Before the internship began, one of the golf courses that I was most excited about visiting was the Club at Lac La Belle. The course holds tremendous history and has been recently renovated. As my official internship Ford rolled into the parking lot, I squealed with glee as I anticipated the goodness ahead.
Lac La Belle was incorporated on October 7th in 1896 making it one of the oldest clubs in the nation. However, it’s the club’s legacy of outstanding early professionals that cemented it’s place in golf history. Carnoustie’s Alex Smith was the first head professional at Oconomowoc Golf Club, which was the original name for the Club at Lac La Belle. Robert S Simpson and Willie Anderson were also part of that early crew of professionals.
Now this may not mean much to the modern golfer, but that trio won a combined total of 6 US Opens. To put that in today’s terms, it would be comparable to having Ernie Els, Payne Stewart, and Brooks Koepka as the head professionals at your local club.
We fast forward to 2018, when the course received a renovation by Craig Haltom. With outstanding work completed at Lawsonia Links, the design was focused on providing that same sort of open approach feel, allowing for running shots into the greens as well as approach shoots from the sky. Craig and the team at Oliphant Golf delivered not a restoration of the previous golf course, but a re-imagining that evokes a connection to the club’s history. The deliciously good 9th hole is the only original hole that remains from the early years.
The original 9th hole remains preserved amongst the new Lac La Belle creation.
The variety at Lac La Belle is what sets it apart from a lot of other club’s in the cheese state. Green sizes and shape range from “undulating and massive” to “accuracy required.” Most importantly, the course doesn’t miss the opportunity to provide the golfer with plenty of chances to hit the “hero shot” or to deliver a spectacular recovery. Options for different strategies of play also appear on many of the golf holes. The result is a golf course that is fun and playable.
In addition to the 18 golf holes, there is also a putting course that snakes it’s way off the back of the 18th green and up near the patio of the newly renovated club house. I highly suggest hanging out after your round for a burger and a putting competition.
As a special sendoff, I was gifted a special 1896 Scottish penny that is normally reserved as a reward for those that make a hole-in-one on the golf course. Now, It is a well known fact that I have never made an ace in my entire life, but the staff at Lac La Belle provided me with one of these special coins anyway. I am proud to call it the official ball marker of the WSGA summer internship.
