After a good round in the morning an “emergency 18” was deemed necessary by the group on this mid May day. Scrambling for a tee time, we found one at a reasonable price at Western Lakes in the afternoon. Below is a review of the course from my time playing that day.
Atmosphere
The course is in a great location in the sense that it is only 30ish minutes from Milwaukee, and only minutes away once exiting the freeway. Even though it is so close to the freeway, you still don’t see said freeway while out on the course because of a tree line that runs the entire southern border.
In terms of the quality of the land for golf, it is quite poor. The only elevation change comes from the hill that the clubhouse sits on, and a hill in which the 7th tee sits. Other then the spots mentioned, the course is almost completely flat. Water is prevalent in this flat portion in the form of marshy ponds.
Conditions
This was a big disappointment. I can only speak to when I played, which was mid May, but the course at that point was in rough shape. Fairways looked like they hadn’t been cut for days, and there was a large amount of debris such as grass clippings, fuzz from cattails, old divots and goose poop scattered on them. Besides the unkept fairways, there were numerous dead spots on both fairways and greens(see pictures). These look to be winter kill, which the course doesn’t have much control of, but it is still disappointing.
Design
Poor land and green complexes are what plague Western Lakes. The first green pictured below is a good example of what a good majority of the greens look like. They all feel like the same green with very little internal contours and with bunkers that are not built into the green complex, but sit next to/at the same level as the greens. They may look varied on the satellite image, but they add very little to the approach shots.
The highlight of the course design wise is the layout of the par 5’s. All 4 have good strategic elements even if the aesthetics won’t blow you away.
Facilities
The facilities are a bit unusual as the banquet facility and golf shop are in separate buildings, however both are well appointed. The golf shop looks more or less like a trailer from the outside, but feels like your standard public golf shop inside.
The range is a bit short from what I remember, but I believe you can hit driver. From the past times I have hit range balls the grass has been nice even if the tee is a bit cramped. I did not hit range balls during this round, so I can’t speak on the condition as of now. The putting green is a good size and right next to the first tee.
Value
Based on my experience in May the value is poor. Prime time weekday riding rates are $50 and weekends $58.
Even if you disregard the conditions I played in I don’t think it provides adequate value.
- Interesting layouts on all of the par 5’s
- 17th is an above average par 3
The Good
The Bad
- Overall poor conditions
- Bland green complexes
- Ineffective and at times unnecessary bunkering
- Bad piece of land for golf
1st Hole – Par 4
A short ride or walk across the cart staging area will get you to the first tee. One of the rare spots on the course with elevation change, the tee shot on the 1st is downhill with trees both left and right. A creek crosses the fairway about 75 yards from the green, so anything short of that will leave you a short iron or wedge for your approach. The green is pictured below, and is large and quite flat. A very bland approach.
2nd Hole – Par 5
The 2nd gets you down into the flat valley that the majority of the course sits. The tee shot is tight with a bunker left, and marsh/water tight on the right. The hole is sub 500 from any of the tees so reaching it in 2 is a distinct possibility. Like the first, a creek crosses the fairway about 150 yards from the green. The ideal play is to hit your second over the creek, leaving a good angle to a green that opens right to left. If your are not to the right of this green, 2 bunkers sit in front and obstruct your view of the green surface.
After hitting our tee shots we began to see how rough the condition was. As you can see in the picture below the fairways were very long with dead patches scattered through. It has been a cool start to the season so I believe the spots were recovering winter kill, however I had not seen damage like this at any other course and this was pretty extensive.
Besides the dead patches, the overall neglect was apparent too as there was a lot of debris that could/should have been cleaned off.
3rd Hole – Par 4
The 3rd sits on the southern border of the course and runs in the opposite direction of the 2nd. The tee shot is one of the most difficult on the course. A large bunker sits on the left, and a line of woods pushes in from the right. If you’re able to hit the fairway the approach is pretty straight forward, albeit long. 2 bunkers sit on each side of this again flat green. Anything short will also leave an easy chip.
4th Hole – Par 3
The 4th is a poor par 3. Quite short at only about 130 yards, the tee shot is to a large green with very little slope. While there are 4 bunkers around the green, they do very little to add anything to the hole. You would like to see something more interesting on such a short hole.
There is also a back right bunker here that is completely unnecessary. A truly terrible idea by the designer.
5th Hole – Par 4
A straight par 4 is in store for the 5th. A grove of trees sits to the right of the fairway, while water awaits left. Your approach is played to a bunker-less green that does sit above the level of the fairway. Again there is not much slope on this almost perfectly round green.
This green was in particularly rough shape as you can see in the picture below.
