Lawsonia Weekend Trip Report

[PCCraig]

I just returned from a weekend guy’s golf trip up to the great state of Wisconsin with the home base being Lawsonia and thought I would give a quick report.

Like many of us, a group of buddies and I have started an annual golf trip with 8-12 guys that started with my close friends and has grown to include my brothers-in-law and their friends. It has become a way for everyone to keep in touch even with many living in different cities. The skill level of the group ranges from a +1 former college golfer to a 15 handicap, but all are considered equal once we get to the 19th hole.

During the planning stages of this trip I had the pleasure of trying to convince everyone that Green Lake, Wisconsin would be a better spot for a guy’s trip than Charleston, SC, Florida, Scottsdale, and Palm Springs.

Myself and 3 others started our trip in the North Suburbs of Chicago with a 4:30am wakeup call and we were on our way to Milwaukee to play Brown Deer Park for a 7am tee time. It had been a few years since I last played Brown Deer and as far as I can remember they haven’t changed their prices in 10 years, having always been ~$80. My thoughts on the course is that it needs a serious visit from the chainsaw ferry as the trees have really encroached on the playing corridors which is too bad as the course has a really nice set of greens and the property has some nice natural features that are now hidden. The course though was in fantastic shape with the greens running amazingly well for a public muni course and despite the pro shop complaining about a lot of recent rain I thought the course played somewhat firm.  

After a stop at the nearby world famous Kopps for a fantastic burger and custard we were on the road again for the roughly 70 min drive up to Green Lake to play a twilight round on the Links Course at Lawsonia. I had sent my friends a few pictures from here to get them excited and I forgot just how little pictures do the course justice. Pulling into the course my friends let out audible “Whoa” and “this looks awesome!”

The course really looks it’s best at twilight with the sun setting on and accentuating all the huge features. I had received a PM from a neighbor up north and said that they had gotten a ton of rain and that they hoped the course wouldn’t be too soggy. Add that to the consistent and historical talk of slow summer greens and I was worried that we might be going on the wrong weekend. We must of really lucked out because the golf course was hard, playing pretty quick, and the greens were very smooth and running at probably an 8 on the stimp (no expert but I’m just guessing). They were certainly fast enough to for me to hit a downhill putt from the back of the 16th green 20 ft. past the hole 

We also fit one round in on the Woodlands Course on Saturday and while not the worst course in the world I can’t imagine ever playing it again when the Links Course is literally next door. I wasn’t the only one with the same opinion however one person actually liked the course a lot which probably was due to the high amounts of miller light and his 3 birdies on the backside.  

Just a few random thoughts on Lawsonia Links after getting in 3 rounds over the weekend in great weather:

-   The 1st is a nice starting hole with a very cool green complex but it is a hysterically boring tee shot for such a bold golf course.
-   The walk over the top of the hill on the 2nd really is moment when the course begins for me and first makes the player say “wow” for the first time after seeing the huge colorful barn appear  and see the really cool green at the bottom.
-   For as much as the hole has been talked about in the archives on GCA.com I find the 4th hole to be the weakest hole on the course, not to say it’s a bad hole, but I find it just “good” in the middle of “great”
-   The 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th holes is one of the most fun stretches of holes I’ve ever played in the Midwest.
-   The 6th hole is literally “all-world” in its quality in my opinion and the green is very neat…with a front left pin a few of us hit draws that caught the slope right of the pin and bounced the shots left into the deep bunker.  
-   It’s crazy how much the huge cross bunker on 9 can alter the golfers perspective and make them feel the hole is shorter and a long carry over the high rough is possible. We all learned our lesson after the first round  and decided a drive over the middle of the bunker is the smart play.
-   The 10th played far easier than the last time I saw it in the fall with the course playing F&F, while the card read 250yds I felt the hole really played closer to 220/230 with a low running shot reaching the green and avoiding the greenside bunkers.
-   I love the 3rd shot into the 11th where the golfer can only see the top half of the pin.
-   The 12th hole is sneaky hard and there were more high scores on that hole than any other when the pin was back left. What a fantastic green!
-   The 15th and 16th are a really great short/long combo of par-4’s after a long stretch of par-5 and 3’s. I hit the best shot of my week on 16 into a stiff wind with a 3-wood stopping 2” away from the hole for an easy birdie.
-   The 17th is just fantastic and that green is one that I could spend hours on with a shag bag.


