The Golf Courses of Lawsonia (Woodlands) | Green Lake, WI | Par 72

A lot about the Lawsonia Links takes you back to a simpler time, including its antique-like bunker rakes. It’s wide fairways and large, raised greens give you a feeling of comfort. On most places of the course, you can see everything that’s in front of you and what you may have to deal with. Trees are limited, so it’s a round played on a seemingly endless prairie of grass, with some occasional long grass popping up to punish a misplayed shot. Examining scorecards from the past few years show a slight lengthening of the course, as it reaches near 7,000 yards from the tips. The yardage doesn’t really explain the challenge of the course, and the length shouldn’t overwhelm players. There are just four tees and five total setups, so choose wisely. Lawsonia Links is a second-shot course, that requires you to hit to correct portions of the green, or, if you’re struggling to hit the green, avoid certain areas that will quickly inflate your score. Many of the greens are severely elevated and are protected on all sides with bunkers. The first hole will introduce you to what you are in store for, as any shot over the large, slanted surface drops of about 15 feet, leaving you with a blind chip or bunker shot to a green that is slanted away, and usually pretty darn fast. Blind shots are found more on those shots around the greens and on approaches, but there are a few tee shots that require you to commit to a line that you have no way of knowing if it’s any good. The back nine, which welcomes you with a par-3 that measures about 240 yards from the tips, is a 3-3-3 setup, and feels longer than the front. Maybe that’s because the longest par-3, par-4 and par-5 are all on that second nine. If it’s windy, it could be either a major deterrent or blessing, depending on the hole you’re on and the wind direction, but one thing for sure is that it will be a factor. The wide-open property doesn’t have much to shelter players.

Lawsonia .

The driving range at Lawsonia can only be described as disappointing. There aren’t a whole lot of hitting stalls, especially for a property with two championship courses, but they are fine. Unfortunately, you hit into a field of longer grass that is extremely uphill. You have no real targets and no perspective on how far your ball is going. There are more stalls on the opposite side of the range, near the 5th fairway of the Links, and while it looks a little better, I have never hit from that side. There is a moderately-sized putting green that offers good slope and undulation to get you prepared for the course. There is some room to chip, but not a lot. It would be nice if the short-game area was a little bigger and included some bunkers, because they are very likely to be part of your round’s future. I have said I don’t go to a golf course for its range, and at least Lawsonia offers players a place to loosen up, but it’s near the bare minimum and I wish it was a little nicer.

You can feel the age of the property when you step into the clubhouse at Lawsonia. They embrace it. There are several old pictures and clubs to look at that make you realize this place has been around for nearly 100 years. The pro shop is larger than average with a lot of apparel available, as well as all the other basics. Any course that has a reputation like Lawsonia should have plenty of trinkets available for a player to commemorate their visit, and that is the case here. Off the pro shop is a restaurant with a great bar area that also has plenty of quick snacks and drinks. If you’re having a meal between or after rounds, the food is quality and the service is quick. There’s an outdoor deck area that has some pretty nice views of the wide-open links. I have seen the restaurant get pretty packed on a Friday afternoon/evening, so keep that in mind if you’re planning to eat there after you play. There are locker rooms down a flight of stairs, but be careful if you’re in golf shoes. Follow those steps and there’s an exit to the putting green to save you a walk around the entire building.

The primary golf carts at Lawsonia are brand new, but they are a very basic model. No GPS, no cooler, no extras at all. They run really well and are in great shape, but one strong opinion I have is that a course that charges over $100 to play should have GPS in the cart. Maybe it’s a call to the nostalgia associated with the place, but GPS just helps everyone. One offbeat plus is that Lawsonia also offers individual motor bikes for those looking to add a little adventure to their round. So if you want to try one, ask check-in desk if any are available and you can be zipping around the wide fairways of Lawsonia Links in no time.

From top to bottom, I found the Lawsonia staff to be excellent, friendly and helpful. I reached out via email and got a quick response to a question I had. The starters located at each first tee were friendly, and helped us move up our second tee time of the day. The people working in the restaurant were very nice, too, and generally seemed on the ball. It was just a really good vibe, and they did their jobs well. The friendliest person may have been the lady manning the snack shop just past the 9th green of the Links. It’s those little positive extras that make Lawsonia a great place to play golf.

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After skipping what had been an annual trip to Lawsonia in 2024, I made the drive to Green Lake to resume the tradition. Few days in the calendar can match playing 36 holes on the day before a three-day weekend, and this year’s visit lived up to the hype. The weather was great, with temps int he low 60s and mostly sunny all day. .