House on the Rock Resort

Getting To Know: The House on the Rock Resort

An Insightful Interview With Matt Bohlken, Head Golf Professional

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 Matt Bohlken 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 Springs Course

The original 18 hole Springs Course, designed by legendary course architect Robert Trent Jones Sr., winds along the valley floor. Rated 4 ½ stars by Golf Digest, it is a classic Jones course, featuring narrow landing areas, sand traps and water hazards that will challenge golfers of every skill level. Nearly every hole has water coming into play giving the course its name and reputation. The fourth hole is a traditional Robert Trent Jones, Sr. par 5. Not real long, big hitters may be able to reach in two. Miss the green, however, and the narrow landing area is full of traps in front with water lurking behind the green. The green is very narrow and tough to hold with long irons.

The par 4 ninth and eighteenth holes wind back to a monstrous double green guarded by water to one side and traps to the other. The par four 18th hole is recognized as one of the top finishing holes in the state.

Madison Magazine said "it's the Best Par four in the State. This hole has everything. Great view from an elevated tee. Reasonably narrow fairway with woods on the left and water on the right. An ideal finishing hole. Trent Jones knew what he was doing."

The North Nine

The North Nine is also rated 4 ½ stars by Golf Digest and is equally challenging and visually breath-taking. Designed by Roger Packard and two-time U.S. Open Champion Andy North, the course offers dramatic changes in elevation, well-placed traps and subtly sloped greens.

"Our philosophy is that the landscape should give the course its character, not the other way around. The course has some outstanding scenery and lots of great vistas." - Andy North

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course? The Springs course is the only Robert Trent Jones Sr. design in the state of Wisconsin. You can tell all your golf buddies you played The "hidden gem" of Wisconsin!

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Greens are large and undulating sloping from front to back. The key to a successful round is to stay below the hole on your approach shots.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
Both the Springs Course and the North Nine are rated 4 1/2 stars by Golf Digest.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
All 27 holes at the resort are very picturesque, but hole #9 on the Springs Course stands out to me. it is a 341 yard dog leg left and after a well positioned tee shot your approach is to our signature double green shared by #9 and #18 and the backdrop is framed by the resort. I also believe # 18 on the Springs Course which is a 407 yard par 4 is the best finishing hole in the State. If you hit a good tee shot you are left with a second shot of 165-180 yard's over water. It is a GREAT hole to press on!

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
Hole for hole I believe the Original Springs Course is one of the best courses in the State, my favorite hole is #6 on the North Course. It is a 368 yard par 4 you tee off from an elevated tee that is surrounded by trees to a narrow fairway with trees on the left and right. If you hit a good tee shot you are left with and uphill approach into the hardest green on the course.

My tip to play #6 on the North Course would be: Position off the tee is everything, if you miss the fairway it is a guaranteed bogey at best. Hit 3 wood and you will be left with 120-150 yard approach into a severe back to front sloping green. Stay below the hole, if not you bring 3-putt into play. Once you are on the green that is when the fun begins. as I said this is toughest green out of all 27 holes. Take your 2-putt and move on!

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
1/2 pound fresh hamburger cooked to perfection on a grilled Kaiser roll, washed down with an ice cold New Glarus Spotted Cow.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
Two players hold the course record of 64 in a non competitive round on the Springs Course. Garret Jones and Carl Hottman.

Our competitive round course record is 65 shot by Rich Tock in the 1997 WPGA Section Club Professional Championship.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 70
Yardage: 6571
Slope: 134
Rating: 72.1

More Information
The House on the Rock Resort
400 Springs Drive
Spring Green , Wisconsin, 53588
608.588.7000
www.thehouseontherock.com

Revised: 01/13/2013 - Article Viewed 37,060 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.