-   The course sure can be scored on if the player is hitting the ball well as a friend shot a nice 68 after hitting 16 greens during our second round, but then his driver failed him a bit on our 3rd round and he shot an 80 after having to scramble from all over the golf course. On the same note a 11 handicap friend shot an 83 and had the biggest smile on his face after the round.

The people of Green Lake also couldn’t be nicer after we spent some quality time at the Goose Blind and Norton’s for dinner and drinks. And stayed in a surprisingly nice hotel/motel just off 23 and right down the road from the golf course that added up to $30 per man per night for accommodations.

I can’t praise Lawsonia and the State of Wisconsin as a golf destination any more…if you’re on the fence about making it up there now is about as good of a time as any. As a few of my buddies said on their way back home “that is NOT going to be the last time we go there….how is the weather in the fall???”

[Phil McDade]

Pat:

Glad to hear the trip went well, and that conditions weren't soggy. One of the little-known factors about Lawsonia is how close it sits to the actual Green Lake (which you can see from the Woodlands course; one of the deepest lakes in Wisconsin), and how parts of the course, esp. the back nine, sort of tilt toward the lake, and I've always thought the course drained well because of that.

"After a stop at the nearby world famous Kopps for a fantastic burger and custard..."

You, sir, have good taste.

Agree on your sentiments about the course; we may have to agree to disagree on the merits of the 4th, which I like a lot, but glad to hear of your thoughts on #17, an under-rated hole that has its fans here on GCA. I've conversely always liked the tee shot at #1, in part because it's so low-key compared to the wow-za factor that comes later. I've always enjoyed turning the corner on the dogleg at the 1st and seeing that cross-bunker and severely raised-up green.

I think the tight woods at Brown Deer are leftovers from the course's annual stop on the PGA Tour -- given how short it played for the pros, it's only defense (and that was minimal) was tight playing corridors and high rough. Given the Tour is unlikely to return, I think tree clearance is in order.

[George Freeman]

Thanks for the write-up Pat; sounds like a great weekend. 

There is PLENTY to like about Lawsonia and I think the majority of your opinions/observations are spot on.  None more so than your statement regarding #6.  As soon as I finished playing the hole for my 1st and only time, I instantly thought, "wow, that is one of the best holes I have ever played."  The tee shot is great with its partial blindness over the man-made ridge on the right (a bunker at one point?), the hidden bunkers down the left (which I found), the run up to the green, the green itself!!, the hole's perfect use of the slope of the hill on which it sits, etc, etc.  Just a fantastic hole in a fantastic stretch of holes on a fantastic course. 

I need to get back up there...

[Link Walsh]

Here are a few photos of #6.  The slope dividing this green is about 3 feet high.  Awesome stretch of holes.

[Phil McDade]

For the uninitiated (and you better get initiated, and soon):

The first photo depicts what's known as the "aiming tree," the beautiful, fully crowned maple tree that acts as an aiming point -- amazingly -- for three holes. Behind the aiming tree, to the right, is the 8th green; note how the bunker lays flat to the land, not flashed up, and how steep the bunker face is; not a large green. The tee for the 9th is just to the left of the aiming tree.

The second photo shows the sweep of the 6th fairway coming in from the left; that's the 9th fairway sweeping off to the right, with the modest clubhouse right-center of the photo. The land in between the 6th and 9th is the course's truncated driving range.

[Link Walsh]

Phil, thanks for adding the descriptions. 

Here's a photo of the aforementioned 17th green.  Even with a short iron in your hand, it's not an easy shot.



Also, here's one of the 12th green (pin in the back) taken from the 18th fairway to show how much lower the back portion of the green sits.  




By the way, I think 15 and 16 are the toughest two hole stretch out there.  Those two holes ate my lunch.  Even though 15 isn't as long, the green is so elevated with trouble lurking on either side.  Great shot on 16 Pat.  

 

[Mac Plumart]

Wowzers!  What a fun looking course!

