dvers

I've played Irish Waters regularly for a couple of years now. If you're paying attention at all, this course has a number of good specials that make it a good bang for the buck course. The course layout is interesting enough, with a variety of hole shapes and lengths. A couple holes make you think off the tee, since driver can go through the fairway if you don't play the doglegs properly. Fairways at Irish Waters are usually in great shape, rewarding straight shots with fair lies. Since they are relatively small, the tee boxes can get a little beat up--but hey, you're hitting off a tee so it's not a huge problem. The greens are usually very pretty and in nice shape, but they are consistently among the softest and slowest around. We're going through a heat wave right now and simple flop shot is leaving a pitch mark as if it was a wedge from 100 yards out--bring your divot tool!
I understand from talking to the new staff that there are some changes and improvements they are looking to make. All three guys I've spoken to in the Pro Shop have been very nice, sociable, and helpful, which we all know isn't necessarily true at many golf courses. 5 stars for Staff Friendliness!
For the money, I think Irish Waters is one of the best values in NE Wisconsin. I recommend it.

I really enjoyed this golf course. Course conditions were very good: fairways and greens were in great shape; bunkers were pretty good with healthy sand conditions. The layout was varied throughout, so you really feel like you're seeing something different with every hole. The topography of this part of the state isn't the most drastic, but The Golf Course at Branch River uses elevation change well throughout. The course is 6450 yards from the white tees, but the course seemed to play shorter due to the prevalence of elevated tee boxes. There are a few risk/reward holes with well-placed hazards giving you lay-up or carry decisions. I'm not the biggest hitter out there, so I tended to play "smart," but it didn't get to the point that the length of the course got away from me. In fact, I had opportunity to reach in regulation on every hole, including in 2 on a couple of the par 5s. This isn't always the case when a course starts to approach 6500 yards. Overall, I loved the course...
...except for one thing: the gnats. I went off before 7:00am on the hottest day of the year so far, so I guess it was a perfect storm. However, this was the worst problem I've ever had with bugs. I have a co-worker who used to work at the course and she said the gnats can be problematic due to the eponymous river that runs next to the course. I'm pretty tolerant of extreme conditions, so I endured; the father and his daughter in front of me were forced to abandon their round due to the gnats. Walking the course that morning would have been impossible due to the bugs.
If not for my experience with those bugs, I would definitely be back to Branch River. In fact, I will try the course at some point during the afternoon or maybe in the fall when cooler temps kill off the gnats. However, paying $48 was a little steep given the constant annoyance. I'd give the course 5 stars if it weren't for the bugs. It was really very nice.

I played Glen Cairn on the WI Classic Golf Tour card. It is very much a golf-only destination: it’s a little off the beaten path and is minimalistic in terms of facilities (no restaurant, small bar area, no cart service this particular Friday afternoon. The course itself is an interesting layout. A lot of elevation change (a rarity in NE Wisconsin) and a good combination of woodland and parkland style holes. A good course requires you to use every club in the bag, which was true for me at Glen Cairn.
My biggest complaint is the overall condition of the course. The greens were very spotty and played very slow—the ball would bounce its way to the hole on some putts. The reads were mostly true, but getting enough speed was a struggle. Fairways were mostly decent, but I did find a number of spots that were cart path-thin.
It’s tough to give a good comprehensive review of a course based on one round; it’s simply a snapshot in early June after a weird winter. The layout is interesting enough that I would play again. However, if conditions remain spotty into peak golf time in July and August, it would be tough to justify the journey it takes for me to get there.