Pros:
Very well designed course in a pristine setting. This was my first course in Wisconsin, and all I can say is that I hope all the land is a gorgeous as it is in the southwestern part of the state.
The course plays behind a couple dormitories through some fairly hilly and sprawling grassland. There is a deep rut worn through the middle that is heavily wooded, but unfortunately the course plays around it rather than in it. Overall, the course design really uses the land it was given, and while it is a bit cramped in spots, I have a feeling it was more because of the campus restrictions than designer error. There is more than enough room to spread the course out a bit, but it would infringe on land laid out for other activities.
One of the biggest pros here is the use of elevation - nearly every hole uses it to some extent, with many downhill shots off the tee and even a few uphill drives mixed in. There is great variety in length here as well, with some of the longer holes over 400' and one or two ace runs of just over 150'.
Great care has been taken into the course, which is evident by the well manicured fairways and controlled rough. There are signs on every tee but one (looks like it was cut down), and not only do they show the path to the basket, but when needed, they show the course map so you know where to go next. Very cool. While I didn't see any trash cans, there were a couple of homemade benches held up by chain swings, adding some charm to the place. In short, I was expecting a lot worse for a course that is over 20 years old. Honestly, the only thing that gave away its age were the baskets. The majority of them are in good shape, with double hung chains providing plenty of grab. And each has a big circle on top with the hole number outline welded into it, easily distinguishing one from another when you're on the tee. On about half the actual basket catcher itself is dented or rusted, or the welds have just plain given way, and there were one or two where one of the chains had rusted through and hung out of the bottom. But nothing a few minor repairs couldn't fix.
The first three holes play in front of a dorm out by the road and have you shooting out under a canopy of aged trees. It can be a bit windy for these, but that is your biggest obstacle, as there is no underbrush in sight. These holes serve as a nice warm up before you head behind the building and into the hilly area.
Once back, you basically travel up one side of a valley and down the other, cutting across once or twice to break up the walk. Most shots have medium to tight fairways but offer plenty of forgiveness if you go astray of the fairway. One of my favorites was #5, which is a decent downhill shot with a tight landing area to set up your approach. #11 & #12 play at the farthest point from your car, along a tiny stream/river that offers more scenery than any actual threat to your drive. The last six holes give you a view on one of the oddest things I've ever seen: a fenced in cemetery smack in the middle of campus. I'm sure there's a story here, but damned if I know how a college sprung up around that.
Cons:
CONS
Really not a lot of cons here, but I'll list some things that are keeping it from being rated higher:
I mentioned above that the land itself could've been utilized more. Have one or two holes cut into the ravine and woods, instead of playing around them. There really isn't a "wooded" hole on this course...maybe #13? Even that one is a pretty wide open dog leg through to a big clearing and the pin.
Again, I felt the course could've been spread out a bit more; there is plenty of room to expand, especially at the back, like after #12, or shoot over the creek river before turning around. Because of this, the whole place feels cramped, and while I played on a summer day when campus was deserted, I could easily see issues when multiple groups are out playing. The first and last three holes zig-zag back and forth and the fairways overlap, making a hazard and kind of a dull way to begin and end your round. In addition, some of the shorter holes definitely could (and should) have been lengthened; there are too many lazy birdies to be had.
While I loved the use of elevation, I did not enjoy the fact that the tee pads sloped along with the hill. So if you're shooting downhill, you're stepping downhill, which is not only dangerous, but alters the angle of your shot as well. Several of my drives went into the dirt or, when I tried to correct for the angle, shot sky high because I overcompensated.
I don't know if this is a con or not, but the course wasn't very challenging. Sure, there were some tricky moments, but I wouldn't put this course on the level of some of the 4+ star rated courses I've played. Maybe this is due to the layout restrictions or the age of the course, but this isn't somewhere I would go out of the way to play.
Other Thoughts:
This is a nice, quaint course for a fun round. The atmosphere is great, and I think is probably heightened when class is in session. Hell, I wish my college had a course when I went there. Overall, UW-Platteville is a three-star course with an extra .5 tossed in for creativity and vision. I just wish they could have/would have taken it one step farther than they did. I will probably play this one again next time I'm out that way.