Wild Rock

[Will Peterson]

Wild Rock opened last year at the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells.  It was designed by Hurzon and Fry.  There was a course at the site which 9 holes were made into an executive course and 9 holes bulldozed.  This and some newly aquired land were used to make Wild Rock.  The land is very hilly and mostly covered with trees.  There is a corner of the property that is a quarry, and is used for its "signature" par 3.  The course does not currently play in the order in which it was designed.  They are still using the old clubhouse, so the routing was changed to accomodate this starting point.  On my first trip, I thought that the start and finish just didn't feel right.  I looked at the planned routing, and think it play much better and provide a better start and finish.  After talking with some staff, plans for the new clubhouse are being put on hold for the time being.

This was my second trip to Wild Rock, and unfortunately is was the second time I played after a substantial rain storm.  I would really like to return when it is not soggy as I think the course would offer many more options with some run. 

The course features very large fairways that offer a number of options off each tee.  There were even some fairway bunkers in the middle of the fairway (I have read a lot about their demise).   I really liked the greens.  They had significant internal movement which made being on the right portion essential.  The movement in the greens allows for a variety of shots to be played, and can reward creative chipping and pitching.

It is very difficult with forest areas, long fescues, and other hazards.  The bunkers are similar to those at Erin Hills, and offer ackward stances and difficult recoveries.  The greens have significant slopes, ridges, levels, and fall-offs which makes putting a lot of fun, but also very difficult.

The course is not walkable.  The tees and greens are close, but the hills would kill you.  The staff does a good job suggesting people play the 6400 tees and most do, but pace can be a problem.  My first visit was north of 5:15.  These are my only issues with the course. 

Wild Rock 1


Wild Rock 1 fairway


Wild Rock 1 green


Wild Rock 2


Wild Rock 2 green


Wild Rock 2 green


Wild Rock 3


Wild Rock 4


Wild Rock 4 green


Wild Rock 5
This is 10 in the original plan.  It is similar in lenght to 17(#1) and has a great green as well.  A back nine start will also open with a shortish par 4 to get you going, but each has a green with three putts lurking.


Wild Rock 5 green


Wild Rock 6


Wild Rock 6 green
This is from behind the green.  The green has a raised mid-section with two lower levels on each side, with a drop of 2 feet to each side.  This bunker is right in the middle which made this pin very difficult.


Wild Rock 7


Wild Rock 7 back towards tee


Wild Rock 7 green


Wild Rock 8


Wild Rock 8 green


Wild Rock 9


Wild Rock 9 green


Wild Rock 10


Wild Rock 11


Wild Rock 12


Wild Rock 12 green


Wild Rock 12 behind green


Wild Rock 13
This is the 18th in the original plan, and I think it will make a great finishing hole.  Also, the holes leading to it will make a great, but difficult finish.


Wild Rock 13 fairway


Wild Rock 13 green
I really liked this green.  It has a front and back tier, but the front tier is higher.  Everything slopes to the left, which is dead, so make sure you can get it to stop.  This picture is from the right side of the green.  The shadow of the flag is in the back of the green.


Wild Rock 14


Wild Rock 14 green


Wild Rock 15
This is from a middle tee.  The tees wrap around the quarry, so the distance doesn't change a lot, but the angle really does.  From the tips it is only 179, but from the far right leaving no bail out.  It gets a little shorter as you go around to the left, but the angle proivdes a lot more room for error.  The green is tricky to read, especially around the front right pin.


Wild Rock 16
This is #9 in the original plan.  It will be a good finish for the front and follows two tough par 3's with a good par 5 in the middle.


Wild Rock 17
This is the opening hole in the original plan.  It will make for a good start, driver/wedge or a little less of the tee and a short iron.  It does have a great green, so you may start with a three putt.


Wild Rock 17 green


Wild Rock 17 green
This green has a front and back portion separated by a large thumbprint in the middle.


