It’s been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In the world of golf course design, replication is the sincerest form of flattery. The copying of famous golf holes in places you would not expect them started in the early 90’s with the advent of the Tour 18 course near Houston, Tex. Since then, Jack Nicklaus has taken his design favorites and reproduced them at Atlanta and Las Vegas area courses dubbed ‘Bear’s Best.’ But until the fall of 2006, the replica golf course idea and the Midwest were not in confluence. That changed with the completion of Northern Bay on Castle Rock Lake in Arkdale, Wis. And if first impressions count for anything, it’s definitely better late than never.



But unlike the previously mentioned layouts, Northern Bay near Wisconsin Dells is replica golf with a twist. Not all 18 holes are memoirs of the game’s past, as the course cleverly mixes seven facsimiles with 11 original designs.  “It’s always been my personal feeling that most replica courses don’t necessarily flow the right way because of land constraints. At Northern Bay the seven replica holes were designed first to fit the land while the other 11 were inspired by the natural terrain that remained,” stated Head Golf Professional Ryan Ranguette. “It’s the only course of its kind in the Midwest and now people finally have a chance to experience some of the country’s greatest golf holes closer to home.”

So going in to my first round at Northern Bay Resort and Marina, I had a fairly good mental picture of about half the holes I was about to play. So what will make or break this first year design? The non-replica, or original holes of course. And in all fairness to the seven simulated holes, I believe a few of the remaining 11 may someday been copied themselves. They are that credible.

One of the finest attributes of the 7223 yard, par 72 layout is the diversity of design. The replica holes are seamlessly blended with the originals, leaving the golfer to wonder which ones are which. Thankfully Northern Bay goes out of their way to provide a brief history lesson on their seven facsimiles. Did you know that the legendary Walter Hagen was the first club professional of Oakland Hills, the Donald Ross design just outside of Detroit, Mich.? Fun facts like that allowed me to step back for a moment and not rush the experience.  “We try to keep it interesting at Northern Bay,” said Ranguette. “The front nine is much more open with a smattering of condos on a few holes while the back nine is cut into a pine forest. The course flows with the natural elevation change as it seems like you’re all alone on a number of holes.”



The par-5, 625 yard 6th hole is a tribute to the 16th hole at Firestone in Akron, Ohio and is the first true “wow factor” hole on the property. It’s a beautiful, tree-lined, narrow hole from start to finish with a stunning conclusion. The superintendent must of heard an entourage from Pub-Links was coming, because he decided to place the pin front right. From a 145 yards I had to hit a target the size of a mousepad to hold the green. No surprises here, I took a grateful bogey from the back bunker.

The par-5, 543 yard 8th hole gives the front nine two of the finest long holes in the state. Pub-Links publisher Jay Royle skillfully reached the green in two with an epic 3-wood that just barely avoided a tower-tall line of pine trees that guarded the right side of the closing dogleg. If only Jay could have avoided a pre-round speeding ticket with such skill. But State Trooper Evil Speedtrap for some reason didn’t know who we were, but I digress.  Overall the entire quad squad of par-5’s are breathtakingly gorgeous, but I’m sure I’ve lost you for a moment.

The back nine journey begins with arguably the game’s most recognizable hole, the island green from the 17th at The TPC at Sawgrass.. Pub-Links do-it-all man Kevin Packard did his best Bob Tway impression, dumping a complete sleeve of Top-Flites in the pond before relenting. His third attempt did hit the railroad ties left of the green before bounding into the fluid, if that’s any consolation. The design team at Tour 18 got this replica hole right, and just like the original, it always seems to play into a tricky  wind.



 The par-5 11th hole takes us to Augusta, and the scintillating replication of one of the most beautiful holes in all of golf. In order to copy the par-5 13th, a manmade version of Rae’s Creek was meticulously constructed down the final two-thirds of the left fairway. The existing pine trees may not be as tall as their Georgian counterparts, but give them time.

The par-4 12th captures the feel of a Pennsylvanian U.S. Open at Oakmont County Club. Unfortunately for me, I was able to visit every member of the congregation during my three-shot journey through the famous ‘Church Pew bunker’. I’ll claim to this day I purposely hooked my ball left just to say I had the experience.
The course ultimately shows off it’s original flair on hole’s 13 and 14. The back to back layouts maybe short on length, but they are long on stellar views.  Immediately these holes gave off the aura of being there a lot longer. I’ll let you play these yourself so you can come up with your own adjectives.

The following hole, the par-5, 641 yard 15th is Ryan Ranguette’s favorite par-5 on the course. It’s mine as well, but only because I avoided a tracheotomy while playing it. After hitting my third shot left into the first cut of forest, I found my ball in the leaves within a small line of trees. Because I didn’t drive three hours to chip out, I tried the hero shot. I swing, my ball hits a tree the width of a toothpick in front of me and ricochets back off my Adam’s apple to the ground. I immediately think of Jeff Maggert in the‘03 Masters and assess myself a two-stroke penalty. Since then I’ve calculated the odds of that shot happening to me (on my birthday no less) and they're somewhere between two aces in the same round and Paris Hilton getting a job.

Needless to say, my subsequent expletives flew farther than the ball. But I wasn’t done yet. I proceed to duff my next chip (stroke 7), finally got it on the green and get set to finish this debacle. Our final playing partner, Scott, skulls a chip that happens to hit my wedge that I just dropped on the green. That’s got to be some obscure penalty according to the USGA, so I two- putt from there, card a 16 and head to the 16th thankful I’m still alive.

Now I’m not saying that all this crazy stuff will happen to you when your favorite foursome invades Northern Bay for the first time this year, but won’t it be fun to see for yourself? “We want to separate ourselves from the Dells experience by providing an all-inclusive vacation option for families who don’t want to leave the property but still want all the necessary amenities,” stated Ranguette.

I came to Northern Bay with hopes of playing some of America’s finest golf holes. Instead, I know I will be back because a few new classics are just as flattering to the game.  For more information on Northen Bay Resort and Marina, including their condominium developments and planned condo-hotel and water park at The Lodge at Northern Bay, visit their website at www.northernbayresort.com or dial 1-8-NORTHBAY-1 (866-784-2291)