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MAY & JUNE 2007
After four exciting rounds of golf (and maybe a few gray hairs) a talented, determined and downright fortunate individual will be hailed the 2007 Wisconsin State Amateur champion at Bristlecone Pines GC in Hartland. The quest for the Sinnissipi Cup takes place July 16-19, but for the majority of the competitors, the journey begins at one of nine different qualifying events held across the state during the latter part of June. An elite group of players, 35 in all, are exempt from qualifying. The group consists of past State Am champs, top performers in the 2006 season, and the host facility’s club champion. However, for the other estimated 700-800 amateur golfers expected to register for a crack at the State Am, it will be necessary to pick up the sticks and earn one of the remaining 145 spots available through a district qualifier. The Wisconsin State Golf Association has established six districts with one, two, or three qualifying events depending on their size and population. Here’s a glimpse at the 2007 State Amateur qualifying sites:
Cedar Creek CC, Onalaska (June 27) Nestled into the side of a bluff, this private club north of La Crosse offers wonderful vistas overlooking the Mississippi River basin and the rugged terrain common to western Wisconsin. Cedar Creek is no stranger to hosting tournament golf. Since its opening in 1990, this par-71, Bob Lohmann-designed course has hosted the 1997 Wisconsin State Open, NCAA Division II and III Women’s Collegiate Champion-ships, and the NAIA District 14 Men’s Collegiate Championship. The course plays 6,751 yards from the back tees. The par-3 seventh hole, which has an island green, receives a lot of attention as a place on the course where a player’s round can sink really fast.
Contact: www.cedarcreekonalaska.com; (608) 783-8300.
Big Fish GC, Hayward (June 25) Since opening during the 2004 season, Big Fish GC has made a big splash with Wisconsin golfers. Golf course architect Pete Dye designed two distinctly different nines. The front nine is a flatter, wind-swept course with numerous bunkers hungry for golf balls; the back nine is naturally hilly and situated within deep woods. The layout zigzags 7,095 yards from the championship tees and presents some dramatic elevation changes. In particular, Nos. 13-15 is a challenging stretch of holes, testing a golfer’s ability to select the right club and strike the ball well from uneven lies. The 13th is a reachable par-5 due to a dramatic decrease in elevation from tee to green; the par-4 14th and 15th holes, on the other hand, require uphill tee shots and uphill approaches. Contact: www.bigfish.com; (715) 934-4770.
Glacier Wood GC, Iola (June 26)
Larry Packard (and the last great glacier) carved out the par-71 Glacier Wood GC. The course actually started out as a nine-holer in 1966, called Iola Community GC, but in 1999, with the aid of a generous donation by Krause Publications, nine more holes were added, and the new Glacier Wood GC had come into its own. The course is well known for the abundance of wildlife and its signature 180-yard par-3 12th. Blending forest and wetlands, the green is guarded by a large bunker on the right, and features a wooden bridge that crosses a trail where ox once hauled lumber. And speaking of lumber, at 6,526 yards, keeping the “big lumber” in the bag and opting instead for a hybrid or long iron off the tee is a wise choice. On many of the tee shots a well-placed ball is more important than pure distance in order to successfully navigate fairways that run along marshlands and forests. Contact: www.glacierwoodiola.com; (715) 445-3831.
Evergreen GC, Elkhorn (June 26) Location, location, location. Ball location, that is. Evergreen GC is another of those challenging courses that emphasizes the importance of strategic placement off the tee. Being wayward with the driver will land you in the trees because there isn’t much rough area between the short grass and the pines that line the fairways. The course, established in 1973, was built on land formerly used as a dairy farm. The facility now offers 27 holes of golf, but it will be the 18 holes that make-up the North & South course that will be played for the qualifier. Players will hope to get off to a good start as they contend with what the locals call “the valley holes.” Holes 1-4 on the North Course descend and dogleg into the valley, and with water coming into play on more than half of the remaining holes, players need to hit some laser-like shots. Contact: www.evergreengolf.com; (262) 723-5722.
The Legend at Bergamont, Oregon (June 27)
Homegrown U.S. Open winner, golf analyst and golf course architect Andy North created a slice of Britain at this course, recently renamed the Legend at Bergamont. Since its opening in 2005, The Legend at Bergamont has received accolades as one of the finest new
courses in the country. Owning a reputation as a thinking man’s golf course, Bergamont stretches to an intimidating 7,305 yards (par 72) from the tips. The course, like many links-style topographies, has little in the way of trees, but has plenty of wind, punishing rough, numerous strategically-placed bunkers, and water, which comes into play on eight holes. Contact: www.thebergamont.com; (608) 835-6900.
The GC at Camelot, Lomira (June 26) Situated near the Kettle Moraine State Forest, the Golf Club at Camelot measures 6,304 yards (par 71) and challenges golfers with abundant water hazards, mature forests and several elevation changes ranging from subtle to dramatic. Also of note are the large putting surfaces. Golf course architect Homer Fieldhouse made it a point to create greens with slopes and contours that will require a second, if not a third, read before putting the ball. The difficulty on the greens certainly equalizes the course’s overall lack of length. That said, the course does have a whale of a par-5. The 14th plays at 555 yards with the fairway climbing uphill and into a prevailing wind. Contact: www.golfcamelot.com; (920) 269-4949.
Hawthorne Hills GC, Saukville (June 25) Built on hilly, wooded, rural terrain near the Milwaukee River in central Ozaukee County, Hawthorne Hills is a municipal golf course owned and operated by the county. The course serves as a popular spot for local golfers and for folks from out of state, especially since the second nine holes were added in the late 1960s. Lee Egelhoff designed the front nine, completed in 1964, then the back nine in 1968. Egelhoff also designed another Ozaukee County muni, Mee-Kwon Park GC. Measuring 6,657 yards from the back tees, the course starts off with a bang. The first hole, a 346-yard par-4, features a sliver of water crossing the fairway short of the landing area. From there players must contend with more of the blue stuff along the right side of the fairway to the green. Contact: (262) 692-2151.
Hartford GC, Hartford (June 25) Like a number of golf courses built in small-town Wisconsin, Hartford GC was built in two sections – the back nine in 1928, and the front side in the mid-1960s. The greatest difference between the two sides lies in the greens. True to the ways of the 1920s, the greens on the back nine are small but slick. The greens on the front are larger with more undulations. Off the tee the course can be a bit forgiving, offering some room to miss and still have a crack at the green. But local knowledge suggests that the smart approach shots are the ones that check up below the hole because many of the greens funnel away, making a shot gone long rather punishing. Hartford has its share of challenging par-3s. Hole No. 4 in particular plays at 170 yards to a three-tier green guarded by water up front and bunkers behind and to the right. Contact: (262) 673-2710.
Oakwood Park GC, Franklin (June 25) At 6,975 yards, length serves as a major obstacle for Oakwood players to overcome. Coupled with the fact that the fairways have tightened as trees have matured, and that the greens have some subtle and sneaky breaks, Oakwood can serve up a pretty mean test of golf. As far as a course strategy goes, the locals agree that the key to scoring well is to play the par-3s and par-4s close to even par. If you can pull off that feat, Oakwood’s four par-5 holes, all of which are reachable in two, are vulnerable to birdie. Known locally as “Oakwood Corner,” Nos. 12-14 offer some of the most difficult golf on the course. The feared (yet revered) stretch features the 235-yard par-3 13th surrounded by two long par-4s. Contact: www.mkegolf.com; (414) 281-6700.
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