Wild Rock 18

[Jud_T]

Thanks! I'm going up this weekend and you saved me the trouble of bringing the camera. (especially since it's going to be in the low 40s!)

[Greg Chambers]

The striped rough is nauseating.

[David Schofield]

I played this course last fall and was struck by the length of the trek from the clubhouse to the #1 tee.  It made a little more sense after seeing the fully constructed range near hole #5 that they must have decided late to keep the old clubhouse.  I couldn't figure out the intended routing since I thought both #5 and #17 would be subpar starting holes (#5 is almost drivable) and they wouldn't use #14 because that would waste #15 early in a round (#2 or #11, in that case).  Do they plan on building the new clubhouse someday?

[Will Peterson]

David -

From my conversation with some of the staff, it appears that plans for the new clubhouse have been prepared, but are now on indefinate hold.  I didn't look very closely, but there doesn't seem to be room for a parking lot near the site of the proposed clubhouse.  I also wonder if they are going to incorporate the barn into the new clubhouse as it sits on the most logical area for it.

[David Schofield]

I had the same thought about parking.  Perhaps they own more land along Bunker Road north or south of the barn?

[Chris Flamion]

Will thanks for the photo's.  I was looking at making a multi family trip up to the Dells next May and was hoping this course was worth a visit.   Any other good places to play in the land of the waterpark?

[Phil McDade]

Will thanks for the photo's.  I was looking at making a multi family trip up to the Dells next May and was hoping this course was worth a visit.   Any other good places to play in the land of the waterpark?

Chris:

Andy North's Trappers Turn is maybe worth a look. He built 18 initial holes, including some that take in a really scenic area of the canyons around there. He then built a new nine that I have not played. So it's now 27 holes, and I'm not sure exactly how they mix it up. In the heart of the Dells, near one of the interstate exits.

A bit out of the way from the Dells, but a good course nonetheless, is Reedsburg CC, in the small community of Reedsburg south and west of the Dells, that dates to the 1920s but was updated in the 1960s by Killian/Nugent. A good layout with very good greens.

A real under-the-radar place is Baraboo CC, in the pretty little town of Baraboo (home of the Ringling Bros. circus family), a course that sits on a pretty site, and a course with several Native American burial grounds that sometimes come into play. A Lawrence Packard design with help from Art Johnson, who did several Madison-area courses. Some very good views and some solid holes. If you do venture there, make sure to go to downtown Baraboo and its picturesque square, and a must-visit is the Little Village Cafe, on the corner of the square, one of the great restaurant finds in all of Wisconsin -- really. A solid Tex-Mex restaurant in the heart of Wisconsin (bias alert -- I know the owners....)

[Jud_T]

Chris,

I'm in the Dells as we speak.  Drove over to Lawsonia today to play the Links (40 degrees and a 2 club wind!).  It's only an hour's drive.  I see no reason to play anywhere else unless you're under a serious time crunch or don't have a car at your disposal.  This is certainly the best course in the general area and one of the most fun you'll ever play if you haven't yet.  Also one of the best values in the country not to mention a real education in GCA.  Langford & Moreau are underappreciated, perhaps even amongst many of the readers here....

[Bruce Leland]

here is another thread about Wild Rock...Thanks for the photos. 

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,35294.0/

[Will Peterson]

Chris -

Besides Wild Rock, I would say that Trappers is the next best.  I would also give Christmas Mountain a try.  I played it a number of years ago when it was 18.  They now have 27, and I heard the new 9 is pretty good.  Of the nines I played, the front was much older and much flatter.  To get to 10, you start up the back of the ski hill and then play around the back side of it.

I did not like Baraboo CC.  Reedsburg is alright.  Old and tree lined with small, fast greens if I remember correctly.

To the north is Northern Bay.  I haven't played it, but hear that it is nice.  It has a number of replica holes.  It is supposedly in great shape, but many say that it is a little over priced at $100, especially considering its location near nothing.