Wild Bluff Golf Course

Getting To Know: Wild Bluff Golf Course @ Bay Mills Resort & Casinos

An Insightful Interview With Rob Lussenhop, PGA, Director of Golf - Wild Bluff Golf Course

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 Rob Lussenhop 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
Wild Bluff is a great resort property as the fairways are wide, & golfers who choose the appropriate tees will find the course very playable. Also each hole is set apart from the others as the course it cut out of the forest...so holes seem very private, and seldom groups see other groups from the hole being played.

WB is know for it's incredible views. Fourteen of the holes are located on top of the "bluff"...offering panoramic views of Waiskey Bay, the St. Marys River out into Lake Superior. Views of Freightors making their way to or from the Soo Locks is a common occurrence. Definitely a course where you don't want to forget your camera.

In addition, golfers are treated to various wild life on a daily basis...all while playing on incredible course conditions including phenomenal greens.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Wild Bluff offers THE best lay out, course conditions, practice facility and service level in the area. These aspects of the facility are unrivaled.

The hotel / casino & RV park make the visit even more worth while when considering the gaming and dining options guests can take advantage.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Play the proper tees and know your yardages. Many WB greens are slightly elevated so it can be difficult to "run" shots up onto the greens. It's also a great risk / reward course...so players really need to think about each shot and how it will effect their next one.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
The course is rated 4.5 stars by golf digest, and is the former host of the Bay Mills Open, Canadian Tour Championship which was aired live on The Golf Channel. It was in this event that Michelle Wie made her professional debut.

Certainly hosting an event of this stature speaks to the quality of the venue.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
#15...par 3 playing anywhere from 215 - 165. The hole drops some 80 feet and the teeing area, built atop railroad ties offers some of the most stunning views at WB.

The hole itself is very difficult as the wind is tough to gauge, and the only bail out on the hole is short right. It's often said that hole 15 at WB is one hole where you really don't want "the honor"!

#18 is a shorter par 4 which offers similar views and a similar drop in elevation. Golfers sitting on the clubhouse deck are treated to tee shots and approaches into the 18 hole..just a great finish to a great round.

#18 is also the most popular spots for wedding parties to take post ceremony pics. The back drop is spectacular.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
#17 is a 555 yard par five which I think is one of the most difficult par 5's you'll ever play. Just hitting the fairway here is not enough as shots down the right side will leave an extremely difficult lay up. The second shot must contend with a creek crossing the fairway at 200 yards, a fairway bunker left at 125 yards, & a pond left at 70 yards. The green has a grass bunker short and a sand bunker short right.

If that's not enough the green is sloped severely so shots above the hole result in a three putt more often than not. 3 bunkers over the green will cause immediate double (at best).

The best way to play the hole...tee ball down the left side of the fairway...mid iron second shot laying up to 100-125 yards...with a short iron / wedge to the played short of the pin. Get a par and get out of there!

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
The Players Lounge offers great food & drinks...but probably the most talked about item is "The Ace". This 3 pound burger contains 1.5 pounds of meat, and 1.5 pounds of bacon, chili, and cheese. The burger is then surrounded by a mound of fries...& those wishing to take on this challenge, & who can successfully clean their plate in 30 minutes or less, receive a free T-shirt.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
There have been three scores of 66 recorded. All coming from Canadian Tour players in our former Can Tour Event.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 7100

More Information
Wild Bluff Golf Course @ Bay Mills Resort & Casinos
11335 West Lakeshore Drive
Brimley, MI, 49715
906-248-5860
www.wildbluff.com

Revised: 11/06/2012 - Article Viewed 33,422 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.