A place that has been dear to my heart since childhood is the Legend Golf course. They have been home to my favorite sport and accommodate my home right here in Wisconsin.  My family has been members of the Legend Clubs since I was four. I remember when I was younger, I was more drawn to the swimming pool at each clubhouse over actually playing on the course. 

The Legends have three clubhouses with an eighteen hole course at each location, giving a grand total of fifty four holes to play between the three clubhouses. The Legend at Brandybrook is the original clubhouse which started business in Wales in 2003. One thing I find very unique about the Brandybrook course is, before it became a course it was originally farm land which golfers can see throughout the landscape as well as the old rock silo dome that just sits peacefully on hole four. 

The Legend at Merrill Hills is by far the oldest course of the three, but did not become a Legend course until 2013. Merrill Hills has been an open golf course in Waukesha since 1929. One thing I cherish each time I play there is the older rustic feel I get while playing the course. The clubhouse is older; I can tell by the cracks in the stone walls and outer layers. Inside the clubhouse, gold paint is used making the interior walls seem more admirable and beautiful when the clubhouse could only afford so much when it first opened. Another feature that shows the age of the course, is the simplistic and natural layout of the eighteen holes. Both the other two courses are significantly more artificial with their design in hills, sand traps, hole layout, and water on each hole. With the layout of course, there is a unique interpretation that can compare the way the houses were built around the course because the course has been present a lot longer. The latest course to become a Legend Club is the Legend at Bristlecone in Hartland. Bristlecone was bought in 2009 and renamed from Bristlecone Pines to the Legend at Bristlecone. The course was built in 1996 so I can see and play with the challenge of more modern hole designs. One thing that is unique to Bristlecone is that each tee box for golfers is designed to look like pine cones. There are two black pine cones on the furthest tee box back for the pros, two blue pine cones for the men, two white and gold for seniors and red for the ladies. Some pinecones will even be opened in half so I have a place to put your broken tee after I tee off.

Each Legend course has a unique place in my heart that is also cherishable from times in my life. For Brandybrook, I cherish that course the most for playing it with my family. The Legend at Brandybrook has a system on Sundays where they will do family golf and put a larger hole on each green that little kids can practice putting into. I remember always playing in the evening and being able to watch the sunset as we were finishing hole nine or eighteen then coming into the clubhouse for dinner that night. Frequently once our family round was over, we would stop at another Wisconsin exclusive place; LeDuc’s for custard. 

The Legend at Merrill Hills is probably the least played course of the three that I play at with my dad because it’s the furthest away from home. However, when I was younger, I would have to go to Merrill Hills for junior golf. The Legends have a unique program during the summer called junior golf in which pros from each course work with juniors to enhance their golf skills. Each week I got to work with a pro on a certain club, then go out into the course and play either one, three or nine holes depending on your skill level. At the end of the season there would be three competitions: the Drive Chip and Putt competition to see which junior golf was the best at each particular category, the regular junior golf championship and the parent junior championship. I remember being so invested at these competitions when I was little. I normally won the longest drive and occasionally the longest putt. I would also frequently win the parent junior championship, which has brought me closer to my dad as we share our passion for this sport. Merrill Hills has a dear place in my heart for their junior program. 

The Legend at Bristlecone is precious for my current practice while playing for high school. Since the course is located here in Hartland, I play at it most frequently. Bristlecone is also unique because not only do I get to play with my dad, but we also have a lot of family friends that I can play with during the summer. Bristlecone is the best place to be able to have fun with friends and family but still get the game done. Bristlecone also has become famous for being able to practice my tree shots, especially pine trees, hence the name. 

All these courses have been dear to me throughout my whole life but now they are dear to playing golf for my school. As a high school varsity golfer, I am able to put forth the years of practice I have on these courses to my numbers when I play for my school team. Playing in high school at my life long courses just makes me hold them closer in my heart.