[John Mayhugh]

Bold, bold, bold.  What a great course, especially so when you consider value. 

For those that haven't seen it, worth taking a look at this photo tour that Dan Moore posted a couple of years ago. 
http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,37022.0/

[Dan Moore]

I see they have taken all the annoying trees behind 12 out.  Another big improvement.  The green rolling regime seems to have resolved some of the speed issues but if they could get them to West bend speeds all the better.  Looking foward to a visit or 2 later this year.

[PCCraig]

Pat:

Glad to hear the trip went well, and that conditions weren't soggy. One of the little-known factors about Lawsonia is how close it sits to the actual Green Lake (which you can see from the Woodlands course; one of the deepest lakes in Wisconsin), and how parts of the course, esp. the back nine, sort of tilt toward the lake, and I've always thought the course drained well because of that.

"After a stop at the nearby world famous Kopps for a fantastic burger and custard..."

You, sir, have good taste.

Agree on your sentiments about the course; we may have to agree to disagree on the merits of the 4th, which I like a lot, but glad to hear of your thoughts on #17, an under-rated hole that has its fans here on GCA. I've conversely always liked the tee shot at #1, in part because it's so low-key compared to the wow-za factor that comes later. I've always enjoyed turning the corner on the dogleg at the 1st and seeing that cross-bunker and severely raised-up green.

I think the tight woods at Brown Deer are leftovers from the course's annual stop on the PGA Tour -- given how short it played for the pros, it's only defense (and that was minimal) was tight playing corridors and high rough. Given the Tour is unlikely to return, I think tree clearance is in order.

Phil:

You are certainly right about the gentle tilt of the property on the back nine and it's tilt toward Green Lake, for the first time I noticed that the only time you can (sort of) see the lake is from the Links course is on the drive into the property and from the very right side of the 18th hole. But from up there you sure can see the tilt of the land. Perhaps you are right that that helps dry the course out. I would also say that the fact that the course is very open and that allows wind to dry things out, and I can imagine that the greens drain well due to the fact that the greens so built up and elevated from their surrounds.

We really had perfect weather up there for a day and a half. By the time we were done with 36 holes on Saturday afternoon (4pm) a storm rolled in and closed the course with buckets of rain which was a bummer as we were planning on playing a quick alternate shot round on the Links in the late twilight.

Regarding the 4th hole, I really don't think it's a bad hole at all, in fact it's very solid, however I'm not sure I think the green complex is perfect for a steep uphill tee shot? Does not being able to see the right to left roll on the green of a "redan" take away from the hole? It's a pretty tough hole from the back tees though, the first hard hole of the course IMO and maybe the hardest on the front side. That front bunker is brutal, esp. when hitting to a bunker shot to a back pin.

The 17th is really a great hole on some "less" interesting property. Another observation I made was how well the course is routed through the gently rolling property. A few of the holes have the great tee shots where the players hits over a tall bunker to a crest of a gentle hill or dogleg without being able to see the green site, but when the player gets to his ball this really cool green is sitting there waiting for them. (#2 and #17 spring to mind).

For a group of Chicago guys, Brown Deer is a heck of a value for $80. Considering Harborside International is more expensive and 1/100th as interesting not one of us felt ripped off when walking off the 18th green. It also served as a nice warmup and contrast to the Links Course that afternoon.

Kopps was honestly fantasitc...it's a good thing we don't have a place like that here in Chicago as I can imagine visiting far too often!   Speaking of food...where did you end up getting pizza?

[PCCraig]

For the uninitiated (and you better get initiated, and soon):

The first photo depicts what's known as the "aiming tree," the beautiful, fully crowned maple tree that acts as an aiming point -- amazingly -- for three holes. Behind the aiming tree, to the right, is the 8th green; note how the bunker lays flat to the land, not flashed up, and how steep the bunker face is; not a large green. The tee for the 9th is just to the left of the aiming tree.

The second photo shows the sweep of the 6th fairway coming in from the left; that's the 9th fairway sweeping off to the right, with the modest clubhouse right-center of the photo. The land in between the 6th and 9th is the course's truncated driving range.

