Lawsonia Links- A Classic Gem in the Middle of Nowhere

Green Lake, Wisconsin has long been a summer haven for the well-to-do from Chicago, Milwaukee, and even the Twin Cities. Just over an hour north of Madison, two from Milwaukee, three from Chicago, and four hours from the Twin Cities, Green Lake is not only to one of Central Wisconsin's quintessential summer resort towns but is also home to one of the most enjoyable golf courses the Midwest has to offer.

The Links Course at Lawsonia was built as a retreat for the Chicago publishing magnet Victor Lawson in 1930. Lawson commissioned the services of often overlooked designers William Langford an Theodore Moreau to design a golf course on his growing summer estate. When the course finally opened, its cost had skyrocketed to $250,000, an unheard-of sum at the time.

But while the steep cost of building the Links Course would seem to indicate a forced layout, Lawsonia is among the more natural walks in the park in American golf. After a restoration completed in 2000 by Ron Forse, the Links has returned to its orignal form, devoid of useless trees and open to the golfing imaginations of the knowing crowd who shuns the more photogenic Woodlands course in favor of a round that is about as close to true "Inland Links" golf as can be found in the United States.

From the opening tee shot, one has the keen sense that the 18 holes ahead will differ from the normal parkland track. The lack of tree protection tempts players to cut the corner of the dogleg right, a risk that seems to be rewarded with a shorter approach. However, a deep cross bunker on the right hand side cuts off the view of the elevated green, giving those who chose the safer route down the high side of the dogleg a leg up on their opponent. The green, perched a good 10-15 feet above the level of the fairway, is guarded by a steep left-to-right slope and a sharp fall-off  that leaves any player missing left of the green facing a blind pitch shot to the putting surface.

 The par-4 second is Langford at his finest. After a blind tee shot that must be guided to the fairway by a set of bunkers built into the upward slope, players face the first of several downhill approaches at Lawsonia. Tee shots placed on the right hand side will leave players with a straight shot up the slope of the green but must contend with the blinding feature that is a cross bunker lying about 50 yards short of the surface. Tee shots placed down the left side will give players an open view to the green but force contention with the slope, in this case moving from back-left to front-right in opposition of the dominant right-to-left slope of the fairway. Holding a hook into the slope of the green is the best play but as any golfer knows, that is easier said than done.

The difficult par-4 second is deceptive and thought-provoking, typical of a Langford design 

After working its way around the northwest corner of the estate, the Links course reaches the par-4 sixth. Another classic Langford two-shotter, the sixth is risk-reward in every sense of the word. Having said that, the hole is devoid of any hazards commonly faced by the modern golfer. There isnt a speck of water (in fact, the only water feature on the course is an irrigation pond in front of the 15th tee), no swath of long grass waiting to reach out and grab the errant tee shot, and no out of bounds lurking yards off the fairway.

Instead, the strategy of the sixth is dominated by the player's choice of lines off the tee. Those choosing to aim down the right side risk getting caught in the steep bank that precedes the fairway, essentially eliminating any opportunity to get home in regulation. On the other hand, those who succeed on an aggressive line are left with a far shorter and better angled approach shot to an elevated and multi-tiered green that is one of the toughest on the golf course.

The strategy of the hole, however, isnt confined simply to a question of whether or not a player can carry the right-hand swale. Those choosing to hang back to the left must club wisely as a massive bunker waits beyond the fairway on the left-hand side to catch the shots of players who may not have thought about taking less than driver off the tee. Those who do successfully lay back in the fairway are offered a much longer and less visible approach to the sixth green, again giving a leg up to the player able to successfully handle the inherent risk faced off the tee.

The par-4 sixth features plenty of options off the tee, each with the requisite set of consequences

Long said to be built atop a boxcar, the seventh green caps off a par-3 that is said to be the course's "signature hole". While I would dispute that designation, the premium on accuracy placed by a hole that stretches no further than 160 yards is a testament to Langford's design prowess. Players face just a short iron approach but must block out any thought of a miss as the right hand side features a steep swale and the left an equally disastrous bunker. The green, while legendary for its subsurface, is actually among the least interesting on the course, highlighted by a ridge across the middle that is responsible for its famous (supposed) roots.

After another quality short par-4 back up the hill and a long par-5 sweeping back to the clubhouse, the course reaches another pivotal point at the par-3 tenth. A long and demanding one-shotter, the tenth puts to bed any notion that the Links has given all it can give in the opening act. After placing a fairway wood around the surprisingly small putting surface, players are challenged to get up-and-down in order to get down in par. Of course there is the option of simply hitting the green in regulation but with the tees a good 240 yards from the flag, one has to consider reality before entertaining such thoughts.

