An A-Z visitors guide to Milwaukee Wisconsin. Sponsored by Key Magazine Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/319143
By JERRY SLASKE KEY Milwaukee Golf Editor START TO FINISH Southeastern Wisconsin's best 1st and 18th holes 38 HELLO Challenging 1st holes often begin great rounds: Blackwolf Run (Meadow Valleys) , 392 yards, par 4 (800-344-2838) americanclubresort.com/golf Appropriately called the Fishing Hole, this dogleg right with water all along the right side will test your mettle right out of the box. It gets your attention because you have to flirt with the water no matter what line you choose. Trying to play safe by going left means you end up in some bothersome grass moguls. B rown Deer, 461 yards, par 4 (414-352-8080) milwaukeecountygolfcourses.com/golf/proto Without a doubt, the best opening hole in the region. A dogleg right that is nicely framed on both sides by towering trees with a pond at the turn on the left side about 300 yards from the tee. No gim- micks or surprises at this fine traditional parkland course that Golf Week magazine several years ago ranked as the 46th best munici- pal track in the country. The Bull at Pinehurst Farms , 424 yards, par 4 (920-467-1500) golfthebull.com This hole is like a savory appetizer at a fine restaurant; you can't wait for the main course. The straight par 4 (424 yards) features fairway bunkers on the right at the beginning of a shallow basin leading up to a front-to-back sloping green shielded by a large, deep bunker. It's an excellent first step in the ladder of difficulty at this Jack Nicklaus Signature Course. Nagawaukee, 415 yards, par 4 (262-367-2153) golfwaukeshacounty.com/nwm_course A dogleg left with a bunker (about 240 yards out) and trees located at the turn. The fairway is lined on both sides by mature trees. After the turn the hole meanders downhill to a huge green – char- acteristic of this course – that slopes from back to front and is bunkered on the left. Washington County, 417 yards, par 4 (262-670-6616) golfwcgc.com Straight with a wide fairway that slopes to the left with bunkers lurking on both sides to swallow your tee shot. Your second shot is awkward because the fairway slopes to the left and because the green, which is longer than it is wide, sits at an odd angle and falls off to both sides. The Arthur Hills links design was ranked recently by Golf Week as the nation's 24th best municipal course. Whispering Springs, 435 yards, par 4 (920-921-8053) whisperingspringsgolf.com/golf/proto/whisperingspringsgolf Straightforward hole lined on the left by towering trees and on the right by rough, with bunkers on each side of the undulating fairway about 280 yards out. Your second shot is to a well-bunkered, back- to-front sloping green. Even though this hole looks relatively benign from the tee, it is one tough hole on a course that is one of the toughest – and best values – in the state. GOODBYE Here are some of the area's best 18th holes: Blackwolf Run (River) , 510 yards, par 4 (855-444-2838) americanclubresort.com/golf This history-making hole from the 1998 US Women's Open requires a long drive down the right center to give you at least a chance…albeit a small one…at getting to the green in two. The entire left side from tee to green is a sunken waste area, which was filled with water for the 1998 and 2012 US Women's Opens. B righton Dale (Blue Spruce), 355 yards, par 4 (262-878-1440) golfbrightondale.com A sharp dogleg (actually 90 degrees) left about 240 yards out with water all along the left side. Go right off the tee and you could have some tree problems; go through the fairway and you might not have a shot at all. A rather large undulating green is protected on the three sides by bunkers. Brown Deer, 557 yards, par 5 (414-352-8080) milwaukeecountygolfcourses.com/golf/proto With a creek crossing the fairway about 230 yards from the tee, a solid drive is imperative on this uphill, relatively narrow hole. Get in the trees on the right and a bogey will be a good score. Avoid traps on the right on your second shot and hit to a yardage so that you'll have a full swing on your third, especially when the pin is on the right side just over a deep bunker. KEY GOLF