Odana Hills Golf Course | Madison, WI | Par 72

Odana Hills Golf Course is a traditional par 36-36-72 setup with four sets of tees. Yardages range from 5,158 to almost 6,700 from the tips. It’s not an especially long course and is pretty forgiving off the tee. Many holes are loosely framed by large trees, making accuracy more of a must on some, but for the most part, you have room to play with. There isn’t much in the way of water hazards on the course, especially on the front where there’s only on (par-3 4th). Mostly straight or slight doglegs describe most the holes. The course is pretty much right there in front of you, and if you can stay out of the trees, you’ll have a chance to score. The greens are in good shape and offer some variety throughout the round.

I will say that not every inch of Odana is in great shape, but most of the areas you should care about are in good condition. The course is always going to have some areas that struggle with excessive rain, which is what the area has seen in the last month. However, the fairways are lush and consistent, the greens are very solid, the tee boxes are in above-average shape and the bunkers were good. I think the greens were a little slower than I expected, but that may have been due to the extra rain. Considering the amount of play, and the weather this course has endured, I was pleasantly surprised with the overall condition.

Odana has a good-sized short-game area near the clubhouse. It also has a range a little further past, but only allows clubs that fly 225 yards or less. So if you’re a longer hitter, you’ll have to leave that driver in the bag on the range.

Much like the other city course clubhouses, stepping into the Odana clubhouse feels a bit like going back in time. The pro shop has the true basics, but you’re going to need to have your gear with you upon arrival. There is a separate section dedicated to food and drink, which makes for quick service.

The carts at Odana are very basic, and heavily used. The cart I had on my last visit squeaked every time I turned the steering wheel, so that got pretty old. There’s nothing more than the conveyance, which is fine. Just make sure you plan accordingly if you want to have GPS available while you play.

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I don’t get to Odana too often, but it seems like they lowered their prices in 2024. That’s good, because I thought it was pretty overpriced in my previous visits. Sitting closer to $70 for peak fees is more reasonable. If you can play during the week, the rate for 18 holes is an all-day rate, so that is a great deal if you can take advantage of it.

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There’s not a lot of imagination in the Odana Hills Golf Course. It’s a pretty basic design, but it’s a fair layout with good, solid conditions. The greens are receptive, and there aren’t a whole lot of shots that are overly daunting. Odana will give you a chance to play well and score well.

The par-5 11th hole is one of the prettiest holes on the course. It starts with an elevated tee, which leads to a dogleg left fairway. This suits my eye very well, although, I have always struggled with the tee shot for some reason. The end of the range is to the right of the fairway, making for some dangerous and frustrating search for blocked tee shots. That said, I still really like the hole. There’s not a whole to it, though the remnants of a second green to the right of the current green does make it stand out a bit more.

The par-4 3rd is easily the longest par-4 on the course, and that’s really the only reason I think it’s the toughest hole at Odana. It’s a perfectly straight hole, which I find tougher to play, and there are trees on both sides of the fairway, though it’s a pretty generous area to land your tee shot. The green is large and protected by just one bunker. This is one that you have to have some distance to handle. Doesn’t help that it always seems to be into the wind, either.

Hole 15 is a straight and relatively boring par-5. Combine that with the location – it’s in a low area of the property, often leaving the hole in less than stellar condition. There are several spots in the fairway and the rough that are usually in poor shape, and a lot of the grass in the rough is really spongy. Just a few things that cause me to think it’s the worst hole on the course.

The first time I visited Odana Hills in 2026 matched up with what felt like the first actual day of summer. Temps reached the mid-80s with blue skies, and there wasn’t much wind to speak of. It was an exciting reminder that there is a lot of time to come in the 2026 golf season. The most exciting thing about Odana is the updates that are coming its way after this season. A gift from golf course developer Michael Keiser will result in a lot of changes for the entire property. A new range, new course routing, new holes and a new clubhouse. You can see the whole plan here. That means the course will be fully closed in 2027, but you still have plenty of time to see it as you’ll remember it. The course was what I come to expect – solid. The greens were nice, but a tad on the slow side. The course was also packed, which you’d expect with a perfect weather Saturday. I left a lot of good opportunities out there, but did manage a birdie on #11, a hole I typically struggle with.