The 11th is again a classic Langford hole. Stretching to just 510 yards, the short par-5 is reachable for all but the shortest of hitters. As with many holes on the Links course, the placement of the tee shot sets up the scoring possibilities on the 11th. Drives that successfully take on the steep slope to the right are rewarded with a big bounce down the fairway, aided by a slope that puts the successful tee shot into position for a go at the green. Guarded by a steep slope and cross bunkers on both sides, the entry way makes any attempt at the green a risky proposition.

The 11th exemplifies the notion of "high point to high point", making great use of the property's sweeping terrain

After the scoring opportunity that is the 11th, a Biarritz-style par-3 awaits at the 12th. Stretching to 183 yards and guarded by bunkers left, right, and long, the 12th is as fun a one-shotter at there is at Lawsonia and for the design enthusiast, as fun as there is in the Midwest.

The 13th heads southward toward the forest, meandering between a steep slope right and a set of bunkers left as it reaches the summit before sweeping down into a massive valley that is a collection area for lay-up shots that lack strategic thought. While this slope aids the player with yardage, those who try to get close in two are often left with an uneven lie and an uphill approach to a green that slopes steeply back down into the gully, making even the slightest of mishits a potential disaster. 

While the majority of the course is devoid of tree-lining, the 14th is an exception to this wonderful rule. Although a solid and enjoyable one-shotter on its own, the 154 yard par-3 detracts from the open nature of the layout and seems out of place every time you play it. 

Thankfully the trip back into the woods last just a single hole before the final trip around the property begins at the fifteenth tee. The first of consecutive uphill par-4's, the 15th is the beginning of a closing stretch that adds unadulterated difficulty to a course that otherwise seems to provoke thought rather than fear. Again the green at 15 is guarded by a trio of bunkers and a steep front slope, challenging players to execute not only a tee shot to the fairway but also a mid-iron approach off of a fairly uneven lie.

The 16th is just plain tough. Once again playing back up the slope toward the northern portion of the property, the 444-yard par-4 is without question the most difficult two-shotter on the Links course. A bunker short of the fairway serves simply to blind out the right hand side from the tee, making the fairway seem minuscule and forcing tee shots toward the left side of the fairway and an inset of deep rough. Tee shots that successfully navigate the long rough down the left side are rewarded with an open, albeit lengthy, approach at another elevated putting surface. Those who play over the short bunker are blocked out by another set of cross bunkers short of the green, the blind nature of their approach countered by the easier angle from the right side of the fairway toward a green that slopes generally from back left to front right. 

The hidden bunker right of the 17th adds character to an otherwise bland penultimate hole

After a relatively benign 17th, players reach the tee at the long par-5 18th. Starting at the northernmost portion of the back nine, the finale takes players back down toward the clubhouse, with the forest and Green Lake serving as backdrop to as good a finishing hole as there is in the state of Wisconsin.

The par-5 18th caps off one of the best walks in American golf

At 580 yards, the 18th is the first of the par-5's at Lawsonia that is truly unreachable, often playing into the prevailing southern wind during the summertime. The tee shot must navigate between a set of bunkers, one sand and one grass, before setting up a second shot that is far from routine. With another set of offset cross bunkers guarding the layup, the 18th requires complete focus and precision to set up a scoring opportunity with the approach. Players who successfully take on the right hand bunker are left with an open approach to a green guarded by deep bunkering on both sides and sloping from right-to-left. Approach shots played from the right side are able to avoid dealing with the false front on the left, making birdie much more attainable.

Lawsonia lacks much of what the golf industry looks for today: location, clubhouse, greenery, trees. But while it may lack the resort qualities of Kohler, it can go toe-to-toe with Pete Dye's masterpieces down State Highway 23 when it comes to quality of design. The Links Course at Lawsonia is everything golf should be: entertaining, thought-provoking, and beautiful in its simplicity. 

The First Review- Old Elm Club

Old Elm in Highland Park, Illinois is one of the most storied clubs in a Chicagoland golf scene loaded with golf clubs of great distinction. But despite having 18 holes routed by H.S. Colt and constructed under the supervision of the legendary architect Donald Ross, the club is known in the North Shore simply for its all-male membership, a dubious distinction shared by other Chicago-area greats Bob O' Link (also in Highland Park), Black Sheep, and Butler National. In fact, these four clubs represent a full one-sixth of the estimated 24 clubs nationwide that remain off limits for those of the female gender.

