I feel like we have enough guys from the Madison area on here to get a regular foursome set up @amenden13 @chrisisoutrunning @jpcronin Others??
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I would be interested. Just gotta wait 5 months =(
Fellow Madisonian checking in. While the weather is cold, donât forget about Vitenseâs hot deals over the thanksgiving holiday. You donât have to buy it in person, and can actually just call them up.
New to the thread
I live in Wauwatosa but go to school and play club golf at UW-Oshkosh. Ive played almost all public and private courses in the Milwaukee/Waukesha area plus some popular ones in other places. If I had to guess a handicap it is somewhere in the single digits, but I plan on getting an actual one next season and start playing in state tournaments. Ive been golfing my entire life and donât plan on stopping anytime soon.
Top 5
- The Bull
- Lawsonia
- Westmoor CC
- Merrill Hills CC
- Bluemound CC
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Long shot here, but did you go to Tosa West and know John Frank?
Welcome, Will. Iâm down in the Pewaukee area, weâll have to link up for a round this summer.
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Hey all, we are looking at trying to organize a meet up at sand valley. Take a look at the poll in the sand valley thread and vote if you are interested.
https://refuge.nolayingup.com/t/sand-valley/2862/418?u=taylorda
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Hey all,
Wisconsin native here now living in MN. Parents place is now in Minocqua, so thatâs where I spend a lot of time in the summer. We play a lot at Plum Lake, Trout Lake, St. Germain, or Timber Ridge if I can convince the old man to drive that far to the south side of town.
Iâve also been fortunate to play most of the popular public courses in the state. Wisconsin is loaded! Erin Hills is at the top of my list, though. Iâm heading there with a buddy in May 2020 at a stay and play deal thatâs like $400 a guy for two rounds and a night there. Looking forward to hanging in the caddy barn.
Golf in the Northwoods is pretty solid. Plum Lake is a gem and Iâm always amazed at the conditioning at St. Germain. Played Trout Lake the first weekend they were open this year. Tricky little green complexes and you gotta be on your game there. I plan on going back in 2020.
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Hey everyone, quick question. Itâs looking like me and a group of friends will be heading to Wisconsin for a golf trip this Summer and I wanted your advice on itinerary (and any other things to see in Wisconsin I suppose).
Our schedule is roughly:
Wednesday: get to Wisconsin, do whatever (not really worried about this)
Thursday:all day at Lawsonia, and then spend the night on premises
Friday: morning TBD, evening par 3 course at sand valley
Saturday: Sand Valley and Mammoth Dunes
Sunday: Morning round then drive to madison and fly home (likely mammoth dunes).
My big question is for Friday morning. Iâve done some googling and Sentry World looks like itâs not too far out of the way, but in your opinion is it worth leaving Lawsonia to go play? If we didnât play it we would probably play Lawsonia again in the morning then head to Sand Valley.
Also open to any other suggestions you might have.
edit: also would love beer suggestion if you have them.
If youâre already playing all day at Lawsonia on Thursday (assuming that will be 36+ holes), I would recommend Sentry World. Architecturally it will probably be the least appealing of all the courses you play, but it is so damn pure. Itâs also comparable in cost to playing another round at Lawsonia. Regardless, I donât think you could go wrong with either decision.
Beer: If youâve never had Spotted Cow, try it. Itâs not the best beer on earth, but it tastes better knowing you can only get it in Wisconsin.
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+1 for Erin Hills. I mustâve gotten the same stay and play deal over Labor Day weekend this past season. It was a great night, especially with the addition of the new putting course.
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Have you thought about looping the Links twice and then playing the woodlands once at Lawsonia? I think you definitely need to see the links again to really appreciate the design and while the woodlands is certainly overshadowed by the links it is still pretty cool (imo) and doesnât look anything like the links course. Another option would be to spend some time on the water at Green Lake, I am pretty sure you can rent a boat and maybe find some poles to do some fishing.
Iâve not had a chance to play Sentry World since the redo but I canât imagine itâs in the same league design-wise as the Links @ Lawsonia, SV, MD, & the Sandbox.
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Youâre already doing 36 at Lawsonia, head to Sentryworld Friday morning. Itâs a fun mix of holes and you need to have your game. The conditioning there is private club level. I would love to stand in the middle of their fairways with a shag bag and hit mid irons all day. Just stupid pure.
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This. I was going to type the first 2/3rds of this pretty much exactly.
The only time I made it up to Lawsonia I played each course once. Do I regret that? Not really as Green Lake is two-ish hours from where I live, but do regret that I didnât have time to play the Links more. Woodlands is pretty much nothing compared to Links, but it changes things up quite a bit from the rest of the golf youâd be playing on this trip.
I played Sentryworld right after the US Girls Junior Am this past summer and itâs really just a decent course thatâs well conditioned. Thereâs the flower hole, which is⌠just a straightforward par 3 surrounded by flowers⌠Another option would be Wild Rock in Wisconsin Dells.
So, in the end, my thoughts would be this:
- If you plan on playing both the Links and Woodlands at Lawsonia on Thursday, stick around and play the Links Friday morning
- If you play the Links twice on Thursday, I would say to head up to SV right away Friday morning and play one of the full courses (whichever you arenât Sunday morning).
Would you have a good time at Sentryworld or Wild Rock, yes, but unless youâre trying to up your unique course count, I think one of those options would be better.
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Alright well I appreciate the quick and thoughtful responses. Iâm going to take all of the info you guys have shared and see what they say.
And good advice on the spotted cow. Even if itâs not the best Iâm always down for the famous local stuff. I also canât wait to get a piece of some of this famous Wisconsin Dairy.
A little surprised no one has mentioned one of the Lake Arrowhead courses (I strongly prefer Pines over Lakes). Neither course is on the same tier as Lawsonia or SV, but could be a fun âpalette cleanserâ.
Both Moon Man and Two Women are actually better than Spotted Cow, but the Cow is so damn drinkable. You canât really go wrong with any of the WI breweries: Potosi, One Barrel, Karben4, Central Waters, ⌠either.
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@RosesTintedGlasses is right, Moon Man is better than Spotted Cow. Iâve even called it my desert island beer before. Itâs one you can drink in 80 degree sun, or on a frozen lake ice fishing. Itâs just crisp, hoppy, full bodiedâŚall the things I want.
Also on the beer topic, if youâre into hazy IPAâs donât miss out on Brewing Projekt. Theyâre out of Eau Claire and make some killer stuff. They distribute pretty far and wide, so you can find them in grocery stores and gas stations. They do a lot of single hopped stuff, too, which is really cool so you can start to identify different hop profiles and figure out which ones you like. Mosaic and Citra are always crowd pleasers.
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I think youâre going to be really hard pressed to wake up (literally) at Lawsonia and have any desire to drive to a lesser golf course to play. Heck if itâs a quiet Friday morning you might even be able to get around twice by Noon.
Itâs the type of course that youâll wake up wanting to play again, even after full day of golf there. Itâs that good of a course and itâs that fun of a challenge to figure out. Youâll want another go at it Friday morning, after being able to digest it Thursday night. Plus itâll free up time that day not spent driving to a third course.
Also, FWIW something about the drive between Lawsonia and SV makes it seem like itâs taking forever. Itâs certainly every bit the 1:15 google says it takes.
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If youâve never had Culvers, get a double butter burger and some custard afterwards.
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