Lawsonia Links
One of the great golden age courses anyone can play, the Links at Lawsonia is William Langford and Theodore Moreau at full volume: greens lifted high on bold square shouldered pads, deep flat bottomed bunkers, and the legend of a railroad boxcar buried beneath the seventh green.
Photograph: The Golf Courses of Lawsonia, via Google
The verdict
The Links course at Lawsonia opened in 1930, designed by William Langford and Theodore Moreau, and it is widely held to be the finest work in their portfolio. It is golden age architecture in its purest, boldest form: fairways that roll over engineered landforms, greens pushed up onto dramatic geometric pads that fall away on every side, and deep, sharply cut bunkers that frame the targets like ramparts. A par 72 of around 6,764 yards, it sits in Green Lake, Wisconsin, and it is fully public.
What makes Lawsonia special is that it delivers championship architecture to the everyday golfer. The earthworks are enormous for the era, reportedly built on a lavish budget, and a careful restoration in recent years has brought back the crisp bunker edges and the full size of the green pads. It rewards the player who can run the ball onto the right shelf and punishes the timid approach that comes up short into a bunker face. For travelling golfers building a Wisconsin trip, it is the historic counterweight to the modern giants down the road.
Lawsonia Links at a glance
- Opened
- 1930
- Designer
- Langford and Moreau
- Type
- Golden age, links style
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- Around 6,764 yds
- Green fee
- Around $125 peak (indicative)
Designer, year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from The Golf Courses of Lawsonia and leading course guides. The Links was designed by William Langford and Theodore Moreau and opened in 1930, a par 72 measuring around 6,764 yards. Indicative peak season green fees run around 125 dollars, with lower rates in the shoulder months and value on offer through the season. Fees are indicative and change by season and year, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
Lawsonia is defined by its greens. Langford and Moreau lifted them onto towering, flat topped pads with sharp falling edges, so the approach must carry to the correct shelf or be fed in along the ground, and a miss leaves an awkward chip from well below the surface. The bunkering is just as bold, deep and flat bottomed with high faces, cut into the landforms so that the course reads with a clarity rare for its age.
The most famous moment is the par 3 seventh, where the green sits on a raised pad that local legend says was built over a buried railroad boxcar left behind during construction. True or not, the steep sided target is one of the most photographed one shotters in the Midwest and captures the whole design ethos in a single hole. Elsewhere the engineered fairway contours and the run offs around the greens give the strong player plenty to think about from tee to cup.
For the visiting golfer, Lawsonia is a chance to play museum grade architecture without a member's introduction. Play it for the history, for the audacity of the earthmoving, and for the pure strategic fun of trying to hold those raised greens. It is firm, fast and honest, and it belongs on any serious tour of Wisconsin golf alongside the modern names.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | A fully public daily fee course, part of The Golf Courses of Lawsonia alongside the parkland Woodlands course; no membership or introduction is required |
| Green fee | Indicative peak season rates around 125 dollars, with lower shoulder and off season pricing and good value compared with the region's marquee resorts; carts available, walking encouraged |
| Booking | Reserve online or by phone ahead of weekends and the summer peak; the Links is the draw, so book it first and add the Woodlands for a full day |
| On foot | Walkable and best enjoyed on foot to appreciate the landforms; carts are available for those who prefer to ride |
| Getting there | In Green Lake, Wisconsin, roughly a two hour drive northwest of Milwaukee and within reach of Madison; easy to fold into a wider Midwest golf trip |
| Best months | Late spring through early autumn for the best turf and weather; the course closes through the Wisconsin winter |
Access and indicative green fees verified June 2026 from The Golf Courses of Lawsonia and course guides; public rates change by season, so always confirm current details directly before booking with the facility or your trip planner. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
Green Lake is a long standing Wisconsin resort town with lodging on and around the lake, so a stay and play built around Lawsonia is straightforward, and the relaxed setting suits a golf trip that mixes serious architecture with a few easy evenings.
Most travelling golfers fold Lawsonia into a wider Wisconsin tour, pairing it with the modern heavyweights at Whistling Straits, Erin Hills and Sand Valley for a trip that spans a century of design. The drives between them are manageable, and Lawsonia is the historic heart of the itinerary.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts around Green Lake.
Build a Wisconsin golf trip
We anchor a Wisconsin week on the state's best architecture, fit Lawsonia in alongside Whistling Straits, Erin Hills and Sand Valley, and handle the lodging, tee times and driving order so the days flow. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Lawsonia Links questions
How much does it cost to play Lawsonia Links?
Indicative peak season green fees run around 125 dollars, with lower rates in the shoulder months and strong value compared with the region's resort courses. These figures are indicative and change by season and year, so always confirm the current rate directly with the facility or your trip planner before booking.
Who designed Lawsonia Links?
The Links course was designed by William Langford and Theodore Moreau and opened in 1930. A par 72 of around 6,764 yards, it is widely regarded as the finest course in the Langford and Moreau portfolio and a benchmark of American golden age architecture.
What is the boxcar green at Lawsonia?
The par 3 seventh has a green raised on a dramatic pad that local legend says was built over a railroad boxcar buried during construction. Whether or not the story is literally true, the steep sided green is the course's most famous feature and a perfect example of Langford and Moreau's bold green building.
Can anyone play Lawsonia Links?
Yes. Lawsonia is a fully public, daily fee course with no membership or introduction required, part of a facility that also includes the parkland Woodlands course. Booking ahead for weekends and the summer peak is recommended, and the course is closed through the Wisconsin winter.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Tee time windows, course access changes and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. History, designer, par, yardage and indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.