Interview With Shaun Finley GM Watertown Country Club By Brian Weis

Interview With Shaun Finley GM Watertown Country Club

A Light Hearted Golf Q & A Interview

By Brian Weis

Below is an interview with Shaun Finley, the General Manager at Head Golf Professional at Watertown Country Club

The following are a few traditional and non traditional golf centric questions that I love to ask influential people in the golf industry.

When did you start golfing and who introduced you do the game?
I started at 10 years old. My grandpa took my brother and I to his home course in Beaver Dam. I was hooked immediately.

What is your current home course?
Watertown Country Club, WI

To date, what is your proudest golf accomplishment?
Off the course -- becoming a PGA Member. On the course -- passing my PAT on the first try. I played my last 12 holes of the day 4 under par to pass by 4. It really gave me a lot of confidence knowing that I could play under pressure.

What is your favorite club in your bag and why?
Putter.

What is your favorite golf destination?
I went to school in Myrtle Beach, SC for a year and spent two winters working in the Palm Springs, CA area. Both are amazing places and would go back to either anytime.

What course is on your bucket list that you have not played yet?
Augusta National, St. Andrew's, or a golf trip to Ireland.

If you woke up tomorrow and could play one course you played before, where would you play?
TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course

If you could change one aspect, rule or thing about golf, what would it be and why?
Having to play out of a divot from the fairway. To me, just doesn't seem right that you hit a great shot and get stuck having to play out of a divot.

Dream foursome (living)?
Jack Nicklaus
Phil Mickelson
My Grandpa

Dream foursome (living or dead)?
Jack Nicklaus
Phil Mickelson
My Grandpa

18 Rapid Fire, Off The Cuff Questions

1) Hitting Long Drive OR Sinking Long Putt?
Sinking Long Putt.

2) Having Round of Life OR Hole in One?
Round of Life.

3) Golfing at the crack of dawn OR twilight?
Crack of Dawn.

4) Hit a power fade OR power draw?
Power Fade.

5) Beverage cart OR halfway house?
Whichever is closer.

6) Bathroom OR bushes?
Depends on how bad I have to go!

7) Hot dog OR wrap?
Wrap.

8) Around the green, being in sand OR thick rough?
Thick rough.

9) Walking OR riding?
Riding.

10) Do you carry traditional 3 iron OR hybrid?
Depends on the course.

11) Do you prefer long par 3 OR long par 5?
Long Par 5.

12) Pants OR Shorts?
Pants. Especially plaid or colored. :)

13) Palmer OR Nicklaus?
Nicklaus.

14) Beatles OR Elvis?
Dave Matthews.

15) Play for fun OR play for money?
Play for fun.

16) Bump and run OR flop shot?
Flop.

17) Lay up OR gamble?
Depends on the situation.

18) 18 holes OR 36?
18 holes.

Article Tags: Interview With Shaun Finley

Revised: 12/05/2011 - Article Viewed 33,053 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.