Yahara Hills Golf Course | Madison, WI | Par 72

Yahara Hills is a straightforward layout with wide fairways, big greens and thick rough. There is some elevation change throughout the course, with teeing areas often looking down on the targets. It’s a traditional par 36-36-72 setup with four tees to choose from.

There are parts of Yahara Hills that are nice. The greens, generally, are in good condition and roll with a lot of pace, especially if you’re above the hole at all. The fairways are wide, but usually on the shaggier side and can be in great need of being mowed. The rough can be downright brutal, especially if there’s been rain recently. Not only is it tough to make good contact on a ball in the rough, it can be very difficult to find it. Throw in the regularly high number of weeds you’ll encounter, and makes putting the ball in the fairway an even more important matter. It can get very frustrating searching for a ball that you know if there. The course has areas around tees and between holes that are especially bad. It looks like people drove around with chains after a two-day rainstorm, causing large gauges. The bunkers on the West course, while not as bad as the East course, still leave a lot to be desired. There are some that are absolutely hazard areas that cannot be played out of. The course should do the obvious thing and mark them as Ground Under Repair. These bunkers are eyesores. In general, the course doesn’t handle rain very well, either, so keep that in mind when you’re booking a tee time.

The best feature of the Yahara Hills practice area is the large putting/chipping green. Depending on the crowds, it allows you to practice longer pitches and chips without interfering with others. The green is pretty flat, but that mimics the greens on the course, minus the regular pitch you’ll find. The range is a little farther back from the green, and isn’t the nicest one you’ll find, but it gets the job done. The balls have seen their fair share of use, but if you’re looking for a place to warm up, you’ve got it.

The clubhouse got a bit of a renovation when they went to just one 18-hole course. The check-in area got moved up front and the food area shifted a bit. The whole building is still a bit of a time capsule. There’s not a lot of merchandise available, but the whole area offers a nice place to relax after a round. There’s a grill and bar right there and a large TV viewing area.

The carts are solid with a big center console for your stuff. There’s nothing extra, though, as they don’t have GPS, club cleaner or cooler, so these are what I refer to as ‘Point A to Point B’ carts. They get the job done and run well.

Gone is the starter that was housed near the putting practice area. That always did a good job of keeping things organized. I guess the removal of one of the courses made that an easier task. They will now call groups over the loudspeaker, so players should be able to make sure they’re on time. One of the negatives is the lack of coverage, or presence at all, of a beverage cart. There are some vending machine on the course, but best to be safe and purchase drinks in the clubhouse if you think you’ll want one.

Yahara Hills has fallen victim to what every other course in the Madison area has to, with prices going up and up. It will now cost over $70 for a peak round of 18 with a cart, but that’s one of the lower prices in the city. The property’s transformation from 36 holes to 18 holes is still very early, so hopefully there will be some positive changes. If you can avoid peak times, or take part in the loyalty program, you can keep your greens fees even lower.

There’s not a lot to the layout that screams challenging. The fairways are generous and the greens are large. It has several tee options – seven in all when you include combo setups – so you’re not forced to play longer than you want. If you can keep the ball relatively straight, there shouldn’t be any major issues preventing you from posting a solid score. The rough is the biggest defense, as it can get pretty long and dense, making finding the ball a tough proposition before having to actually hit it. Some of the greens have a severe pitch to them, so being above the hole can be a problem, and there are definitely some pin placements that can be very difficult.

Yahara is a fun course despite its obvious flaws. It’s wide open, and the greens are consistently very good. It’s a very playable course that takes you out of the city and into more of a Northwoods feel.

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Yahara Hills continues to take shape in its new format. As far as I can tell, all 18 holes were in their intended setup. Hole #11 is now an actual par 5 and hole #12 was using its proper tee boxes. I am not sure if there are any other major changes to come. Now the course can focus on the details between holes and fixing some of the fairways. Clearly people still enjoy playing here, because the afternoons fill up and the course seems packed. That could be because it’s one of a few places that don’t have league during the week, too. I am excited to see what the next few years bring for Yahara.