Phil:

That's a great piece of local knowledge. To be honest I think the tree as an aiming point is far more obvious on the 8th hole, but not so much on the 6th. Each time I played I aimed a little left of the tree over the bunker, which usually got me down by the hidden "principal's nose" bunker down the hill. I suppose the tree is a better line as it would take the bunker out of play.

P.S.-  I love the "modest" clubhouse as there is everything you need and nothing you dont: Pro Shop, Bathroom, and a nice grill with a good Chicago beer on tap!

[PCCraig]

I have a few other general comments on Lawsonia:

1) Is Lawsonia always pretty quiet? When I asked the shop if they were busy over the weekend, they said "oh yeah we're busy." But we never had a single group in front of us all weekend and we never waiting on a shot all weekend. On Saturday we played 36 holes by 4pm after teeing off on the Links at 7:40am walking, and being forced to ride the Woodlands in the afternoon around 12:30pm.

2) It's been said before on here in the archives, but how in the world is the Woodlands Course the more popular course on the property? Perhaps it's just me or it was because I had just gotten off the Links, but I don't remember a single really good hole? I suppose 2 and 3 are considered their "signature" holes, but I wasn't crazy about them. I hit a whole bunch of 3 woods and 2 irons of the tees, and my buddy who is quiet long hit a lot of 5-irons of the tees to stay out of the woods.

It seems like their housing development isn't going too well as I maybe saw two or three homes built, but it looks like they have a lot of property set aside for homes on the Woodlands and they redid a few of the holes closer to the water?

3) I can't tell if Lawsonia is fortunate, or unfortunate, for being so close to Kohler. On one hand it's only probably an hour drive over from the American Club and I'm sure they get a good amount of people that add it to the intineray. But for every person that adds Lawsonia and makes the effort to drive over I would bet that there are 10 people that just hang out and play the Irish Course. Considering that Lawsonia is a somewhat short drive from the Milwaukee airport and is in an afforable family friendly resort lake town I don't understand why it's not more of a national "destination" for more golfers with families.

[Phil McDade]

Pat:

You've discovered the secret of the 8th, one of my favorite holes there, because of its subtle design elements and variety of "looks" off the tee that can confuse folks.

The 4th has been debated on the site for years; I've called it Redan-esque, others think I'm crazy. I think Langford wanted to create a solid uphill test with this shot. One of the things I think is neat about Lawsonia is how Langford creates different looks to approach shots -- some level, some decidedly uphill like the 4th, some downhill like the 2nd.

When we did the GCA Langford tour of his Wisconsin courses a few years ago, Ron Forse (who's done work at Lawsonia) talked about how precisely engineered Langford courses are, and in particular how he paid attention to drainage.

[PCCraig]

Pat:

You've discovered the secret of the 8th, one of my favorite holes there, because of its subtle design elements and variety of "looks" off the tee that can confuse folks.

The 4th has been debated on the site for years; I've called it Redan-esque, others think I'm crazy. I think Langford wanted to create a solid uphill test with this shot. One of the things I think is neat about Lawsonia is how Langford creates different looks to approach shots -- some level, some decidedly uphill like the 4th, some downhill like the 2nd.

When we did the GCA Langford tour of his Wisconsin courses a few years ago, Ron Forse (who's done work at Lawsonia) talked about how precisely engineered Langford courses are, and in particular how he paid attention to drainage.

Phil:

Has Ron Forse's restoration been for the most part completed? Is there anything left to do?

Also, has there ever been discussion on the subject of replacing sand in the grassed over bunkers?

[Phil McDade]

Pat:

I don't know the answer to that -- I know Ron has worked broadly on some green restorations, to fill them out closer to the full extent of the green pads, as well as tree removal, fairway corridor widening, and I believe some bunker work. On the Dan Moore thread, I believe he has an aerial marked off with all of the bunkers that could be restored -- don't know the club's plans for those. As those bunkers at Lawsonia are probably one of the more expensive things there to maintain, I'm guessing there may be some financial issues with a full-out restoration, but that's just speculation on my part.

Personally, I like the mix of traps and mounding, but I can see the argument for some of the bunkers to be restored.

[Dan Moore]

Pat, 

From a playing point of view which bunkers would you fill in? 

