Golf Course Overview: Wild Rock Golf Club By Brian Weis

Golf Course Overview: Wild Rock Golf Club

Insights From An Insider With Pat Stein, Director of Golf Operations

By Brian Weis

Local and traveling golfers love to research courses before playing them, whether it is to gain some local knowledge or to set an expectation before their upcoming round. Below is an interview with Pat Stein who shares some valuable insight about the property, its most talked about holes and the signature dish/drink to consume at the 19th hole.

How Does Your Course Differ From The Others In The Area?
There are a lot of outstanding golf in the Wisconsin Dells area, and they all have something special to offer. Wild Rock offers amazing elevation changes and is a perfect example of the beautiful landscape of the Dells region that has been drawing people to this part of Wisconsin for hundreds of years.

For someone who has not played the course in awhile, has there been any new changes/renovations to the course or property?
Over the course of the last ten year we haven't had to make any major changes to the course. Our focus had been how do we improve the over golfing experience. We are continually working on improving playing conditions and other improvements that make the course more enjoyable for golfers of all abilities.

That being said Wilderness Resort (WildernessResort.com) has had many changes of the past 10 years adding in a bunch of new amenities and Sundara Spa, (www.sundaraspa.com) which is adajacent to the course and offers a great sports massage, recently expanded their facility as well to include a another outdoor patio area, more guest suites, a swim up bar, a salt room and more.

What is your course's answer to Amen Corner? (Describe your best/hardest 3 back/back/back holes)
Wild Rock's closing holes are where a lot of bets are won or lost. Hole 14 is a reachable par 5 that brings the old stone quarry in to play. There's no room to miss right on this hole if going for it in two.

Hole 15 is a great par 3 that incorporates the quarry. Club selection is everything on this hole. Anything short is a recipe for disaster.

Hole 16 is that last of the quarry holes. A good drive here sets you up for birdie. The approach shot to this large undulating green is everything. Miss played shots can easily equally a three putt.

Hole 17 is the definition of risk reward and reward. The hole is drivable but a shot left or long will not lead to a par.

On hole 18 a drive in the fairway leads to another birdie change. But like 16 your approach is the important part. With no easy hole locations on this green, there is no such thing as an easy par.

What is your course's claim to fame, or is there a little known fact that golfers should know about the property?
A lot of people don't realize that Hurdzan and Fry, the famed golf architects that designed Erin Hills, also designed Wild Rock. As they were putting the final touches on Erin Hills in 2006, they actually were starting our Wild Rock project.

What tournaments/events have you (recently) hosted or will be hosting?
2019
Local US Open Qualifying
WSGA Net Partners Championship
WSGA Senior Championship

Past events
Wisconsin PGA Section Championship
Several WSGA events

Besides golf, what other amenities do you offer if a golfer wants to spend most of the day at your facility?
Wild Rock is part of the Wilderness Resort, America's largest waterpark resort, located in Wisconsin Dells. It has 4 indoor and 4 outdoor waterparks totaling more than 12 football fields of water fun. It also is home to zip lining, indoor and outdoor mini golf courses, indoor and outdoor go-karts, 3 room escapes, laser tag, a laser maze an indoor ropes course, paint your own pottery, 3 mega arcades, a 4-story play house, 3 climbing walls and a virtual reality arena.

There is so much to do at our resort that families with kids of all ages love our property.

If you want to make a visit without the kids, our Sundara Spa is the perfect adult escape where you can just relax and unwind from life's hectic pace. Sundara also has spectular suites that offer the ultimate in lodging options.

For the traveling golfer, do you have lodging onsite or partner with any area hotels?
Wilderness Resort (wildernessresort.com) has many lodging options from northwoods themed guest rooms to free standing condos, cabins and villas some of which can actually accommodate up to 18 guests. We frequently offer guest stay and play packages.

Sundara Spa (www.sundaraspa.com) also has many beautiful suites.

Signature sandwich or drink?
By far our most popular menu items is our chicken salad. It' our chef's top secret family recipe that he doesn't share with anyone.

Contact Course
Wild Rock Golf Club
856 Canyon Rd
Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965
(608) 253-4653
www.wildrockgolf.com

Revised: 02/03/2020 - Article Viewed 16,996 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.