Three Courses, Three Most Challenging Holes
We asked pros at three area championship golf clubs to give us a tour of the most challenging hole on their respective courses. Turns out all three selections are equal parts mind game and physical test.
- Wild Rock Golf Club
Head golf pro Pat Stein was our guide the day we tooled around Wild Rock Golf Club. Ranked the #5 Best New Course of 2008 by Golf Magazine, Wild Rock is built around and through a former quarry. We slowed down at Hole 15. It's 169 yards to the green, with a drop so steep that anyone who's afraid of heights will be a tad intimidated. As Stein matter-of-factly pointed out, if you miss the green, there's probably no way to retrieve the ball. Good naturedly, Stein agreed to demonstrate the proper way to play this hole. After some gentle ribbing that he better hit a hole-in-one, he nearly did. And that's why he's the pro.
- Cold Water Canyon Golf Course at Chula Vista Resort
A recent $2 million renovation makes this course a must-try. General Manager Tom McClurg says, of the 18 holes, he'd point to Hole 4 as the toughest. "It's downhill about 200 yards with a 50 foot elevation drop. If you miss the green on the side of the hill, you're in the canyon and will have to play a 40-yard chip to get back," described McClurg. The original nine-hole course here was built in 1923, making it one of the oldest in the state. With the addition of the second nine holes, McClurg says it's like golfing two different courses in one day - a new Scottish-style links on the back nine and a traditional Wisconsin course with small greens on the front nine.
- Trappers Turn Golf Club
After nearly 20 seasons with Trappers Turn Golf Club, Patrick Steffes, Director of Golf Operations, didn't hesitate a moment when asked to take us to the most challenging hole on the course. He steered us right to Hole 7 on the Canyon course. It boasts an extreme elevation drop into a small green in the midst of a glacier-formed canyon. The challenge here is not the length, but what you're potentially hitting into and that would be thick woods and a rock ledge. This course was designed by Andy North and Roger Packard, so you have them to thank for this one.
- Spring Brook Golf Course
As an aside, Spring Brook Golf Course is proving its golf fanaticism with a "Stay and Play the Dells" package idea. When you get a foursome together to stay at their vacation home resort, you'll get passes to play their course, as well as the three championship courses above. If you're a die-hard golfer, this package has your name on it.
View all Wisconsin Dells Golf Courses
