A little ways north of Manitowoc sits the newly named Par 5 resort. The resort features 45 holes. 27 of which are named Fox Creek. Shorter and tailored more for beginners, Fox Creek is not the reason you drive out to Mishicot Wisconsin. Instead the other 18 is the star of the facility.
The National course which is a good 5-10 minute golf cart ride away from the main clubhouse/resort is the “championship” 18. Stretching to over 7000 yards from the tips The National is a links in name only. The flat and mostly treeless property uses artificial mounding, elevated greens and water to ruin rounds.
Continue reading below for a hole by hole, and my thoughts on the property as a whole!
Atmosphere
Besides being apart of a small resort, the course is very much out in the sticks. Flat farmland surrounds almost the entire course, with just a thin tree line separating the course from the rows of corn. While better then houses, it is a bit stark to have a tee shot hit 15 yards left of the 10th fairway end up in a cornfield.
The land the course is on is also incredibly flat. With limited trees the course uses mounding to separate the holes on what is fairly small piece of property.
Conditions
Having played in the shoulder seasons both times, conditions have been about average. Fairways featured some spots where it was a bit thin and the greens were just ok. Because of the fairly remote location of the resort most of their play is in between Memorial and Labor Day. With that being the case, I feel like their is a more precipitous drop in conditions once the weather cools. It is not unplayable by any means, but there are things that seemed to be overlooked.
Design
The course claims it is a links course, but is only links in the sense that it does not feature many trees. It really is meant to be played through the air. As I mention above, the weakest part of the course is how incredibly flat it is. Tee shots tend to look quite similar, and sometimes the waste type bunkers are difficult to see because of the flatness of the fairways. The course is also very straight, resulting in many tee shots feeling like you have to hit your tee ball down a bowling alley with mounds running down the sides.
Facilities
There are 2 golf shops. One for the 27 hole Fox Creek, which is right in the center of the main resort, while there is a small shack at The National. The building at the National is only open during peak season, so during my round in October check in was at the main building. The golf shop is pretty modest. Nothing to write home about. There are 2 ranges, one smaller one close to the Fox Creek course, and a larger one across the street to the north of the National. Sufficient, but not extraordinary by any means.
Value
If you are to come up and just play rack rate for a round I think the National is overpriced. $60 for weekdays and $65 on weekends in peak season is not appropriate for the quality of the course. That being said, there are not many people who do that. Especially in peak season, the course probably sees most of its play from resort guests, and with stay and play packages the price is more reasonable.
One promo worth mentioning is that they are on the Midwest Classic Golf Card as a free greens fee. The rate is then just the cart fee(basically a special promo rate) of $20. You can play up to 4 times, and it is Monday through Thursday anytime and Sundays after 2pm. It’s a very good deal and a great way to justify the long drive.
- With promo price can be a great value
- Above average green complexes
- Good set of par 3’s
The Good
The Bad
- Repetitive tee shots
- Very straight
- Expensive for quality if paying rack rate
- Extremely flat land
Hole by Hole
1st Hole – Par 5
The National starts you off with a wide par 5. The tee shot is half pipe with a flat bottom. The flat fairway, like all of them at The National, is lined with mounds. Your second is easy with no bunkers, and only more mounding that stretches all the way to the green. Speaking of the green, it is quite elevated with a bunker front right.
2nd Hole – Par 4
A very easy tee shot awaits you on the 2nd. A flat waster bunker sits on the left and just small mounding on your right. The green is very typical with a deep bunker sitting in front and to the right requiring a ball that lands softly to access pins anywhere right of center.
3rd Hole – Par 4
The 3rd is a longer par 4 that runs to the west. A tee shot that looks very similar to the 2nd, but in this case instead of a waster bunker, two normal bunkers sit on the left. The green is wide but shallow, and features water on the front right. We were lucky to have a left pin making the hole much easier.
4th Hole – Par 3
One of the most surprising parts of The National considering the flatness of the property is quality of the par 3’s. The 4th is the first of those. While on the shorter sid,e the 4th features a steep bunker in the front, and waste areas on each side. The picture doesn’t do it justice, but the falloffs on all sides are quite severe. The 4th is definitely a green you want to hit in regulation.
5th Hole – Par 4
I like the 5th as a change of pace of the front 9. The first 3 tee shots are dead straight, but once you get to the 5th you are presented options. Try to carry the water and leave yourself a shorter shot to this shallow green fronted by a bunker, or play it safe left of the water and have a longer shot in. The water is a bit blind from the tee so do be aware of that if trying to be aggressive.
6th Hole – Par 4
The most memorable hole on the course for most people is probably the 6th. The tee shot features native grass covered mounds on the right, and a lake, as well as 3 large trees on the left. The hole is also quite long so to leave a reasonable shot in your tee shot needs to hug the left side and be long enough to be clear of the trees. If you’re unable to do this hitting the green in regulation is slim.