BTW the first was designed as a par 5 with the tee as best I can tell at the back of what is now the putting green.  There would have been a bunker on the turn of the dogleg on the right.  A drive up to the crest on the hill on one would be more interesting no?  This also helps explain the large bunker short of the green that really doesn't come into play when 1 plays as a 4. 

I really like the 4th hole but that took some time to discover how large and receptive the green is and learn that the trick is to club the uphill distance right.  Look at all 5 par 3's as a set and then it makes even more sense to fit an uiphill long iron or 4 or 5 wood distance in the mix.   

[Mark Studer]

thanks for sharing your experience at lawsonia.  I finally played this course 2 years ago, more than 10 since Ron Forse had suggested it to me.  It is maybe the best golf architecture for the money that I have been lucky enough to play.  We traveled from Milwaukee while working the us-midam in driving rain and were lucky to play all 18 during a break in the weather.  I would love to play again with some bounce to the approaches and greens.  If you are within a 2 hour drive it is definitely worth making the round trip to play...I think the story is that Pete Dye played there in the distant  past and had thought it was a Raynor design and I can see how one would think so with the big sweeping putting surfaces and huge steeply angled  grass faced greenside and fairway bunkers.....It is one of the few fun golfing bargains that beats southern pines in pinehurst for value and architectural interest.

[PCCraig]

thanks for sharing your experience at lawsonia.  I finally played this course 2 years ago, more than 10 since Ron Forse had suggested it to me.  It is maybe the best golf architecture for the money that I have been lucky enough to play.  We traveled from Milwaukee while working the us-midam in driving rain and were lucky to play all 18 during a break in the weather.  I would love to play again with some bounce to the approaches and greens.  If you are within a 2 hour drive it is definitely worth making the round trip to play...I think the story is that Pete Dye played there in the distant  past and had thought it was a Raynor design and I can see how one would think so with the big sweeping putting surfaces and huge steeply angled  grass faced greenside and fairway bunkers.....It is one of the few fun golfing bargains that beats southern pines in pinehurst for value and architectural interest.

Thanks for your comments Mark. It's scary how good of a value it is...$35 for Twilight in perfect conditions is a steal.

A couple buddies of mine and I are already planning on scoping out the 10-day weather forecast in October so that we can head up on a day trip and get in a quick 36 or more for the $65 all day rate.

[Phil McDade]

Pat:

Prior to, say, this May, Wisconsin had a very dry spring, and RJ Daley took advantage of a special April rate and said the course played about as fast & firm as he'd ever experienced it. But, I'd suggest fall is the best time to play Lawsonia -- even fewer golfers go there, and on the right day in the right conditions, it's pretty close to heaven on a golf course.

[Jud_T]

Pat,

I've never seen it crowded there, either mid-summer or late fall.  For whatever reason I think a lot of folks see the Woodlands as the modern challenging course and don't realize what they're missing.  I think we should seriously consider it for a proper GCA outing, perhaps a Midwest Mashie in the future.  As to Phil's point, the fall is generally the best time to head up.  I was out early last November and may have been the only guy on the course.  Had a great time and the cool air only helped my pace of play...

[PCCraig]

Pat,

I've never seen it crowded there, either mid-summer or late fall.  For whatever reason I think a lot of folks see the Woodlands as the modern challenging course and don't realize what they're missing.  I think we should seriously consider it for a proper GCA outing, perhaps a Midwest Mashie in the future.  As to Phil's point, the fall is generally the best time to head up.  I was out early last November and may have been the only guy on the course.  Had a great time and the cool air only helped my pace of play...

Lawsonia would be one heck of a location for a future Midwest Mashie, good idea Jud. Worst case perhaps next year sometime we could get a big group of guys to head up as a day trip.

I was also there last fall, perhaps around the 10th or so or October, and it was all of 45*, I was just getting over a night of food poisoning, and riding in a cart...so I wasn't able to take a whole lot away from the overall experience. I do plan to watch the long range forecast waiting for a decent enough weekend day (60* or above) in October to head up there.

We played three public layouts (5 rounds) and not one of them took over 3 hours 45 min the entire weekend...including Brown Deer on Friday morning. Great stuff and impossible to find in Chicago.