Glen Erin Golf Club | Janesville, WI | Par 71

There’s a good amount of elevation change throughout the course, and you’ll have to contend with serious undulation on most of the greens. The course is pretty wide open, minus a few holes on the back, so this is a bomber’s paradise. There’s not a lot of penalty for hitting it offline, especially since a lot of the fescue grass was trimmed back. Throughout the course, there are a lot of dramatic shots along with a good opportunity to score. A solid layout that keeps golfers separated well, except for the area between holes 8 and 9, where the layup area for 8 and the teeing destination for 9 meld into one large expanse. Be careful on this one. I wish there was more than one par-5 on the front, and I wish there was a way to make hole #12 a little fairer.

Glen Erin sets a high bar when it comes to overall course condition. This is a course I play more than once a year, and I cannot recall a time where I left thinking anything other than positive thoughts about the condition of the course. The greens roll well and are consistent. The only real spot that has trouble is an area on the back nine that is tucked in between a lot of trees, but that’s pretty much to be expected.

I am not a big fan of ranges that go severely downhill, because it’s tough to gauge how far I’m hitting the ball, but the range is large, has good turf available and backs right up to the parking lot. The practice green is medium-sized, but does a good job of preparing you for what you’ll see on the course, offering big ridges and undulation.

Glen Erin’s clubhouse looks great from the outside, and they now offer quite a bit more on the property for events. The pro shop is pretty small and is in the same building with the Celtic House restaurant, which offers some good food options.

The carts at Glen Erin leave a little to be desired. The last few times, I’ve had carts that struggle to get started and sound like they need some serious help. They don’t have GPS, either, so make sure you have another option available.

I’ve had some limited encounters with the pros at Glen Erin, and they seem to be top notch. There’s usually a starter before the first tee, and I find they add to the experience with their attitude and information and they keep things moving well. The beverage carts don’t seem to get around as well as you’d like.

When I think of a course that I’d be willing to pay a little more for, Glen Erin usually comes to mind. They use dynamic pricing, so you get the best price when booking online, and it’s usually around $60-$65 for a weekend round of 18 with a cart. Many of the golf discount programs around the state – Bucky Book, Group Golfer, Wisconsin Classic Tour, etc. – are available at Glen Erin, so a good value gets even better.

Glen Erin is a pretty tame course, overall. There’s not a drop of water on the course and the layout is more forgiving with the fescue down. However, there are some spots that can really test you, and if the wind blows on the mostly wide-open property, it can make things pretty tough. Holes 12 and 15 are two of the toughest par-4s around, and both par-5s on the back, 10 and 18, are no gimmes for a par. Most of the real challenge comes on the back.

Glen Erin is one of my go-to courses because it’s such a blast to play. And that’s before you even consider the short flagsticks they have (yes, they have really short flagsticks, and it makes things that much more fun). But seriously, the course eases you into your round, which I love, and from there gives a good mixture of holes. For the most part, you can rip driver all day long, and what’s more fun than that? Add in a good price and excellent course conditions, and it’s one I rave about to people.

Hole #5 is a par-4 that used to be quite a bit more daunting, but the course cut down a lot of the tall grass that grew down the right side of the hole. By allowing for a more forgiving driving area, this dogleg right is now one I look forward to. From the tee, you see the fairway and a large patch of tall trees to the right. With the long grass gone, I can take the OB left of the fairway out of play and cut off some of the yardage and, as a high-ball hitter, blast it right over top of the trees. A well-hit drive shouldn’t leave you more than a short iron in.

Hole #15 is a long, tree-lined par-4 that puts a premium on the tee shot. The fairway plays down the hill, so you’ll get some roll and extra distance on shots that find the short grass, but you can’t lay back too far just to keep the ball in play. Standing on the tee is pretty intimidating, because it’s dead to right and dead to the left, so there’s really only one option. Once you’re in play, a large tree near the green protects the putting surface, which is long and sloped from back to front. Other than that, it’s pretty simple.

Hole #12 is a lot like hole #15, but it feels like an unfair hole. It’s tree-lined on both sides, and the fairway is not receptive to tee shots, and they will often veer off to one side or the other, leaving you with no real approach shot to the green, or even nothing more than a punch out. If you manage to keep your tee shot in the fairway, you might still not have a clear shot to the green due to large, overhanging trees that squeeze the airspace above the fairway. Any shot is risky, as clipping a branch could result in a bad kick and another punch out or a lost ball. Glen Erin is one of my favorite courses in the area, but I really dislike this hole and am ecstatic if I can take a bogey and move on.

It normally doesn’t take me four months to get back to Glen Erin, but that’s the way things worked out this year. The day I waited for was truly spectacular. Cooler temps than in recent weeks, and far less humidity made the very calm conditions extremely enjoyable. I started things off with a great drive on e 1 and an approach to about eight feet. But like normal, I am unable to convert those chances with any regularity. The front nine saw a lot of good play, mixed in with a few bad holes. The back nine, as usual, proved tougher and I rode the bogey train for awhile. We had a relatively new golfer in our group, and he more than held his own. As usual, it was a good day at Glen Erin.