Lawsonia Links.

Date Played: 10/17/25

Location: Green Lake, WI

Yardage: 6,585 yards, 72.0/133

Architects: Langford & Moreau

Greens Fees: $90 dollars including cart, GPS, range balls

Lawsonia Links is located in Green Lake, about 2 hours northwest from Milwaukee. It's a bit of a haul, and after a few beers the night before with an old friend and a shitty night of sleep, I was definitely not operating at 100%. Lawsonia is an original Langford & Moreau design that is basically untouched since the original design. This has become exceedingly rare in course design, as often times today new architects are brought in for renovations and put their own spin on the course, whether that be changing the greens/bunkering, adding tee boxes, widening fairways, etc. Often times this is necessary as a way to compensate for the modern era of golf equipment and added distance. Lawsonia has stuck to the original design however, and it has become a landmark in Wisconsin golf.

The course is really known for its green complexes and unique bunkering. Simply put, these were some of the wildest greens I have ever played. They were never unfair, and in true links fashion, played firm and fast. Often times you could be putting up or down a ridge of several feet to a pin cut on that ridge. The bunkering was also very interesting, often times with 7+ feet fall offs from an elevated green down to the bunkers. And there were no shortage of bunkers on this course. Many greens were completely surrounded by bunkers on all sides, putting a premium on accuracy with your approach. If you got in a greenside bunker, often times you'd do well just to hold the green and leave yourself a 40 footer. As it's a wide open course and not overly long, it makes sense that the green complexes would be the courses primary defense. As I said, it never felt unfair, and a good player could go low here if precise with their approaches.One of the challenging things about links golf is that the holes all kind of blend together. If I am being 100% honest, the only hole that really stands out to me was the #7, a beautiful 155 yard par 3. It featured a severe drop off on the right side, making the hole extremely difficult if you end up over there. From the tee box, it was deceiving as to how much space you had to miss on the left. It looked like a narrow yet deep landing area, however the left side was fairly generous if you took the time to scope it out before your shot. I played it safe to the left side and ended up slightly long, tugging an 8 iron just over the back. From there I was able to get up and down for par, one of the few times I did so on the day.

It was a frustrating round of golf at times, only due to my ball striking being slightly off. It was evident from the range session that I would be fighting it a bit that day, with a case of the lefts going with the irons. I played with Rob and Jared, a father son duo from the Milwaukee area. Both were nice guys and Jared played a great round, shooting 76. I enjoyed the course and am glad I played it, but I think I am still trying to acquire the taste for links golf currently. It rewards great iron play above all else, and is extremely penal if you don't control your ball. We all played from the whites, which were ~6500 yards with a course rating of 72 and slop of 133, reflecting the challenging nature of the course. I ended up shooting an 89, my only saving grace being a handful of pars I was able to make throughout the day. The course itself was a fun layout and had it's charm, and I could see why some love it. Don't expect to be wowed by the amenities at Lawsonia, it's all about the golf course here. The GPS on my cart didn't even work, and the range and putting green were really poor for a course of this renown. The course does not even feature a place to practice your short game, which is surprising.

Scorecard

Layout: 6/10. Tee to green can feel repetitive. Green complexes were great.

Condition: 7/10. For the price, it was really good. Bunkers were inconsistent.

Amenities: 5/10. Poor driving range and no chipping area. Cart GPS didn't work.

Value: 10/10. For $90 with cart included, it's a great value.

Total: 28/40. I liked it, I didn't love it. Worth making the trip but not one I will revisit.