The Links at Rising Star Casino & Resort

Getting To Know: The Links at Rising Star Casino & Resort

An Insightful Interview With Jumpei (J.P) Okuda, Golf Course Manager

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 Jumpei (J.P) Okuda 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
The Links at Rising Star Casino Resort is Southern Indiana's only true Scottish links-style golf course. This Tim Liddy designed gem features gently rolling bent grass fairways and greens nestled among traditional long waste bunkers, winding lakes and heather rough. Many holes boast panoramic views of the Ohio River Valley.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Southern Indiana's only true Scottish links-style golf course. Indiana's first riverboat Casino and new hotels just a minutes away.
Always in great condition and average pace of play is under 4 hours includes weekends.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Club selection. recommend use one or half less clubs for all approach shot. All putts does not break more than you think. Be aggressive on short putts.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
Voted 2nd best Indiana Casino Golf Course by Southern Gaming Magazine.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
Hole #3. Par 5 - 541 yards from the back tees. 486 yards from Regular tees. Great risk and rewards 2nd shot. All approaches are guarded by lakes and sand traps but Good tee shots gives you an advantage reaching this hole in two.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
#18. Awesome finishing hole. Tee shots Plays into the wind. Approach shots plays uphill and guarded by deep sand traps. Par is a great score.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Signature Angus Beef Hamburger and Double bogie beer special.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
Tim Cook - 64

Back Tee Stats
Par: 71
Yardage: 6853
Slope: 131
Rating: 73.5

More Information
The Links at Rising Star Casino & Resort
777 Rising Star Drive
Rising Sun, IN 47040
812-438-4388
www.risingstarcasino.com

Revised: 01/29/2015 - Article Viewed 33,049 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.