For more information contact: Jerry Huffman, 608/261-8195
WISCONSIN'S TOURNAMENT COURSES AREN'T JUST FOR THE PROS
MADISON, Wis. (April 1, 2005) - Ever spend a Sunday afternoon watching golf on TV, wishing you could play the same lush fairways as the pros? Well, you don't need a tour card, corporate sponsorship or a private jet to Pebble Beach. Just look to Wisconsin.
Thanks to Wisconsin's naturally beautiful landscape and top names in golf course design including Palmer, Nicklaus, North, Dye, Jones and Lehman, Wisconsin has been home to some of the biggest events in golf including the 1998 Women's U.S. Open, the 1998 NCAA Women's Division I National Championships, and the 2004 PGA Championship. And unlike many major tournaments, all of them were played on public courses -- so there is no need to search for that long-lost uncle who has a county club membership to play the same courses the pros play.
Brown Deer Golf Course in Milwaukee
U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee (formerly the Greater Milwaukee Open)
1994 to Present
Home to the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee (formerly the Greater Milwaukee Open) PGA Tour since 1994, Brown Deer Golf Course has become one of the tour player's favorite stops thanks to the course's tight, lush fairways and its dedicated following of great golf fans. After spending 20 years at the nearby Tuckaway Country Club, the tournament moved to Brown Deer to become one of only three PGA events to be held on not only a public, but a municipal course. One of the greatest players in PGA history, Tiger Woods made his professional debut at the tournament in 1996, making a hole-in-one on the 14th hole and taking home $2,544 for his 60th place finish in his first professional outing. open to the public, the par-71 layout was originally opened in 1929 and was re-designed in 1993 by golf legends Andy North and Roger Packard. Playing at nearly 6,760 yards from the back tees, the gently rolling terrain tests players' abilities as water comes into play on 10 of the 18 holes, and 55 sand bunkers protect the fairways and greens. Routinely listed as one of the top public courses in the country, the course's signature 18th hole makes a good drive over the creek important as players prepare for the final push up the rising 18th fairway to the green surrounded by five deep pot bunkers. (414/352-8080)
The 2005 U.S. Bank Championship is scheduled for July 18 - 24 at Brown Deer. Packers legend Brett Favre is tentatively scheduled to compete in the tournament's pro-am event on Monday, July 18th and the Charity Shoot-out on Tuesday, July 19th.
2005 Palmer Cup
2004 PGA Championship
1999 PGA Club Professional Championship
Wisconsin golf took center stage when Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, and the rest of golf's "who's who," faced off against the Pete Dye-designed Straits course at Whistling Straits for the 2004 PGA Championship. In 2005, the course will host the Palmer Cup, the annual Ryder Cup-style competition pitting the top collegiate players from the United States against their counterparts from Europe, June 8 - 9.
Sculpted along two miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and offering views of the water from each of its 18 holes, the Straits Course at Whistling Straits is unlike any other golf course in America. Styled after classic Irish links courses, the Straits has fescue fairways and massive sand dune bunkers. Eight holes hug the shoreline where the Straits Course plays from just above beach level, then rises nearly 80-feet to bluffs and elevated berms that provide panoramic views of the amazing landscape. Playing at nearly 7,600 yards from the tips, it is the largest course ever to host a PGA major. (1-800-618-5535)
1995-97 Anderson Consulting World Championship of Golf at Blackwolf Run
1998 U.S. Women's Open Championship
Carved out of the hills around The American Club in Kohler, the Rivers Course at Blackwolf Run has been one of the most heralded golf courses in the country since it opened for play in June of 1988. Living up to its name, the course is set along the winding Sheboygan River with water or river gorges coming into play on 14 of the 18 holes.
The course has hosted a regional championship of the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf three times in the 90's - the United States Championship in 1995 and the International Championship in 1996 and 1997. Greg Norman was victorious in 1996 leading a field that included Nick Price, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, David Frost and Craig Perry. Returning in 1997 to defend his title, Greg Norman found himself facing the challenges of not only the course, but also a field that included seven of the top 25 players in the world. Els rose to the top winning the 1997 championship among this highly competitive field. In 1998, the course hosted one of the strongest fields in women's professional golf history. Using the best of the Meadows and Rivers courses, the 1998 U.S. Women's Open Championship went down as one of the most spectacular and exciting in LPGA history, with Se Ri Pak notching a playoff victory in front of 124,000 spectators. (1-800-618-5535)
Troy Burne Golf Club in Hudson
Nationwide Tour "The Scholarship America Showdown"
PGA TOUR cards are on the line as the stars of tomorrow prove they have what it takes on the Nationwide Tour's "The Scholarship America Showdown," July 5-11, 2004 at Troy Burne Golf Club in Hudson. Designed by Tom Lehman, and only a half-hour from Minneapolis, the awe-inspiring landscape -- filled with more than 100 pot bunkers protecting lush bent grass fairways and spectacular stadium greens -- promises to challenge today's young stars. (1-877-888-8633)
Ironwood Golf Club in Sussex
2003 LPGA Futures Tour
Some of the best and the brightest women's golfers in the country vied for the chance to become the next generation of LPGA legends as the 2003 LPGA Futures Tour took to the steep hills, tight wooded fairways and complex greens of the Ironwood Golf Club in Sussex. The 30-player international field included golfers from as far away as Korea, France, England, Brazil, Japan, South Africa, Australia, Iceland and Finland.
