during rainy times.

Not many chances to show off that big arm.

All in all, I really enjoyed my round here although I did clip more than a few trees. But I found the rough to be rather forgiving and was usually able to save par even after some misguided tee offs went astray. Obviously, this course is ideal for the Senior Circuit type players. That would be old dudes who can't throw very far anymore.

It is a great course for better players to work on the mid-range, technical aspects of their game. So go ahead and shot 12 under. Be happy with it. Be proud. Just don't be complaining because the course is too short.

I loved this course simply because it isn't overly long and yet is it massively challenging. I've rarely seen such dense foliage outside of Sandy Point in WI, and it is a bit of a deuce or die course. The lines are there, but it's so intimidating that it's really hard to keep up the focus to hit them consistently.

The variety of shots is great and there is a lot of subtle elevation and slope change.

It's not quite among my all time faves because it isn't really a championship caliber course and it's not very beautiful. You are stuck in those dense woods for what seems like the whole round.
It's not the best kept park I've ever seen, the tees are getting worn, and there was a lot of trash when I played.
I hate to say it, but that detracts a lot for me. It wasn't some beautiful and secluded place to lose yourself, but a dirty and overrun park that takes a long time for its length to play a single round.

- Cold Brook Park provides 24 holes of technical wooded golf spiced up a bit with a few longer holes and a couple of grassy open holes thrown in for variety. Water comes into play on a couple of holes. This is a well-kept, heavily-trafficked older course. The schule is really scarce and manageable and the course has a lovingly played feel to it, kinda like a pair of jeans that have beat in to a really sweet spot because you've worn them so much.
- Great use of elevation and woodland throughout the course. No epic elevation exists, but a lot of holes have enough ups and/or downs to really help this course shine. While a lot of the distances are on the shorter side, it definitely feels like 3D golf for the majority of the round. Hole #'s 1, 2, 4, 6, and 24 all stand out as good "hilly" holes. #1 is forcing a uphill shot through a gap in the woods. Aim too high and the low ceiling will get you. Too low and you're into the hillside. Tricky but fair for a "warm up" hole right off the bat. #24 finishes off downhill through a tree tunnel.
- Good variety in distances, all things considered. Hole #'s 2, 4, and 5 all are over 300'. After that it's not until hole #18 that the course provides another 300'+ hole. And that's okay. The short, tight, technical deuce-or-die golf in the middle section is great for score separation (hit the fair lines and pick up birdies....miss and you'll be parring all day long). Again, it's the trees and elevation that keep these shorter distances fun and viable from a design standpoint.
- Water comes into play quite nicely on #3 (behind the green on a short hyzer hole, punishing overzealous aceruns). Hole #19 has a lake to the right of the fairway. Trees line the lake, but there is a hidden hyzer route over the lake to the green (if you've got the balls). Outstanding risk/reward decision here....the anhyzer route is less than great, and nothing to suggest you'd get a birdie. The over the lake route, if executed, parks you for an easy tap-in. Otherwise you're wet.

- Concrete tees have fairly significant pitting from wear and tear over the years. This probably doesn't affect most rounds but puddles do occur in wet conditions, making the tees far from ideal when wet. The tee signs are a little lacking, but most of the holes are short enough for it not to impact the round too much.
- Close proximity of many of the holes to each other ups the risk factor a bit; however, this is a typical aspect of most older courses (early-90's and prior) and isn't terribly egregious. The worst spots are protected with netting and the trees also help keep most discs from becoming too wayward.
- Several holes (#'s 19-22 I believe) are closed on weekends due to their close proximity to other park activities. The local league members said the park usually covers the baskets with trash bags. I walked but did not play these holes. They are mostly open and skippable, so it doesn't hurt too badly when they close those down.

- Cold Brook is a great intermediate design between the nearby Irving Park (beginner worthy), and the mighty Leila Arboretum (take Kleenex with which to wipe away your tears). Easy enough for newer players not to get super frustrated in the woods, but enough variety, challenge, and length for more experienced players to enjoy themselves as well.
- I arrived at Cold Brook as Saturday morning leagues were getting rolling. I jumped in on #1 and immediately had a group come off #24, so I let them play through. The league guys said, "There's two 4-somes ahead, and a 5-some behind...you want to just play along with us?" League dudes were super cool, and I greatly appreciated having a guided round in a heavy downpour. Thanks again, fellas!

