Tucked in a small town of just over 1,000 residents, Luck Golf Course is the definition of off the beaten path. That being said, it is the perfect course to highlight as I begin this blog. In this and subsequent posts, I want to show the amazing golf we have in Wisconsin and Midwest that doesn’t get covered in mainstream magazines and publications. These are courses that we as Wisconsin golfers play each day. I hope you enjoy!
Luck is located about an hour and a half from Minneapolis, and 5 hours from Milwaukee. Your drive results in driving through, let’s say, traditional Wisconsin: small towns, woods, farms, lakes and rolling countryside. This particular area of Wisconsin is exceptionally beautiful and made for golf. As you’ll see in this profile and others that will be posted the land in Northwestern Wisconsin is quite rolling with very choppy hills. Not like the big broad rolling ones that you might see at Lawsonia Links(example pictured below).
but smaller more frequent ones. This type of land results in quirk as I like to say. Many holes at these courses are difficult to replicate because of these natural features, and is the main reason I enjoy so many of the courses in this region.
I will talk a lot about expectations going into courses. Luck was one where the expectations were low. In my experiences with small town courses such as Luck, conditions can be lacking, and many times the courses can have very good parts and some poor parts. Luck did fit that bill as, looking at a satellite image of the course you can clearly see that there is an old nine and a new nine. The original nine was constructed in 1938 and the new nine in 1988. I will refer to them as nines however the new “nine” really has 10 holes while the original nine has 8. My guess is that a hole was lost when the driving range was added, but I am not 100% on that.
As you drive into the parking lot, which happens to be an extension of the road the old nine borders, you are treated to a view of the modest clubhouse and the rolling topography that the original nine sits on. From some research I had done, I was thinking the original nine might be the weaker of the 2 nines. That certainly does not look to be the case as you look out onto the course.
Original “9”
New “9”
When checking in you realize the pride that the community has in the course. The clubhouse is well appointed, and there has been a buzz in the building each time that I have been in. This is not only a golf course, but a place where the community spends time.
A quick note on conditioning before I go into the hole by hole. The conditions were fantastic when I played. Fairways were very full and greens while soft, were quite smooth. For a course that sits in shady woods without much air flow and sun it was very impressive. The secondary aspects such as bunkers, tees and rough were all above average as well.
- Price
- Overall Course Conditions
- Unique holes you will not see at other courses
The Good
The Bad
- Can be narrow at times
- Subpar(flat) greens on 9 and 14
1st Hole – Par 3
The course starts off strangely…… The first is an uphill par 3 of about 170 yards from the blue tees. A very, very difficult opener and one that fit my expectations going in. The green is tilted quite severely front to back, and there is a difficult false front. You either hit the green on the fly, or it is going to be very difficult to run one up. I may or may not have hit the fringe and had a 30 yard pitch shot as my 2nd ;).
2nd Hole – Par 4
You take a short ride across a small country road to the 2nd tee. I’m sure I will mention this plenty of times, but I am not a fan of roads or houses on a golf course. It can ruin the atmosphere of a very good layout. In this case, the road is not bothersome at all, as there is almost no traffic. The 2nd is a classic Northwoods hole, straight, narrow and plays quite long. The approach shot especially seems to play quite a bit uphill without it looking that way.
3rd Hole – Par 3
The 3rd is when I began to realize that I had found a gem. The 3rd is a short-ish, what I’d call tee-to-green par 3 where the tee and green are both elevated with a valley in between. In the case of the 3rd, the valley runs horizontally with a modest drop off to the left of the green, and a large slope to bounce shots in on the right. The hill on the right also partially hides the view of the right portion of the green.
It’s a very simple hole, but one that provides intrigue by benching the green into a slope instead of using bunkers as its defense. The setting for the hole is also quite scenic, as it is tucked in a section of pines.
4th Hole – Par 4
The 4th hole starts a section of four holes that all run quite close to each other. The tee shot is narrow into a rollicking section of fairway that will kick balls hard to the right. With some trees overhanging on the left side of the hole, a draw is certainly the play off of the tee. The green is small with a somewhat deep bunker in which you have to play your approach over. The 4th is a hole that exemplifies the newer portion of the property at Luck.