6th Hole – Par 5
One of the better tee shots is the 6th. A bunker on the far side of the fairway is your target on this dogleg right par 5. More aggressive player will opt to try and carry the water on the right, but be warned that it is a longer carry then it looks. The rest of the hole is pretty straight forward, with the hole moving slightly uphill to the green.
7th Hole – Par 4
The 7th features a drastically downhill tee shot to a flat landing area pinched by bunkers. Water is off to the right, but shouldn’t be in play except for a severely offline shot. The approach is played to a green very similar to the 3rd except with just a bunker right. The green is flat, and should be an easy 2 putt if hit in regulation.
8th Hole – Par 3
The 8th was a disappointment. Previously a tight par 3 with a slightly built up green and old overhanging trees right. Those trees however are now gone. What is left is another basic round green sitting in a very swampy setting. Marsh is in play if you pull one left badly, but otherwise there is very little of interest on this hole currently.
9th Hole – Par 4
Probably the best conditioned hole we played, as there was far less debris and a defined fairway. The tee shot is not bad on the 9th, uphill and moving slightly to the right. Unfortunately the green is another big disappointment. Surrounded by the 3 bunkers, 2 of which could be gotten rid of, the green is large, round and should be more severe for such a short hole.
Your approach is to half a flag stick that breaches over the crest of the hill. Avoid the bunker front right and hope your yardage is correct. This should be a birdie hole.
10th Hole – Par 4
The best tee shot on the course in my opinion. The 10th’s tee shot plays slightly left to right with a large tree overhanging the right hand side. Bigger hitters will be able to go over it, while shorter hitters will play out to the left. The green is almost a carbon copy of the first say for the lack of bunkers. Also, like the first a creek crosses the fairway 50ish yards short of the green.
11th Hole – Par 5
I think the 11th is the best hole on the course. A dogleg right par 5 that starts with a tee shot with water hugging the right hand side and woods sitting on the left. The closer one hits their tee shot to the water the better angle they will have going for this green in 2.
The green is my favorite on the course as it opens up from the right and has a bunker that is actually built into the green itself a bit.
The disappointment this time playing was the condition. As you can see the bunker had very rough edges and was in need of a raking. The lack of definition of the fairway also made this normally nice green complex frankly look dumpy.
12th Hole – Par 4
A relatively straight forward par 4, the 12th goes the opposite way of the 11th and features a unusual fairway feature. A large artificial hump sits right in the middle of the landing area. It doesn’t really make much architectural sense, but it does kick balls landing in the fairway into the rough. The green is very basic. Round with just a bunker on the right.
13th Hole – Par 3
The 13th is a mid length par 3 surrounded by bunkers. With the green opening up from the right the hole is best played with a draw for a right hander. The green is large, and not overly sloped.
`14th Hole – Par 4
While never the best hole, the 14th looked especially terrible on this day. Very little semblance of a fairway, and dead flat, with the only sign of a golf course being the 150 yard marker staked in the opening ahead of you. The green is again perfectly round and slightly back to front. In the case of the 14th, your approach is played over 2 bunkers that front this green.
15th Hole – Par 5
After the disappointing 14th, it was nice to move onto what I consider one of the better holes on the course, the par 5 15th. The is relatively difficult as trees and a creek sit on your right. Your second is played over a creek to a wide landing area. It is best to keep your second as far left as possible as the green sits at a severe left to right angle to the fairway. The green is solid if unspectacular, as a bunker fronts it and it is a bit smaller and shallower compared to others on the course.
16th Hole – Par 4
The 16th is a long open par 4. A large mound sits in the right rough and draws your eyes that way, however there is little penalty to missing one it its direction. Your second is played to one of the more sloped greens on the course that moves heavily back to front. There are 2 bunkers that flank the sides. Considering the length I think it is an appropriate green for the hole.
17th Hole – Par 3
Possible the signature hole on the course. The 17th is an all carry par 3 over water that actually plays slightly uphill. Bunkers sit to the left and behind, but shouldn’t come into play. A difficult, but nice looking hole.
18th Hole – Par 4
Similarly to 9, the 18th comes back up the hill to the clubhouse. Your tee shot is played between bunkers left, and some small trees to the right. If your able to hit the fairway, the green is blind with just a flag sticking out over the horizon. The green is nothing special, and follows the slope of the land running a bit right to left.
Final Thoughts & Grade
Growing up in the area I appreciated that Western Lakes was a short drive from the city and was consistently(minus flooding issues) in good shape. While the convenience aspect is still valid, the conditions aspect is not. Couple these poor conditions with a layout that is frankly quite bland, and you get a below average golf experience.