When I first started writing for WiscoGolfAddict in 2022, I thought that my extensive knowledge of Madison’s golf courses as both a native to the area and current resident would be a great asset to the team. Indeed, deep diving into the Madison golf scene is a project I’ve had my eye on for some time, but for one reason or another it hasn’t come together – until now.

This season I’ve put renewed focus into playing and photographing Madison’s best golf properties, and at the end of the season I’ll be posting a ranking of the area’s top ten courses to illustrate that there is some really good golf here.

While the area has a few classic gems, most of Madison’s top courses are of the modern variety. Concurrent with an explosion in new housing development, the 1990’s through mid-2000’s ushered in a stable of upscale golf facilities in Dane County, culminating with The Legend at Bergamont in 2006, which to this day is the newest 18-hole course in the Madison metro area.

Originally known as Bergamont Golf Club, I remember playing it the year it opened, vaguely recalling a makeshift trailer pro shop and other trappings of a brand-new course. With the Bergamont residential development still in its infancy, the Andy North-designed layout in those days tumbled over dramatic open prairie land with unobstructed views of the surrounding countryside for miles. The sweeping scale of the place was impressive at the time.

In 2007, The Legend at Brandybrook ownership group purchased both the golf course and residential development, and set to work building out expansive infrastructure and amenities to complement an already-solid golf course. A massive modern clubhouse was erected atop the hill by the 18^th green, overlooking an expansive tract of southern Wisconsin countryside. This iconic homebase is one of the best event or wedding venues you’ll find in the Madison area.

The Legend at Bergamont went through several stints of alternating between private and semi-private. A few years ago, it converted back to semi-private, making it the only publicly-accessible Legend Club. The experience remains private-caliber which is immediately evident upon setting foot on site. With immaculate course conditions, a terrific practice area, great pace of play and top-notch amenities, you may as well be at a fully private facility.

The course is a wild ride over hilly terrain, darting between fescue-covered mounds and around ponds. I find the layout to be both dramatic and playable, two of the characteristics I value the most in a golf experience. Ample width is provided off the tee, and while fescue lines some of the holes it is only in play for severe misses and can usually be played from cleanly. Approach shots are well-bunkered but will reward solid iron play.

Over the years, housing which has encroached significantly on the golf course as the Bergamont neighborhood has expanded. While it’s clear that most of the routing was dictated by the housing development plan and not the other way around, the fairways are lined by beautiful, modern mansions. As a homeowner, I’ve enjoyed the views of these upscale residences, even though I prefer natural surrounds on a golf course.

Earlier this summer I met up with my Dad on his birthday for a loop at The Legend at Bergamont. While the light for photography was a bust that morning, the golf was excellent and I was able to return a few days later on a crystal clear day to capture the course in all its glory.

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Course Overview

The Legend at Bergamont

Oregon, WI

Architect: Andy North (2006)

Par 72, 7305/6763/6222/5189 Yards

Course/Slope Rating: 75.0/137, 72.5/132, 70.1/127, 65.7/121

Hole-by-Hole Rundown

Beautifully framed by fescue-covered mounds, the first is a short, manageable par four that offers an opportunity for a strong start. Long hitters may find it enticing to fly a pair of fairway traps down the left side to challenge the green, while shorter hitter are better served playing around them to the right. An elevated, tiered green presents the main challenge here, with three putts very much in play if your approach isn’t precise.

Blind shots are one of the most controversial features of a golf course. At the par four second, golfers are introduced to the first of several blind shots they’ll face at The Legend at Bergamont. The fairway dives severely downhill about 100 yards from the green, a contour so severe that any tee shot left short of the hill will face a blind approach shot.

While I sometimes find blind shots annoying, what I like about them is the anticipation that comes with a well-struck shot. I love the feeling as I’m about to crest a hill to find out my fate. In my round here this summer, from the left rough I hit flushed a six iron that, as I found out soon enough, rolled right past the pin and set up an easy par.

The third climbs right back up the hill golfers just descended at the second. For a mid-length hole, I find the grade of the hill to be quite extreme, making this play like a truly long par four. Length off the tee will be rewarded handsomely here, as shorter drives will lead to another blind approach shot. I hit the fairway but was too far back to have a clear view of the green, and paid the price by dumping a well-struck iron into a greenside trap that encroaches significantly on the left side of the green. Lesson learned – favor the right side on your approach, and hit an extra club.

The fourth is a strightforward par three that varies significantly in yardage between tees, measuring a beastly 222 from the tips but only 164 from the whites (where we played). With only one bunker guarding the front-right side, this hole sets up perfectly for a cut, my preferred shot shape. Coming into the fourth at just +4 (note, we started on the back nine), this is where things started to unravel as I couldn’t take advantage of this great scoring opportunity and carded a bogey.

