Riverside Golf Course | Janesville, WI | Par 72

Riverside offers five sets of tees, introducing a longer Black tee in 2022. The new setup stretches the course out to 6,508 yards. There are a few spots where the course can get a little claustrophobic, though the trees do a pretty good job of keeping the holes separated. The worst spot is after the fifth hole, where you are routed right in front of the first tee, causing some potential calamities for the unknowing cart driver. Not wide open, not too tight, Janesville Riverside is just right. This municipal golf course is fully equipped with large trees guarding many fairways. Keep your ball away from those trees, and scoring becomes very possible. Drive the ball crookedly, and you’ll spend your day working on your punch out game. The back nine introduces some of the more interesting designs. The par-5 10th has an extreme elevation climb over the last third of the hole, making approaches, and even layups, almost completely blinds. You have to use the trees to gauge your line. Perhaps more notable than the 10th is the par-3 12th hole. It measures right around 100 yards, but there’s something that grabs your attention right away – a very large, tall tree the seems to protect the green. Don’t worry, though. A well hit shot from a club that is appropriate for the yardage means that tree shouldn’t be in play.

I would describe the condition of Riverside as solid in every aspect. There are quite a lot of trees, so that presents some challenges when maintaining turf in shaded areas, but if you’re hitting out of the trees all day, that’s kind of your fault. The rough is very playable, so the holes are wider than the fairways themselves. Bunkers offer more compacted sand, which I prefer. The greens can have some bite to them if you’re not paying attention. They’re rather large, and relatively straightforward, but can be tough to handle if you’re above the hole in certain locations.

Update 6/1/2025: Riverside is undergoing a complete overhaul of their bunkers this spring/summer. All bunkers are deemed to be ground under repair, some more obviously than others. While we were there, we saw different bunkers in different stages of the renovation process. If you hit your ball into one that has the gravel lining down, you have to just leave your ball in there, as they don’t want people to walk in those at all. I don’t know the exact date for estimated completion.

The driving range at Riverside feels like an afterthought. It’s a ways away from the clubhouse, and it essentially in the middle of a field of grass. Not only is this not ideal for people on the range, it can be problematic if you hit your tee shot left on hole #5. The range restricts you to 220 yards or less, so that means a lot of players aren’t supposedly to be hitting driver on it. The primary practice green is fine, but relatively small and on basically a single slant. It’s also pretty close to the first tee box, which can make you feel like you might be in a bit of danger. There is a second green that I never see anyone on, so I’m not sure of its exact purpose.

Riverside offers an effective, no-frills clubhouse, though it does feel pretty dated. It has everything you need for your day on the course in the way of gear, and the snack bar area is well-equipped with the basics. The is a nice open area with a television and views of the course if you want to eat and drink inside.

The carts, in general, have seen better days. They run, they do what they need to do, but that’s about it. I have seen a few instances where straps have failed, losing bags in the dust.

I’m not sure what it is, but the pro shop staff is so friendly and accommodating. Golf can have a stuffy feel to it, but that is not the feeling at Riverside, and I like it. There’s a starter near the first tee about half the time, so it’s tough to say how much they really help.

With the cost of greens fees in the area exploding since the COVID pandemic, Riverside remains one of the best values in the area. Even at the most peak time, you’re not going to be too far from $50 for 18 holes with a cart, and you can find plenty of better deals if you wait until the afternoon on weekends. Of course, they are prominent int he coupon world, and even offer some discounts if you take the surveys they occasionally send after completed rounds.

Riverside has a few more challenging holes sprinkled in, but overall, it’s very playable if you can hit it relatively straight off the tee. It’s not too long, even from the tips, and has good-sized, receptive greens. The thing that can get you in trouble is the trees. Many holes have trees not too far off of both sides of the fairway, meaning a crooked tee shot could leave you stymied, forced to simply punch out. Also, in the summertime, they can get those greens rolling pretty quick, so pay attention.

I enjoy Riverside because I know I have a good chance to score if I am swinging well. It starts with the pro shop staff, who I have found to be among the most friendly, laid back people around. From there, it’s just a casual round on a nice muni course. The par-5s aren’t overly short, but I feel like they present good birdie opportunities. Finally, like them or hate them, there are some memorable holes here. Where it be a dramatic uphill approach on the par-5 10th, or having to hit over a huge tree on the par-3 12th. Lastly, wildlife is a regular sighting on the course. I have often seen deer, and even had an encounter with a red fox that looked very intrigued by a ball sitting in the bunker. I am always up for playing Riverside.

Hole #17 is a short par-4 that takes a severe right-hand turn into a hidden green that is protected by a front bunker. It’s taken me a while to figure out how to play this one effectively. It’s so short, people want to try and cut off as much as they can. Problem is, if you miss right at all, you will be lucky to have any sort of shot amongst the many trees. Play up the fairway – you want to play as far down the fairway as you can to improve the angle in. From there, I just think it’s a fun shot into a deceptive green. If you miss the green with your approach, there are opportunities to show off your short-game creativity, and I think that’s pretty fun.

The par-4 16th is a stern test on the back nine at Riverside. It plays near 450 yards from the tips, putting an emphasis on a good tee shot. The hole sets you up to aim at the trees to the left. There’s a large fairway bunker where the hole bends back to the right (where you’ll find more trees), making an aggressive line seem more daunting. If you find the fairway with anything less than a very strong drive and you’ll have a longer club in. There are a couple of bunkers short of the green that are waiting to snag a poor approach. The slightly-raised green has a big ridge in it, so failure to find the correct level makes two-putting more challenging. It is one that just requires multiple quality shots to make par.

You’ll never forget the par-3 12th after you’ve played it. That might be a good thing, that might not. Anyone that has played Riverside certainly has an opinion on the short par-3 with a big ol’ tree right in front of the green. It’s an…interesting look. It definitely grabs your attention and adds that sense of fear, which many golfers don’t like. I don’t mind the hole when I get to it. After all, it’s just a wedge and the tree shouldn’t have an impact. But it’s a goofy hole, and I know enough people that truly dislike it to claim it is the worst hole at Riverside.

What a day at Riverside Golf Course! First off, it was HOT. Thankfully there was a little breeze now and then and the humidity wasn’t at full capacity, but it was a warm one. The day started with amazing customer service, as I somehow managed to book my round at Blackhawk instead of Riverside. The check-in person and starter were awesome in getting us squeezed in on a busy Sunday morning. The course was like usual – in very nice shape. The greens rolled well, but they weren’t as fast as I would expect in the middle of the summer. We saw a family of deer, including four or five youngsters on the 14th hole. We also saw me nearly hole out twice in a three-hole span. All in all, three birdies on the day and a final score of 74 after bogeys on #1 and #2.