Hole 7 at Kettle Moraine Golf Club

Kettle Moraine Golf Club

By Brian Weis

The following is a Q&A with Rick Callies, PGA Pro, at Kettle Moraine Golf Club.

Why is Kettle Moraine Golf Club a "must play" golf course in metro Milwaukee?
Kettle Moraine is away from everything. It is hard to find a course in the area that isn't surrounded by houses, roads, city etc. It is a great place to come to get away.

What is the signature hole on course and why?
Everybody talks about #7, a 160-180 yard par-3 with a very tricky green. It features a big bunker that sits at least 10 feet below the green and the right side is protected by a giant oak. If you miss left you may not keep your second shot on.

Personally, I like our stretch of holes 11,12, and 13. This is our amen corner. We recently re-ranked our handicap holes based on players scores and they came in as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd hardest. Hole 11 is a long par 4. From the elevated tee the hole looks tough that doglegs right to an elevated green. Hole 12 is a long par 5, hazards equipped through the entire hole. And 13 is a longer par three which could be stretched to 230.

That stretch of holes might be the hadest 3 hole stretch in the area. What is your advice on playing these holes?

Hole 11 - Basic advice but do not lose a ball and force a re-tee. The hole is long enough and there is some room to miss right. Ideally hit at the pond on the left off the tee. If the trees on the right are in your line for your second shot be cautious it takes a much higher shot to clear these than most people think. We tell everybody after the hole a birdie is an eagle a par is a birdie and a bogey is a par.

Hole 12 - SAFETY off the tee, again another long hole that you do not want to force a retee. I have seen many people play 3 woods off the tee to keep the first shot safe. The second shot should be placed right side of the fairway with some room to miss right into the rough. The water down the left side is closer than it appears and has swallowed a lot of balls. The green is two tiered with the back tier being quite small. Be aggressive when the pin is in the front of middle but be cautious while it is in back. Many balls have hit the back edge of the green and jumped into the water or woods.

Hole 13 - Long par three with steeper sides that protect the green. Missing left can become a disaster. If you are concerned about missing right of left play the cautious club and lay up slightly short of the green. Unless you hit a great first shot most people will be relying on a up and down for par. In our foursome scrambles this hole has awarded skins for a birdie multiple times.

What is your favorite hole on the course
My favorite hole is my least favorite hole, number 4. Par 5 measures about 500 yards. Out of bounds lines the whole right side, water comes into play down the left side for your drive and a fairway bunker is on the right. A good tee shot allows you to go for it in two, which is no easy task. A pond surrounds the left of the green and a bunker the right and of course the out of bounds down the right and behind the green. If you are able to get on in two, your eagle or birdie was well deserved, which you will probably need going into hole 5.

More Information

Kettle Moraine Golf Club
W365 S4299 Hwy. 67
Dousman, WI 53118-9696
262.965.6200
www.kettlemorainegolf.com

Revised: 02/22/2012 - Article Viewed 33,737 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.