Edelweiss Chalet Country Club | New Glarus, WI | Par 72

Trees and elevation change are the primary natural features of Edelweiss Chalet. Both sides start with a downhill tee shot, while they each conclude with a severely uphill approach. All that up-and-down produces some beautiful views, so be sure to look around while you traverse the course. The course isn’t particularly tight, but half the par-4s and par-5s have substantial trees on at least one side of the fairway, so you can’t just bomb it off the tee without concern. The back nine is considerably more difficult, in my opinion, so don’t let up after making the turn. Overall, the course does a nice job of keeping the holes separated and providing that feel of seclusion.

Edelweiss is one of the best courses in terms of condition that I play on a regular basis, and it keeps me coming back. Because of that, the near hour-long drive I have to make is rarely a deterrent. It’s really just all you can ask for from a golf course that won’t break the bank. The greens are good, and clearly the regulars take care of them, because they’re not suffering from a barrage of ball mark scars. The turf both in the fairways and the rough is consistently excellent, so you get what you deserve based on where you hit it. If you haven’t played this course, you should.

The practice green area seems like an afterthought at Edelweiss. It’s really small, really slanted and placed really close to the first tee. If you hit your practice putts from above the hole, you might think the greens are super fast, when they’re actually not. There’s also not a lot of room to hit anything more than very short chips, which I find to be a major downer. The range is a little hike away from the clubhouse, and is also in need of some TLC. The range balls seem like a walk down golf ball memory lane of the early 2000s. You will hit off mats year-round at the Edelweiss range.

A modest pro shop inside a good-sized clubhouse provides all you need before or after your round. The bar serves some limited, but quality food options and all the drink options you could want. Unfortunately, I’ve spent too much time waiting out rainstorms in there, but I can say it’s a comfortable space.

I don’t have a lot that stands out to me in my interactions with specific staff members at Edelweiss. Service in the bar area is a little slow, and the beverage cart coverage leaves something to be desired, though it was much better on my last visit. Hopefully that’s an improvement that continues.

I don’t know how old the carts are, but they’re probably in line for a replacement. They are no frills carts that will get you from point A to point B, but the last few times I’ve been there, the ride wasn’t a real smooth one. No GPS, so make sure you bring your own, if that’s something you want.

A weekend round of 18 with a cart on a course that is in this good of a shape doesn’t normally come in under $70 in the Madison area, but Edelweiss does. They include Fridays in their weekday rate, so that’s an even better deal. Edelweiss again has coupons in the Bucky Book for 2024 that can make things very reasonable, assuming you’re playing within their time limitations, but they are pretty reasonable (weekends after 1 pm).

Edelweiss starts you off pretty easy, but quickly shows you another side on the difficult par-4 2^nd. From that point on, there’s a really good mixture of difficult and easier holes, that has you hitting different clubs and a variety of shots. Several holes have some severe elevation change, which makes picking the right club a challenge. If you stay out of the trees, you’ll find yourself with a lot of good chances to score. The greens roll well and are fair, except for the last two, which are diabolical. Be below the hole! Finally, make your hay on the front nine, because scoring is tougher on the back.

Edelweiss is just a fun course to play. It’s never overrun with mobs of players, so you don’t have to worry about five-hour rounds, though I have found tee times are getting tougher the past few years. The course is in good shape and in a beautiful setting. The par-5s are reachable in two, and there are some good, solid par-3s. In general, the course allows for a good variety of how to play many of the holes, so you can play it differently each time, which I think is a excellent feature.

I like a lot holes at Edelweiss, but none of them really “wow” me in a positive way. That said, starting your round with a downhill tee shot and a pretty awesome view gets my vote here. #1 is a short hole, made even shorter by the severe drop from tee to fairway. It’s got more room to the left than it seems, so go ahead and swing away. A large, straight-forward green allows you to be aggressive on your approach, so you can hopefully get your round off to a good start.

There are quite a few holes on the back nine that have given me my share of trouble, but #10 seems to regularly get me off to a bad start. It begins with a tee shot that looks harder than it is, with trees all down the right side and the hole seemingly back behind them. Play conservatively (but not too conservatively, because you might not be able to see the green) and try to stay left of center to give yourself the best shot at the elevated green. A long iron and a short iron should get the job done, but if you get off course at all, this one will really bite you. The green is severely raised and back into the tree line, so any misplayed shots into it might not be received too well and leave you scrambling.

Edelweiss has been one of my favorite “off-the-beaten track” courses for a number of years now, but #18 always leaves me shaking my head. It’s a short par-4 that pretty much takes driver out of your hand off the tee. That’s fine. I don’t mind playing a variety of clubs throughout a round. The hole really begins with the approach shot to a severely elevated green. You really can’t see anything even from 100 yards out, which makes things pretty difficult. If you leave your shot short, you’ll be repelled back down the hill. If you go over the green, that will make things very difficult, too. The real problem is the green. It is treacherous and really leaves no room for error. Even a quality approach doesn’t eliminate the high rate for three putts, and nobody likes walking off the 18^th with a three-putt.

Hard to believe that it took until August for me to get to Edelweiss this year, but that speaks to the large number of excellent places to play. I thought the course was in magnificent condition, even a little better than I remembered. The greens weren’t overly quick, but they weren’t slow, especially considering the amount of rain south central Wisconsin has gotten recently. They rolled really nicely. A weird thing that stood out to me, especially since I wasn’t in many, was the bunkers. They looked really nice and the sand was great. As for my performance, it was far from great, as mediocrity ruled the day. the highlight was the pace of play, as we never waited on anyone and never had anyone waiting on us. We were in a nice little bubble, and it was a real pleasure to play in. Also, I used a Bucky Book coupon, which meant $50 for 18 holes on a cart on a Sunday – you can’t beat that!