Some may find this a bit odd, but the 24 hole Cold Brook Park was my personal favorite amongst the 2015 Am Worlds courses I played this month. It's got a visual appeal, is nicely shaded, and has variety, options, and elevation. As an Advanced Grandmaster not gifted with the biggest arm out there, I really liked the shorter, technical lines through trees, and needing to shape shots in all directions. It is the kind of course that could really frustrate beginners to Recreational players, because it WILL give you some tree kicks and you'll need to scramble to save par or bogie. Intermediate players will lament the lack of long bombs. But advanced players will appreciate the precision required, and will shoot a TON of deuces. Believe it or not, there are some guys out there who could make mincemeat of this type of course: I've played a solid day once with Johnny Sias, and am absolutely certain he'd show folks what's possible on a course like Cold Brook.

Excellent landscaping, concrete tees, benches and trash cans where needed, DGA Mach 3 baskets, and nicely weathered-in fairways and edges mean solid course essentials. I really like the netting protecting the 13th tee. The thing that makes it an above average course are the risk-reward shots (examples are the lakeside basket on 3, sloping, guarded pin position on 4, those darned three trees guarding the bomber lane out on 5, the water carry (or two other lane options) on 19, and that terrace on 20). Even tourney OB improves the risk on 18 & 22. But you'll be befuddled by, or thrill to, the lines and trees you'll encounter on over half the holes here. Just remember: there's more air than wood. Really there is.

The park itself is pretty, with its lake and other activities for the rest of the family.

We benefited tremendously from the Am Worlds map and signage, but first timers might get a bit confused about where to start, and then to traverse some of the looping flow of the course. If you want to start at hole 1, bypass the first lot (with bathroom and shelter), and go down around the bend, parking at the second lot, on your right. There isn't really a 'front and back' nine (or twelve), and 23 & 24 come back through the center of the first 18. It makes sense to finish on a really nice hole, but it flows a little awkwardly. And you need to be extra careful throwing on the shared fairway there (as folks on hole 8 might be in your grip-lock line). In fact, there are several places where the holes run together quite a bit, so you need to be alert to possible tree kicks from adjoining holes.

If I lived near K'zoo, Climax (!) or Battle Creek, I'd buy the $25ish park pass, but even the $5 per car daily fee is acceptable to me. I include it in the 'cons' section because there are folks who don't want to pay to play. Finally, woods and water mean possible bugs in the still, humid, summer months, so spray before you play.

I can appreciate both the good and the bad this course can do to you. Warming up for my tourney round, I parked four straight holes, then, when it came time to start for real, I proceeded to triple tree kick and rollaway a five on my first hole. Curse you, Cold Brook, I shall return and defeat you!

well maintained
lots of tight fairways and shots
water comes into play
challenging but fair
good use of elevation

hole 3 shares a fairway which causes backups
bugs might be a problem

This was a nice course that makes you be accurate off the tee. Hole #19 is very cool where you can throw over the water to reach the pin. It was very busy on the weekend I played which made the pace of play very slow. I recommend this course it is fun and you can score well if you are accurate.

Nice technical course mostly through the woods. Concrete pads.

Starts out with a nice little uphill short hole, no biggie. Then it starts, the woods. If you don't like woods, don't play Cold Brook. I love playing in the woods so I love this course. You break out for one fairly open hole set up for LHBH players, high arc over a parking lot then float down to the pin.

Then back into the woods.
Fairways are well delineated, most baskets can be seen from the tees. While filled with trees, this is not a long course. IF you can get through the trees there are deuces to be had. More likely you will hear the "Sound of Cold Brook", the "smack!" of plastic on tree.

Bring your A game, be prepared to find small paths through trees.
Enjoy the elevation changes! Some times hard to find in lower MI.

19 and 20 are right by the lake, be careful. 21 uphill and 22 down hill (OB on the right) are the only real open holes on the course, so let em fly while you can.

Well laid out course, if a bit tight at times. Good use of elevation and woodsy location.

Heated bathrooms!

Signs could use some updating.
Course plays on top of itself in a couple of places.
Some holes are almost random they have so many trees in the fairway.

Great course. A real test of skill. With all the other courses in the area I would say this is a destination course. Make time to play Cold Brook.

Tight, entertaining golf.
Good tees, and benches.
Well built coarse.
Great flow, dog friendly.

Mildly repetitive, and a little worn in places. a few baskets were in need of love.

Camped here after visiting the meijer sculpture park in Grand Rapids, Me and Murray got up at 6 and played this great coarse. It was our 11th coarse of our summer vacation. I would gladly visit here again.

Teepads--very very nice. many are elevated or have landscaping surronding. Large, even and accurately pointed

Baskets-Good condition, but this is one case where large yellow bands would be helpful... finding baskets in these woods can prove difficult.

Routing--not an issue, pins and tees are very close to one another..

Aesthetic--very pretty course that wraps through the woods and then around a lake.

