Waukewan Golf Club

Views are wonderful. We were pushed to move more quickly a little more than we like. The course was wonderful using the GolfNow discount. Would try to make sure entire course is open, and not under green maintenance, next time we go.

If you can play Waukewan, you can play anywhere. Lots of blind shots and hidden approaches due to elevation changes. GPS won’t help much either due to all the shadows. Played the front from the whites then lucked into the club runnerup on the back to play from the black. Course was in very good shape, mowed grain on the fairways, well maintained sand traps and rollable greens, again with lots of contours. Very enjoyable day.

For a course that is short and somewhat atypical—primarily on its opening nine—Waukewan has a great deal going for it. It is set in the beautiful lake town of Meredith, New Hampshire; its own woodland/country setting lets you enjoy a feast of great, natural scenery; it features smooth, fast greens; its hills and slopes have made for naturally flowing golf terrain, a terrain that seems to have been largely left undisturbed by the hand of man. This is not a course that low-handicappers may flock to, but everyone can certainly enjoy its subtle—and sometimes teeth-gnashing—challenges, and it will doubtless take the full measure of any golfer's iron and short games. More importantly, there are many good-to-excellent holes here, some of them quite 'brilliant' (as the Brits are fond of saying). Despite some flaws, it is truly worth playing, as I do when vacationing in New Hampshire every summer.

The design of this course, first established in 1958 and added to in the 1960's, combines trees, which are one of the primary hazards on a majority of the holes, with liberal but judicious use of bunkers, several water hazards used to good effect, and a good deal of uphill/downhill alternation throughout. The greens are well-defended, and are often situated near or even on slopes or plateaus, adding much interest to the proceedings. They are also well-bunkered and feature enough fall-offs (usually to the rear), some of which are quite penal. You may use driver freely on many, but not all, of the par fours and fives, and you need to think your way, carefully, around the golf course. In short, it's a solid track.

Waukewan has a good number of unusual holes—their design falling outside of what we typically expect in modern courses—that to call some of them ‘quirky’ seems an understatement. While I'm not crazy about the entire routing here, it is undeniable that things 'work' because its variety is sufficient, overall, and it offers a couple of impressive stretches of holes (notably, 6 through 9 and 13 through 17). Waukewan's quirkiness, in the best sense of that word, is a common trait of vintage American golf courses such as this one. It may not be evident on the first tee, but it will be by the time you have considered and aimed your blind second shot at a smallish green some 150 yards distant, then come upon the first green itself. Here, quirks abound: a sharp, 3-foot down-slope precedes the green’s entrance; a steeper down-slope falls off behind, where a hidden bunker lurks; in between, the green itself slips and slides in a way that may give you fits if your putting isn’t sharp. Is it a good hole? You decide, but it will, to be certain, require course knowledge to master. The second two holes, a short par four and three, are feisty, and making a par again will be a matter of battling blind or semi-blind shots, bumpy, slanted fairways and small, speedy, undulating greens that sweep down and away from the fairway. The fourth hole follows suit, and for many golfers, the pattern of these similar downhill slopes and shapes preceding the green may well feel too repetitious. Finally, at the fifth, the pattern changes, as a swale precedes the green, leading to a pronounced upsweep to the putting surface. But, back to the tee: this hole is a right-angle dogleg that is a mere 300 yards in length, requiring only a wedge or nine for your tee shot and—for that matter—the approach. Don't make a fool of yourself here by attempting to vault your shot over the corner of the dogleg; it's lethal. Played safely, the hole can be fun and offers challenges around and on its tricky, undulating green, its surface easily three putted.

Then things take an odd turn on the sixth hole, despite the fact—ironically—that there are no real quirks here. That oddity is a kind of radical transformation: Waukewan becomes almost completely conventional—and, actually, much better—through the end of the front nine. Six, a longish par-5, requires a straight drive, a drive that must stay short of a fairway-crossing pond, and then two more solid shots to find both fairway and green. Basically flat but dotted with trees, and edged by a serene pond on its right side with a gorgeous backdrop, the hole is a beauty. The par-three seventh features a well-fortified green, surrounded by bunkers (two of three hidden from the tee) and it will demand your best mid-iron. Eight is Waukewan's best hole, arguably. On this short but vertically daunting par-five, the objective for the ambitious is two powerful shots that will fly straight up a massive hill toward another highly protected green. It appears tantalizingly close from the tee but is not as close as it looks, and as you near it, you’ll find the eight green fiendishly perched on the ledge-like summit of the hill. Your second shot must be superlative because the target is both small and elusive; most golfers will be playing eight as a three-shotter. Even with a wedge in hand, however, the green is easily missed: the tendency will be assure the green's front ledge is carried, and so hit too far past the hole—perhaps right off the backside of this 'postage stamp.' The ninth, a pleasing par-4, follows suit with another uphill jaunt. Your first decision will likely be to take a club that prevents you from hitting into the reedy pond that partially crosses the ninth fairway, but the second will almost surely be to take dead aim for the pin, wherever it is set, with a mid to short iron. Putting the ninth green, however, is a more delicate matter.

