In the Spring, after a long, cold Wisconsin winter, there are mornings where you know it will be a gorgeous day. Birds chirp, air is brisk and fresh but the sun is warm. Some days are made for golf – and on this particular day, I wanted to check out a Madison park course, Monona Golf Course. This blog post will cover my golf course review of Monona GC.
Madison Parks
Madison parks is home to four golf courses across Dane County, WI which includes Monona, Glenway, Odana Hills and Yahara. The courses range from 9-holes up to 36-holes with reasonable rates at all of them. The narrow parking lot at Monona golf course was completely full when I arrived, forcing me to park on the street under a huge shade tree. I watched a stream of gentlemen parade towards the small building appearing to be a clubhouse. I knew immediately — today was “league day”. While I waited for the final league groups to tee off, I walked next door to Rosie’s coffee shop to enjoy a hot beverage. The coffee house served the locals with a various assortment of pastries, coffees and breakfast options. Highly recommend!
Playability of Monona
The cost for my morning round was $14 to walk the Monona golf course. A 9-hole course at approximately 3,000 yards seems like a perfect parkland course to walk. There are four tee boxes available including blue, white, red and gold offering playability for all skill levels. As a golf course belonging to the Madison Parks department, Monona GC offers traditional golf course architectures and relatively flat greens.
The Monona golf course layout is interesting as it delivers somewhat of a “turn” after the first five holes. The routing will take players past the clubhouse to play the final four holes on the west side of the park.
Course Overview
Teeing off at the 1st hole gives you a peek into what is in store for the rest of the round. Monona golf course does not offer the golfer a lot of strategy with either a slight dogleg to the right or left. Lots of holes have 1-2 sand bunkers on each side of the green allowing the golfer to roll the ball on, if needed. Many “standard” holes makes writing a golf course review difficult which could lead to the Monona course being perceived as boring.
The first few holes on the course seem very similar. Measuring 371, 370 and 371 respectively, there is not much diversity on display. Hole 4, a long downhill par 3, requires a precise tee shot to make par especially at its length. Measuring 235 yards from the back tees, it is important to stay short of the pin as the green slopes towards the tee. A good shot will yield a birdie, but bogeys are looming.
The 5th hole sends you back towards the clubhouse on a par 5 reachable in two (for relatively long hitters). Measuring less than 500 yards, lower handicap players are thinking birdie on the tee box and the sand bunker is not in play. Once finished, players will walk past the clubhouse for the final four holes.
Holes 6 and 7 deliver more of the same par 4 layouts and par should be easily achieved with two good shots. The second par 5, hole 8, measures a touch over 500 yards from the back tee box but the elevated tee removes any added distance. Again, a birdie hole with a solid drive. The final hole is a par 3 over water, but the hazard does not come into play and with the water is short left a mid iron in hand will easily clear. In fact, hole 7 is the only location with a hazard in play besides the out of bounds.
Make it a Course + Park
Municipal park courses are not traditionally “money makers” for the city thus always under budget pressure. This sentiment holds true in the Madison parks department with active discussions around closing one or more golf courses. The most heated debate is between Yahara and Monona (I will have a blog about my opinion on these potential closing(s) in the coming weeks). The four Madison parks golf courses have lost money as a collective with some coming from a very rainy season last year. These courses need to produce more draw than league day and Saturday afternoon locals.
There is a recent trend to rethink golf courses which are nestled in neighborhood communities. Two of the more well-known examples include Goat Hill Park and Winter Park. These courses have embraced their unique position of being within walking distance for thousands and creating a central community hub for more than just golfers. In addition, an investment in a redesign of the simplistic holes will provide Monona golf course a much needed jolt. The Monona golf course should embrace inclusion and community to ensure the Madison mayor does not put it on the chopping block all together.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Monona golf course is a green space in the middle of the city deserving of a review. There is boundless potential for these types of courses that are within walking distance to tens of thousands of residents. Investments in the course and clubhouse are required plus a general reconsideration for the use of the park is needed. Thinking of these community parks as revenue generators is short-sided and lacks foresight. The city of Monona has a great opportunity to revitalize this centrally-located park and golf course by investing in revitalization. Attaching a refreshed marketing approach to how the space is leveraged will give the Madison area a gem of a park with a community that has proven to adore its local green spaces.
