Morningstar Golfers Club | Waukesha, WI | Par 72

Expansive and change of elevation. Those are how I would describe Morningstar Golfers Club in five words or less. It came as no surprise that course was laid out around a former quarry, because so many of the holes feature either a large drop or steep incline. All that elevation change offers several remarkable views of this well-defined layout. The course starts you off with a par-5 – and a tricky one, at that – which is not my favorite thing. But as you start through the front nine, you’ll notice the variety of holes is there, including dogleg rights, dogleg lefts and some straight holes. There are holes where you can truly just bomb it, and others where you have to be more careful and strategic. If you can avoid those major pitfalls, you’ll put yourself in good position for success. However, with elevation change comes some blind shots, so you’ll need to understand your targets as you play. Elevation change around the green is also prominent, so you may have to contend with a number of chip shots that are on a different level. Morningstar offers five tees and a total of eight layouts, so players can choose exactly the right challenge for them.

This is a tough one, because in my experience, most of the course is in very good condition. There are limited worn or thin areas to contend with and the fairways are really solid. However, there are some greens that are really bad, namely the first green. If you’re not expecting it, you might wonder what happened when you get to that first green, but that is by far the worst one. There are still a few (I think I counted five that had serious blemishes) more that have real issues, though, and that does affect the overall feeling you get from the course. If you can get past those, then I think you’ll agree that the rest of the course is in very good condition. I hope that they are able to fix most of the issues and keep doing what they’re doing on the rest of the course.

Morningstar offers a nice long hitting area to a sloped range that has multiple flagged targets. It has different levels to hit from to help preserve the turf. There is a chipping area just off the range. Finally, there’s a putting practice green just off the first tee. I wish there was a little more room in that area, but it serves its purpose. The nice thing is that range balls are included with your greens fee, so whether you want to hit eight balls or 80, the extra cost of a bag of range balls won’t be a deterrent.

The clubhouse has everything you need to enjoy your time at the club. The pro shop isn’t huge, but it’s got a nice selection of items, including all the basics before hitting the course. They offer a wide selection of clubs from all the major brands and a good amount of apparel. Attached to the pro shop is a beautiful bar area that displays their many drink options well. The bar is part of the Hickorysticks restaurant, which offers some quick bites if you’re in a hurry, as well as some more exotic entrees. Finally, there are nice, clean restrooms available.

The carts are pretty basic at Morningstar. I would expect a course like this would have GPS in its carts, but that’s not the case. I think they’re relatively new and ran just fine, but I would like to see the little extras on a course like this.

Morningstar’s staff was friendly on my visit. There has been a starter every time I have been there, so that helps keep things in order and on time. The beverage cart did a good job of making its way around the course and took care of us well. The club’s head pro, Michael Crowley, has some pretty impressive accolades on his resume, so if you’re looking for a place to improve your game, this could be a great option.

If you’re playing during the most peak times, Morningstar can get a little on the pricey side. If you can find a way to take advantage to get outside of those peak times, the value is definitely there, especially on the longer days of summer. Also, range balls are included in the greens fee, which I think should be the industry norm as prices creep towards $100 for 18 holes.

When I replay a round in my head, I don’t think of Morningstar as being tight or especially demanding off the tee. Fairways are pretty wide, and in most cases, give you plenty of room to get your ball in play. There are a few spots where you have to be more precise, but for the most part, the challenge comes with the approach shots. Elevation change can make for some difficulty when choose a club, and leaving yourself in the wrong place result in a difficult next shot. There is a nice mixture of shorter, easier holes and more difficult ones, and the many tee options helps to allow the player a setup they can handle. Some of the blind shots would likely get a bit easier with experience, but if you’re not familiar with the course, you could struggle a bit with them.

There’s something about being able to see for (seemingly) miles and hit towards wide fairways that makes playing golf a little more fun. Morningstar offers a lot of that, as well as a variety of holes to keep things from getting stale. By offering eight different tee setups, players can choose a layout that fits their game, which will allow them to have a little more fun. Turf conditions are excellent, so you feel like you’ll have a good chance to strike the ball well there. If you do happen to miss the fairways, the rough isn’t overly penal and allows for most players to recover and keep their round going. I find this to be a really fun golf course that rewards good shots.

The par-5 7th is a bombers paradise. You’re perched well above the fairway with thoughts of getting to the green in two. The 7th runs alongside the 18th hole, so you’ve got even more room than the primary hole allows. There are a few trees and bunkers in play off the tee, but if you can avoid those, you’ll have a good chance to score here. The most trouble is up around the green, where several bunkers around an elevated dream can put a quick end to your dreams of birdie.

The 16th hole is the longest par-4 on the course – it measures well over 400 yards from the green, blue and black tees – and it starts you off with a blind tee shot. This would be a good place to hit your best tee shot of the day. If you avoid the fairway bunker on the left and can reach the top of the hill, things will be looking up. Otherwise you’ll have a long ways in to a blind green. If you’re long off the tee, it won’t be too bad, but if you aren’t this one feels a bit like a par-5.

There’s a couple reasons that I think the par-5 1st hole is the worst hole on the course. First, I think putting a long hole that runs parallel to the driving range is a design that could be dangerous. People making their first swing of the day are more likely to be offline and leave themselves in range of…well…the range. It’s a small thing, but a pet peeve of mine.

I enjoyed an afternoon tee time – and the vastly lower rate – on Memorial Day, introducing the course to a couple of friends that wanted to play there. The weather was outstanding, with a light cool breeze and a virtually cloudless sky. The pace of play was amazing, especially when you consider it was a holiday. I had heard about the first green being bad, and it definitely was. All said, there were about four or five greens that had major issues, though none as bad a #1. Outside of those greens, I thought the course was in very nice shape. The fairway turf was wonderful, while the rough was fair and consistent. Playing for the second time confirmed what I thought after my first time – this is an awesome course that I will try to play regularly. I just hope they figure out the issue with those greens.