Politics and gender relations aside, Old Elm is a course that needs to be seen by more of the true golfing world. Its 6465 yards of pure design genius receive less play than virtually any golf course in the world. With just 40 members reportedly on the club's roster (almost all "old money" names such as the Marshall Fields family), the opportunity to find yourself a coveted guest spot is highly limited. Given that many of those members play primarily at other clubs (read "co-gender"), it is no surprise that even on a Saturday morning the course is largely empty.

Thanks to an outing at Shoreacres (the orignal plan for our Monday jaunt) and another at Onwentsia, I found myself on the doorsteps of Old Elm late on a Monday afternoon a few weeks back. The club I have caddied at for the last decade, Ravinia Green (nothing to write about), was closed for an outing so myself and a few fellow caddies decided to try working our way onto another area club for a twilight round.

After a while spent searching for someone, with or without authority (the tales of emptiness are certainly true on Monday afternoon), we finally found the Monday starter and were told to wait for a group to make the turn but that after they did, we could get going on the back nine.

From the first ball struck on the 10th tee to the final shot into the 2nd green (before a massive thunderstorm cut the period of nirvana short), Old Elm was everything I have come to expect and love from a Ross-constructed gem.

The 10th gets the backside going with a bang. Despite being listed as a par-5 on the scorecard, it plays as a long par-4 in the modern game at just under 480 yards. With the tee shot seemingly forced toward the trees on the right-hand side by a set of bunkers on the left side of the fairway, Ross immediately plays tricks on the mind and challenges players to risk a bunkery fate in order to avoid being blocked out without a angle from the right. Up at the green there is the first of several push-up surfaces, leaving no doubt whose hand was responsible for this gem of a golf course.

After making the 10-foot walk over to the 11th tee, players once again find their knowledge of the course and skill in execution put to the test. Fairway bunkers on the right side force tee shots toward the left-hand side, again preventing those afraid to test the bunkers from having a clean look over the cross bunkers and onto the relatively flat green. One of the longer two-shotters on the course, the 11th requires a well played mid-to-long iron approach into a green that runs from front to back, guarded by a fairly benign sandy patch on the right side. 

The 12th is a quintessential Ross short par-4

But it is holes such as the 12th that make Donald Ross' designs stand the test of time. Playing just under 320 yards from the medal tees, the short par-4 occupies one of the flattest spots on the course and lacks much of the natural undulation that aids the rest of the layout. Yet the placement of the bunkering (challenging players to hug the OB line down the left) and the two oaks on the right side (preventing the "bomb and recover" approach available far too often at modern courses) put a player's ability to devise and execute on a strategy to the test. 

The pushed-up nature and angle of the green prevent run-up shots played with anything less than perfect control, sending misplayed shots off to the right and back down the front side with unexpected speed. One of the favorite mantras of Ross was that a course should be made to allow for "an easy bogey but a tough par". I cannot think of a better example of this than the 12th at Old Elm.

Fast forward to the 15th and you find yet another brilliant short two-shotter. Again under the 330 yard mark, the 15th tests strategy and execution on both drive and approach. With the left-hand bunker eliminating any hope of a successful tee shot played with the driver (something I found out the hard way), placement is at a premium. An oak tree guarding the right side of the putting surface makes any shot played from the right side of the fairway difficult to get close, forcing tee shots to challenge the fairway bunker in order to open up the totality of the green for an approach. 

The 15th is yet another par-4 that thoroughly tests strategy

 

After a solid par-5 back up the hill toward the clubhouse, players are faced with one of the best one-shotters in the Chicago area. The recently-restored 17th is more a product of Colt than Ross, designed in the "redan" style with a series of mounds creating a cascade down from the high side on the right of the green to a swale on the lower left than separates the putting surface from that of the adjacent 6th. 

Balls left short of the green leave the player with a nearly impossible pitch to the back left pin location, with balls seemingly unwilling to stop dead on their way down the massive slope toward the backside swale.

The 18th makes great use of the natural undulations and in quintessential Ross style, employs 2 unique cross bunkers to impede the view of players on both tee shot on approach at the long par-4. Once the drive and long iron approach have been navigated, the green is one of the more tame surfaces on the course, allowing players to give it a go for a closing birdie or par save. 

The 1st gets players out in a smooth fashion. The short three-shotter features a wide landing area and offers one of the best opportunities to put up a red number on the scorecard, something Ross tended to like to offer early in a player's round. 

As for the rest of the front nine, mother nature apparently had other plans. As much as I was disappointed not to see the rest of Old Elm, I just hope it gives me reason enough to make my way back sometime in the near future. Given that I dont even know the name of a single member, that ambition is pretty daring. Then again, Mondays are indeed there for a reason.