GOLF DIGEST 2017/2018
#59 LAWSONIA LINKS
Lawsonia Links has been on my list for years. The first time I saw it in pictures, I was mesmerized by the steep banks and tilted greens. It’s the type of place that caters explicitly to a player of my abilities. Since the course has never been touched up or lengthened, my 220/230 yard drives fit in perfectly with the challenges Langford and Moreau intended.
(The 439/406 yard sixth is one of the best holes in Wisconsin. A large diagonal mound urges golfers to drive down the left, but two sets of bunkers await...
...this view from behind shows the wonderful contour of the green. A low area back left can provide a great hole location.)
To understand Lawsonia, one must really see the geometric mounds that cut into the fairway and dictate play. With sand short of them, any ball that finds this hazard turns into a pitch out. This is the par five fifth, and one can see how the mound not only blocks depth perception, but steers play toward another mound bunker short right.
If one can overcome his fear and carry it, then it’s possible to find the green. This is the beauty of Langford and Moreau’s course.
The greens are pushed up and have steep sides with traps below them. Precision with one’s irons is needed to take on pins cut close to the edges. 
If your ball gets too close to the slope, it might prove difficult to get it on the green.
(The infamous “Boxcar Hole” where reputedly Langford placed a green atop a boxcar from the railroad...
...the view from behind reveals no solace for those trying to take an extra club. At 161/146 yards, this suppose birdie hole is anything but easy.)
Langford and Moreau did not adhere to any set of rules regarding par. They routed courses with the goal of finding the best holes available in the land. One particular six hole stretch has no par fours. From nine to fourteen it goes 5-3-5-3-5-3.
(The 568/556 yard thirteenth rolls downhill before finishing at an elevated green. This pic is 150 yards away and one can see how getting closer leaves a blind third shot.)
(The short par three fourteenth is 154/139 yards. The pin in pic can be attacked by hitting short and letting it bounce on. As the pin rotates along the right edge, players need to be more aggressive otherwise a difficult two putt across the green awaits.)
This duo is credited with over 200 courses, and many consider Lawsonia to be their best. Most of their work is found in the Great Plains and Midwest so they have largely gone unnoticed by most golfers. If one should find himself out in Wisconsin, whether in the Dells, or Milwaukee, a trip to Lawsonia will not disappoint. I give it a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours).
(The 580/490 yard eighteenth is a muscular par five with an incredible green. From the tips, this finishing requires two struck shots to leave a short iron third. Birdies are well earned, but bogey and even doubles are much more common.)
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