Ironwood Golf Course (Birr/Callow)| Sussex, WI | Par 72

A lot of variety and a number of blind shots are featured on this combo of Ironwood. I started on the Birr course, and the thing that stuck out was how much trouble, namely water, there was out of sight until you got to it. This lends to being a little more conservative off the tee. More experience would have been a bonus. Birr had a lot of slope and elevation, and Callow had even more. Even nine had some shorter par-4s and ones that were very difficult. The Callow offered a few holes carved out of the forest, which weren’t my favorite. They didn’t seem to really fit in with the rest of the course design. Overall, I thought the course was challenging, but playable, with a good amount of drama and great scenery.

Ironwood is a well-maintained property, and clearly is adept at handling water, because it rained for about 90 minutes before I finally got to start my round. You couldn’t hardly tell it had rained (and rained a good amount in the prior weeks) outside of the greens being a tad on the slower side. Everything was what you’d expect on an above-average golf course, minus the sand being a little sparse in some of the bunkers I found.

The practice areas are solid, but unspectacular. There is a range away from the clubhouse, through the parking lot. There’s also a mid-sized chipping and putting green right off the clubhouse. It has what you need to get loosened up for a round, but not exactly what you’d want if you were looking just for a practice session.

The pro shop is on the lower level of the clubhouse building, and is best entered by going down and around to the backside, but you can get there by going int he front entrance and down the stairs, too. The pro shop itself is wide open and handles crowds pretty well. Also on the lower level is an open bar area with plenty of tables and seating. On the backside of the lower level is a ledge that provides shelter and shade, which came in especially handy during the rain delay.

The carts handled well and were clean, but there wasn’t anything more to them. When I saw that they charged $26 to rent the cart, I expected they would have GPS inside, but they didn’t. Not a huge deal, as I always bring my own, but a bit of a disconnect between price and product.

First off, they were well-staffed, which was really nice when all the players had to come off the course for a couple hours due to weather. There were multiple people to check you in, multiple people at the bar area. There was a starter that, amongst the chaos of a weather delay, did a great job of keeping things organized and moving. The was a beverage cart out on the course that we saw multiple times, which isn’t a small feat on a busy day like Father’s Day. All in all, I thought the staff was very solid at Ironwood.

Ironwood represents a good value for such a quality golf course. I am less familiar with courses towards Milwaukee, but I was expecting to pay more than $75 to play 18 on a Sunday. They do really get you on the golf cart, charging $26 per person for an 18-hole rental.

Both the Birr and the Callow courses offered a good amount of challenge, though I would say the Birr was a little more consistently tough. There was water on several holes, as well as several blind shots that could leave you in a bad position if you weren’t sure where you were going. I thought the layout favored being conservative off the tee in most cases, making the distance seem a little longer, though it still wasn’t too long. The Callow starts you off with a few of the easier holes on the property, but gets tougher in the middle, including the toughest holes through the woods. Throughout your round, you have to be able to control your ball pretty well, and have a good understanding of how to get around the course. The greens were pretty straightforward, which was a nice break.

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Hole #3 (Callow) is a big dogleg-left par-5, that strongly encourages a right-to-left shot of the tee. This was one where my eyes got pretty big from the tee box, as a draw is encouraged, but there’s plenty of room right if you bail out. From there, the hole is pretty straightforward and wide open.

Hole #6 (Birr) is a par-5 with a blind, uphill tee shot, but pops when you get to the top of the hill. It’s a dramatic downhill approach that is the ultimate risk/reward, with a pond protecting the front of the green.

Hole #7 (Callow) was the toughest hole on the property, in my opinion. It’s an uphill, dogleg right par-5 that is carved out of the woods. You need to be precise with every shot, because if you’re offline a little bit, your next shot could be affected by overhanding branches and the hole squeezes past the midway point. The approach shot, still uphill, has to contend with a large bunker in front. You might see par-5 that is just under 500 yards on the card and think about birdie, but this one is very demanding.

Hole #3 (Birr) is a good embodiment of the course, as it offers a beautiful view from the tee and a lot of trouble lurking (both seen and unseen). The first step is to get your ball in play and avoid the large amount of water. You can miss farther left than I realized, so that’s the safer play. Fron there, your layup shot is no gimme, as well-placed trees and more water on both sides make things challenging. The green complex is mounded, with shots missed to the left likely to find a watery grave. This is a tough, three-shot par-5 that is very easy to post a big number on.

Hole #8 (Callow) is a short, downhill par-4 that is carved out of the woods. I feel like this hole was really forced is meant to confuse the player more than anything. You really don’t need to hit anything more than 150-yard shot off the tee, and being in position is the most important thing. I am just not a fan of a hole this quirky, and I managed to make birdie on it.

Visited Ironwood for the first time in over six years to play on Father’s Day with my son. The place was packed, and about 10 minutes after we arrived, the rain started. We had about a 90-minute delay, but the staff handled it very well. Once on the course, I remembered some of the holes and was very impressed with just about everything about it. We played with another father/son pairing, and we thoroughly enjoyed the round with them. Had some ups and downs, but finished strong with a birdie and par to close.