Getting To Know: Brown County Golf Course By Brian Weis

Getting To Know: Brown County Golf Course

An Insightful Interview With Jim Ostrowski, Head Golf Pro

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 Jim Ostrowski 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
Brown County Golf Course is a public golf course owned by the County of Brown and located in Northeastern Wisconsin in the Village of Hobart, just west of Green Bay. Regular golf play began in 1958 with 18 holes developed by Lawrence Packard. With gently rolling terrain, outstanding course conditions and a good number of classic doglegs, Brown County GC has been consistently rated very highly on a national scale since the early 1980's.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
The golf course is always in fantastic shape.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
The front nine plays right to left while the back nine moves left to right. If you can work the ball you will have better angles to attack the greens. We also replaced all the greens in 2014, and they roll really true!

Any recent changes to the golf course? Or any upcoming changes?
In 2014, Brown County underwent a $300,000 course improvement project. We replacement all 18 holes greens and the primary practice green outside the clubhouse. In addition, we added new sod to the fringe around every green.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
Brown County Golf Course was ranked Golf Digest Top 50 Public Golf Course rating in 1990 and a rating as the 9th best Municipal golf course nationally in the early 2000's bear this out. Locally, we have received the "Best of the Bay" award for the finest golf course in the area for four of the past 5 years beginning in 2009.

A number of tournaments have been hosted at Brown County throughout it's history. They include:
* The 2005 Wisconsin State Amateur,
* The Wisconsin State Open and State Match Plays,
* WSGA Best Ball events,
* Numerous WPGA Junior Events,
* The Brown County Men's and Women's Amateur

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
The most demanding and talked about hole on the course is #13. From the tee, it is hard to see water down the left. And longer hitters can reach the pond in front of the green. Position of the tee is very important. Take what the course gives you off the tee. For the long ball hitters driver is not the play. If you can see it come to rest off the tee you will be in great position on your next shot. Take enough club and avoid the water in front of the green. For a short hole, (349-334 yards from the back two tees) you can make a big number if you get too greedy.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
My favorite hole is #2 when played from the back tees. From the tips you have a great view of the entire hole. A well struck tee ball is needed to carry the river. Longer hitters can reach in two but it is not the play. A large sand bunker protects the right side of the green so your second shot should be played up the right side to put yourself in position for a great look at birdie.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
The Safari Steakhouse provides both casual and elegant food. Everything on the menu is great. You cannot beat the outdoor seating overlooking the 9th green.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 6749
Slope: 131
Rating: 72.5

More Information
Brown County Golf Course
897 Riverdale Drive
Hobart, WI, 54155
920-497-1731

https://www.browncountygc.com

Revised: 10/03/2017 - Article Viewed 14,589 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.