Satellite image of holes 4-7
5th Hole – Par 4
After hopefully making par on 4, you proceed up the hill to the south of the green to the 5th tee. A target golf hole if there ever was one. It is a short hole of less then 300 yards, and the tee shot is definitely less than driver. Again, a draw is preferred as the fairway sits a pretty severe angle to the tee. Hit the fairway, and you’re left with no more than 120 yards most times. With the approach, the fairway dips down and a shelf like green sits on the other side of the valley. A severe green that slopes right to left, but is appropriate considering the length of the hole.
6th Hole – Par 5
The 6th is the first of what I think of as a fantastic set of par 5’s. A double dogleg in which the first shot calls for a draw. Running parallel to the 4th, the land again is quite hilly and slopes to the players right, kicking balls into the right rough. After making the initial turn of the hole, one of the best views of the course opens up. The rollicking fairway continues, and the view of the green is framed by large pines and a smaller pine protecting the front right portion of the green. While the hole is a bit cluttered(they could and should cut down a few trees on the left side of the hole to make getting a good angle into the green easier/possible) I love a good tree in a fairway either on an approach or tee shot. For your 3rd, the fairway swings in from the left, and approach shots are played over 2 small and deep bunkers depending on your angle.
7th Hole – Par 4
Many may consider the 7th the “signature” hole, and it is a good one, albeit with a few mistakes. A switchback hole in which a left to right shot is better on the tee shot, and a right to left shot is better for the approach. The tee shot is downhill, and plays somewhat blind as you cannot quite see the ball land with the slopes in the landing area. The landing area is narrow, as trees on the right pinch in and there is thick woods on the left and behind the fairway. The approach shot is played to one of the longest and narrowest greens you will ever play with water fronting it. It is also severely 2 tiered with the left most portion being the lower plateau. With such a demanding 2nd shot, I find the tee shot to be too difficult. The fairway is set at a severe angle left to right, so any tee shot that is not placed just right results in a punch out. Still, not a bad hole, and one that could be fantastic with a bit of tree trimming.
8th Hole – Par 5
The 8th ends the tightest stretch of holes on the property. Luck does this a couple more times in the round, but the tee shot on the 8th features a tree in the middle of the fairway. The fairway is wide and the pine is small, so I think it is a nice feature. After avoiding the pine on the tee shot, the fairway is pinched by woods around the 350 mark and widens significantly after that. The best play is to blow your 2nd shot past the pinched-in area. This is where the hole gets odd. The fairway moves way left onto the higher portion of the land, but to get a view of the green you must be 90 degrees left of the green and about 50 yards away. There is a tree to the right of this fairway about 100 yards out that blocks your approach if you are farther back. The best way to play this hole is to hit a shot into the right rough anywhere between 50 and 100 yards. Luck is very much untouched in terms of moving dirt anywhere except for tees and greens. I think the course is great for that reason, but 8 is one spot where the land needs to be shaped or the tree in the right rough needs to be taken out or even a second fairway needs to be cut to the right. I am all for blind shots, but when the green is as small as it is and a bunker sits in front, it really is not the best design. It really is a shame, as it has one of the best tee shots on the course!
9th Hole – Par 3
The front nine ends with a long par 3 with a tee tucked up into a pocket of trees. The green is huge, twice as big as the original greens on the course. They have done a few in house “renovations” from what I understand, and I believe this may be one of them. The 9th is not done particularly well. The size and roundness of the green takes away the impact of the pond on the right side. It’s a shame as this hole could be quite good as there are natural features like the pond and the elevated tee.
You can also see the stark difference in green size between 9 and 1 in the aerial below.
10th Hole – Par 4
After finishing on 9, you head up the path towards the clubhouse. The 10th tee is situated close to the clubhouse atop a hill. From this point, you are able to see the majority of the old 9, much of which you will play in the coming holes. The tee shot on 10 is downhill through a chute of large oak trees that opens up after about 200 yards. The green is one of my favorite on the course as it sits in an open space, but is long and narrow, very appropriate for this long par 4, and is protected by a bunker on the left.
