Madeline Island Golf Club

About Madeline Island Golf Club

Getting there is half of it: Madeline Island is the biggest of Lake Superior's 22 Apostle Islands, a 20-minute ferry from Bayfield. The course sits in woods full of wildlife on rolling ground, and seven holes look out over the lake. Robert Trent Jones Sr. drew it in the 1960s for developer Ted Gary, who threw a grand opening with an orchestra flown in from New York, bagpipers, Maine lobster and a 57-foot yacht to put up guests.

What makes it different is the double-nine routing. Seven big greens carry two flags each, red for the front nine and white for the back, so check which one you're aiming at. A 2019 wisconsin.golf piece paced the shared 4th and 13th green at 59 yards across, and it isn't the biggest. The 2nd and 11th play over the same pond to the same green from side-by-side tees, and 6 and 15 share a fairway before bending off in opposite directions.

It isn't long. The back tees are 6,356 yards and the whites 6,026 with a 119 slope, and forward tees at 4,381 keep it friendly. Extra tees were added on several holes in 2018 to give shorter hitters more options.

It's one of 29 courses Yoink watches in the Wisconsin Northwoods area, and the closest alternative is Apostle Highlands Golf Course, about 12 miles away — handy when your first choice is booked solid.

Booking a tee time at Madeline Island Golf Club

It's a semi-private club, and the public plays by making an advance tee time on the course website or arranging it with the pro shop at 715-747-3212. Posted rates (no year given) are $57.75 for 18 and $36.75 for nine, plus $26.25 per person for a cart; a twilight nine after 4 p.m. is $26.25. The ferry isn't cheap, and in 2019 the pro suggested leaving the car in Bayfield, walking your clubs onto the boat and calling ahead so someone can pick you up at the dock. Guests at The Inn at Madeline Island get discounted green fees.

How to get a tee time at Madeline Island Golf Club