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Rating Index Rating
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4.8
410 Reviews (410)
5 Stars
333
4 Stars
57
3 Stars
14
2 Stars
5
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.7
Value
4.5
Layout
4.8
Friendliness
4.8
Pace
4.3
Amenities
4.7
95.6%
Recommend this course
393 out of 410 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.9
9 Reviews (9)
5 Stars
8
4 Stars
1
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.9
Value
4.9
Layout
4.9
Pace
4.5
Amenities
4.6
StaffFriendliness
5.0
100.0%
Recommend this course
9 out of 9 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.9
30 Reviews (30)
5 Stars
27
4 Stars
3
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.9
Value
4.6
Layout
4.9
Pace
4.4
Amenities
4.7
StaffFriendliness
4.9
100.0%
Recommend this course
30 out of 30 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
The Brute delivers an immaculate, water-laden layout with fast greens that consistently reward precise shot-making from tee to green. Exceptional amenities, friendly staff, and outstanding value make this resort course a compelling destination between Milwaukee and Chicago.

About

Holes 18
Type Resort
Par 72
Length 7085 yards
Slope 136
Rating 73.8

Grand Geneva Resort & Spa was ranked in the top 10 northern U.S. golf resorts by Conde Nast Traveler. The resort boasts two championship courses, the Brute and the Highlands. The formidable Brute Course stretches to over 7,000 yards. It is considered one of the toughest golf courses in the Midwest. The layout wanders across rolling terrain, incorporating a variety of elevation changes that range from subtle to dramatic. There are 68 bunkers strategically placed along the massive, undulating greens. The course is aptly named since it will relentlessly test your skills. It is more challenging than the Highlands, which is a links course designed by Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye. In addition to the two courses, Grand Geneva Resort & Spa also has a practice facility complete with a driving range and putting and chipping greens.

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The Brute at Grand Geneva Resort
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Course Details

Year Built 1968
Fairways Bent Grass
Greens Bent Grass
Golf Season Open: 4/01 Closed: 11/01
Architect Robert B. Harris (1968)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
GPS Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

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

Available Facilities

Meeting Facilities, Banquet Facilities, Spa

Available Sports

Tennis

Accolades

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Reviews

4.8
410 Reviews (410)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 9
Patio Dining 8
19th Hole Scenic Views 7
Course Challenges Include:
Elevation Changes 15
Bunkers 12
Plays Long 11
This course/club is great for:
A Weekend Splurge 11
Group Getaways 9
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 9
This Course's Location is:
At a Resort 12
Worth the Drive 11

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 22
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Hard but fair

Hard course. Lots of uneven lies. All the putts in front of the pins are up hill. SLow round ( 4 hrs 45 minutes on a Monday) but the ranger did try and move the slow group. Bring your A game

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
First Time Playing

Painfully slow pace of play

Beautiful course, tough but fair. Painfully, ridiculously slow pace of play. That ruined the day and is the reason I rated the course as 3 stars.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/07/2021

Hello. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. We strive for a 5-star experience, so we welcome your feedback. We work hard to maintain the course for everyone's benefit, which means aerifying the greens as part of our regular maintenance schedule. The greens will be healed soon and in pristine condition. Please come back soon for the 5-star experience you expect at Brute at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa.

Played On
Reviews 12
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

1st time playing here

Awesome course well taken care not one complaint awesome

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 76
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
First Time Playing

Tough course

What a great fun challenging course. Big wide fairways with large greens. The greens are really sloped and some have multiple tiers which require precise approach shots. GPS on carts very helpful when playing course for first time. Zach thought The Brute was harder than it’s sister course the Highlands but equally enjoyed both. Will definitely return to play both courses. Oth courses were in excellent condition.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Brute

Course in excellent shape and an interesting challenge

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great golf

Conditions were great for ace a little slow front nine but improved on back 9

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 10
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Really nice course

This is a really nice course that is in great condition!

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Windy weather
Used cart

Brute

Very enjoyable round. Beautiful scenery with a lot of elevation change, which I like. Greens had a lot of slope making them extremely challenging. Too bad there are so many ball marks in them that weren't repaired. I repaired an average of at least 5 marks per green that belonged to somebody else.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Difficulties

I wish we had known how difficult even walking from the cart path to the greens was going to be, especially on a hot day. The course design is much more difficult than most resort courses. The slope and course rating playing from the forward tees should be higher to warn golfers of what to expect.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Poor
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/26/2021

Hi, thanks for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry your experience didn’t match your expectations. It was an uncommon instance and we’ll do better in the future.

Please feel free to reach out to us with any further comments, concerns, or suggestions you wish to share. We would love to make things right if you give us another chance.

Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 198
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Top 100 Contributor
First Time Playing
Wet weather
Used cart

Pace: Waited over 10 minutes to tee off on several holes. No ranger around to manage pace of play.

Conditions: Heavy rains the day before I played, but the course held up nicely. The bunkers were in good shape, and the greens rolled fine. The tee boxes weren't in the best shape (#8 was notably bad).

Staff: Seemed nice. Got me checked in and on the course.

Value: Probably wouldn't pay full rate here. I found a deal online and would recommend going that route.

Layout: Felt like I played the same 3 holes over and over: 1). long par 4, 2). medium length dogleg right par 4, 3). par 3 with carry over bunker. Rinse and repeat. Par 5s are fun.

Amenities: Cool elevated tee driving range. Short game practice area with bunker. Large practice putting green. Nice locker room.

The further you hit the ball off the tee, the more you'll like this course. If you don't bomb it, get ready to workout your long irons and grind with your putter.

Though I did check "would not recommend to a friend," I am looking forward to going back and playing the Highlands course. It was given great reviews by other golfers I spoke to while playing The Brute.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 07/15/2021

We apologize for the pace of play issue you experienced. We always try to keep a great pace when having our golfers on the course. Thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback as we will use your review to better the experience going forward. We hope you give us another try in the near future!

Played On
Reviews 17
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Better and Cheaper than GN.

The brute is brutal, that’s for sure. I hadn’t played here in 20 years and I was definitely worked. Sure, you’ll be on the green, but 50 yards away. And it’s kinda funny how those massive sand traps swallow every tee shot. But it’s beautiful and challenging. Lots of big elevated tee shots and great views.

I like the Highlands course better tho.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 12
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 12
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Too Slow

5 hour round on a Thursday afternoon when it's 90 degrees out just isn't any fun. Waiting at every tee box was brutal. Great place but where is the ranger to keep things moving??? He was out there but just riding around. Not sure I'd like to do that again when there are other courses in the area that play much faster.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Fair
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
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Golf Packages

Destination Kohler - Champions' Trail Golf Package

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KOHLER, WI | Enjoy 2 nights’ accommodations at The American Club or the Inn at Woodlake and 3 rounds of golf at Blackwolf Run (River or Meadow Valleys Course) and Whistling Straits (Straits or Irish Course)

Destination Kohler - To Dye Four Golf Package

FROM $557 (USD)
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BELLAIRE | Enjoy lodging accommodations at Shanty Creek's Lakeview Hotel or Lodge of Cedar River and golf at Shanty Creek - Cedar River, Hawk's Eye, Legend, Schuss, or Summit Courses.
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