11th Hole – Par 4
You exit the green to the right on 10 and climb a large hill to get to the 11th tee which is tucked up in a group of trees. 11 is a downhill tee shot, however, instead of a long par 4 with rolling land, you play downhill to the flattest part of the property. The hole is drivable for some, but is pinched by oaks and 2 ponds on each side of the fairway about 50 yards from the green. While not the best hole by any stretch, the 11th is a prime example of why I think so highly of Luck. While moving so little dirt on the weaker part of the property they architect was still able to provide some intrigue and strategy to a hole. Lay back short of the ponds and deal with a tighter tee shot, or go for it over the ponds to an area around the green that has less trouble. A golf hole that may not have the aesthetics resort courses have, but still a great hole nonetheless.
12th Hole – Par 4
12 is a short cart ride through the low point of the property and then up a steep hill to the 12th tee. The green on the 12th is quite small and heavily sloped right to left and away from the player. Long is absolutely no good, and the front left has a drop off that is even steeper than it appears in the picture. A solid tee-to-green par 3.
13th Hole – Par 4
To one of the best holes on the course. The 13th tee is benched into the same hill as 12. Again, it features a downhill tee shot to what appears to be a dogleg right. On the tee you have 2 options. You can aim down the left to the corner, however, doing this has you contend with a grove of trees just to the left of the green. However most players will take it over the trees. The large left most tree is an easy carry, even if it doesn’t look like it in the picture, but more can be chopped off. If the player is able to hit their tee shot just left of the pond and carry the trees, he or she is left with less than a 50 yard pitch to a wide open, slightly elevated green.
Holes like 13 are fantastic because of the cost and benefits to what you do on each shot. I find this hole especially good because the green doesn’t have a lot of internal contours, but just by the angle of the green relative to the fairway and tee you are required to weigh the benefit of going over the trees or hitting it left of them. That is what makes golf fun in my opinion.
14th Hole – Par 5
We cross the road to get to 14 and back into the wooded section of the property. 14 is a par 5 that features terrain that tumbles down into a valley. Like the par 5 8th on the front 9, this par 5 also has a tree in the fairway that you have to contend with. The tree is quite large, however, contrary to what it looks like in the picture, the tree is actually on the far right side of the fairway, and there is plenty of room to the left. After the tee shot, the hole plays in a bit of a halfpipe, curling around to the right ending at a fairly flat green. One of the most disappointing aspects of Luck as a whole considering rest of the hole is quite good.
15th Hole – Par 4
Right next to 14 runs the 15th. A long and straight par 4, the 15th has the most dramatic tee shot on the course. You, again, are elevated hitting to a plateaued fairway with woods on the left and trees to the right. Once on the fairway, you are hitting over another valley to a green perched about the same level as the fairway you are hitting from. The green is round and sloped severely back to front. Certainly best to stay below the hole.
16th Hole – Par 3
The last hole in the wooded portion of the property is the 16th. An ever so slightly downhill par 3 surrounded by pines. A very north woods Wisconsin hole that is cut straight out of the forest. It is also the easiest par 3 on the course as it plays less than 150 yards from any of the tees, and is only protected by a lone bunker on the front right.
17th Hole – Par 4
The penultimate hole at Luck, the 17th, looks like the widest tee shot on the course, however, it plays very, very small. Pictures do not do it justice, but the hill on the left side of the fairway looks as if four elephants are buried under it. To have a view of the green, you need to hit a tee shot at least 250 at the left 2 stripes of the fairway, or into the left rough. That being said, most players will have a blind shot into the green and will be hitting a longer iron or fairway wood off an uphill lie into this green. Take a drive or walk up to get an idea of where the green is and let it fly. With the uphill lie most shots should be in the air for awhile. A quirky hole, but one that is quite fun for a long par 4.
18th Hole – Par 5
Luck ends with a par 5 that snakes its way around rolling hills to a domed and elevated green. The final hole plays through the middle of the “old nine” section of the property, and is lined with old oak trees. A fitting finisher to a fantastic course.
Final Thoughts & Grade
Being off the beaten path, Luck deserves more recognition for its layout and what ownership is doing. There are many courses with a lot more population around, that do half a good of job as Luck and are twice as busy. For Luck to do what they are doing for the price they charge, and the limited population they have to draw from is incredible. They should be an example of what you can do with a small budget. I hope that the surge in golf rounds because of COVID-19 has helped them as it would be a shame to see a facility such as Luck go under.
If you are in Northwestern Wisconsin or the Minneapolis area take a trip out to Luck and enjoy your day. I promise it will be worth your time.