Pay-to-play--yep, it's a plus. with garbages on every hole and benches on most holes it's nice to have financial support sometimes.

hole 19 was close when we were here due to storm damage, so I can't base my rating on that hole, but:

variety--short and through the trees is the norm here. when playing the first 18 holes, it's SO NICE to hit 18 and be able to open your arm up for the first time in a while. That said, there wasn't enough variety of hole here to keep me really engrossed. it was a good day with great friends, but the course just didn't "do it for me"

Uncontrollables-bugs were REALLY BAD the day we played and bug spray wasn't cutting it.

I know this was a "worlds course" in the past but I was left a little empty over all. There just wasn't enough variety for me. I like the fact that the course uses elevation well, but a the fact that hitting trees on every hole is expected is too much.

Coldbrook Park has always been one of the classic Michigan courses that everyone talks about - usually either folks love it or hate it but it seems to have maintained a special character that keeps people coming back. A 'pro' or a 'con' depending on the way you look at it, but Coldbrook demands that you learn lines (some of which are a bit hidden) that yield higher percentages of birdies. In this sense, first timers are likely going to feel frustrated when getting bad kicks. Really, I think one of the most interesting things about this course is the relatively high weight that course knowledge plays in scoring compared with natural skill. Sure, players who throw pure will still score well, but that wily local throwing a boss on a 200' hole can still take it to you just by having familiarity with the course subtleties after hundreds of recorded rounds.

hile you'll likely be throwing a large variety of shots off the tee, including trick shots galore; there just isn't all that much variety in distances or in the types of challenges. Most holes can be solved with a well thrown putter or quick sidearm. Because of this, some portions of the course can start to feel quite repetitive and the replay value is not all that impressive - once in a while is great, but Coldbrook as a home course would not be fun at all. As I mentioned in the 'pro's' section, course knowledge plays a huge role in scoring here. Locals who know which tree to throw that tomahawk at will be able to compete with the top notch visitors - this flies in the face of most traditional disc golf theory on what makes a good course and will probably not sit well with many serious golfers.

After returning to Coldbrook for the 2008 Pro Worlds, I was very surprised and happy about a lot of the new changes to the course. The maintenance was top notch and several of the holes are being updated to match current disc technology. Kudos to the local club for all of your hard work!

The most strictly FUN course I've ever played. Easy to navigate, shorter technical holes (which I like). If you don't like the woods don't bother coming out here. There are only a few "wide open" shots on the course. A friend of mine who is primarily a tomahawk thrower refuses to play this course. For me, it is bliss. And what's better than 18 holes? 24 of course! Some sideline water holes are included in the back six. The course is easy to navigate for the most part, aside from a couple of pin placement changes that can be figured out or asked about by locals. The park is beautiful and well maintained, and provides camping facilities, concessions and fishing as well. I believe they have boats for rent (which I plan on taking advantage of next year). Fun to play in groups. Alcohol allowed on the course, just not by the beach.

A lot of trees. For some this is a negative, for me it is a challenge. Pinpoint accuracy is required (at times), not a powerful arm. As previously stated, not a lot of open shots to crank the 400 foot drive. When I first played this course when I was younger there were a lot of folks of the toothless variety and loud kids, however I haven't found that as much as of late. I suggest visiting on weekdays to avoid that kind of thing. Some of the "bonus" holes are pretty ridiculous as far as their layout, especially 19 and 24- but still fun. $5 day pass, but that keeps some of the riff-raff out I think.

Come out with a few friends, crack a beer and remember why you got into disc golf in the first place.

-Nice park. Bathrooms/fountains/other amenities are all here.
-Very clean course. Trash cans on about every hole, and players who know how to actually THROW AWAY their garbage (tough concept, I know)
-Some excellent holes. First nine has a couple very memorable holes, nice elevation changes especially on #1, #4, #5.
-There has been some landscaping here that looks very nice. A lot of benches and tables as well.
-Park closes at 9 P.M... however, the rangers will let you finish your round, which struck me as very kind.
-Nice people nearby; a lot of experienced disc golfers who will return discs/give you tips/talk about the game.
-Pet friendly, cheap entry ($5 per car) to play a nice course.
-Tests your shot selection to the max. Be ready to try shots you've never even thought about.

-Bugs are terrible. The worst I've experienced. This obviously can't be helped, but if you don't bring bug spray, you will be tormented.
-Hole issues - see below. I don't feel it's right to list this as a con, because it is a very subjective opinion.
-My group caught up to two different groups of people (2 in each group) who would take a long smoke break after each hole and never offered to let us play through. I feel like this might just be an unfortunate coincidence, but as it happened twice to me in the same round, I feel obligated to mention it.
-Weird hole layout for 22/23. It makes sense after going through it, but trying to figure it out at first was a bit tricky.
-The water hazards are fine... they typically don't come into play except on 19 - I like the hole but a couple people I saw had issues. Aim short. If you overthrow your drive, or even a long putt, it's a mucky excursion to get your disc back.

