Blackhawk Country Club

[Evan Fleisher]

I just had the opportunity yesterday to play this course, located in Madison, Wisconsin.

The staff there didn't have much information on the origins of the course and it's design, so I thought I'd ask here.  I did find out that AWT did some resotration work there, but not sure what or when.  Also, no one seemed to know who did the original design back in 1921.

Anyone here have any info they can share?

[CB]

Sounds like a modern name to me--do you know that Blackhawk is the original name of the course?

[Evan Fleisher]

No I don't...but I believe that is the original name.

[RJ_Daley]

While having spent most of my life in Madison, believe it or not, I never played the course.  I used to park in the maintenance facility lot often to write reports and take breaks as a police officer while on patrol.  I have walked around parts of the course often as well.  We used to sled there as kids in the winter.  But, I have no real idea of its' playing merits as a matter of experience.  It is quite hilly, with many straight fairways up and down the hills.  I do know that the superintendent there, Munroe Miller, is one of the most respected, knowledgeable and dedicated in the State and is always in a position of leadership in the state GSAA.  You can imagine how well groomed the course is!

I also think that Bende may have done an original layout there, since he did two others in Madison around that time.  But, I think RW once told me Tillie actually did the whole job there.  I can't remember exactly what he told me now. :-/

[Jim_Kennedy]

Dick Nugent has been doing work at the course.

[RJ_Daley]

Dave, my impression of Blackhawk, with caveat of not having actually played it, I tend to think it may be a nice members course, but nothing of real design merit beyond quaint and quirky.  I'll take Maple Bluff and Cherokee any day (having played both of them) but also not saying either of them are great either. University Ridge designed by RTJjr is far better than all three, I think.

Here is a link to the straight away Blackhawk aerial to demonstrate.

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?zoom=10&mapdata=vs%2fUjodaHQBZP4UTe6irR7%2bzfbNOlmaLXCFveKuj%2fyA%2bR4nsKdm%2fkwyhWA9LFUImhY8L4GJ7Cb8e8hndSxwMGvzItXMD
RnaukgdR6Bs%2bKRGWeE93PbRk1YqUpx3BXl5J5c4VWmv18mEkE%2bOj2vm5XW7a1zwZUJVVIrSfcrTx
yoO%2bW2qOrjpc%2bXLTJgAWrfGd%2foAzeJ2KMevQ1FgP2qG%2b7HgS52FngPKZjmoMagv3JjiF%2fI
KKml7BuNJiGdvDHE%2fbgMa6Q5E5ggTRO1xNEjleUEIWjrtwQPcgRkNictOzxv%2bFGOchyla76nDq0t
82lFceAkvHqpS1r6Y77o%2b9QcGspsLDspSd1H7JrKZeA3IGsDGwm9KOrMRN9Q%3d%3d

PS: you have to use password "bende" to see it, apparent new feature of Mapquest...

[Brian_Ewen]

Blackhawk C.C.

Remodelled by A.W.Tillinghast (1937)

Remodelled by Ken Killian , Dick Nugent .(1982)

Courtesy of  'The Golf Course '  by  Cornish & Whitten

[Evan Fleisher]

Shivas...I'll agree with you that Blackhawk is truly a fun course to play, and your assessment of "and a half" holes is pretty well on...except mostly it is on the 3.5 side, and not the 4.5 side due to the short nature of the course.

It is interesting that you thought Bendelow might be the original architect...my playing partner and I were discussing how much the course seemed to mirror our own club back in Dubuque, which happens to be an original Bendelow design (albeit the original 9 only).  I was not able to speak with the head-pro directly, so maybe a call back is in order to find out more about the club's history.  I wish I had brought my camera!

RJ...I am also in agreement with your comments about the course.  Not having played the other Madison area courses you mentioned, but rather the idea of quaint and quirk at BGCC...it truly abounds there and made for a very interesting and fun afternoon.  The course was pretty easy to walk, and even with being held up by a foursome in front of us on the frontside, we managed to finish in under 4 hours.  Not much in the way of true hazards out there, but the bunkering was well done, a nice mix of doglegs left and right, small and large greens (at a good speed), and tons of elevation changes.

To the dismay to many in this group, the biggest hazard on the course are the many evergreen trees, and other large trees that line every hole.

As far as the other architect involved in more recent renovations, I thought that to be quite evident as I played the course.  several of the holes just didn't quite fit in with what I felt was the theme of the course and layout...but overall I would still say it is worth a visit if you are in the area and wanted to combine a round at U.Ridge with someplace else.

[Evan Fleisher]

Just played out there again this past Saturday (sorry about my alma mater crushing the "home team" during homecoming!) and remembered my camera this time.  Course was in good shape and we really enjoyed all the par-and-a-half holes.  Greens were very slick and tricky making for an interesting day of putting out there.  

Here are a few shots just for Shivas and "the mayor" to enjoy...

Par-4 1st hole, opening downhill tee shot


Par-3 5th hole, two-tier green


Par-3 5th hole, a closer view of the green complex


Par-3 5th hole from behind the green


Par-4 9th hole, tee shot to an uphill green


Par-4 9th hole, view from fairway to green complex


Par-4 10th hole, view from fairway (another downhill hole)


Par-4 10th hole, interesting greenside bunker


Par-4 10th hole, another sideways view of greenside bunker

[Brad Swanson]

Evan,
   While getting my Ph.D. in Madison, I never was fortunate enough to play Blackhawk CC, although I drove by it (and through it by the lake, if you know what I mean ).  Playing U Ridge for $17 during the week was pretty sweet, though.  I was fortunate enough to play another local CC which had some work done on it by Tillie, Nakoma CC.  Nakoma is bordering (nearly inside), the UW arboretum, and is pretty cramped, but a challenging course which had some work done on it right before I moved in '99.  If you ever get a chance to play there, I recommend it.

Cheers,
Brad Swanson

[Evan Fleisher]

Brad,

That must have been the course my wife saw when she took our little girls over to the zoo while we played...I will try to make an effort to play there at some point.

URidge for $17?!?!?...sign me up!  I have yet to play there, but keep threatening to.  With the Highway 151 expansion project nearing completion from Madison to Dubuque it will make getting up there even easier (about 1:15-1:30 in time) and make Madison area golf that much more accessible.  Anything else in the area worth a looksy?