University Ridge Golf Course
10111 N. Helena Ave.
Madison
WI
United States
Home Course: University of Wisconsin

University Ridge Golf Course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr and is located just fifteen minutes from the University of Wisconsin campus and downtown Madison. University Ridge reflects the landscape that dominates most of rural Wisconsin. Rolling hills, hardwood forests, and tall grass prairies provided the canvas for this championship layout. While University Ridge Golf Course is public, it also serves as the home course to the University of Wisconsin golf teams.
Location
University Ridge Golf Course is conveniently located at 9002 County Road PD in Verona, Wisconsin, just fifteen minutes from the University of Wisconsin campus and downtown Madison. The course is easily accessible from Highway 18/151, making it a convenient destination for both local players and visitors to the Madison area. Ample parking is available on site.
Seasonal Play
The golf season at University Ridge typically runs from April through November, weather permitting. Spring golf (April-May) offers comfortable temperatures and lush conditions as the course emerges from winter. Summer months (June-August) provide peak playing conditions with the native grasses and prairie flowers in full bloom. Fall golf (September-November) treats players to spectacular autumn colors in the woodland areas, particularly on the back nine, with comfortable playing temperatures and typically less wind than spring.
Early morning tee times are recommended during summer months to avoid afternoon heat and thunderstorms. The course's elevation changes and open areas on the front nine can make wind a significant factor, particularly in spring and late fall. For the most pristine course conditions, consider playing in mid-summer when the bentgrass fairways and greens are at their peak.
University Ridge Championship Course Layout
The course has a slope rating typically in the range of 130 to 140. The front nine consists of three par threes, three par fours, and three par fives. A number of different tees, generous landing areas, contoured fairways, and medium-sized greens characterize this more open side. Wind often plays a role in club selection.
Strategic Choices
On the par fives, especially, golfers may choose between a safe route and a more dangerous but potentially rewarding route to the green. For example, the par-five second hole offers the long hitter who opts to play his tee shot over a dry creek bed and two large bunkers a chance to reach the green in two. Shorter hitters can lay back in front of the creek and reach the green with two more irons.
Woodland Experience on the Back Nine
The back nine offers a distinctly different experience as it plays through woodlands that frame the holes. We left ample room to maneuver the ball to the generous fairways, thereby setting up more than a few birdie opportunities. This nine begins with a long, demanding par four, then provides a chance to make up shots with a series of short par fours and a reachable par five before climaxing with two difficult finishing holes: a long par three over water and a long, uphill par four. The back nine provides great drama, as a number of holes can almost as easily be birdied as bogeyed, or worse.
Course Expansion and Enhancements
In 2008, Robert Trent Jones II returned to University Ridge to lengthen the course from 6,888 to 7,259 yards by adding new tee boxes on fourteen holes. The new tees provide the added flexibility required by a course that hosts championships as well as daily play. We also expanded the practice facilities by recrafting the driving range. The new range features dedicated practice tees for the public, for lessons, and for the Badgers’ golf teams. Finally, we created a new three-hole short game practice area for the golf teams to prepare for competition. There are also putting greens, chipping areas, practice bunkers. There is ample space for golfers to work on all aspects of their game before heading out to the course.
Host of American Family Insurance Championship
University Ridge Golf Course has been the home of the American Family Insurance Championship several times and is proud to host again in June 2023. The event will take place from June 5-11, 2023.
Historical Significance & Recognition The course's name originated from its location on a terminal moraine, formed when the Wisconsin Glacier retreated during the ice age. The course has earned multiple industry accolades, including a 4½-star rating from Golf Digest's "Places to Play" in 2002, a 5-star rating from Chicagoland Golf Magazine, and recognition as the 4th best daily fee course in Wisconsin by Golfweek.