Waukewan Golf Club

For our level of play, this is one of the best courses we can play. The mix of distances, hazards, and fairway complexity allows us to finish a round with a good sense of satisfaction. We can get through a round without having lost many golf balls. The club is a bit out of the way, but worth the trip. If I was going to join a club, and I lived closer to Waukewan, I would join.

Some short but quirky holes with water and very deep clover in the rough

We were vacationing in the White Mountains and I search for a nice course, nearby, where I could golf. This course was 45 minutes south of where we were, in an area near Squam Lake, which I was familiar with.

When I arrived at the course I was very impressed with the facility when I drove in. It was beautiful, looked very well maintained and quite busy. That’s always a good sign! I went to the office and was greeted by a staff member who was very professional, friendly and efficient!! I went out to the cart area and was greeted by an older gentleman who again was very eager to assist me. The practice green was in excellent condition and from what I could see of the course, it appeared well groomed and maintained. I was paired with two others and we went out on time. I was impressed with the condition and layout of golf holes. It was longer than I usually play with lots of interesting twists and turns. Since we had rain in the area this week there were two holes that were very wet, soft and muddy. YUK! Otherwise I enjoyed the round and the company. Unfortunately, I live in Maine and the course is too far to travel to for a day of golf. If I’m in this area again I would definitely want to play the course again!

A nice surprise in the Squam Lake area!!

I keep going back to Waukewan every time I vacation up at Squam lake and I keep being more and more impressed with the unique layout.

As I continue to play this course I realize it was setup to truly test every club in your bag. Plenty of par 4s and 5s that reward big hitters off the tee where length can severely help your score. But, that’s offset by a couple extremely fun par 4s that without two perfectly placed iron shots you’ll be wondering how anyone can get on in two.

As far as long uphill par 4s go, hole 13 is truly a beauty. It might be a 6 on my scorecard on most days, but really tests your ability to be long enough off the tee to have a short iron shot from within 150 or so for a chance to make a par:

If you’re a beginner, Intermediate, or even a scratch golfer you will find plenty of fun here as no two holes are even somewhat alike.

Love this course and will continue to go back.

5 out of 5. The scenic views are beautiful and Cathy at the pro shop is the best!!

If you appreciate vintage golf courses, or those with bold and rugged contours, or maybe just the unspoiled beauty of New Hampshire, you won't want to pass up Waukewan. Set just outside the picturesque town of Meredith at the northern end of Lake Winnipesaukee, this is the kind of course where you might expect to see a moose wandering across the fairway from out of the marshland. I haven’t yet, but who knows? Short and mostly open enough to encourage creative golfers to find the best route to the hole, Waukewan encourages strategic and adventurous play. At other junctures, one may feel hemmed in by the sometimes tree-lined fairways. Time to play 'safe' golf.

The creation of the Hale family, with its two nines built separately, Waukewan is cleverly designed and features a variety of interesting green complexes. The first example of the latter comes at hole one, where you'll find a plunging, Donald Ross-style entrance to the putting surface, which, being blind on the approach and quite small, eludes all but sharp, well-planned iron shots. It is easily missed long, where a hidden bunker may snag your Titleist.

While it's unlikely that you'll hear anyone comparing Waukewan's difficulty with Winged Foot's, this fine public-access course offers some impressive challenges. Sprinkled into the mix are doglegs, steep and perilous slopes, and the occasional long hole. The pitched, quick greens often undulate and sometimes seem to encourage three-putting. Even on those few holes here that can be outmatched by strong players wielding modern clubs and using today’s hot golf balls, it's expected that everyone should think her or his way around the course to earn pars or less.

Stylish Par-threes:

The big, sloping greens on the quartet of par-3's here create interest enough, but three of the four are also long-ish, and no two feel even remotely alike. Both seven and eleven are standouts, yet the seventh impresses especially because its green, cleverly concealed on the tee shot, is fortified with big bunkers. The terrain around this green, like many others here, is tricky. You’ll need your best chipping effort if you’ve missed the putting surface.

