Lake Geneva, WI - Off the Beaten Track

[CDMackFisher]

I'm coordinating an annual Golftober event for me and the boys in a few weeks. We'll be spending four days in the Lake Geneva, WI area. I'd like to schedule one round from the pool of not-so-obvious tracks in the area. Everyone knows about Hawks View, Grand Geneva, Geneva National, etc. I'm looking for recommendations/rankings of a few specific tracks.

• Delbrook
  
• Evergreen
  
• Lake Lawn Resort
  
• Prairie Woods
  

Is one of these particularly good...or bad? Are they actually worth a play?

[dhartmann34]

I'm a big fan of Evergreen. It has 27 holes and is usually in great shape. The greens roll fast and true. They do tend to have HUGE outings in October though so you may want to check on that....or possibly get involved in them. They're something like $70 for 27 holes and an all you can eat steak buffet afterwards. Check out their website for them. Only issue there is that there is no driving range.

Delbrook I played years ago and it was okay. Nothing to write home about, but I would give it a go again. I have not played the other two you mentioned.

[temup]

Lake Lawn is reasonably priced and is in good condition.

The course is not too long but is challenging. The greens are true and can be pretty quick with allot of undulations.

They have a good golf staff and are very helpful.

I have ran an event there for 19 of the last 20 years, we missed one year when they were closed.

Lake Lawn works well for our event, every year the players vote to keep playing our event there.

[TheBear95]

Of the four listed, Evergreen is the best. I would play the north/south combo.

Prairie Woods is a very short, somewhat tight course. A number of hard doglegs, so positioning off the tee is critcal. You can go low there, but its definitely target golf.

My recommendation would be to check out Glen Erin in Janesville. 30mins at most from Lake Geneva. Really nice course, that's mainly links style on the front 9 and transitions to woodlands golf on the back. A number of really nice holes. And, frankly, coming from the Geneva courses, it would not be as big a step down as say playing Evergreen, Delbrook or Prairie Woods.

[CDMackFisher]

[quote name='TheBear95' timestamp='1411658330' post='10181623']
Of the four listed, Evergreen is the best. I would play the north/south combo.

Prairie Woods is a very short, somewhat tight course. A number of hard doglegs, so positioning off the tee is critcal. You can go low there, but its definitely target golf.

My recommendation would be to check out Glen Erin in Janesville. 30mins at most from Lake Geneva. Really nice course, that's mainly links style on the front 9 and transitions to woodlands golf on the back. A number of really nice holes. And, frankly, coming from the Geneva courses, it would not be as big a step down as say playing Evergreen, Delbrook or Prairie Woods.
[/quote]

I'm glad to hear the positive review of Glen Erin...we're playing our Friday round there on our way into Lake Geneva. Any thoughts on Oak Grove Golf Course down in Harvard, IL?

[DavePelz4]

[quote name='CDMackFisher' timestamp='1411578103' post='10175779']
I'm coordinating an annual Golftober event for me and the boys in a few weeks. We'll be spending four days in the Lake Geneva, WI area. I'd like to schedule one round from the pool of not-so-obvious tracks in the area. Everyone knows about Hawks View, Grand Geneva, Geneva National, etc. I'm looking for recommendations/rankings of a few specific tracks.[list]
[*]Delbrook
[*]Evergreen
[*]Lake Lawn Resort
[*]Prairie Woods
[/list]
Is one of these particularly good...or bad? Are they actually worth a play?
[/quote]


What about driving an hour or so north and playing Erin Hills?

[dhartmann34]

[quote name='CDMackFisher' timestamp='1411664231' post='10182385']
[quote name='TheBear95' timestamp='1411658330' post='10181623']
Of the four listed, Evergreen is the best. I would play the north/south combo.

Prairie Woods is a very short, somewhat tight course. A number of hard doglegs, so positioning off the tee is critcal. You can go low there, but its definitely target golf.

My recommendation would be to check out Glen Erin in Janesville. 30mins at most from Lake Geneva. Really nice course, that's mainly links style on the front 9 and transitions to woodlands golf on the back. A number of really nice holes. And, frankly, coming from the Geneva courses, it would not be as big a step down as say playing Evergreen, Delbrook or Prairie Woods.
[/quote]

I'm glad to hear the positive review of Glen Erin...we're playing our Friday round there on our way into Lake Geneva. Any thoughts on Oak Grove Golf Course down in Harvard, IL?
[/quote]

Oak Grove is usually in good shape. Their range balls are awful. Greens are usually cut nice and roll well. Fairways are good. Lots of mature trees out there and usually some wind. A few holes are GOOFY. Hole #11 is awful and by far the worst hole I've ever played. It's a really bad par 5. Otherwise, it's nice to get out there and play and there's usually no one out there to get in your way.

[DavePelz4]

[quote name='dhartmann34' timestamp='1411873270' post='10197621']
[quote name='CDMackFisher' timestamp='1411664231' post='10182385']
[quote name='TheBear95' timestamp='1411658330' post='10181623']
Of the four listed, Evergreen is the best. I would play the north/south combo.

Prairie Woods is a very short, somewhat tight course. A number of hard doglegs, so positioning off the tee is critcal. You can go low there, but its definitely target golf.

My recommendation would be to check out Glen Erin in Janesville. 30mins at most from Lake Geneva. Really nice course, that's mainly links style on the front 9 and transitions to woodlands golf on the back. A number of really nice holes. And, frankly, coming from the Geneva courses, it would not be as big a step down as say playing Evergreen, Delbrook or Prairie Woods.
[/quote]

I'm glad to hear the positive review of Glen Erin...we're playing our Friday round there on our way into Lake Geneva. Any thoughts on Oak Grove Golf Course down in Harvard, IL?
[/quote]

Oak Grove is usually in good shape. Their range balls are awful. Greens are usually cut nice and roll well. Fairways are good. Lots of mature trees out there and usually some wind. A few holes are GOOFY. Hole #11 is awful and by far the worst hole I've ever played. It's a really bad par 5. Otherwise, it's nice to get out there and play and there's usually no one out there to get in your way.
[/quote]

We just played Oak Grove and I'll echo DH's comments. It's 17 great holes and one messed up hole. Range balls suck and the range it self really isn't much beyond an open field. With that said, the course is almost always in great shape, the greens are receiving but have some very subtle slopes that can mess with you and depending on the tees played, the course can be tough if you're driver is misbehaving. I drive a 90 minutes each way to play OG a few times a year so that hopefully provides some insights on the value of the course.

[bpgolf85]

I have fond memories of that hole. Only time I have played there was on my Buddys wedding day. We pushed out match and played 10&11 as a tie breaker. Sunk a 20ft putt for birdie and walked off w/ some cash. Not the worst par 5 ever but def not a "get one back" type of hole.

Depending on where you are traveling from I would recommend other courses in the area. Aldeen and Glen Erin to me are both more fun than Oak Grove. I have also heard great thing about Plum Tree National but have never played it.

[fredmg]

Played Lake Lawn Labor Day weekend. Agree it is in good condition. There is a section of the course where tees and grees sort of "intersect" and you feel like you are on top of other groups.