Another perfectly cool 75 degree day met us for our round at Hawks Landing Golf Club a little Southwest of Madison in Verona, WI. A beautiful clubhouse up on a hill overlooking the 10th tee and 18th green provides the type of view you always want when enjoying a post round cocktail at the 19th hole.
Beautifully maintained bent grass fairways and sculpted rough defined the layout throughout the property. Despite being late in the season, the rough held up and was a true penalty for shots missing the fairway. As I was told and experienced first-hand, the greens are the star at Hawks Landing. Quick and true, every putt inside 25 feet felt as though you had a chance of rolling it in.
The front nine had some surprising elevation changes starting with the long Par-4, 2nd hole and again back up the same hill for the short Par-4, 3rd hole. Oddly enough, despite 2 playing 33 yards longer on the scorecard, the wind made 3 a far more challenging par.
My favorite holes on the front nine, while many of them, were the two Par-5’s, numbers 5 & 9. Hole 5 plays back down the hill and has a tight landing area for your tee shots with OB all the way down the right, bunkers and cart path just inside the OB and forest and thick rough down the left. However if you find the fairway no more than a hybrid or long iron awaits. While that sounds simple downhill and down wind, an enormous oak tree protects the right side of the green and a bunker so deep you cannot see the green protects the middle and left so your approach better be precise. Short game letdowns forced me into par after playing the hole twice.
The Par-5, 9th hole is the signature hole of the golf course. Playing straight up the same hill, the old silo is the aiming point in the distance. The tee shot is not overly difficult but your layup and approach shots require accuracy and distance control precision. The green is atop the hill and requires at least 1 ½ clubs extra not to mention the wind in our faces and a pond and stream down the right side give you no room for error. Our front pin made blowing it long and left a very tough up and down and two of our four players finished BIP (Ball In Pocket).
The back nine has a great combination of long and short holes. Holes 10, 11 and 15 are long challenging Par 4’s and along with 16 (202 yd. Par-3) and 18 (520 yd. Par-5) are the teeth of the back side. My favorite holes inward bound are the Par-3, 13th hole a beautiful mid-length hole with water all the way down the right side. The green is smartly slanted towards the water so playing safe is no option. If 13 beat’s you up, at least there is a feeling of hope on the short Par-4, 14th. At 285 for our group it was only drivable with a nice bounce but it is so well bunkered in the landing area and around the green that if you do not find the fairway, making a par is not going to be easy.
The eighteenth is a tremendous finishing hole, especially if your match is coming down to the last. A Par-5 with a wide landing area, that plays slightly up hill just enough to keep us short hitters from going at it in two. It also forces you to think about your layup because a large pond is short and right of the green. An approach from the right side helps with the angle into the shallow but wide green that has enough slope in it to make those 20 footers a little harder than many of the greens. All in all, a great match play and finishing hole to a tremendous layout and fun golf course.
We got a real kick out of talking college football with our starter to begin the day and saw the passion for Wisconsin Badger Football throughout the property as we played on a Football weekend.
Hawks Landing is a definite must play for those heading North to Madison for their next golf trip.
Learn more at www.hawkslandinggolfclub.com
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