Toughest Hole: Thirteen (410 yard par-4)

Thirteen is so tough that I'd guess the mathematically mean score to be about five and a half. On the drive, where big trees crowd the left side and a pond lies hidden to the right, the expansive fairway seems generous. But the trees crowd the second shot's airspace on the left hand side, so driving into the left rough or even sometimes the fairway presents problems for the subsequent approach, uphill—as it is—and to a two-tiered green. The usual miss on the second shot falls short of and below this green. Here you'll see the putting surface's rather massive second tier rising prominently. Pitching from this area, I try to land it near this huge uprise, lending the ball enough momentum to roll onto the upper tier. For the highly skilled, a riskier alternative: fly the ball onto the top level. But those who miss long at green thirteen will find a world of trouble.

Best Hole: Eight (470 yard par-5)

The eighth defies even good shots hit on this brute, an uphill five-par. On the drive, where two wide bunkers flank the fairway, you can try to either thread it down the middle, or perhaps try to the aerial route. The approach on the second shot, flying up the huge slope toward the perched green, smashed string-straight, travelling in excess of 200 yards, needing to be a supremely confident stroke, could, if you're lucky, get you on in two. If a third stroke becomes necessary into green eight, be it a pitch shot or short iron, nothing less than perfect execution is required: the surface is on the small side, and a frontal 'wall' rejects anything short. I block the faintest thought of failure out of my mind when playing eight. With good fortune, this works. There is a compensation for our toils here, though: this may be the most scenic hole at Waukewan.

Most Interesting Hole: Twelve (270 yard par-4)

Even though designed in the mid-20th century, this course has a few touches that harken back to Golden Age (1920's) layouts. For example, the big trap preceding twelve's green by some 25 yards feels like something Donald Ross or Devereux Emmett might have created, but its pronounced lip is not so tall that you can't bounce your tee shot over it. Voila! A one-shotter. Doing just this today, I left my drive a few feet off the small green. Luck, of course, was involved. But this hole puts up an equally stern defense when played in two shots tee-to-green, as the putting surface is surrounded by four sizeable traps in all.

Other notes and comments:

(A) The big news here is conditioning. Waukewan struggled last year with it, but this season marks a return to form. The only problem we found today was a degree of patchiness on some of the low-lying fairways. But the greens excelled, along with almost every key facet. For a public course, it looks superior. The greens putt smoothly. Course was a bit dry but almost exclusively in the rough.

(B) Not every hole is perfect here, but there are many strong ones, including four, a short par-4 with the tightest of fairways and a tricky setting around its green; six, a par-five which exercises precise shot placement; nine, a classic uphill par-4 over a pond; fifteen, an uphill 480-yard five-par that puts a premium on straight hitting and sports a fiendishly sloping green back to front; and seventeen, a unique par-5 that calls for course knowledge, patience, and a above all a well-played tee shot. The best stretch of holes runs from 11 through 17.

(C) The pro shop staff finds every avenue to satisfy visitors. Bob, the pro, is a knowledgeable resource about this course and the game of golf. He let us play the back nine first so as to bypass league play. After the round, I also chatted with Cathy, who gave me suggestions for playing here again later this summer. Also met the assistant pro, Tyler Somers, who was accommodating and helpful when I wanted to take a few extra pics of the course. I first played at Waukewan some 40 years ago. Little has changed. Awesome service.

(D) Conversed with a club member here who is impressed with the how the staff returned conditions to excellence in 2020, after some tough, weather-related breaks last year. A good golfer, he also enjoys the layout, especially each hole's distinctiveness at Waukewan.

(E) Value: A high-quality golf experience, reasonably priced. My son and I had an excellent (and tied) match here today, although he outplayed me tee-to-green, and the layout brought out our better golfing selves. What more could we ask for?

Waukewan very very dry, which is very unusual for this course. Have not played here for about 3 years. Was in good shape and place of play was also good.

been a member here for 13 years and the course is the best it has ever been!Tim and Tom are doing great.

Short, straightforward course. Excellently maintained. Had a group in front of us that destroyed the pace of play so not sure what the pace would be with normal golfers. Would like to play this course a few times to see how gettable it is. Will definitely come back

Coutse in decent condition

greens are good but slow

This is one of my go-to courses for play. Perfect level of challenge so that I don't get too frustrated. It is also a wonderful setting for a golf course in the mountains. The staff is great.

A great course! Good challenge. Some of the course had some rough patches of grass on the greens but fairways and rough were in great shape.