The Woodlands at Lawsonia

The Woodlands is the under-the-radar 18 at Lawsonia, a 1983 Rocky Roquemore design that gives a completely different counterpoint to Lawsonia's famous 1930 William Langford / Theodore Moreau Links Course next door. Where the Links runs over open, treeless central-Wisconsin prairie with iconic square boxed greens, the Woodlands winds through dense hardwoods, natural wetlands, and dramatic elevation changes, a secluded, scenic, and strategically different experience routed through mature forest. The signature moment is on the par-4 2nd, which plays around the historic Judson Tower, a 90-year-old quarry centerpiece on the property that becomes the visual anchor of the hole. Roquemore's modern target-golf approach (dramatic elevation changes, large fast heavily-guarded greens) plays very differently from Langford/Moreau's Golden Age school, so a 36-hole day at Lawsonia feels like visiting two courses from different architectural eras. At 6,618 yards par 72 with a 71.5 rating and 129 slope, the Woodlands is shorter and more accessible than the Links but no pushover. A recent renovation tightened the conditioning. The natural complement to a Lawsonia Links round for the serious golf trip visitor.