Hole 12 - Whispering Springs

Getting To Know: Whispering Springs Golf Club

An Insightful Interview With Zach Trepanier, Golf Shop Manager

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Zach Trepanier who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Whispering Springs is set on top of a scenic ledge overlooking the entire city of Fond du Lac as well as Lake Winnebago. The course is unique in that it has bentgrass from tee to green and that it boasts no two holes are alike. The front nine is more open and reminds the golfer of a links-type layout while the back nine weaves through the matured trees that once lined the old nine hole course. The holes are challenging enough for any golfer, thanks to the five set of tees throughout, and is in a great location at the center of the state.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
In the Fond du Lac and surrounding area it's not often that you will find bentgrass from tee to green at a public facility. While this type of grass takes more time and energy to groom and maintain, we believe the results it yields are well worth the effort. This is the surface that many of the pro tournaments are played on, and we strive to provide conditions that match those that you see on TV.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Like any course, the best way to ensure that your score will be a low number is to keep the ball in play. Even though the front nine is more of an open layout, there are still plenty of opportunities to lose a ball and mark a big number on the card. On our back nine, this idea is only accentuated with the number of shots that are lined with looming trees. The one thing that might be unique to our course is that we have sand- and lots of it. While bunkers and trees are two different hazards, they can often times be related. So, if you can keep it out of the sand, then hopefully you'll stay out of the trees too.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
During the 2011 season Whisperings Springs was rated by the Hacker's Guide as the #1 best golf value in the entire state of Wisconsin. We were extremely proud of this accolade because our central philosophy is to provide an exceptionable and memorable golf experience at a rate that any golfer can afford. We constantly hear comments from our new golfers that they are floored at what we charge for a round of golf, and when we received this award from the Hacker's Guide, we were excited that our main goal was recognized by their organization.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
The intended signature hole of our Bob Lohman designed course was number 14. Hole 14 is a par four lined with matured trees on the left that requires a strategically placed tee shot to give the golfer a good angle into the green. The second shot into the green is separated by an expanse of artfully designed bunkers that is aesthetically daunting for any level of player. The hole that seems to be the most memorable, though, is hole 12. Hole 12 is fairly straight and isn't the most challenging hole on the course, but the view it offers from its elevated tee box offers the most astounding sight on the entire course. On a clear afternoon, one can see all of Fond du Lac and even Lake Winnebago.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
Personally, my favorite hole is a toss-up between number two and sixteen. Hole two is a par five that has a little bit of everything: mounds, sand, water and a view of a rustic barn on the property. I love this hole because you can wind up and rip it from the tee, but it requires more strategy from that point forward. I had to also include sixteen in the mix because since I first played Whispering Springs, that hole and I have had a love/hate relationship. It has to be one of the most challenging holes in that you can hit two great shots and still have a tough time getting it home for par. They key to 16: hit a low screamer up the left side of the fairway, and make sure you're below the hole or you could be putting for a long time!

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
There's not a single dish on our menu that I've ever turned away. We are owned by the same individual who owns Trepanier's Backyard Grill & Bar which is the most popular eatery in Fond du Lac. We share much of the same staff, and are inspired by the same chef, so our food isn't the typical dry burger and luke-warm hot dog that golfers have been choking down. Thursday is a great day to come out and golf because after riding 18 holes you are treated with a juicy 12 oz rib-eye for only $4. No matter what you get to eat, you HAVE to treat yourself to a draft beer in a chilled pint glass.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 6960
Slope: 134
Rating: 73.9

More Information
Whispering Springs Golf Club
380 Whispering Springs Drive
Fond du Lac, WI, 54937 920-921-8053
www.whisperingspringsgolf.com

Revised: 09/10/2012 - Article Viewed 34,307 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.