Briggs Woods Golf Course

Getting To Know: Briggs Woods Golf Course

An Insightful Interview With Russ Appel, Superintendent/General 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 Russ Appel 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
Briggs Woods Golf Course is owned and operated by the Hamilton County Conservation Board. The front nine opened for play in 1971, and the back nine opened in 1991.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Briggs Woods is a must play. With it's proximity to the Boone River, Briggs Woods offers a beautiful natural setting. The front nine features rolling terrain, while much of the back nine is cut through a heavily wooded area. With the variance in tees Briggs Woods provides both an enjoyable experience for the novice golfer, but from the back tees can offer as much challenge as any seasoned golfer wants.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
On holes 13 - 16 put the driver away. These holes are extremely tight, and the driver will get you in trouble more times than the extra distance will reward you.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
With the decline in golf rounds nationally courses have had to cut budgets. Despite budget cuts, Briggs Woods has managed to maintain the level of maintenance golfers expect

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
Any of the lower 4 holes are signature holes. The dense wooded area provides a beautiful natural setting for golf.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
Hole 13 from the upper tees is just beautiful. It is only 22 yards between the two tree lines. You could play this hole 100 times, and never end up with the same shots.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Kelly Haman our Special Events and Food Coordinator does a fantastic job. From our daily menu all the way to formal weddings the food is fantastic.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
Shad Muth formerly of Clear Lake holds our course record. Shad shot an incredible round of 64 from the back tees. Shad was a two time winner on the Gateway Tour, and holds several course records at various Iowa courses.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 6,502
Slope: 119
Rating: 71.6

More Information
Briggs Woods Golf Course
2501 Briggs Woods Trail
Webster City, Iowa, 50595
515-832-9572
www.briggswoods.com

Revised: 03/06/2013 - Article Viewed 34,991 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.