Old Hickory Country Club

Old Hickory Country Club in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, was designed by Tom Bendelow, the prolific Scottish-born architect who laid out hundreds of courses across the American Midwest in the early twentieth century. Bendelow, who worked for A.G. Spalding and later independently, typically created straightforward, playable designs suited to modest budgets and rolling agricultural terrain. His courses often featured strategic bunkering and greens that rewarded accurate approach play without requiring extensive earthmoving. The course occupies land characteristic of southern Wisconsin's glacial topography, with gentle rolls and mature tree growth framing the holes. Bendelow's routing philosophy emphasized variety in hole length and direction while maintaining walkability, a practical consideration for clubs serving local membership. The layout reflects the design sensibilities of its era, when courses were built to accommodate players of varying skill levels and to integrate naturally into the existing landscape. Old Hickory serves as a traditional community club in Beaver Dam, a small city situated between Madison and Fond du Lac. The facility provides a classic example of early American golf architecture adapted to the upper Midwest, where courses balanced competitive interest with accessibility. Like many Bendelow designs, it has likely seen modifications over the decades to accommodate modern equipment and maintenance practices while retaining the fundamental character of its original routing and strategic concepts.