Watertown CC - Hole 18

Getting To Know: Watertown Country Club

An Insightful Interview With Shaun Finley, General Manager / Head Golf Pro

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 Shaun Finley 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
Watertown Country Club is a classic style course that plays to a par of 70 and will offer challenge to the skilled player while presenting playable conditions for the novice player. The course features mature trees lining the fairways as well as the Silver Creek that comes into play on 11 of the holes.

The course also features three par 5's and five par 3's that add to the challenge of the course.

While not overly long in length, the course requires precision both off the tee and from the fairway. Well manicured greens offer a challenge with both their speed and subtle breaks.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Watertown Country Club provides all players, regardless of playing ability, the opportunity to enjoy their round. This classic style course offers a challenge whether you are a longer or shorter hitter.

Great conditions from tee to green highlight your experience here at Watertown CC.

Guest have a unique opportunity to play our private country club without being a member. Guests may play without a member by having a group of 12 or more players. There may be some time restrictions. 2012 is the first year we have had this offer and have already had a great response. Interested parties may contact Shaun Finley at shaun@watertowncc.com or at 920.261.1375.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
With length not at a premium, accuracy is of the highest importance. If playing a round here at Watertown Country Club, there are a number of holes where you can leave driver in the bag.

On the greens, keeping the ball on the correct side of the hole will go a long ways in producing a good score. With green speeds reaching 11-12 on the stipmeter, staying below the hole is key.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
The course has hosted a number of WPGA and WSGA Events over the years. Most recently in 2012 WCC hosted the USGA Junior Am. Qualifying and a WSGA Net Partners event.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
Our 2nd hole is definitely our most talked about hole. This par 4, although not overly long in length provides a difficult test. With trees lining the fairway, the tee shot requires an accurately placed shot.

After the tee shot, the true challenge begins. The second shot plays slightly uphill to a green well guarded by bunkers as well as a creek 20 yards short of the green. Shots coming up short of the green will roll by down the slope leaving a difficult up and down.

The green is well-sloped from back to front leaving no easy two-putts.

Without a question, par's are few and far between.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It? My favorite hole is the 17th hole. At 535 yards, this par 5 is your traditional risk-reward par 5.

With a well placed tee shot avoiding one of the 4 fairway bunkers, longer hitters have the opportunity to reach the green in two. Second shots must avoid a creek 40 yards short of the green. If going for the green in two, I reccommend taking plenty of club.

If laying up, more fairway bunkers come into play. A well positioned lay up will leave you with a short run to attack for your 3rd shot.

It's a great hole to set up a strong finish to your round.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
I would highly recommend our Build-A-Burger. With plenty of options to suit your tastes, our members rave about our burgers!

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
Our past Golf Professional Gene Frank holds the course record of 8-under par 62. His round featured 9 birdies and 1 bogey. The record was established in 1978.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 70
Yardage: 6405
Slope: 124
Rating: 70.6

More Information
Watertown Country Club
1340 North Water Street
Watertown, WI, 53098
920-261-1375
www.watertowncc.com

Revised: 09/18/2012 - Article Viewed 32,100 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.