Golf Course Overview: Horicon Hills Golf Club By Brian Weis

Golf Course Overview: Horicon Hills Golf Club

Insights From An Insider With James Merkel, Owner

By Brian Weis

Local and traveling golfers love to research courses before playing them, whether it is to gain some local knowledge or to set an expectation before their upcoming round. Below is an interview with James Merkel who shares some valuable insight about the property, its most talked about holes and the signature dish/drink to consume at the 19th hole.

How Does Your Course Differ From The Others In The Area?
* we don't differ from the others ... everyone has 18 holes, fairways, green, a clubhouse, etc.

* our goal is to give everyone those true greens, plush fairways, etc. - but its more than just the golf course - it's the service that we extend to our customers by being a place they want to take their family, friends and clients for a day of relaxation and fun

For someone who has not played the course in awhile, has there been any new changes/renovations to the course or property?
Yes ... with the new ownership being 3 years old, updates include a new and improved irrigation system, new equipment has been put into place to provide better general course upkeep and maintenance clubhouse upgrades and remodeling in always an ongoing process to provide our customers with a great experience

What is your course's answer to Amen Corner? (Describe your best/hardest 3 back/back/back holes)
We asked a number of golfers who call Horicon Hills home and came up with a number of different answers. Holes on the "Back 9" can be troublesome if you let them intimidate you. Our Amen Corner would be Holes 11, 12 and 13.

The key to both holes 11 and 12 is to maintain your drive in the fairway. The length of your drive is not the important part, you must stay within the fairway followed by approach shots which cannot be long. Hole 13 has an elevated tee box which makes it terribly intimidating. Your tee shot can be short but you cannot be long or left/right because you will skip over the green or end up in the pond on the left or the trees which lie directly right of the green.

Getting through holes 11, 12 and 13 may give you a sigh of relief but you must maintain control since holes 15, 16, 17 and 18 can give you problems as well with their water, marshes and contoured greens. You must finish strong.

What is your course's claim to fame, or is there a little known fact that golfers should know about the property?
Claim to Fame is our greens. Greens are fast, true and challenging

What tournaments/events have you (recently) hosted or will be hosting?
2017 - WWSGA Mother Son Tournament
2016 - WSGA Net Partners Qualifier
2015 - WPGA Junior Championship

Besides golf, what other amenities do you offer if a golfer wants to spend most of the day at your facility?
We host Friday night fish fry. A raised deck which overlooks the course to enjoy beverages and food all day long. Occasional music on the deck is always enjoyed by everyone

Signature sandwich or drink?
Our Sandwich Menu is one of the best in the areas. Our Friday Night Fish Fry offers our customers a wide variety of options for portion size and pricing.

Contact Course
Horicon Hills Golf Club
3000 S. Main Street
Horicon, WI, 53032
920-643-2000

www.horiconhillsgolf.com

Revised: 02/03/2020 - Article Viewed 16,347 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.