Perched atop an undulating landscape carved by ancient glaciers, Ironwood offers spectacular views of southeastern Wisconsin, accented in autumn with beautiful, colorful vistas of Holy Hill. Still a fairly young course, the tight, challenging 6,700-yard design has quickly become a favorite with players as it lends itself to high-risk, high-reward opportunities that tempt golfers of all abilities. (262/538-9900)
University Ridge Golf Course in Verona
1998 NCAA Women's Division 1 Championships
Big Ten Championships: 2000 Big Ten Women's, 1995 Big Ten Men's
Almost from its inception in 1991, Robert Trent Jones' University Ridge Golf Course became a legend in Wisconsin golf. Set on a terminal moraine formed by the last great glaciers, the course features undulating hills and valleys that make the course a unique blend of challenge and beauty.
Home to the University of Wisconsin Badgers men's and women's golf teams, University Ridge has hosted some of the biggest events in NCAA Golf. In 1998, the country's best women's college strikers took to the greens and fairways for the 1998 NCAA Women's Division 1 Championships. Thousands of spectators took in the action as Arizona State battled its way against the country's best golf powerhouses on its way to the National Championship. The course was also home to the 1995 Big Ten Men's Championships and the 2000 Big Ten Women's Championships. (1-800-897-4343)
The Brute at Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva
2000 Celebrity Players Tour Qualifying Tournament
Golf usually isn't the first thing to come to mind when you hear names like Jim McMahon, Johnny Bench, Stan Mikita and Adam Baldwin, but in 2000 some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment took a swing at qualifying for the Celebrity Players Tour on the fairways of The Brute at Grand Geneva.
Although some players got to see a more scenic view of the course then they had planned on from the woods, bunkers and rough, fans got the opportunity to interact with some of their personal heroes as they challenged one of the longest courses in America. Set within the natural beauty of rolling southeastern Wisconsin terrain, the 7,085-yard course features 68 bunkers and gigantic sloping greens that average 8,000 square feet. (1-800-558-3417)
The National at Fox Hills Resort in Mishicot
NGA/Hooters Tour's Fox River Valley Classic
See some of the up and coming names in golf as the NGA/Hooters Tour takes to the links style National course at Fox Hills May 16 - 22. Target golf is the name of the game on this Manitowoc County course, which is known for its vast sandy areas, sculptured mounds, double greens and 16 acres of water hazards. (920/755-2376)
Wisconsin's best amateur golfers take to the links throughout the state for the 2004 Badger State Summer Games. From June 23-26, participants in Junior, Adult and Senior categories will seek to prove they have what it takes to become Wisconsin's best. Sectional tournaments in each category will take place throughout the state, all leading up to the June 26 Championship at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison for the Adults and the June 23 Championships at The Meadows of Six Mile Creek Golf Course in Waunakee for the Juniors and Bridges Golf Course in Madison for the Seniors. (608/226-4780)
For information on golfing opportunities in Wisconsin, including the 2004 Wisconsin Directory of Golf Courses, the public can call the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's 24-hour, live-operated toll-free number at 1-800-432-TRIP/8747 or visit travelwisconsin.com. Free travel information can also be found at Wisconsin Travel Information Centers, located in select state-border cities.
2005 Wisconsin Tournaments
2005 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee (formerly the Greater Milwaukee Open) Tour: PGA of America Where: Brown Deer Park GC, Milwaukee When: July 18 - 24 More information: 414/540-3800, www.usbankchampionship.com
Scholarship America Showdown Tour: Nationwide Tour Where: Troy Burne GC, Hudson When: July 11 - 17 More information: 1-866-263-4653, www.pgatour.com
The Leroy Butler Foundation NGA Charity Classic Tour: National Golf Association / Hooters Tour Where: Fox Hills Resort, Mishicot When: May 16 - 22 More information: 920/755-2376, http://www.ngahooterstour.com/
Women's Western Amateur Championship Where: Maple Bluff CC, Madison When: June 14-19 More information: www.wwga.org
Badger State Games Where: Statewide When: June 23-26 More Information: 608/226-4780; www.badgerstategames.com
Wisconsin State Open Where: Black Wolf Run, Kohler When: August 15-17 More information: 414/540-3820
Wisconsin State Amateur Where: Brown County, Oneida When: July 11-14 More information: 262/786-4301
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