The fifth is a downhill par five playing deep into the recesses of the Bergamont neighborhood. A semi-blind tee shot will visually encourage drives up the right side, but with a dogleg cutting off the fairway before driver distance for most players, the preferable shot is over the bunkers to the left. A blind approach shot plays to a green which is well-protected by sand up the left side. DO NOT miss left here, as I did, which gave me a terrible angle into the left-to-right sloping putting surface.

Another long, uphill par four awaits at the sixth. The tee shot is quite manageable, though, with a wide landing zone from where golfers must navigate demanding approach to an elevated green. There aren’t many trees on site, but my sliced tee shot managed to snuggle next to one, ultimately leading to my round’s only double bogey.

With the weakest stretch of holes on the course in numbers 2 through 6 completed, the layout kicks it up a notch starting at the seventh. This par three plays dramatically downhill to a narrow green with water short and left. A bailout area to the right is rather generous, but with the slope of the green pulling everything towards the water it sets up a tricky chip shot.

The eighth is one of my favorite holes on site, a sub-300 yard, drivable dogleg right par four. Those taking the aggressive route to cut the dogleg should aim to the right of the fairway trap at the corner. With a green sloping front-left to back-right, drives that go through the fairway will pay a price with an extremely suboptimal angle. For that reason it’s wise to cut the dogleg more than you think you need to here, even with fescue in play up the right side.

While the front side is the weaker of the two nines, it ends in strong fashion at the ninth. This is a terrific par five that bends around a lake to create some risk-reward drama. While even moderate hitters can get home in two, the green isn’t terribly receptive to a long iron or fairway wood. The layup spot to the right offers a good angle into the green, though, so anyone but the best of ballstrikers is well-advised to take this more conservative route.

The tenth dives steeply downhill from the clubhouse, making it play like a short par four. That is, unless you play from the dramatic back tee perched at the peak of the hill many yards back. An inviting-looking approach shot is actually quite tricky, playing into a heavily sloping green with a large bunker protecting its left side.

The manageable par five 11th is a great scoring opportunity. This double dogleg first bends to the left, and anyone hoping to go for it in two will need to cut the corner. While the green is easy to approach with a short iron, it’s well-protected against longer hitters reaching it in two, playing uphill with deep bunkers covering the front-right side. My only birdie of the day came here, and it was an easy one after I stuck a gap wedge to within a foot.

At the short par four 12th, finding the fairway is the key to success. Playing over a hill with a pot bunker lurking right, a draw off the tee is the optimal shot here to set up a wedge into a tough, tiered green that’s ripe for three-putting.

The par four 13th plays to another well-protected, elevated green, prompting a challenging uphill approach. Favor the right side off the tee to optimize the angle into the green, even with fairway traps down that side, otherwise you’ll be scrambling to make par.

The 14th will vary in difficulty quite significantly depending on the tee selected. While it stretches to over 200 yards from the tips, from the white tees it was a mere 7-iron to a large green. The putting surface is filled with bumps and swales to place a premium on precision and short game prowess.

The par five 15th plays straight uphill, starting with a blind tee shot framed by towering mounds to the right. Somehow, my sliced tee shot found the top of one, forcing a very challenging second shot from a baseball stance. With OB left and bunkers lining the fairway up to an elevated green, this isn’t exactly a great birdie opportunity for a par five.

With Bergamont’s massive clubhouse looming in sight atop a hill, the closing three holes make use of the property’s most dramatic topography and a water feature to form a memorable finish. The par four 16th uniquely plays to a peninsula with a pond behind the green. This stone wall-lined green is sure impressive, and was fun to capture during sunrise photography. Drives that favor the left side of the fairway will enjoy the best angle on this intimidating approach shot.

I consider the 17th to be the signature hole at The Legend at Bergamont, a par three over water that can vary dramatically based on tee selection. With yardage ranging from under 150 from the middle tees to over 200 from the tips and with teeing grounds located in different angles around the pond, it’s a choose-your-own-adventure proposition. From the middle tees, it was a nine iron and an easy GIR for me, but from the back tees this could be a high pressure tee shot late in a competitive round.

The 18th is a challenging, uphill par four playing right into the shadow of the clubhouse. Off the tee, the right side is the preferred route as trees encroach up the left. Don’t stray too far right, though, as a deep bunker short and right of the green should be avoided at all costs.

Closing Thoughts

With private-caliber course conditions, great amenities and an engaging layout, The Legend at Bergamont is easily one of the Madison area’s top public-access courses. The peak greens fee of $99 is well worth it.

While the course occupies a heavy residential setting, the mansions lining the fairways are nice to look at and the views of the countryside beyond the neighborhood are stunning (particularly the vista from the clubhouse).

It’s a fun layout, too, making excellent use of dramatic topography and offering fantastic playability. The course can also have some serious bite from the back tees, if you’re into that, tipping out at 7300 yards.

Every time I’ve been here I’ve had a great golf experience, and I think The Legend at Bergamont is definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.

The Legend at Bergamont Website