Today @ Lawsonia: Another Convert

[Andy Shulman]

I paid a visit today to the Links at Lawsonia today to see this highly praised course with my own eyes.  In short, it's the real deal, as so many others on this site have proclaimed.  It has a high fun factor that includes several blind or semi-blind shots and is a tremendous value compared to the more highly acclaimed Wisconsin courses at Blackwolf Run, Whistling Straits and Erin Hills.  I paid the $35 twilight rate to walk the course and believe me, this is not your typical $35 muni!

The only golfer not likely to enjoy Lawsonia is one who's allergic to the "push-up" green style favored by architects Langford and Moreau.  They're everywhere!  I'll attempt to attach a couple of photos I took to demonstrate the nature of these greens as well as one that gives you a feel for the ambiance of this course in the Wisconsin countryside.

All of the above is ground that others have probably covered ad nauseum.  Now for a couple of things for others to comment upon:

1. The setting of Holes 13 and 14 reminded me of Taconic.  For those of you who have played both courses, what do you think?

2. I noticed that many of the bunkers are surrounded by rough-length grass.  This, at least sometimes, prevents errant shots from going into the bunker, something that probably saved me a stroke or two.  I noticed the same thing during the playoff for the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.  While everyone was still in shock over Dustin Johnson's DQ, Martin Kaymer teed it up on the first playoff hole (#10?) and hit it straight at a fairway bunker.  The ball never made it to the sand, though, because it got caught up in the rough.  While I realize a pro might prefer the bunker to the rough, that's not the case for most amateurs.  So, is this how these courses were designed or is it the setup chosen by the superintendent?  And, is this a good thing, a bad thing or does it depend?

[ed_getka]

I look forward to seeing the Lawsonia pix. Definitely a great value. I don't remember the bunkers having so much rough around them that the ball could get hung up, but it has been 7 or 8 years since I was there. Did you talk to the people in the golf shop? Were they surprised how excited you were to see the course? I remember when I was there how surprised the lady was that I had traveled there from California to see the course. She seemed to be completely unaware how great the course was. My brother and I played 36 holes our day there and I could have kept going around and around for a couple more weeks. Absolutely a must play if you are within 100 miles.

[RJ_Daley]

Another satisfied customer! 

Yes, the 2 1/2 inch or so rough has always been mowed a few ft from the lip of the inward low side of the gullwing bunkers.  I didn't know how great it would stop a ball from going in them, however.  I should have been trying to roll my drives closer challenging the bunkers on the line of risk reward shorter routes to the green, I guess... 

[PCCraig]

Andy:

Glad you had a great time playing Lawsonia for the first time. What were some of your favorite holes? How was the conditioning...F&F?

[Andy Shulman]

Very interesting question, Pat.  While there are a lot of really cool holes on the course, there wasn't one or two that clearly stood above the rest for me (my birdie on #4 aside).  I found #14 very challenging, even though its the shortest par-3.  As for my favorites, I'd go with #s 1, 3 and 13.  As I mentioned in my original post, the third shot into #13 reminded me of some of the holes at Taconic.  What I like about #1 is that the prudent play - a draw or an approach aimed right - clear from the fairway.  Knowing the right play and executing it are, of course, but I appreciate knowing the key to solving the puzzle.  That's not to say that I didn't like the holes with blind or semi-blind shots.  Having read Ran's review of the course helped on many of those shots, of course.

So, which holes do you like the best?

[Andy Shulman]

Oh, and yes, the conditions were firm and fast on many holes.  I got more bounce and run than expected on several shots.

[Adam Clayman]

To your question on presentation.

It's become so rote that I fear it's widely accepted. It in all likely hood eases the supers fear of losing turf, makig it easier for him to keep his fairway mower farther away from the bunker. However, if one is to understand the fundamentals behind the placement of said bunker, married to the F7F conditions presented, this type of presentation is more moronic than oxy. Some even prefer the added texture and different color the long grass presents, but if one places the visual over the play ability, I feel they are missing the boat on the sport. 

[Andy Shulman]

I was pretty sure that the idea behind having a bunker is for the ball to end up there if not struck properly (i.e. - direction and/or distance).  Adam seems to confirm my thoughts.  That, and the lack of a yardage book, are just about my only quibbles with Lawsonia.  And now, for some photos, including this one looking across the 2nd green to the 3rd fairway just off the tee.  I haven't seen this view before, but you've got to admit it's pretty nice.



This photo of the first green from about 200 yards out in the fairway shows the pushed-up aspect with what which fans of Lawsonia are quite familiar.  Any left pin requires quite a good shot.

[Andy Shulman]

I'm obviously experiencing some technical difficulties posting my photos.  Stay tuned.

[Tom Johnston]

Andy - welcome to the club! (Of Lawsonia lovers)

Through changes in superintendents, etc., the course has changed a bit over the years - e.g. there were young trees protecting the right side of a hole on the front nine instead of just fescue.

The rough hasn't always been luxurious in front of the traps, though that may have had more to do with the weather and the health of the grass than the superindentent.

Please let me know if you've figured out a good way to play #6.  Hitting from a downhill lie to that green...  : - )

Looking to see what Phil McDade has to say.

