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| - The Bridges has become my default golf course for meeting up with friends and getting in 18. It is a city-owned course on the northeast side of Madison, south of the airport. Most of the course is situated amidst low-lying wetlands, while on the back nine a couple of holes rise up on a ridge along Anderson Avenue. It is an fairly easy course to walk, except that the proximity to water does mean a good amount of mosquitoes. The recent rains led to a lot of flooding on the course, but I played last weekend and much of the course is back in playable condition. I especially like the Bridges since the course can either reward you or punish you, but there always seems to be a bit of both. Other courses are either too hard or too easy (mostly too hard) but the Bridges is the kind of course where after being embarrassed on a deceptively difficult par three you find yourself in position to birdie a par four that initially looked impossible. It's enough of a challenge to keep you coming back without demoralizing you, and this makes it about the most fun of the courses in the area.
The major downside to the Bridges is the proximity to the airport. Most of the course is right on the flight path for landing jets, and this is distracting at first. Once you've played a round or two you learn to time your drives or putts, and Dane County Regional isn't exactly O'Hare. Another potential problem is that this course can and will eat a lot of balls if like me you tend toward inaccuracy. The vegetation in the O.B. areas is thick reedy wetland stuff, so just go ahead and consider that ball lost. Lastly, the course can get very crowded and play tends to slow. However, since I prefer to walk this usually works in my favor. For some these drawbacks are a deal-breaker, but given the crowds on any given weekend I have to assume that this is a minority opinion.
The price is very reasonable - from $22 to $37 walking 18 depending on the time. There is a twilight special where after 6:00 PM you can golf as much as you would like for $10. The only problem with this is that a lot of people get in line for this and the rate of play is pretty slow. The bar and grill in the clubhouse is one of my favorites of the city-owned courses. The bar is well stocked and they usually have a couple of decent taps. The last time I was there I enjoyed the new Capital Prairie Gold from a frosty mug. You can always count on getting a can of Capital out on the course as well. The menu is surprisingly broad and well-made. The wraps are a satisfying end to the round, as are the sandwiches and the appetizers. You can call in an order as you make the turn and it will be ready at the clubhouse, which is perfect for when only one or two of the foursome are eating. Several of my friends have attended banquets or luncheons held here and have said these are well done too. I think that top to bottom, the Bridges has about the best layout of the city-owned courses and is my personal favorite.
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