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4.8
144 Reviews (144)
5 Stars
114
4 Stars
21
3 Stars
6
2 Stars
2
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.4
Layout
4.9
Friendliness
4.7
Pace
4.4
Amenities
4.5
97.0%
Recommend this course
137 out of 144 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
5.0
4 Reviews (4)
5 Stars
4
4 Stars
0
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
5.0
Value
4.5
Layout
5.0
Pace
4.8
Amenities
4.5
StaffFriendliness
5.0
100.0%
Recommend this course
4 out of 4 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.8
25 Reviews (25)
5 Stars
21
4 Stars
2
3 Stars
2
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.7
Value
4.5
Layout
4.9
Pace
4.3
Amenities
4.6
StaffFriendliness
4.8
96.0%
Recommend this course
24 out of 25 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Style Traditional/Links
Par 72
Length 7286 yards
Slope 142
Rating 75.8

University Ridge Golf Course is just 15 minutes from the University of Wisconsin campus and downtown Madison. The course's name comes from the defining feature of the landscape, a remnant of the last retreating glacier. The course is perched right where the Wisconsin Glacier stopped, providing the backbone of the ridge that divides the terrain into clusters of hills and valleys. Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed the golf course with distinctly different front and back nines that make it feel like you are playing two courses in one. The front nine plays across grassy meadows, featuring contoured fairways and generous landing areas. Wind will definitely be a challenge on this more open nine. In contrast, mature trees frame most of the holes on the back nine. The golf course finishes with two of its toughest holes: a long par 3 over water and then another long hole, a par 4 that plays uphill.

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University Ridge Golf Course
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Course Details

Year Built 1991
Fairways Bent Grass
Greens Bent Grass
Golf Season Open: 4/01 Closed: 11/01

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes
Pull-carts Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Golf School Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code Appropriate golf attire.

Food & Beverage

Snacks

Available Facilities

Clubhouse

Accolades

Reviews

4.8
144 Reviews (144)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
19th Hole Scenic Views 14
Drinks 14
Patio Dining 12
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 29
Elevation Changes 20
Forced Carries 15
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 24
A Weekend Splurge 20
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 17
This Course's Location is:
Convenient to the City 21
Worth the Drive 15
In the 'Burbs 8

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

A great day of golf

Everything about the day was a great experience. The staff was friendly and the course was in great shape. Grabbed a burger and fries at the turn. It was delicious. Thanks for a wonderful day.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
4.0
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Still Don't Have Greens Fixed

I will play U Ridge in the spring and fall to get good rates, but it just isn't worth it for the full rates. The greens are bumpy, uneven, and fairly slow. For a course that shut down to fix the greens, this is still not up to par in the competitive Madison golf market. The city courses have better greens in my opinion.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Tough, but beautiful course!

This used to be one of my favorite courses in the area. It's become a bit too expensive in recent years, so it's been a while since I played the course. The staff is very friendly. They re-did the greens last year and they are in nice shape. The rough was entirely too punitive for a course that is already challenging. Our group had trouble finding balls only a few feet off the fairway. The thick and heavy rough was very difficult to hit from.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 17
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Great course to play

Fairways are very playable. Second and Third shot can get you into trouble.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Perfect day

Excellent course with many challenges. Course was in excellent condition. Staff were friendly and well organized.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 13
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Average weather
Used cart

Outstanding

Truly a championship design with a good variety of holes. Aeration had been done recently on the greens, but otherwise in good condition. If you enjoy a challenging and well designed course, it's a must play.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Fair weather
Used cart

great course

One of the best courses in the region. It was opening day and they didn't cut the greens which made them very slow but they were green. Otherwise it was in good shape for this early in the spring.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Excellent Course

Excellent course, challenging holes without being ridiculous. Course was very well maintained and the staff was very friendly. Will gladly play again.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Championship Course

For someone who can't afford to play at country clubs, this is as close as I can get. The course is very challenging, but playing from the white tees, I was not intimidated. The front nine is more open, and the back nine has more trees and very narrow fairways. There are several holes that have so many sand traps, that it provides many risk/reward moments. Avoiding the traps means pretty much giving up the chance for a par. But landing in the deep traps, especially following a rain could lead to double or triple bogey.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Gorgeous

This course is beautiful. It plays quite long and has plenty of sand traps - so be ready!

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Average weather
Used cart

U. Ridge

A very fun and challenging golf course. A great variety of holes. One of my favorite in southern Wisconsin. The course is typically in excellent condition.

Conditions Excellent
Value Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 9
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Shouldn't have waited so long to play it again!

Played here 15 years ago and loved it but was a little pricey. Well it won't be 15 years till the next time. It seems even better than last time. The course was in excellent shape and the green fast and true. At least as good as private clubs. Great mix of holes and with multiple tees I think anyone can enjoy it. As I live near Chicago I'm trying to think of reason to go back this fall. If not then, definitely next year. Sorry I waited so long.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 29
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

beautiful copurse challenging and very playable provided you pick the correct tees.

greens were redone absolutey georgeous, great conditions , front links style and back totally differant all wooded, lots of elacvation change , i like that,

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 0-4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Good, not great

Played this course 4/5 times since moving to the Madison area from Scotland. Overall, it's a great set up. Fantastic pro shop, clubhouse and practice facilities. I was a little disappointed with the course itself, probably because my friend had built it up to be fantastic. Don't get me wrong, the course is good and is great value if you get a twilight rate, but fantastic? Probably not.

The course itself comprises two very different nines. The front nine is fairly open, almost in a prairie like setting. Highlights are holes 1,2,3 and 7. The back nine has more of a woodland like feel to it with most holes meandering through the trees. As such, accuracy of the tee becomes key. Best holes on the back side in my opinion are 10,14,15 and 17.

Tees and fairways are generally in really good condition. The greens were a little bit of a let down. I find them to be a little bit sandy albeit still running true. I believe all the greens were re-done in the back half of 2012 so perhaps they just need a year or two to fully knit together.

Overall, good course and decent value for money.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 9
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great holes great condition.

This is the UW golf course and it shows in their pride of ownership. Course is in pristine condition!

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

A must play

One of the nicest courses in this area. The front and back have completely different styles, and each present there own challenges. Fairways are a must if your goal is to post a decent score.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Must play in Madison Area

Staff- Great staff friendly and nice

Range- Top of the line range with nice practice balls

Tee boxes- nicely mowed and level

Fairways- neatly trimmed well maintained

Greens- A+++++ they just replaced all the greens on the course

Pros- Well maintained course
Offers some challenging holes
The course has large industrial size fans that blow leaves off some of the greens which will be great in the fall part of the season.
Cons- The course is a little boring
the course does not have a lot of holes with water obstacles.

Price I paid $60
Conclusion- This course is a must play I drove 2.5 hours and was not disappointed.

Other course in the area I recommend, Legend at Bergamont

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 19
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great day.

Very nice course. Really enjoyed the day.

The newer greens are just staring to mature and will only get better.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Default User Avatar
Anonymous
Played On
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

The Best Madison Has To Offer

Excellent course that is always in top shape. The front 9 is fairly open while the back 9 is heavily wooded. I would rate this the top course in the Madison area due to the excellent conditions and the beautiful piece of property the course is set on.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Beginner
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Course was challenging and in excellent shape.

Excellent time golfing at a very nice course at reasonable rates.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
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