The interesting part of the hole sits to the left of the fairway in the middle of the pond. The architect made a small island fairway that you can choose to try to land your tee shot on. It really makes no sense strategy wise, but I will give them that it is unusual. Trying to play a second ball using the island fairway can be fun.
The green is on the larger side, but does still have the pond lurking on the left.
7th Hole – Par 4
The 7th is a basic short par 4. A waste bunker stretches the entire left side of the hole from the tee to the green. Like many of the waste bunkers, it isn’t very impactful as the flat bunker doesn’t stand out with the flat topography. The green however is elevated, with a traditional bunker right and the waste bunker on the left.
8th Hole – Par 3
The one weak par 3 on the course is the 8th. The green looks very small from the tee, with a long bunker on the left and a severe mounding short and right. It is also the longest par 3 on the course with the back tees playing around 200 yards. I think the target is just too small for a hole of this length especially when a shot needs to be hit high.
9th Hole – Par 5
The 9th is a straight away par 5. The tee shot is very easy unless you are big hitter. A pond sits on the right of the hole, but starts at around 300 yards off the tee. Before that is just rough, so if you bail, bail right. The layup is a bit tighter as the water and mounds pinch the landing area. Approaches are tough with a marshy area left, and water short of this double green that is shared with the 18th.
All in all one of the best holes at the National.
10th Hole – Par 4
My least favorite hole on the course is the 10th. Set on the eastern boundary, the hole is long, flat and dead straight. A flat waste bunker is located on the right, and a cornfield sits uncomfortably close on the left. The green is very similar to the 1st with a bunker front right.
11th Hole – Par 3
Another good par 3 with water. The longer the tees you play the more difficult the hole gets as the green runs left to right. The back tees require around a 170 yard carry over the pond. The green is one of the larger on the course.
12th Hole – Par 4
The 12th features the second double green on the course, but before that your tee shot will need to navigate a traditional bunker on the left and mounds on the right. I like the mounding on the right of this hole. Instead of running parallel to the fairway it instead sits more perpendicular. This gives you the option to try to hit your tee shot to the left(inside of them) or over. A modest change, but a needed one considering the repetitive nature of the tee shots.
Your approach is played to the large double green with a waste bunker in front. The picture below does a good job of showing the waste bunkers. They are much more menacing fronting a built up green, while when at fairway grade it is much less of a challenge.
13th Hole – Par 4
A generic tee shot greets you on the 13th. Mounds and a tree line will push your tee shot farther right, but if your able to avoid the waste bunkers it will provide you with a better angle to this challenging green.
One of the most severe on the course, the green slopes heavily right to left and features a pond on the left. On top of the heavy right to left slope, the green has a lower tier on the left hand side that will funnel balls into it.
14th Hole – Par 4
Another generic tee shot is in store for the 14th. A waste bunker left and right in the landing area pinches you while the green features a traditional bunker that sits in front of the green leaving you little choice but to hit one high to keep a ball on the green.
Not a terrible hole, but at this point in the round a hole you’ve seen one too many times.
15th Hole – Par 5
While the back 9 is a bit of a disappointment to this point, the 15th starts a good stretch of holes to finish the round. One of the few tee shots in which the fairway is offset to the tee. The tee shot on the 15th plays left to right, with the player having to choose how much of the waste area on the right to take on. Your second is either attempting to carry a pond to reach the green in two, or a layup out to the right. The layup is squeezed by traditional bunkers on the right, and again the pond of the left. The green is one of my favorites on the course with it being tucked between the water and mounding framing it from behind.
16th Hole – Par 4
Back to the double green from the 11th, the 16th is a mid length par 4 that runs to the south. The farther you hit your drive the tighter the hole becomes leaving you options off the tee on whether to throttle back or not. The green is again one of the better ones as, while artificial, there is a lot of mounding and shaping of the green complex leaving some tricky shots if you miss the green.
17th Hole – Par 3
The penultimate hole, the 17th is a short, water laden par 3. The green is on the bigger side, and features railroad ties in front. The tee shot is all carry over the pond. Either make par, or you are most likely looking at a double.
18th Hole – Par 5
Almost a direct copy of the 9th, just on the right side instead of the left of the pond. The 18th tee shot plays similar to the 9th, in that only the longest players will be able to reach the water off of the tee. However in the case of the 18th, there is also a bunker on the right at about the same distance as the pond. The approach to the green features less of a risk for a ball in the water, but more bunkers with 3 of them sitting around the green. The green is shallow so it is best to have a wedge or short iron in.
Final Thoughts & Grade
If you’re able to get out on The National at less then the rack rate I don’t think you will be completely disappointed. The green complexes are better then your average course, and with a fun set of par 3’s the layout overall is above average. However with the land it is built on I think it is limited in how good it can be. For the golf alone I don’t think it is worth making a trip longer then around 30 minutes. Take a drive and play it though, you may feel differently.