Getting To Know: Como Crossings at Hawk's View Golf Club

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Matthew Boesch who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Opened in 2001, Hawk's View Golf Club sits on 314 acres and is the home of two 18-hole golf courses - Como Crossings and Barn Hollow. Como Crossings is our par 72, 7,074 yard (there are five sets of tees) 5-Star rated championship golf course that is located on the site of a former ski slope, lending the layout to dramatic changes in elevation, including two par-3 holes with over 100 feet of drop from tee to green. Barn Hollow is our 2,708 yard (there are three sets of tees) 18-hole par-3 golf course that was built and is maintained to the same standards of it's big brother, Como Crossings. With yardages ranging from 106-222 and water coming into play on 7 holes, Barn Hollow is anything but a "pitch and putt". In fact, Barn Hollow was recognized as "One of America's Top-10 Par-3 Courses" by Golf Advisor.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Golfers visiting the Lake Geneva area should play Hawk's View for two reasons. The first reason is the value. With an average rate of about $60 for 18 holes with a GPS equipped riding cart on the Como Crossings championship course, there is no better "bang for your buck" in Lake Geneva. You'll experience a 5-Star rated golf course that is maintained just as well, if not better than any other golf course in the Lake Geneva area.

With the money you'll save by playing Hawk's View's Como Crossings course, you'll be able to experience reason number two to visit Hawk's View: Our Barn Hollow add-on option, a.k.a. the "Barn Burner Special". If you play the Barn Hollow par-3 course the same day as Como Crossings, the additional cost is only $15 Monday-Thursday and $25 Friday-Sunday & Holidays. This nominal fee includes 18 holes with riding cart, and is the price in the summer - the fee in the spring and fall is only $10/$15! Some choose to play Barn Hollow as a warm-up round before they test their skills on Como Crossings; others play their serious round on Como Crossings first, then indulge in cocktails and side bets on the Barn Hollow course to finish up their total Hawk's View experience.

Whether you decide to play 9, 18, 27, or 36+ holes, you'll always get first-class treatment from our service-oriented staff.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
There are two tips that will help the first-time visitor at Hawk's View score better. First off, be ready to "unleash the beast". Como Crossings' generous landing areas combined with relatively long par-4 and par-5 holes lends itself to players who can pound it off the tee. If you struggle for distance off of the tee, it's best if you move up a tee box closer than what you're used to playing.

The second tip to score well at Hawk's View is to get here early and spend time on the practice green before you head to the first tee. The putting surfaces for both courses are slippery and deceptively undulating. Countless times every day, players walk off one of our greens, scratching their head, saying, "I can't believe the ball moved that way..."

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
- 5-Star Rating, Chicagoland Golf
- 4.5 Star Rating, Golf Digest
- A Top "New Course You Can Play", Golf Magazine (2002)
- One of America's Top-10 Par-3 Courses (Barn Hollow), Golf Advisor
- Voted "Lake Geneva's Best" Golf Course (2014 and 2015)

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
The 17th hole, "Stairway to Heaven", on the Como Crossings is Hawk's View's signature hole. While this par-3 hole measuring 169 yards is modest on the scorecard, the breathtaking view from the top tee box is second-to-none. After parking your cart next to the teeing area, players trek up a two-tier custom staircase for the view of a lifetime. Perched over 100 feet from the putting green, you have a 360-degree view of the glacier carved Wisconsin countryside that includes rolling hills and a lake. The best time to take in this view is the middle of October when the autumn leaves are at their peak vibrant red, orange, and yellow colors.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
My personal favorite hole is #10 on the Como Crossings course, "The Beast". This par-5 measures 600 yards from the back tees and starts off with a forced carry of 225 yards to clear a natural wetland area (the forced carries are much less from closer tees, with the closest two sets being on the other side of the wetland). After a good tee shot, you'll face probably the most difficult lay-up shot at any course: the wide fairway makes a sharp turn left about 230 yards after your tee shot, and ends just shy of Como Creek which sits about 100 yards away from the putting green. If your lay-up is too conservative, your faced with a long iron third shot; if you are too aggressive and hit your lay-up left by trying to cut the corner, you're either in the creek or in marshy woodlands; fan your lay-up to the right to avoid the creek, and you're in a fairway bunker about 185 yards from the green and still have the creek to go over (have fun with that shot). Once on the huge 8,000 square foot green, you can never rule out a three putt.

Oh yeah, "The Beast" almost always plays into the west wind.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
You have to have the Early Bird Burger. This breakfast inspired sandwich features an Angus patty topped with two breakfast essentials: a fried egg and thick cut bacon. I liked my egg just a little runny so that when you bite into this monster, the yolk and melted American cheese burst in your mouth. This is the perfect sandwich to refuel after a morning round on the links, or to help soak up the night-before's festivities in Lake Geneva before your afternoon round. Be sure to ask for extra napkins.

Nothing is better than a Wisconsin-brewed New Glarus Spotted Cow on draft to wash down your Early Bird Burger. For those visiting from out of state, this is their only opportunity to have this delectable beer as New Glarus is only sold in the Badger State.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
The lowest score recorded on the Como Crossings course from the back tees is 66 by Adam Brown, Hawk's View's teaching professional. When asked how he did it, Adam responded, "I killed the ball off the tee, leaving manageable approach shots to the greens. Once putting, I dropped a few, but more importantly didn't do anything stupid."

Spoken like a true golfer.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 7074
Slope: 133
Rating: 73.1

More Information
Hawk's View Golf Club
7377 Krueger Rd
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, 53147
(262) 348-9900
www.hawksviewgolfclub.com