University Ridge, owned and operated by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has taken its share of hits here on GCA, notably in this thread:
http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,31479.0.htmlIn fairness, however, I think the course deserves a more thorough review via pictures. The course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., opened 18 years ago on a rugged parcel of land about 10 miles west of Madison, WI. It annually makes the state’s top 10 listings of public courses, and is generally regarded as the best public-play option in the greater Madison area.
Within the past year, the university has lengthened the course by nearly 400 yards. A few holes have been tweaked, as well. What was originally a course that tipped out at 6,888 yards back in 1991 can now play to 7,259 yards. The expansion is a response to the longer hitters of today; the university also wants to lure major collegiate events to the course, including the men’s NCAA Div. 1 tournament.
Course details: From the tips, the course plays at 7,259 yards to a par of 72 (rating 74.9/slope 144). From the blues, it plays at 6,610 yards (72/139); from the whites at 6,053 yards (69.3/129). It features an unconventional front nine with three par 3s, 4s, and 5s, while the back nine features a more conventional mix of four par 4s and 2 par 3s and 5s. The two nines are also quite different in look; the front nine winds through what might be called upland prairie, while most of the back nine is carved through a heavily wooded area. The course is walkable, but it’s a rugged walk, with some significant ups and downs and several long walks between greens and tees. Yardages will be listed from both the black (way back) and blue tees.
No. 1 (396/376 yd par 4)
A somewhat benign-looking hole that nonetheless can be problematic as the first hole of the round. The tee shot is downhill to a fairway that gently turns to the right. Keep it on the fairway; significant trouble – thick brush to the left, high native grasses to the right – lurk not far from the fairway. Use whatever club off the tee that you can keep in the fairway; it’s a must here.
This bunker guards the right entrance of the green.
No. 2 (555/546 yd par 5)
Past criticism of URidge has focused on its routing, particularly its first four holes. It really starts here. The tee shot is downhill, with a carry over a dry creekbed (white rocks, middle of photo). The carry is not onerous if playing off the proper tees.
Here are the choices for the second shot. The green is just past the two-trunk tree with the yellow leaves, left-middle of picture (you can actually see the flag just to the right of the right tree trunk). It sits near a ravine, guarded by two pot bunkers on the upslope of the ravine. There is a small patch of fairway, to the left of the two-trunk tree and past the sloping area overgrown with native grass, for an aggressive layup. The safe layup area is to the right, down a section of fairway that dead-ends in the woods. It’s a long-iron/hybrid layup that feels like it should be a 7-iron, because of the looming jungle of trees. Lots of choices, and one reason that course play slows down considerably here.
Here’s the third shot for those taking the easy layup route. Long is likely bunkered. Short is in the ravine or in one of the two pot bunkers on the upslope of the ravine. Anything long-right or right of the shallow green is dead – the terrain falls off sharply into deep woods and junk about three yards to the back-right of the green.
Here’s the approach shot for a bold layup. The shot is much more downhill that it appears here. So, the choice is a punch-shot below the tree, or a wedge over the tree (more difficult in the summer, when the leaves are full). You have to be on the left side of this layup area to have a clear shot at the green.
A view of the second green, with the layup fairway at the top of the picture, the deep ravine, pot bunkers unseen, and traps hugging the left side of a long but narrow green. One reason that going for this smallish green in two is problematic.
No. 3 (242/174 yd par 3)
A hole that has been softened up in some ways since the course opened. The marshland area fronting the green has been cut down, allowing for better visuals into the green. Still, it’s a tough hole – the green is shallow, and anything left or long is dead. The tee shot shown here is from the blue tees; it’s more downhill than it appears.
The view from the way-back tee; at 242 yards, this strikes me as being quite demanding, perhaps borderline unfair, because the wide-but-shallow green wasn’t initially designed to hold a long, downhill tee shot .
No. 4 (467/398 yd par 4)
Probably the most criticized hole at URidge. Here’s the back tee shot; the trees on the left side of the fairway, angling to the right, are in a line so rigidly straight you’d think Gen. Patton planted them. To the right of the fairway is a steep fall-off into wetlands and tall brush.
The view from the blue tees. The problem here, from my view, is that the fairway doesn’t really gather balls in any fashion unless you really can bust one into the very narrowest (not 20 yards wide) part of the fairway (close to 300 yards). The lay of the land (look at the broad sweep of the terrain left of the trees) tends to feed everything toward the right and the steep fall-off, forcing the uncertain golfer to take a line at the trees.
Here is position A, which still leaves a pretty tough, uphill shot to a hidden green with deep bunkers lurking right.
Here’s what contributes to the pace-of-play problems. Ten yards right of the fairway, and this is your shot into the green. Another yard to the right, and your ball probably can’t be found.
Ten yards left of the fairway, 150 yards out. Nice, huh?
The women’s tee on No. 4; maybe the worst women’s tee I’ve ever seen.
If you choose to play conservatively off the tee, and then with a second shot as well, you could be left with this approach into the green from the right side of the fairway.
No. 5 (198/167 par 3)
A solid par 3, with a tee shot over a ravine to a green site benched into a small hill. It’s the only par 3 of the five on the course that does not play significantly downhill.
No. 6 (623/570 yd par 5)
A long slog of a hole that almost always plays back into the prevailing wind. A nice cape-like drive over a pond; this is from the way-back tee.
From 300+ yards out; note the depth of the looming greenside bunker left.
A closer look at the approach, and a design technique that Jones employed frequently at URidge – deep bunkering or swales left of the green, with built-up mounds containing bunkers right of the green. I found examples of this on a third of the holes on the course.
The deep greenside bunker, and the elaborate sculpting of the ground leading up to it. This reminded me of the half-pipe at nearby Tyrol Basin, the area’s only winter ski hill.
No. 7 (429/379 yd par 4)
The greensite for the 7th, a gently dogleg left of modest length. Note again the high mounding with traps right, and the fall-off left of the green.
No. 8 (207/162 yard par 3)
One of two drop-shot par 3s on the course. This is from the back of the green; the way-back tee is at the top of the hill, just in front of the tree with the brown leaves.
No. 9 (587/554 yd par 5)
A solid closing hole for the front nine that doglegs left and uphill. This is the new tee, creating a true chute-like effect for the tee shot.
The aggressive player going for the green in two must carry a ridge fronting the greensite. The green, which sits up on a shelf, lies below the white tent.
A look back at the 9th fairway; the 1st fairway is to the right. One reason I like this hole is that the aggressive player must pull off a very good shot to get home in two, yet the player who lays up must still execute a solid third shot – an uphill pitch to an angled, peanut-shaped green with a large trap right.
Back nine to follow soon.