Deer Run Golf Resort - Washington Island

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

By Brian Weis

Wisconsin boasts some top notch golf destinations from Lake Geneva to Wisconsin Dells and Kohler to Door County. In Door County, Deer Run Golf Resort on Washington Island, is an instance where the destination is more of a journey. To put this 9 hole course on your "I played it list" you will first need to hop a 30 minute ferry and then safely traverse across the legendary corridor known as Death's Door. The legacy of the passage is mysterious but locals tell the tale that swirling currents and howling winds killed 100 Native Americans trying to cross the waters.

After completing the journey, you will enjoy an "up north" golfing experience. The par 36, regulation nine hole course carves through dense forest, towering pines and along a two acre pond. Lodging is available on property, rental homes are also available.

Must Do While There - Nelsen's Hall
Nearby is the Historic, Nelsen's Hall Bitter's Pub and Restaurant. During the prohibition, proprietor and pharmacist, Tom Nelson served Angostura Bitter's as a quote unquote stomach tonic. Truth be told, a shot contains 45% alcohol. Today, the establishment is known as the World Headquarters of the Bitters Club. Buy a $4.00 shot and receive a club certificate to the club. Membership has it benefits, the card certifys you as an "official" islander.

The Skinny
2 Tee Boxes: 5400 and 4858 yards
18 Hole Rate: $25.00

Getting There
Free Shuttle Service from the Washington Island Ferry Dock to the course is available for golfers who prefer to leave their cars on the mainland. To arrange call the course to set up arrangements, 920-847-2017.

Contact Information
Deer Run Golf Course & Resort
1885 Michigan Road
Washington Island, WI 54246
920-847-2017
www.deerrunwi.com

Revised: 08/11/2011 - Article Viewed 32,466 Times

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.