The Golf Courses of Lawsonia

Classic Langford & Moreau course with a wonderful restoration by Ron Forse. The greens defy description. The boxcar 7th green has to be seen in person. I am a huge fan of Bill Langford courses and this is his best.

Fairly tight course, but playable. Links course is maintained better.

I was a 45 minute drive away and had a morning to kill so booked a single round on the Woodlands course. Great feel to the venue, very welcoming and helpful staff and somewhere i would return. I kept getting glimpses of the Links course as i made my way around the Woodlands. It was a windy day so i was grateful for the tree shelter but the Links course looked great and gives me reason to come back for a 36-hole, day-long, two-course outing. The Woodlands course was in good shape (yes a couple of the bunkers need a bit more sand) and makes you think your way around with some interesting risk-reward holes.

Playing the Links at Lawsonia can ellicit all sorts of reactions. For some, it can be a spiritual golf awakening. For others, it can feel like a tricked up plot of prairie land. For me, it was just exceptional golf at an exceptional value.

The theme of Lawsonia is the bunkering and accompanied raised greens. And much like a Star Wars film you either love it and want more (and get more) of it or you don't. Unlike the sci-fi movies, it may take you a few holes to decide which side of the deep, oblong sand trap and steep-sided greens your opinion falls.

The "Boxcar" hole is many golfers' favorite, the par-3 7th with the steepest bank I've ever climbed up to a green. My other favorites were the roley-poley par-5 13th and the beautifully sculpted par-4 17th. I wasn't a huge fan of the blind tee shots right off the bat on #1 and #2, but it's a minor critique to an otherwise awesome layout. There's a great variety of holes and shots to play and the course will keep you entertained round after round.

I played the course as part of a 16-player group and the staff handled our event with friendliness and professionalism. They even extended us an invitation to play as much as we could in the waning light of the evening in a 10-player super-scramble. It was perhaps the highlight of our entire 4-day trip to Wisconsin!

For those looking for a unique golf experience but not wanting to break the bank, look no further than Lawsonia. It will not disappoint!

I played here for the first time and was blown away. Best course I have ever played. I already want to take the 6 hour drive one way just to play again.

Course was packed so I was already expecting a long round, but it was moving which was really nice. The starter is really nice and helpful and lets you know all the lines for a lot of the holes. The signature hole 7 par 3 with the train box car buried beneath the green is a hole unlike any other.

Get out there and hit em strait!

guys trip 2020...16 former college players all ranging in handicap from +4 to 5.6....and nobody had one negative thing to say about this track...unbelievable design characteristics, fun yet challenging holes...good shots get rewarded plain and simple. Definite MUST PLAY

You pay the same for the links and woodlands. So you would think the courses would be in similar shape. But they aren't. The woodlands is in rough shape. Tee boxes are beaten up. They are removing some bunkers, but the existing bunkers had big rocks in them and were unraked prior to my 9am round. On a couple of the greens I had to pull up some smaller rocks that were ingrained in the green. Obviously, golf the links if you have the choice. Woodlands should be at least half off.

Got there over an hour early to hit balls on the range. Range had no grass and you couldn't see past 50 yards over the hill. Club house bathroom was unusable, place was a mess and both toilets plugged. We had 3-some all driving carts and they stuck a walker with us. First two holes you couldn't see where your drive was going. Some sand traps had sand in them, Some where like hitting off concrete. Cart paths all torn up. Rough hard as rock and not long enough. Not a links course, most greens elevated. Needs some TLC.

The Links course at Lawsonia is one of the absolute best courses in the entire state of WI and can be played for a cost that makes it an absolute steal . The routing is phenomenal and difficult, but it is still playable for all skill levels. Regardless of season, the course is always in great shape. I always make a point to play out here several times every year as it never gets old for me. I've introduced several people to Lawsonia for the first time and the look on their faces playing the back nine never gets old.

The Woodlands course definitely plays second fiddle to the Links course at Lawsonia. With that being said it is not a bad course by any means. The course has a few very dramatic and demanding holes along with several that are very awkward and not in the best way. The course is also in the process of grassing in just about every fairway bunker on the course because they have been difficult to maintain over the years. I believe this will help the course overall as it still contains enough intrigue with sharp doglegs to maintain interest throughout the round. I always tell people that it would probably have a better reputation if it didn't have the Links course right next door, but alas it does and often gets overlooked. I do think it's a bit overpriced if you play a stand alone round, but you can find rates to make the cost more manageable through GolfNow. It's worth the play if you live in the area, but if you are traveling from somewhere else, I would advise sticking to the Links course.

Beautiful course, unique and challenging, always love to play here.

Lawsonia Links is truly one of the great golf courses in the United States. It was designed in 1930 by the legendary architectural pairing of William Langford and Theodore Moreau. Langford and Moreau believed in "maximalism" -- in other words, this is a BIG golf course. Fairways are wide, greens are roller coasters, bunkers are 10-15 feet deep, cross bunkers in fairways, blind tee shots, knee high fescue rough, big ups and downs. Very few trees. The seventh green (par 3) has such a steep bank that Langford and Moreau needed to bury a railcar underneath to support it (the scariest 8 iron you'll ever hit on a hole without water...don't go right!). Even though its under 7,000 yards, this is a course for big, strong, power players. Slow swing speed players might never get their ball out of the greenside bunkers! Or reach some of the par 3's (for example, #4 is 200+ yards straight uphill; #10 is 240 yards!).

With that said, the course is tough but fair. Conditioning, especially the greens, was at private course level. Near perfection. If you missed a putt... your fault, not the green.

They allow walking, but its not an easy walk. No shade and some steep hills to climb.

Some negatives... clubhouse isn't much to speak of, but totally adequate. Driving range balls were surprisingly old and in bad shape (lots of cracked balls in my bucket).

And here's the best part... the cost. I paid <$70 walking for a world class golf course in mid-summer. They could definitely get $150 out of me and it would still be worth it.

Always good to play golf with my relatives. The course was in great shape and it was a beautiful day. The pace of play was a little slow, but it didn’t matter.. Got a great rate on golf now, thanks!

Pace Of Play - Excellent. Did not wait on a single hole.

Course Conditions - Excellent. Course in perfect shape

Staff Friendliness - Golf Course 5 stars. Excellent bev cart service. My beer was never empty or warm.
The restaurant staff was average at best.

Value For The Money -
It's a fabulous golf experience, but not cheap.

Course Layout - Absolute masterpiece.
Play here and you will be seeking other Langford courses, but this will spoil you as it is there best public course, bar none !

Off-Course Amenities - Nice deck, modest clubhouse.
Locker room and shower facilities, nice extra.

I’d like to start off by saying I believe this is a top 5 36 hole facility in Wisconsin. I was very disappointed with my last round here. As a nice quality course, I believe it’s your responsibility to make sure people are abiding by pace of play. We were stuck behind a group of drunk people who were absolutely pitiful( I can guarantee you no one in the group shot under a 110) not only were they screaming every swear you could think of on every (yea, not just 1.. this was an every hole thing and I mean screaming) hole they also left clubs behind more than 4 times and would not let us play through. It honestly wrecked one of my more enjoyable rounds typically. Also, I’m not sure what’s going on with the bunkers but they were in awful shape. More mud than bunker and it seemed like they’re getting rid of a lot of them? Overall a great facility but that was unacceptable imo and if I experience it again I will not be going back. There are plenty of other courses that are high quality and low on shenanigans.