Fire Ridge Golf Club

Given the season is young and the course will dry up, I can’t be overly cruel with the conditions. However, a few improvements needed given what the current rate is: the cart paths are unbearable to drive on and need to be repaved, the majority of the bunkers need to be raked of rocks and old sand/dirt, a few greens (especially the back) were in very rough shape with ball marks/dead spots/unmanicured.

The staff were amazing and very courteous as always. Loved to new bathrooms/locker rooms. Today was the best pace of play I’ve ever had in the 20+ years of playing FR.

The Good: Fire Ridge is a very nice, upscale public facility just off of I-43, about 30-minutes north of Milwaukee and 30-minutes south of Kohler country. Designed by relatively unknown architects Kerry Mattingly & Gregg Kuehn, this modern parkland track has enough space & depth for the weekend hacker, but very challenging, fun green complexes for the low handicapper. Nice variety in Par 4's & Par-5's, as well as several tough Par-3's. Although ravaged by flooding, course was in pretty decent shape. Greens ran extremely fast & rolled beautifully. Clubhouse and off-course amenities including practice area looked very nice, although given Covid-19 situation I didn't partake. Staff was very cordial and accommodating. At under $70 during peak season with cart, very reasonable for the greater MKE area.

The Bad: The greens, while they were in great shape, didn't hold well at all. The course is not set up too well for lots of rain. Several areas had to be rerouted due to flooding. A few too many blind shots, particularly hidden hazards on the Par-5's, for my liking. Some won't like the uphill forced carries around mahy of the greens.

The Verdict: Fire Ridge is another solid public option in the greater MKE area, just behind The Bog, WCGC and Morningstar in terms of design & overall experience. Hope to get back when weather and conditioning is better.

Best Hole: The short, uphill Par-4 5th is the standout hole of many on Fire Ridge. A drive must avoid a huge sand trap left and pond to the right, then an approach to an infinity looking green hidden from view.

the course was flooded and their drain system was not good.

Course conditions were good and great value for this very nice course.

Course was beautiful. Greens were aerated and coming back, but still ok. Played with two older gents that helped navigate us around. Great deal.

Besides being a little wet in spots coarse was in great shape. Really enjoyed this coarse and will play again.

Awesome golf course. We had gotten a ton of rain in the area but the course drained extremely well, was not puddled or wet in many areas and dried well. Green speeds as a result were inconsistent but the greens were in phenomenal shape. Would absolutely recommend in relation to courses on the north side of town.

Half way through our round I said to my friend, “this is the most disappointing round I have ever played in my life!” Play was horrifically slow with rangers that did nothing. Took almost 5 hours. Course is beat up, including rough cart paths, overgrown weeds, uneven tee boxes that have never been leveled. Sand traps with no sand. Had to literally take my ball out of sand as they were unplayable. Needs big money infusion. Spider webs all over club house. Will never play there again.

Greens are very fast and true. They were extremely firm which made it difficult to hold some of them. Overall excellent experience at Fire Ridge!

Nice layout which has been very poorly maintained. Horrible, horrible greens which badly need watered, or in some cases replaced. Ball bounces anywhere from 5 to 10 ft in the air, making holding the green near impossible & absolutely no reward for a good approach shot. Complete lottery!

To add further insult, the pin locations were mostly tucked at the front of the greens, with several on actual slopes!!

Running the ball into the greens also wasn't an option as the fairway in front of most was saturated - perhaps this water was supposed to be for the greens?

Tee markers looked like they'd been thrown into position, most on slopes, facing entirely the wrong direction to that of the fairway, or barely wide enough to tee it between the markers.

As someone with some green keeping experience, it seems like they've lost a senior or head green keeper.

It's either lack of knowledge or a blatant lack of care & attention that has lead to the current course conditions.

Staff - unhelpful & rude. Young guy in the pro shop gave us directions to the practice range, without letting us know we had to purchase range balls, FROM HIM! Which resulted in 2 trips & reduced warm up time.

Our experience in the bar afterwards reflected the course condition & pro shop service - POOR!

After 3 failed attempts to pull a pint from a new barrel, we were served 2 pints, which was 50% head. When questioned, the barman grumpily replied that's the way it came out. I requested 2 bottles instead, only to be asked to pay for the 2 dodgy pints as well. We opted to avoid ordering food & swiftly left.

As my playing partner is a visitor from another country, this was a doubly disappointing trip. Needless to say, I won't be back & I'll definitely not be taking any further clients here for golf.

To those looking for a game in this area, save yourself the pain & head for The Bog in Saukville, or The Bull in Sheboygan.

Even Brown Deer beats this place if you want to stay public.

Everything was good except the course needs more water. Tee shots bounce 20 feet in the air and everything rolls off the greens. Fix that and it is even better.

It's a nice course but could use some water. Very firm conditions takes balls in many directions. Undulating greens are very fast and hard to read. Pretty course but you better hit it straight.