MKEGolfBlog

10 years ago, I was making the transition from high school to college, and was excited to continue my golfing journey at a DIII school. While not yet privy to the fine nuances of golf architecture, I found myself at some fine courses that year, including the marvelous - which lives large in my head to this day, my first trip around , and a spring break trip to

For those who know, Milwaukee is perhaps the greatest city in the country for accessible, affordable golf. This privilege is owed largely to the efforts of George Hansen, who constructed 5 of the city’s now 13 municipal courses at a time when there were less than 100 in the country. His legacy outside of golf, however, is deeply tied to the city’s segregationist past.

In this brief biography, I wanted to identify Hansen’s accomplishments in the game, while acknowledging the lasting pain his actions outside it caused our city.

At long last we reach the end of my 2025 composite, and what better finale than the finest example of golf for the masses in the state, Washington County. Always near the top of national municipal rankings, Washco is the only public course in Wisconsin designed by Arthur Hills, and while his work may not be the most favorable elsewhere, his design just north or Hartford is a true gem. The home hole of this “Erin Hills Jr.” routing plays back up a considerable slope to the clubhouse, with two fairway bunkers daring long hitters to challenge them. Those who take on the challenge are rewarded with an unobstructed view of the green for their approach, whereas those who choose the safe line must contend with some visual obstruction. The green provides great opportunity for a closing birdie, so long as you are on the correct side of the suspiciously Jimmy Hoffa-shaped mound at its center.

The penultimate hole of my 2025 composite brings us to central Wisconsin and the hidden gem that is Reedsburg Country Club. A course with roots dating back to 1924 - when the local paper wrote of early members playing “cow pasture pool” - RCC stands today as a wonderful blend of quality mid-century golf architecture with hints of the golden age. The 17th is a wonderful example of this blend, featuring a tee shot flanked by ancient trees playing down into a wide valley. The approach back up the hill is partially guarded by a bunker short-right, with the putting surface featuring a prominent back to front slope.

Hole 16 of my composite takes us to beautiful door county and the golden age sleeper that is Maxwelton Braes. The work of architect Joe Roseman, who shaped for Langford and Tillinghast, Maxwelton Braes is a great golden age example of contouring in an environment with nearly no native topsoil. The 16th hole here plays as a short par-4 where players can either choose to lay back to ~100 yards out between two massive trees bordering the fairway, or attempt to get nearer to the green by kicking a field goal through them (fitting, given the course’s past of hosting the LA Rams in the 40’s and the current owner being former Packers GM Mark Murphy). What little topsoil Roseman has to play with was used to add intrigue through small mounds at the green perimeter and some subtle, yet pleasant green contouring.

Hole 15 of my composite brings us to the crown jewel of Milwaukee’s muni system at Brown Deer Park. While renovations for the Greater Milwaukee Open softened much of the course’s golden age charm, Brown Deer, in particular its back nine, remains strong in character. The par-5 15th is a prime example, with an intimate tee shot through old growth trees flowing into a well-framed approach to a sneakily difficult greensite, featuring some of the heaviest back to front tilt on the property.

We’re going back to back on the designs in my composite routing, with the 14th hole coming from the hidden gem that is Spring Valley. While significantly more famous for having Burban the horse buried beneath its tee box, the 14th plays as a wonderful very short par-4. Similar to the 10th at Lawsonia, a steep-faced bunker - without sand in this case - sits around 40 yards short of the green, playing a trick with player’s perspectives off the tee. Those who can ignore the red herring bunker will have a good chance to drive this green, though the strong back to front slope makes putting difficult.

Hole 13 of my composite routing takes us to the L&M masterpiece at Lawsonia Links, a course that will forever hold a special place in my golfing heart. While much of the iconic back nine plays over relatively flat terrain, the par-5 13th was as equally blessed by spectacular land movement as it was by Theodore Moreau’s steamshovel bucket. A trio of diagonal steep-faced bunkers on the line of charm offers the chance to bite off as much as you can chew off the tee, with swift punishment waiting for those who get too greedy. For their second shot, players not going for the green are faced with a deep ravine short of the green, with the choice of laying well back of the green to have a level approach, or taking the route did and have a blind 90-yard approach up the gargantuan rise. As with every hole at Lawsonia, no solace is found once balls teach the green, with treacherous interior contouring challenging even the best of flatsticks.

As if there was any doubt, hole 12 of my composite routing takes us to perhaps the best piece of golfing land in Wisconsin, the exquisite par-4 12th at . Often called “The soul of Erin Hills” by its architects, this rolling corridor provided such a perfect canvas for a golf hole, that essentially no land was moved during construction. Originally proposed to be the routing’s opener, the 12th existed in virtually the same form in every design revision.

Players tee off towards the crest of a dramatic hill, with well-struck shots able to tumble down the slope towards the hole. Cresting the hill provides one of the most dramatic reveals on the property, as virtually the entire back nine visible from its peak. The green sits in a small saddle with a small hill obscuring the approach from the left side of the fairway. The contours of the putting surface were also left essentially untouched, featuring subtle contouring that flows towards players at the front and away towards the back.

Hole 11 of my composite at last visits the wonderful parks network and the Larry Packard designed Oakwood Park. The par-5 11th uses a large bunker combined with a greensite located on top of a gentle hill to play tricks with the perspectives of players who dare to attach the green in 2. This trait is one of Packard’s signature design features on his long holes. Along with the bunker short, a steep drop-off to the right guards the surprisingly shallow green, making the aggressive choice on the approach a more difficult consideration.

Hole 10 of my composite brings us to Beaver Dam and despite its appearance, *not* a design. A handful of holes at Old Hickory can trace their history back to the original Tom Bendelow routing, with none nearly as bold as the 10th. Only the daring will have a clear look at the green, as a precise tee shot challenging out of bounds tight to the left is required to crest the steep hill at the dogleg. Players that choose a safe bailout to the right will have to contend with a completely blind tee shot to the incredibly benched green, guarded by out of bounds to the left and a steep drop (and unfortunately placed stone stairs) to the right. In my opinion, a widened fairway with slightly gentler contours could make the tenth a top hole in the state.

While it took until the ninth hole of my composite routing to leave southeastern Wisconsin, the 9th at Brown County provides an excellent taste of the quality of golf in the rest of the Badger State. The par-4 finisher to the opening nine is a great example of the exquisite topography that this muni occupies, with the tee shot playing downhill to a tributary of Duck Creek which lies at the apex of the dogleg left. From there, players must execute a well-struck mid to long iron back uphill to reach the heavily pitched putting surface.