Eagle River GC
www.eaglerivergolfcourse.com
Lake Forest GC
www.lakeforestvacations.com
Minocqua CC
www.minocquacountryclub.com
Northwood GC
www.northwoodgolfclub.com
Pinewood CC
www.pinewoodcc.com
Plum Lake GC
www.plumlakegolf.com
St. Germain GC
http://stgermaingolf.com
Timber Ridge GC
www.timberridgegolfclub.com
Trout Lake GC
www.troutlake.com
Wildwood GC
www.wildwoodgolfcourse.info
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Eagle River Chamber of Commerce
www.eagleriver.org
Minocqua Chamber of Commerce
www.minocqua.org
Rhinelander Chamber of Commerce
www.explorerhinelander.com
St. Germain Area Chamber of Commerce
www.st-germain.com
Pinewood CC
Marie Bromann moved north from Itasca,
Ill., in 1959 to devote their days to golf; the
first nine opened in 1962 and another nine
followed in 1972. Pinewood also offers
vacation rentals and has a small airstrip for
visitors’ use.
One other Minocqua course offers family-
friendly golf and more. Wildwood GC is an
18-hole course that measures just 5,400
yards from the longest tees, but also prom-
ises the usual pleasures of northern golf,
from its tree-centric setting to wild critter
sightings. If those wildlife glimpses are not
enough, more exotic sightings can be found
next door at Wildwood Wildlife Park, home
to 750 mammals, reptiles, primates and
birds. If fawns on the fairways are not
enough, bears and bobcats can be found
prowling just a 5-iron away.
For those who prefer their golf in nine-
hole bits, historic Plum Lake GC in Sayner is
well worth the drive. Plum Lake is celebrating
its 100th anniversary in 2012.
Two other courses in the north deserve
your time as well. Scenic St. Germain GC
opened its first nine holes in 1993 and later
added a second nine to create a golf chal-
lenge that has won praise from both course
reviewers and thousands of visiting players.
Some stories take more research than
others. Writing about golf in Wisconsin’s
Northoods was relatively easy, because
through the years I have been able to
play the courses in Minocqua, Rhinelander
and St. Germain that so many residents
and visitors enjoy.
But Eagle River was another story, and
one that demanded a bit of grass-level
research because despite my goal of
always mixing business with golf while
traveling the state in my newspaper days,
I had somehow managed to miss Eagle
River GC. I had to atone for that, didn’t I?
Especially after reading that the golf
course, which has won a four-star rating
from Golf Digest, “is one of the most
beautiful courses you will ever play ...”
Oh, and “this is one of the most
challenging courses in Wisconsin.”
My verdict? Not all golf course boasts
can be backed up, but on these two
points Eagle River GC is pretty spot on.
The course is beautiful (except for two
holes within view of the city’s snowmobile
derby track), with tree-lined rolling fair-
ways, lots of elevation change and a clas-
sic northern feel and look, right down to
the deer that wandered out on one hole
to watch us play. And it was as challeng-
ing as pro Brad Missling had warned, with
smallish, undulating greens, tight landing
areas and par-4s that were deceptively
long.
“It’s not an overly long course,”
Missling said, “but it plays longer than
what the scorecard says, is what most
people say.
Eagle River GC
COURTESY OF EAGLE RIVER GC
Missling said golf plays a big part in
tourism in the area, even if Eagle River is
best known for its fishing and boating on
the world’s largest chain of lakes, for an
ever-expanding network of bicycle trails
and many lakeside resorts.
“All that, and then to be able to have
quality golf,” he said, “it’s just part of the
whole package.”