While many of the holes are nice in theory, I find myself questioning how much "skill" is really involved in many of these wooded holes. I mean, there are lanes here, no doubt. It's not all based on luck. But I honestly believe there may be too many uncontrollable variables here. Many of the holes don't really have a "fairway" or "rough". Just trees everywhere up until a 10-15 yard radius from the basket. A stroke of bad luck and you could be looking at a 5 or even a 6 on some of these holes. Playing this course as just a recreational round, I had no issues with getting 4's and a couple 5's because of good drives turned bad by a small tree or bush... that's disc golf for ya. However, it seems to me that pros could get frustrated by this very quickly. Maybe I'm wrong. I sure wouldn't want to play this course professionally, though.

All in all, though, this is a very nice course and worth playing multiple times. If you aren't from the area, make a day trip to check out Coldbrook, Robert Morris, and Oshtemo. All 3 are excellent courses within 10-15 miles of each other.

A great variety of shots from narrow to open. Woods and meadow, and of course left to right. Very clean and well maintained. Complete with plastic casings around tree trunks to protect them. All tees have concrete pads and, is a very fun and technical course.

Some of the tees aren't marked so well. Luckily we had help before we set off from some local discers. When we went early in the morning, wasn't busy at all but, as we were leaving it got really busy. Be forewarned that you have to play 5 bucks to park.

I would deffinately play it again.

*
Outstanding 24 hole disc golf course that is maintained fairly well. The park has camping on site, a beach, picnic and grilling areas, and a decent fishing lake. One of my favorite courses and the course I call my home course. Most holes except one have a cement tee pad. All the baskets are in good shape and taken care of. Changes in 2008 really improved the overall play of the course. There is outstanding variation on this course. We have elevation changes, wooded shots, and water hazards. The water hazards are fairly easy and most of the time it would be difficult to lose a disc. Dog friendly park that will enforce the leash law. People friendly park that has a lot of locals who will be more then happy to chat and help newcomers.
The course has ample signs and would be hard to get lost in.

*
The park rangers are sticklers for leash laws and parking laws. It cost money to play and park, 5$ a day or a 25$ annual. If you play in the evening and are coming to dusk your car must be parked outside the normal area in order to continue to finish. The rangers get out a horn and start yelling to get people off the course at dusk (unless your parked in the right area by the fishing docks). Dogs are not allowed on the beach or picnic areas, you will be ticketed if caught (usually they give a fair warning).
Wind is a factor on some days from the lake, and sometimes usually in the fall and spring evening hours the course can get fairly busy but not as bad as I have seen on others. Thursdays are league nites and very busy in the spring and summer.

*
The local disc golf clubs and folks really do a lot of work on the course. They are constantly improving it and it is looking excellent. Thanks for your hard work!

Some of the holes are very tight but ALL the holes have a path so it is skill and a little luck, not just luck shots. There are a few holes that you can really rip it, but most holes are approach shots that range from 180-240'. The best thing about this course is it should test every part of your game from accuracy to power because of the tremendous amount of variation. Overall an excellent experience in a pretty area.

Also this is a LEGIT 24 hole course, if you just play 18 you are missing out on the entire experience. Oh yeah #17 is very difficult and blind but that is what makes it fun!

This course along with Robert Morris and Oshtemo are the main three in Kalamazoo, if your passing through the area this is one worth playing!

New course redesign in 2008 has 24 holes that offer a mix from wide open to closed in play. Holes in low altitude areas offer better play than other courses in bad weather, but can be very muddy. Marked very well with new signs (9/08), with good cement tee pads at nearly every hole. County park allows beer, a relief from seeing 'no alcohol' signs elsewhere. A couple of grip and rip holes (21-22) offer contrast to a bunch of tightly wooded holes. Frequent league play, with a lot of locals who know every trick on the course.

$5 entrance a tad steep for some. Tightly wooded holes (7 through 17) reward luck rather than skill in most cases and are often quite short. Graffiti from juveniles on benches is irritating. No holes that rival best at Robert Morris, Oshtemo or Meyer Broadway.

Go to course for cold November and March days, and many ace opportunities.

Good mixture of holes, both in length and direction. Elevation changes throughout and some water on the 'extra holes' (19-24). Tee pads and surrounding landscaping is very nice and a scorecard with distances is available at the front gate. $5 entrance fee, but isn't too bad if you fill your car with a foursome and play a couple of rounds. I had heard some bad things about this course, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I heard.

A certain amount of luck is needed to avoid trees. Two of the holes are a bit ridiculous (19 and 20) and some of the 'extra holes' seem to play a little too close to parking lots, roads and a picnic shelter - this is an accident waiting to happen.