Getting To Know: Wine Valley Golf Club By Brian Weis

Getting To Know: Wine Valley Golf Club

An Insightful Interview With John Thorsnes, Director of Golf at the Wine Valley Golf Club, Director of Golf

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 John Thorsnes, Director of Golf at the Wine Valley Golf Club 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 The landscape is gently rolling farmland, designed as a links-style course with huge, wide open fairways and large, undulating greens. There is not a single tree on the course.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
This is a true links-style course with large firm and fast greens. Plus, it is rated as one of the top 100 modern (built after 1960) courses you can play by Golf Week Magazine.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Make sure you use your imagination - the beauty of links golf is there is almost always several ways to get the ball to the hole. My second tip is to use your putter from slightly off the green. Unless you are an exceptional chipper the putter is the way to go from just off the green.

Any recent changes to the golf course? Or any upcoming changes?
No recent or upcoming changes.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
We are proud that all ability levels can enjoy Wine Valley, from the relative beginner to the most accomplished golfers.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
The most featured and photographed hole is #5, which is a par 4 playing up to 515 yards from the back tees. It is the first time the golfer is exposed to the wash that wanders through 3 holes on the course. It also has the largest green on the course at more than 11,000 square feet.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
My favorite hole is 18, a beautiful downhill par 5. It is a great finishing hole, full of risk and rewards and also a beautiful view of almost the entire course.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
After a round of golf, The Vineyard Lounge at The Marcus Whitman Hotel is the perfect place to unwind. Featuring a tapas-style menu, plus wines from local vintners large and small and specialty cocktails prepared with freshly squeezed juices and local spirits, The Vineyard Lounge is not to be missed. We recommend the Poke Butter Lettuce Wraps or the Duroc Bone-In Pork Chop. Plus, when you book the Golf package at The Marcus Whitman Hotel, a complimentary well drink at The Vineyard Lounge and round of golf is included with your stay.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
The competitive course record is held by golf professional Darren Black at 61.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: Measuring up to 7,600 yards
Slope: 133
Rating: 76.4

More Information
Wine Valley Golf Club
176 Wine Valley Road
Walla Walla, WA 99362
(509) 525-4653

www.winevalleygolfclub.com/

Revised: 02/12/2018 - Article Viewed 15,916 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.