[Brad Swanson]

My recent re-relocation back to Madison has allowed me to make a few visits to Lawsonia Links, a course I never played duing my time here in graduate school.  
I posted previously about its merits, but couldn't post any images due to problems with my website.  
I finally can share a few of the images from a round I played a few weeks ago on a picture perfect Wisconsin summer evening, playing in solitude the entire round.

The images I'm posting are of a nice stretch of holes 5-8, which show some of the best that Lawsonia has to offer.

#5 is a reachable par 5 that doglegs right hugging the course boundary/O.B. to the right off.  
The aggressive line off of the tee is at the solitary leafy tree in the distance that comes into play on #8.  
I call this tree the aiming tree because it serves this purpose on #6 and #8 as well (at least for me).


This shot shows the views of the hole short of the drive landing area.  The tee shot is at an angle to the fairway, playing as a dogleg right.  
The characteristic earthwork frames the teeshot to the left and comes into play for those laying-up after a wayward tee-shot.


#5 green is somewhat reminiscent of the Raynor horseshoe/soap dish motif, but this version is more like a slice of pie.  
The pie shaped tier which slices through the center of the green is higher than the flanking slivers.  
Not something you see every day.


#6 is a longish (approx 430yd) par 4 with an angled tee shot to the right, again the solitary leafy tree guiding the way off the tee over the large grass mounding short of the dogleg.


The successful teeshot will skirt the trees on the right and the 2 encroaching fairway bunkers on the left.  The neck between these features is quite narrow.


This shot of the elevated green shows a pin tucked on the back left "fold" of the green.


This image of the rear left of #6 green complex shows a large portion of what was once possibly(surely) green which has been claimed by the fringe, quite possibly due to irrigation realities.


#7 is a(n) (in)famous 160yd par 3 with a hugely elevated green that drops off on all sides 8-15 feet depending on which side you are unfortunate enough to miss to.  
Its an exacting short iron shot.
 

#8 is a short par 4 of about 330yds with a blind (one of several) tee shot that should be aimed at the solitary leafy aiming tree or through the saddle between the 2 short fairway bunkers with a little cut.  
Extensive tree removal in recent years has opened up the right side of this hole.


Many trees were removed from the space between the fairway bunker and the elevated green in the distance.


#8 green is one of the smallest greens on the course and requires an exacting pitch to take advantage of its lack of length.


There you have it, a sampling of what makes Lawsonia Links fun and special IMHO.  
I'll close with a few panoramas of the back nine, illustrating what judicious tree removal can do for the asthetics of a golf course.

#16 green looking back over much of the back nine


#18 green looking back toward #11, 12, 13, 15, and 16.


Cheers,
Brad Swanson

[tonyt]

Thank you for the photos. Much appreciated.

Tony T

[Rick Shefchik]

Great photos -- thank you.

It's striking how few trees come into play on the holes pictured -- not what we usually see here on older courses in the upper Midwest.

I really need to make the trip from the Twin Cities to Lawsonia.

[A_Clay_Man]

Brad, That's an interesting observation re; the tree. I'm not convinced it was planted there, for that reason, back in the 30's. maybe subsequently?

I do know that on #5, with my slice in the olden days, I was always aiming at the nearest to the tee tree way left.

Thanx for the memories.

[RJ_Daley]

That maple in the distance beyond 6 green was definitely not there
 until modern times.  It is only about 25-30 years old, at most.  
It is actually shade next to 9tee.  As we have observed before,
 there used to be two red maples exactly behind 6green and you would aim at the right one
for a line to the high forward tier of green, and to the left for the back rear tier.  
Rone Forse and Jim Nagle had them removed as part of restoration as they were not intended,
and took away from the fun of estimating line and distance utilizing only the
skyline of the green without aiming markers.   6 might be my favorite hole on the course.  

[BCrosby]

Lawsonia is a course I've wanted to play for years. The photos only confirm that desire.

Is Langford the most under-appreciated of the great architects of the Golden Age?

Bob

[ed_getka]

Brad,
   Thanks for the post. I look forward to seeing Lawsonia next year when I come out that way. Hope all is well with you.

[Matt_Ward]

Brad:

Lawsonia is one of the best public courses you can play in the USA -- clearly it's value is something any Joe Sixpack golfer should take advantage of especially when one sees what Whistling Straits is charging.

What's really amusing is that Lawsonia was not even listed among the top 100 public by Digest this spring.

Anyone headed to cheesehead land needs to include a stop there to see what more of public golf should be about.

[Brad Swanson]

Matt,
   It is somewhat ironic that Joe Sixpack and Mary Wineglass largely prefer to play the Woodlands course over the Links course at Lawsonia.  Hard to believe, but I've seen it with my own 2 eyes and discussed it with the pro.  

Cheers,
Brad Swanson

[William King]

Brad,

Thanks for the pix, they bring back memories of 2 rounds played there last year. I have to agree with Matt Ward that it offers some of the best public golf anywhere and the Links course is definitely tops in my list along with University Ridge there in Madison.

[Mike McGuire]

Played Lawsonia for the second time this year in the Langford Cup.

Awesome job by Ron Forse renovating the place.

MAJOR downside...slooooooooow greens. IMO really ruins the experience.

[Brad Swanson]

Mike,
   Blame the major winterkill, although I've been told the greens are never terrifically speedy.


Cheers,
Brad Swanson

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