Some golf courses want you to take them seriously. Uncle Henry’s Backyard wants you to grab a beer, hit a wedge and talk trash to your buddies while tacos are on the way. I played it opening weekend, and I can report that it delivers on all of the above.
Uncle Henry’s Backyard is the new nine-hole par 3 course at The Club at Lac La Belle in Oconomowoc. It opened May 22, 2026, after two years of construction, and spent its first week raising money for local charities. That is a classy way to open a golf course. Most places just cut a ribbon and hand you a scorecard.
Who Was Uncle Henry, Anyway?
The name comes from Henry Shufeldt, a wealthy Chicago distiller who built a golf course in the backyard of his Oconomowoc mansion in 1895. Yes, a distiller with a private golf course. The man had his priorities straight.
Uncle Henry’s backyard turned out to be a pretty good finishing school. His nephews, Chandler and Walter Egan, learned the game there. Chandler went on to win the U.S. Amateur twice, and Walter took home team gold and individual silver at the 1904 Olympics. So the next time someone tells you a par 3 course won’t make you a better golfer, you have some history to throw back at them.
The new clubhouse is a nod to Shufeldt’s original, and it sets the tone for the whole experience.
The Vibe Is the Point
The clubhouse is quaint, with a small pro shop that has just enough logo gear to make your wife ask why you bought another hat. But what really hits you when you walk up is the smell of tacos and the music pumping across the property. Bags boards are set up to keep the party going between rounds, and nobody is in a hurry to leave.
This is not a place where the starter shushes you on the first tee. It feels like a backyard party that happens to have nine very good golf holes attached to it, which I suppose is exactly what Uncle Henry had in mind back in 1895.
The Golf
The course was co-designed by architect Craig Haltom and Jimmy Cavezza, the superintendent at Lac La Belle. Haltom is the same guy who found the land that became Sand Valley and who rebuilt the Lac La Belle big course, so the pedigree is real. Every hole plays at least 100 yards, with elevation changes, bold bunkering and green complexes with plenty of personality.
You can get around with just a few clubs, which is good news because Uncle Henry’s is walking and carry only. Grab a wedge, a short iron, a putter and maybe one more club for the hole that inevitably makes you second guess yourself. Leave the driver in the car. It needs a rest anyway.
The ninth hole is the one you will be talking about at the taco stand. It plays back up toward the clubhouse to an elevated horseshoe green that you cannot see from the tee, so you are hitting on faith and a prayer. The aggressive play is to fire right at the flag and let the chips fall. But if you have a good score going, and the bragging rights are on the line, the smart move is to aim for the middle, hope for a friendly bounce and walk away with an easy two putt. Here is the catch. When the pin is tucked back left, you better play deep or bail out left, because anything else leaves you staring at a putt that has to travel around the horseshoe. That is how three and four putts happen, and how a winning score turns into you buying the next round.
Who Should Play It
Two kinds of golfers will love this place.
First, beginners. If you have a spouse, kid or buddy who is new to the game, this is the perfect place to bring them. Short holes, a relaxed atmosphere and no pressure from a foursome of scratch players breathing down their neck. Juniors play for just $15, which is cheaper than the tacos.
Second, the guys who just finished 18 on the big course and still have unfinished business. The Club at Lac La Belle is one of the oldest clubs in Wisconsin, dating to 1896, and the Haltom redesign that reopened in 2020 is a legit test with some of the wildest greens in the state. After a round there, Uncle Henry’s is where you settle the bets. Lost the Nassau by a stroke? Double or nothing on the backyard. Just know that your buddy who three-putted all day will suddenly turn into Phil Mickelson with a wedge in his hand.
What It Costs
The 2026 rate ran $55, with a $45 replay rate and $15 for juniors. Check with the club for 2027 pricing before you head out. Note that Uncle Henry’s has its own entrance at N71W39199 Lang Road, separate from the main clubhouse address, so plug the right one into your phone.
Make a Day of It
Play the big course in the morning, grab lunch and a drink at the Rivalry Pub in the clubhouse, then walk the backyard in the afternoon with a taco in one hand and a wedge in the other. If you are bringing your significant other, downtown Oconomowoc sits right on the lake and makes for a nice evening stroll before dinner.
Wisconsin already has some of the best short courses in the country with the Sandbox at Sand Valley, The Baths at Blackwolf Run and 12 North at Trappers Turn. Uncle Henry’s Backyard belongs in that conversation, and it might have the best vibe of the bunch. Henry would be proud. Probably with a drink in his hand.
