Brookside Golf Course

Just challenging enough. Is in the best shape it’s been for years.

Well maintained public golf course with variety of tee box selections, paved cart paths, nicely maintained bunkers and greens. Pace of play was good with some heavy traffic on the front nine, cleared out a bit on the back. Challenging holes for all levels of golfers. Friendly staff, clean restrooms, snack bar, beer and soft drinks.

New golf carts last year. Driving range next to clubhouse.

An enjoyable round on a nice sunny day.

Five of us enjoyed a late October round of golf at beautiful Brookside Golf Course in Ashland. Greens were fast, a little windy out but a nice 65 degree day at the course. Course is in great shape with leaves being picked up and fairways mowed nicely. Always a friendly staff to great us before and after play. Might be our last round of the season as winter approaches but enjoyed the past year and look forward to the spring and more golf here.

I've probably played this course more than any other. It's a very good course for all skill levels and fairly priced as well. The normal weekday ride 18 price is 16.00 and you can buy a single membership including cart for 495.00. There's also typically a hot deal tee time a day too on the weekend for 10-12, so value for money is astonishing. It's tough enough that it will challenge all skill levels yet is appropriate for my 12 and 14 year olds.

You probably won't be wowed, it's not in the same class as nearby Deer Ridge or Ashland Golf Club (formerly Ashland CC) but is in that next tier like Oak Tree or Pebble Creek. The nines have a very different feel to them. The front is more open while the back is carved out of a forest, without being overly tight. I said feel, the front is deceptively tight with well placed hazards. The lake on two is in play for bombers and the fairway tilts that way as well as a tree along the left side all but assuring your shot will end up more right than you intend. A slice on 5 will often find water. 6 is the most deceptively tight hole you may ever play as anything on the right side of the fairway will leave you behind a big old tree (I hate that tree!) for your second. 8's landing area is pinched in by a lake on the right and OB on the left. The first time you play it you'll likely feel like it's a wide open nine, but when you really think about it it's not.

The back, it will look tighter than it actually plays. Hole 17 is a daunting tee shot with trees lining both side of the fairway making it look ridiculously tight. It's not as there's a built in bailout right. Anything over 210 or so out will pass those trees so a nice gentle fade will leave you in good shape after the tightest looking driving hole I've ever played. Or you can attempt the hero power draw from the tee on 17 and be ok too, just depends on how froggy you feel. I'd recommend the gentle fade.

Greens are generally pretty slow but hold a ball well. You'll be glad they're slow if you're in the wrong spot on a couple of the front nine greens otherwise your second putt could be a chip back on. The bunkers are average, not much sand in them but they're supposed to penalize you so that's ok. They have put some sand in them in the last year or two, not much but it's better than they were. You can now hit a bunker shot as opposed to not even needing a rake a year or two. Fairways are ok. They'll be pretty hard if it hasn't rained much, but this course is the very definition of a muni, it's even owned by the city.

You'll likely walk away disappointed if you are used to country club conditions, or be pleasantly surprised if you're not. It's definitely worth playing and easily so once you consider the price.

SmiterOfProV1x

I've always enjoyed playing Brookside but this year the greens are improved a lot of fAirways are cut nice, Ralph is manageable the really clean well taken care of great value

First of all I'm very fearful that this course won't be able to make it financially. We've taken the 10:22am hot deal tee time several times on a Saturday or Sunday morning and arrive to find a mostly empty course. There's a couple reasons for this that I see. Less folk are golfing nowadays, and the fact that the former Country Club of Ashland went public a couple years ago. It is an infinitely better course and can be played for just a few bucks more. I personally played it almost weekly up until this year, they no longer offer any tee times on Golf Now or Supreme Golf. I used to find the hot deal and played it for ten bucks. That was probably the best golfing deal you'll ever find. It's conditions are similar or better than resort courses that I've paid up to 125.00 a round to play. It's nice and since it's reasonably priced, I'm sure it takes a ton of business from Brookside.

On to Brookside. It's a good, not great, course. The front nine is pretty open and other than being par 35 and not having two par 5's, it should be viewed as the scoring nine. It does have a few tricky greens and areas where it's almost impossible to get up and down from. The par 3 4th hole, you are dead if you go long. Hole 5 is a driveable par 4 if it's not into the wind (I know this because I've done it recently AND drained the 25 footer for eagle :). There is a lake left, so beware slicers of the ball. The green on 5 is a beast if you're not in the right spot. Hole 6 is tricky too. Again, slicers beware and this dogleg right requires your tee shot to be in the left side of the fairway unless you can hit it super high to clear the trees protecting anything right of center. Hole 7 is another shortish par 4 but has a two tiered green. It's almost impossible to even hold the green from the upper shelf if the pin is in the front. Good luck. 8 is another almost driveable par 4 but again, slicers better be careful. There's OB left and a lake in the landing area right. Not a bad hole to hit a three iron off the tee and leave yourself a short iron in if you're not real accurate.

The back nine is much tighter (without being overbearingly so). It's basically carved out through a rolling hill forest. Not too many holes of distinction but the par 5 13th is interesting. A good tee shot that clears the top of the hillcan leave as short as a mid iron in if the course is pretty dry. If you hit into the upslope of that hill, , good luck getting there even with an off the deck driver. There's really no great lay up spots either since it's down a hill from 150 out to back up that hill from about 75. No real flat area collection site. 16 is a short (150) straight uphill par 3 this is the gnarliest green on the course, by far. You will not get up and down from behind it, you'll be lucky to hold it at all. 18 offers a good chance at a good score. It's a driveable par 4 with no real trouble and probably the easiest green on the course.

Overall a course I'd highly recommend snagging a hot deal on. I probably would play it much with full green fees, just besuxse there are better local course for about the same. But a 10-15 hot deal, you won't be disappointed.

I really liked the layout of this course. Everything is right there in front of you - no overly-sharp doglegs or hidden lakes. Several sets of tees make the course playable for all ability levels. The course was in very good shape and the greens were true (about average speed). Nice people in the clubhouse. Even after a 150 mile (round trip) drive, the GolfNow "hot deal" made the trip very well worth it. We will be back.

Nice for a day of golf. Good practice areas. Well maintained.

Brookside is always nice, especially for a public course. It seemed like the onslaught of rain the last several days got the best of it. The greens were a little unpredictable and the fairways were definitely a little long. All that considered, it's still a nice course with enough in the clubhouse to keep you entertained for a few minutes. I play there a couple times a year and will continue to go back.

Played this course on a Sunday as a halfway point between Cleveland and Columbus. Loved the layout as it was challenging yet nothing too tricky to mess with the golfer. Greens putted fantastic and the ball stuck well despite 90 degree heat. The fairways were a bit browned out but were kept well manicured. Only complaint were the sand traps as they were more like dirt pits. Couldn't "pop" the ball out and lost all spin due to thin layer and hard clay underneath. Definitely would play again though and think it's a must play if you're in the Ashland area.

The course was in good shape, especially for a municipal course. The greens were very receptive, and the faiways were above average. I would recommend Brookside for any occasion. There were several good holes with a challenge for all skill levels. You can reach all the par fives in two if you hit a good drive. The greens putted well and were a good speed.