In the coming years, novels and books will be written about the effect the COVID-19 pandemic had on the golf world. For me, I was searching for ways to feel less cooped up in that fateful spring of 2020. Playing golf, spending more time with my family, and taking long walks became great ways to fill the void.
During those bleak days, I once again found my love of a sport that was a big part of my childhood. Towne Country Club (TCC) in Edgerton was the first place where I started to play golf again regularly, as the pandemic shifted every aspect of life. The quiet and unassuming course was an easy drive from my house and offered great value for summer rounds played on its hilly and scorable layout.
I got hooked again on golf thanks to those morning rounds at TCC. They just meant so much to me. Therefore, it is fitting for my first WiscoGolfAddict article that I share why this South-Central Wisconsin track, famously the boyhood home course of Wisconsin legend Steve Stricker, is such a joy to play.
Overview
Stricker, the 2021 winning Ryder Cup captain, had a family home on Jensen St. That’s the same street where the clubhouse is located. However, the course that Stricker grew up on was far different than the current layout. The original nine holes were built by Louis Harvey Towne in the early 1920s. Those holes are now the front nine at TCC, which play to a par 34 at 2,754 yards. These are a fun set of holes, filled with many half-par challenges and birdie opportunities.
Long after Stricker set out on the PGA Tour, Towne’s namesake course expanded to a regulation 18. Stricker had a hand in laying out the current back nine, which opened in 1996. The more modern challenge stretches to 3,219 yards and carries a par of 36.
Built 75 years apart, the nines at Towne play like two totally different courses. Contrasts like this can be a bit jarring, and yet somehow it works at TCC—even with the 500-yard trek between the 9th green and the 10th tee. The current 5,973-yard, par 70 layout plays much tougher than its yardage indicates.
Towne Country Club
Location: Edgerton, Wisconsin
Par 70; Tees: Black – 5973/69.5/122; White – 5539/67.5/117; Red – 4964/69.2/118
Highlights and Favorite Holes
Since the two nines are so different, I’m going to share highlights and lowlights from each of two nines.
My favorite holes on TCC’s newer back nine are the 15th and 16th, a short par five and short par four, respectively.
The 517-yard 15th features a thrilling downhill tee shot, played through a narrow chute. The green is certainly reachable in two shots, but after getting your drive in play, your long iron or hybrid needs to be played back up a steep hill. The green is only a small target, exposed at the top of the hill. The 15th is an awesome hole, and one of the best short par fives in Wisconsin.
I rank the 16th at TCC as one of my favorite holes anywhere. Potentially drivable, the 16th tips at just 331 yards, bending to the right around a marshy lake. The smart play is to the left or short of a cavernous fairway bunker. This sets up just a wedge or short iron approach. That shot is played to an extremely narrow green, pinched between a wooded hillside and the marshy lake. Even if you just lay up and play the hole smart, it still packs bite.
The downhill, 516-yard par five 12th, which finishes on the far side of a small pond, and the uphill, 442-yard 13th are a couple of other excellent holes on the newer nine.
I also like the 393-yard 10th and the 398-yard 14th holes. The 10th features a thrilling second shot played downhill through a chute of trees. The 14th is wide open off the tee, but the approach is tight, played over menacing front bunker.
The 6th, the difficult starter, and the brutish par three 2nd are the best holes on the older front nine.
The 517-yard 6th hole is a beast. The only par five on the front nine plays downhill initially to a tight fairway bordered by a pond on the left that you can’t see from the tee. The roller coaster hole then climbs steeply back uphill, before bending around a strand of trees on its left side. A long hitter can reach the green in two shots, but it requires a solid drive and then playing some sort of expert draw, or even a hook, with a fairway wood or long iron.
The 410-yard 1st hole plays to a rolling fairway. What is followed is a tough approach to a sideways split-level, semi-blind green. That target is awkward to approach when it’s firm.
The 227-yard 2nd is a long downhill par three, featuring a raised green. The target is perched on one of the most exposed spots on the course, and there are fall offs all around the green’s edges. On a windy day, a hybrid or long iron shot is very challenging, and must be precise. Short is the safest miss.
It’s no wonder why Stricker grew up and became one of the best wedge players on Tour, as Towne’s front nine features four fun par fours of 325 yards or less. My favorites of these holes are the 278-yard 4th and the 273-yard 8th.
In my nearly 40 years of golfing, I’ve never seen anything quite like the 4th hole at TCC. The short par four plays blind off the tee, but is drivable. The hole plays downhill initially, before ending up on a tiny pedestal green, with a severe false front. This remarkable green must be seen to be believed as pictures don’t do it justice. The 4th is a birdie hole, but there is lots of trouble in play here, too.
The 8th, which plays to a similar length as the 4th, is much less drivable due to its green location. At about 225 yards out, the fairway runs into a huge bank. The small green sits perched on top of that bank. The smart play is laying back to 175-200 yards, setting up a wedge to the small, steeply sloping green. Hitting into the fronting bank is a recipe for a big number.
The Lowlights
I have only minor critiques of the older front nine, as I find it challenging, quirky, and just a joy to play. Plus, a low handicap golfer on their wedge game can go low on these holes, especially as they play to only a par of 34.
On the other hand, the back nine concludes on the course’s two weakest holes. The 138-yard 17th isn’t a bad par three, but there just isn’t a whole lot to it. It’s a fun hole played with a short iron, and the green has a beautiful, forested backdrop. But it’s almost the same length as the hill-to-hill, par three 11th hole.
The 342-yard 18th gets you back home (or at least back to the 10th tee). But as the finisher, it plays as the easiest hole on the course. The closer features a wide-open drive, with one menacing tree lurking on the right. The second shot is played to a flattish green pinched between two bunkers. The hole just lacks the charm and character of the rest of the course.
Final Thoughts
With its unusual layout, Towne Country Club is an easy place to ignore when looking at places to play golf in the Madison vicinity.
However, I’d suggest carving out time to play an enjoyable round of golf here in beautiful and historic Edgerton. TCC is an easy 30-minute drive south of Wisconsin’s capital, and with its par 70 layout, it gives you the chance to shoot one of your best rounds of the year.
If those reasons aren’t enough, making the pilgrimage to TCC gives you the chance to play the home course of America’s victorious 2021 Ryder Cup Captain. If you ever see Stricker onsite, make sure to thank him for guiding America’s last victorious Ryder Cup side.
Note: Images featured in this article were taken during multiple rounds played 2020 and 2021.
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