The back nine tightens considerably, even though several holes retain some of the same open, countryside feel that affords the course a variety of scenic looks. The best stretch of holes here begins on hole thirteen, a brutish, uphill par four, running through woods and culminating on a tough, double tiered green that slopes vigorously (the second tier rising some four feet—steeply—above the first, and perhaps giving you fits). It is clear, too, that the approach here is the toughest at Waukewan. Downhill fourteen is a bit tamer—and shorter— par four, yet, should you be bold enough to attempt a first shot directly at the green, it may well bare its teeth and bite your slightly mishit drive—and the big, bad woods have sharp fangs. The green complexes in this sequence of holes all make for difficult short-game shots (including putting), and green fourteen may be the toughest. Fifteen is another remarkable hole, where a pond reins your drive in on the left half of its fairway. After avoiding it, the ideal play may be to take aim directly at the green some 220 yards uphill, being cautiously optimistic: the fairway’s strong side-slopes might just trundle your bold second shot into the woods. Fifteen’s pitched green requires competence with the flatstick. Sixteen is a powerhouse par-three, uphill all the way to a table green, whose front side-slope will reject less-than-perfect approaches meant to run onto the surface.

The seventeenth hole cannot be faulted for both its imagination and panache: this reachable par-five points you downhill to a fairway guarded by out-of-bounds right and a severe down-slope starting on its right edge, but the entire fairway slopes rather severely in that same direction, so much so that it's devilishly hard to hold (shades of the great Olympic Club near San Francisco). The ideal line for the tee ball, then, is up the right side, in the vicinity of the tree-line right border of the hole. (Remember that the trees are the only thing can prevent a sliced/pushed shot from landing OB). With two strong shots, you could be looking at an eagle putt here—but not so fast! The second shot is steeply downhill and must be played, almost always, as a runner down the steep fairway downslope leading into the green. So a very, very precise second is an absolute must. Mis-clubbed or overly aggressive second shots here, by contrast, may face a variety of unsavory outcomes, though the primary ones are a back-side bunker, or, far worse, the out-of-bounds road behind it. It is among the cleverest short par-fives I've played, though I have always steeled myself for difficulties following a less-than-excellent tee shot.

After all this well-staged drama, the run of excellent holes seems to fizzle—a bit—on eighteen, a unique but slightly gimmicky (and out-dated, for some?) uphill par-four made tricky by a sizeable, green-fronting pond. Yep, you're finishing where you began: right back to quirky. Since the hole is a mere 230 yards in length, many golfers will be tempted to fly the pond, and so drive the blind green. But the severe uphill carry means that, in reality, you’ll need to fly the ball the equivalent of some 230-240 yards, a blow that, statistically speaking, few golfers can reliably produce. This certainly can be, at your option, a risk-reward proposition, but most golfers will take the conservative, lay-up option, reaching the green in two strokes. One creative way to beat the eighteenth, I've found, is to drive up its left side, taking a line just inside the stout pine tree (it's no more than 20 feet tall) on that side, which is left of the pond. A short pitch shall follow.

Played in the afternoon, Waukewan has to be among the best golfing values in New England, especially when walking—as I did. Be advised that this walk features uphill treks on holes 8, 9, 13, 15, 16, and 18, but it is eminently do-able. The course even doles out free(!) pull-carts to its walkers who need them (they're thinking of tourists). The amenities are good here and the club pro, Bob, is a true gentleman, both amiable and extremely well-versed in the game of golf, and it is clear he is a genuine 'people-person.' It's a pleasure to see him every time I visit, which is a least once in July or August (I'm from Connecticut).

Waukewan is a very nice course. Folks are friendly, course is nice. Greens are ruff.

Course really needs to provide water on the course. We were very thirsty and there was no water except at one location which was a vending machine charging $2 for a small bottle. Come on guys, your customers need to hydrate on hot days!

I had a great day staff was very friendly and very accommodating met up with two gentlemen I’ve never golfed with before we are nice nine whole day. I would definitely recommend going back again the layout and flow were very great.

It's been a couple of years since I've played Waukewan and it's in remarkably good shape currently. Greens putting quite good and rest of course is in great shape also. An interesting collection of holes. The majority are quite straightforward and easy, but there are some challenging holes as you get near the end of the round.

Recommend giving it a shot.

A nice course w/some challenges but not terribly difficult. It is, however, tough for the first time or two until you get to know the lay of the land. On some fairways you can't see what's out over the hill, so you're hitting somewhat blind and need to be cautious. Once you know the course you can more successfully manage your shots. I enjoy the challenge of playing there.

Course is in remarkable shape considering the winter weather. Tees however, have on a few holes,been placed on temporary sites. The rough is very dense and I couldn't find a ball again in 4" grass. Only 3 flat holes, like a lot of NH couses, you are playing uphill or down....

I’ve played this course many times and for 35 lunch time special well worth it. My group got stuck behind a slow group but they left after nine and had a wide open course. I would recommend this course to anyone it is an excellent course

Waukewon is a great little course to play if you're looking for something to do while visiting the lakes. I have played here many times and the course is in good shape this year. It's not the hardest course you'll play in your life but it does present a fair share of tricky shots you'll have to think about. A lot of blind shots so if you play make sure you get a map or something, it'll definitely help. My only complaint was that I thought the beer selection was a little weak. Would definitely recommend for anyone up for the weekend looking to whack some golf balls.

Played here for the first time. Front nine was ok as inexpensive courses go. Back nine I found to be laid out poorly not fun to play too tricky on some holes