-TJ

[Phil McDade]

Tom:

A few thoughts from years of repeated play:

-- I'm fairly convinced Langford meant for the course to play fairly fast and firm, given the fairway width found on most of the holes. As to the rough surrounding the bunkers, my sense is that that may not have been his intent -- purely speculating here, but it's fairly obvious Langford meant for his bunkers and mounds to be penal, given their size and depth, and the golfer who took them on did so with the knowledge there was some risk involved.

-- The corollary to that is that Langford at Lawsonia, as well as any course I've seen, designed the holes with a means to go at them for both the low-handicapper/scratch golfer, as well as the lesser golfer. He provides plenty of width and secondary corridors (even on some par 3s!) for the lesser player to tack his way around the course, while giving the better player lots to think about if he chooses to take on his severe bunkering and mounds. The 3rd is a great example of this -- a dogleg par 4, with a large trap at the inside corner, and a well-trapped green. The safer route is left off the tee, avoiding the gathering bunker, but a route that lengthens the second. Still, the golfer who chooses that route is given an open approach to the green. The more aggressive line is near or over the bunker, which leaves a shorter approach, but the golfer still has to contend with a somewhat narrowed green and another set of greenside bunkers.

-- The 6th is a terrific hole, maybe the best out there (although my personal favorite is the 8th). A long approach shot from a downhill lie to a green significantly pushed up from its surrounds -- a real puzzler!

The definitive Lawsonia thread, courtesy of Dan Moore:

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,37022.0/

[Andy Shulman]

Well, #6 is one of the holes where, by all rights, I should have been in the fairway bunker.  Instead I had a downhill lie in the rough from about 140 yards out which I left short, so I did not figure out to play that approach and was happy to settle for bogey given the pin placment.  While I figure out the photo posting process and/or how to reduce the size of my photos, attached are links to a couple of my photos.

#1 green from about 200 yards out in the fairway.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54113856@N07/5009702551/in/photostream/

#2 green (foreground) and #3 tee/fairway (background)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54113856@N07/5010308424/in/photostream

[PCCraig]

Well, #6 is one of the holes where, by all rights, I should have been in the fairway bunker.  Instead I had a downhill lie in the rough from about 140 yards out which I left short, so I did not figure out to play that approach and was happy to settle for bogey given the pin placment.  While I figure out the photo posting process and/or how to reduce the size of my photos, attached are links to a couple of my photos.

#1 green from about 200 yards out in the fairway.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54113856@N07/5009702551/in/photostream/

#2 green (foreground) and #3 tee/fairway (background)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54113856@N07/5010308424/in/photostream

Andy:

I understand what you're trying to get at...that the rough short of the bunkers should be cut to fairway length so tee shots can run into the bunkers. While that would be an improvement in some places at Lawsonia, I think it might be unrealistic given what I'm assuming is a tight maintenance budget. Instead of just breezing by in a fairway mower, I would assume someone would have to hand cut those areas...which adds up in $$$ over a year.

[PCCraig]

-- The 6th is a terrific hole, maybe the best out there (although my personal favorite is the 8th). A long approach shot from a downhill lie to a green significantly pushed up from its surrounds -- a real puzzler!

I said it before on a thread from this summer that I think the 6th hole is world class and the best hole at Lawsonia. After multiple plays in F&F conditions it really shows itself to be a great hole. Very downhill, in firm conditions I can hit a ~290 yard drive over the large mound and down the hill toward's the "principal's nose"-type bunker (which is hidden from the tee). The 2nd shot is then downhill to a fantastic thumbprint green that sits up around it's surroundings. Of course the player can also hit his or her tee shot left of the mound/grass bunker as a safe route as well and play it as a par-5. Just a great hole.

[Phil McDade]

Pat:

One of the great things about the 6th is that, as you describe, you can play the hole as a sort of short par 5. But unlike many long par 4s that are played this way -- whose main defense is their length -- the third shot at the 6th is still a difficult and dicey one, and depending on the day's pin, a second-shot "lay-up" has to be correctly placed to afford the best shot into the green. I've often thought of Lawsonia as having a terrific "ying and yang" -- there are safe and wide places for players wanting to avoid the danger of the traps and mounds, but eventually you have to hit a shot into those pushed-up greens, and those are demanding regardless of one's handicap.

[Jud_T]

Andy,

Welcome to the fold!  Lawsonia is a truly special place.  And I can't think of many better values relative to the quality of the golf anywhere in this country.  The fact that they finally relented and are now selling beer at the 19th hole makes it even better....

[Andy Shulman]

To respond to Phil's comment, I found myself very comfortable on the tee and much less so on approach shots.  And, to respond to Jud's comment, the value is unquestioned.  I played the Original Championship Course at Blackwolf Run two days later and, while I really enjoyed that course and found much of the architecture interesting, I can't say that I liked it seven times as much, which is about the difference in price if you don't stay at the resort.

As for Blackwolf Run, put me in the camp of those that like it.  In fact, it bears some similarities to Lawsonia - plenty of room off the tee, with more precision required on the approach.  I found the par-3s to all be of the "do or die" variety and of about the same length from the tees I was playing, but other than that I really liked it.  I thought #5 - with the peninsula green - was the best hole (not sure what course and what hole number that hole is normally). And to those who participated in Reef Wilson's post earlier in the summer, the green on #1 on the OCC is normally the 9th green on one of the two Blackwolf courses.  It's very disconcerting standing on a single (not double) green that has two fairways that feed into it.