Brentwood Golf Course

Brentwood Golf Course in Jacksonville, Florida, is a Donald Ross design that reflects the architect's work during his prolific period in the early twentieth century. Ross, who shaped hundreds of courses across America from his base at Pinehurst, brought his characteristic design principles to this northeastern Florida layout. The course features the rolling terrain and strategic bunkering typical of Ross's approach, with greens that exhibit the subtle contours and crowned surfaces for which he became known. The Jacksonville setting places Brentwood within a region where Ross completed several designs during his career, taking advantage of the natural sandy soils and native vegetation common to coastal Florida. The routing likely incorporates the moderate elevation changes available in the area, creating variety in hole presentation and shot requirements. Ross favored courses that rewarded thoughtful play over pure distance, emphasizing approach shot accuracy and the ability to work the ball into well-defended green complexes. As a municipal facility, Brentwood serves the Jacksonville golfing community as an accessible Ross design, part of the architect's legacy of courses ranging from exclusive private clubs to public layouts. The course represents the kind of straightforward, strategic golf that defined American course architecture in the classic era, with design elements that have likely been maintained or restored to preserve Ross's original intent. The layout provides a connection to golf's golden age of design within Jacksonville's urban landscape.