The hardest golf courses in Madison, Wisconsin
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Madison, Wisconsin, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 7 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Verona, Oregon and Cottage Grove.
University Ridge Golf Course
Verona, WI, USASlope rating 144, 74.9 course rating, Black tees, 7,259 yds
PublicRobert Trent Jones II
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 3.5Value
- 4.0Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
Front 9 and Back 9 are two different styles of courses with the front being more links style and back more wooded. Not the most walkable course.
Written by
@CCHitman
- Driving range
- Challenging
- Grass range
The Legend at Bergamont
Oregon, WI, USASlope rating 137, 75.0 course rating, Black tees, 7,331 yds
PublicAndy North
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 3.5Facilities
- Driving range
- Grass range
- Putting area
Hawks Landing Golf Club
Verona, WI, USASlope rating 133, 73.8 course rating, Maroon tees, 7,227 yds
PublicJohn Harbottle
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Value
- 5.0Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
The Oaks Golf Club
Cottage Grove, WI, USASlope rating 132, 72.3 course rating, Scarlet tees, 6,724 yds
PublicGreg Martin
- 3.5Conditions
- 2.5Layout
- 1.0Value
- 2.0Scenery
- 1.0Facilities
The Oaks is generally fine from a course perspective. Nothing memorable but also nothing bad either. My issue with the course is the pace of play and the cost. For me there are other courses in the area that are more enjoyable due to those issues.
Written by
@CCHitman
- Bar
- Walkable
- Friendly
The Bridges Golf Course
Madison, WI, USASlope rating 129, 73.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,888 yds
PublicDan Feick
- Parkland
Blackhawk Country Club
Madison, WI, USA
Slope rating 124, 70.0 course rating, Blue tees, 6,118 yds
Odana Hills Golf Course
Madison, WI, USA
Slope rating 117, 70.6 course rating, Blue tees, 6,572 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Madison, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
University Ridge Golf Course is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Madison, Wisconsin at Slope 144 (74.9 course rating · Black tees · 7,259 yds). 7 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Madison, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Madison, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:40 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
