Christmas Mountain Village a Wisconsin Dells Winner

Christmas All Year Long

By Glen Turk

As you make the turn between the front and back nine on The Oaks course at Christmas Mountain Village there is a sign so innocuous in nature you may miss it completely. The sign is 12" wide by 24" high colored in dark green with red and white accents and simply says "Oaks 10" with and arrow pointing up and to the left. A sign so fantastically ordinary shouldn't be allowed to take you to a place so tremendously extraordinary, should it? Simply stated, trudging your cart up the side of a ski hole has never been so anticipated as what lies above and below are nine of the finest consecutive golf holes in Wisconsin.

Caleb Turbett, Christmas Mountain's Director of Golf, was impressed with this stretch of holes from the first time he visited the property. "The back nine on the Oaks course, opened in 2000, can go toe-to-toe with any nine holes in the state. The back nine is cut out of the backside of the mountain and provides some of the best views you will ever find. This tree lined course can be very challenging for the experienced golfer, but with four sets of tees can be very enjoyable for players of all abilities," explained Turbett.

The nine hole carnival ride begins with a 75 foot drop from tee to fairway on the 523 yard par-5 10th. Caleb Turbett agrees the back nine at Christmas Mountain saves the best for first. "My favorite hole on the Oaks course is #10. The view from the tee box is second to none. With a large elevation drop from the tee to the fairway, it is fun to watch your ball hang in the air with trouble surrounding the fairway," stated Turbett.

The par-3 12th is so big and bold that is has to be beautiful. From an elevated tee you'll be confronted with a 208 yard shot downhill to a perched green guarded by a massive bunker on the left side of the putting surface. Even with the green on the right side is a patch of gnarly rough that makes you think twice about bailing out to avoid a sand shot.

After a glorious stretch of par-4's ranging from 361 to 413 yards on holes 13-15, the par-4 16th serves as a fitting bookend to this quad squad. If you play the tips at 385 yards, you must place your tee ball short of the 154 yard mark as a 50 yard wide marsh area cuts across the entire fairway. The challenge doesn't end there as a double-tiered green awaits your approach shot. Make sure to pause and take in the beauty of this stunning hole - you'll be hard pressed to find many better in the Wisconsin Dells area!

Christmas Mountain Village is also home to the Pines Nine, a 2870 yard par-35 layout that's full of fun shots and better views. The journey begins with a great opening par-3 that's anything but easy. A beautiful rock laden pond guards this 185 yard hole that is cleverly tucked inside a batch of towering pine trees. Short is not an option, so club up and realize that your short game might have to make an early appearance to salvage a par.

My second favorite hole of the nine happens to be the nine's second to last, the 359 yard uphill par-4 8th. Again you're firing through a gauntlet of trees to a green guarded by height and your ability to pull the right club. This is north woods golf at its finest, as this smell of pine is far better than the five year-old air freshener I have in my car.

But it's a whole lot more that just fun in the fairways at Christmas Mountain Village, as the resort is a 12 month hub of activity. "During the winter time Christmas Mountains' eleven hills are covered in snow for snowboarding and skiing, and we also have three tubing runs," stated Caleb Turbett. "Mulligan's Bar N' Grill is home to national touring acts from The Comedy Zone (every Thursday night) and weekly Texas Hold'Em Tournaments. We also have a mini-golf course, paddle boats, canoes, a softball diamond, volleyball pit, horseshoes, and basketball and tennis courts for our guests to enjoy. If you would just like to relax, we have five pools to choose from or you can take a walk on terrific walking paths that shows you everything nature has to offer," concluded Turbett.

Finally, as Caleb previously mentioned, check out Mulligans Restaurant complete with their $5 burger special every Tuesday. They could have charged me double the burger was so good, but since I was buying for my group I'm glad they didn't. For more information on Christmas Mountain Village, visit their website at www.christmasmountainvillage.com or call their pro shop at 1-608-254-3971.

Article Tags: Christmas Mountain Village Golf Course Review

Revised: 05/27/2010 - Article Viewed 33,997 Times

About: Glen Turk

Glen Turk is a Wisconsin native and is the Senior Writer/Editor of Midwest Golfing Magazine. Midwest Golfing Magazine was formerly known as Pub-Links Golfer's Magazine and is a free publication distributed four times per year throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio.

His duties at MGM include writing course features, facilitating product testing, and overseeing the overall content and look of the magazine. But clearly his most important task is playing as much golf as his wife allows. Fortunately for him, she plays also and loves out-driving him even with a 60 yard head start.

Glen plays to a 6 handicap but once set a record by having his ball retriever regripped 15 times in one calendar year. It was a December trip to Guam that ultimately did him in. Finally, if you haven't caught on by now, the two most worthy weapons in Glen's writing arsenal are self-deprecating humor and pithy one-liners.

My signature line, "Be A Force on The Course" and now more recently, "Hit 'Em Where They Mow!" can be reused at no charge.