Wausau Country Club

Not exactly the nicest day for golf. Temps in the lower 40's, lightning, and of course, lots of rain. Having never golfed at the Wausau Country Club I found the morning very frustrating to say the least. Having been established in 1899 the private course that intertwines along the banks of the Lake Wausau was almost out of my reach for the day. However, a break in the weather allowed for our designated round of 18 to commence, be it 2 hours later than scheduled.

The club is located in Schofield, Wisconsin and as I mentioned before Lake Wausau becomes a factor in the way you play. Eight of the eighteen holes have water in play at some point. Water and I don't exactly to get along while golfing, but I knew it would be a challenging course based on what I've seen fishing on the lake.

As you sit in the first tee box you notice right away that the fairways are lines with a very good selection of mature northern Wisconsin pine and hardwood trees. I would imagine this provides for a much cooler playing environment in the summer months and helps with keeping the fairways and greens from drying out as fast. Another nice thing about the trees along this course is the fact that they allow for some relief even on a poorly played shot. There is very little underbrush to hinder a shot and a safety shot can be played from just about anyplace in the woods to get back into play.

Being it had rained all morning and the fact that there is water on eight holes I was expecting the course to be pretty wet. To my surprise the fairways were very playable although a little soft. There were a few "winter kill" areas that were noticeable on several holes, but those were far and few between.

What really got my attention was how fast the putting greens were. They definitely had a fine base for the putting surfaces. Even with the excessive rain we had earlier I found it very difficult to stick a longer approach shot on the green. Any downhill putt had to be approached with caution since even the lightest putting stroke could roll by several feet if you missed the cup.

Since I was a guest and the Wausau Country Club had its Mother's Day Brunch scheduled I didn't get to utilize the clubhouse other than meeting in the Pro-Shop with my host. I did get to the Pro-Shop through the men's locker room thanks to another member giving me directions from the back parking lot to the front of the building. If the men's locker room is any indication of the rest of the facility, I'm looking forward to another outing at the Club. Maybe this time I can bring a golf game with me.