The Course
Nakoma Golf Club, a design by Thomas Bendelow, has been a fixture in Madison, WI since 1925, boasting its status as one of the city's oldest clubs. This parkland-style course is home to Andy North, offering a unique golfing experience surrounded on three sides by the University of Wisconsin's Arboretum. I had the pleasure of playing a round here with my uncle, a club member, and it was a round I'd been looking forward to for some time.
Spanning 6,469 yards from the longest tees, Nakoma is a Par 70 course (34/36) featuring five tee boxes, providing challenges for golfers of all skill levels.
A view of Wisconsin's State Capitol Building near the 1st tee box
One remarkable aspect of Nakoma GC is its ability to transport you away from the city. This course is free from homes lining the fairways, and the view of the state capitol building is the only reminder of the city's presence. The lush surroundings of trees and water throughout the round make for a refreshing golfing experience. The greens, recently aerated in early October, have recovered beautifully, providing true and fast rolls. Tiered and undulating, precise shot placement becomes essential for a good score. Even during late fall, Nakoma was in outstanding condition, with well-manicured fairways and thick rough.
Front Nine
A short game warm up area with a large practice putting green are available to utilize before your round
Hole One is a dogleg left par four with trees lining the fairway on both sides and two fairway bunkers to the right at the corner. A good tee shot leaves you with a short iron into a small, undulating green. A classic hole layout and fantastic start to this course.
The second par three in it’s first four holes, #4 is an excellent chance at birdie on this front nine (which yours truly happened to capitalize on). However, any miss short right is consumed by a large and deep bunker, while missing left will find your ball down a large bank and needing a challenging chip to save par. This hole played 160 yards into a strong headwind, leading to clubbing up two clubs. I hit a beautiful 6 iron to about nine feet and sank the putt for birdie.
The dogleg right fifth hole was a beautiful layout
The only par five you’ll face on the front, hole 6 is a blind tee shot into a narrow landing area in the fairway. Tree lined on both sides, long hitters can reach in two from the whites with a good tee shot. If you choose to lay up, a fairway bunker left looms in the landing area. You’ll need to navigate three greenside bunkers into a small, back to front sloping green.
Hole Nine, a dogleg left, demands a precise tee shot to the right side of the fairway to avoid overhanging oaks on the left. This green slopes to the back, with subtle surface changes throughout. Your approach leads back to the clubhouse, leading to what I was told can be one of the most high pressure shots on the course. Outdoor patio seating, plus sidewalks directly behind the green, mean missing long isn’t an option. On warm days, you’ll have a gallery watching. Thankfully for me, it was chilly with no one outdoors. I executed a high draw off the tee with 7 wood, leaving me 140 to the pin into a strong headwind. Remembering my luck on the earlier par three 4th, I clubbed up two clubs and flushed a 7 iron to the back of the green. A tricky lag putt awaited me that I hit too firm and ran well past the hole, leading to an eventual three putt.
From the fairway into the ninth green
Back Nine
Hole ten is rated as the second most challenging on the property. A long, straight par 4 with ponds along the right and OB left, finding the fairway is critical to success. You’ll be faced with a long iron or fairway wood on your second to a very small green protected by a bunker and OB left with Mitchie’s stream on the right. Once again playing dead into the wind, I hit a solid draw that was knocked down to only 230 yards. Left with 190 to the pin, I pulled a 6 iron that was flushed and well short (did I mention the wind?).
Beautiful backdrop into hole eleven
The final three hole stretch follows a 5/3/5 layout, with an elevated tee shot awaiting you at 16. Playing your tee shot over the trees right of the fairway will leave you with an opportunity to reach this tiered green in two. Risk is involved, however, as a pond guards left and short. I executed a fantastic tee shot and followed it with a 7 wood draw that thankfully stayed dry. A wedge onto the green and two putt secured a par.
Hole 17 requires a mid to long iron, depending on your game, into arguably the most undulating green at Nakoma. Guarded by bunkers short left, right, and long left, accuracy is critical here. A large mound in the middle of the green influences nearly every putt. I was able to hit the green and two putt for a second consecutive par.
Hole 18 leads back to the clubhouse and plays as a par five. A challenging landing area guarded by water right and three bunkers left, I executed a soft draw that landed short of the bunkers and long of the water, exactly where I needed to be. This left me with an opportunity to get onto the elevated and two tiered green in two. With the pin playing short, I missed the green right and found myself in a particularly unenjoyable lie in thick, deep rough. I managed to find the green with my third shot, but was at the very back of the second tier, leaving myself with a 70 foot lag putt. I managed to leave it at 2 feet and tapped in to finish out on a three par streak.
Fall colors were on full display at Nakoma throughout the property
Amenities & Conclusion
Nakoma GC is a fully private club, so you’ll need to find a member to play with or request a tee time through the head pro. There are limited tee times available to those that inquire, and it is absolutely worth looking into if you’re in the Madison area. I had an absolute blast playing this course, as it provided a fun and unique experience that I am looking forward to taking on again in the future. A challenging layout with varying requirements on tee and approach shots, Nakoma met my expectations for a fully private club. We were never pushed by groups behind us or ran into groups ahead of us, which is clearly a benefit with how busy public courses have become.
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