Wasioto Winds

Getting To Know: Wasioto Winds at Pine Mountain State Park

An Insightful Interview With Donnie Caldwell, PGA, Program Director

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 Donnie Caldwell, PGA 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
Wasioto Winds is championship golf with a picturesque mountain surrounding. Can you imagine a flat golf course with strategically placed lakes, ponds, and creeks meandering through lush fairways with towering colorful mountains? That is some of what you will remember given the chance to play this award winning venue. Every year we hear that our greens are the "best greens we have played all year" from numerous guests. Wasioto Winds (pronounced Wah-see-OH-tuh, means Valley of the Deer) was rated fourth among Best New Affordable Public Golf Courses in January 2003 issue of Golf Digest. The ten million dollar Michael Hurdzan-designed golf course is "a difficult course but friendly to the high handicapper."

In May, the native rhododendrons and hemlocks present a "Masterful" look along the 12th hole as they are in full bloom. This natural beauty is a display of God's wonderful creations along with a terrific design and a challenging test. The championship course offers multiple tees allowing our facility to accommodate tournament golf while at the same time catering to the "TEE it forward" initiatives of the PGA. The multiple teeing grounds, the variations of the five par 3s and five par 5s, give this mesmerizing stop plenty of character.

In late October, we often enjoy the fall foliage in full display as we continue our competition around this scenic track. The facility offers a large practice area with 20+ practice stations and a massive putting green. The expansive practice options are helpful with Wasioto Winds being the host of The First Tee Pine Mountain.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Wasioto Winds is a terrific course because of the friendly staff, wonderful greens, picturesque surroundings, and the challenge of mastering a stellar test in golf. Don't worry if you are new to the game, our teeing grounds can be shortened by 3000 yards to accommodate all levels of play.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
#1 Pick the right yardage for you. This course can accommodate a tour professional in difficulty. Enjoy the game and play the appropriate tee.

#2 There is plenty of work at the greens. Our greens contain L-93 bent grass and will be quick for the majority of the season. Our staff can help you read the grain at the practice area before you begin. Basically, play a bit more break than you see and our grain will follow the flow of water off of the surface. In addition to the grain, we have three color codes to help in flag locations: red = front, white = middle, and yellow = back.

#3 Keep it in play even if you don't hit your driver off of each tee. We have lots of water - trees sometimes bounce back, water doesn't. While some courses may be lined with trees along their fairways, we have water on several.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
2008-09 4-Stars Golf Digest "Best Places to Play"
2007 #3 GolfWeek "Best in State"
2002 "Best New Affordable Public Courses", Ranked #4 Nationally by Golf Digest Magazine esigner, Michael Hurzdan
2002 "Best New Challenges" Golf Magizine #1 A Trailblazer in Kentucky Numerous "Best of the Best" and "Best places to play"

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
#12 455 yard Par 4
It offers one of our only elevation changes on the course and the contrast of "Beauty and Beast" due to the natural picturesque towering hemlocks and blossoming rhododendrons coupled with the sounds of clear creek hugging the opposite side of the hole. This hole is a game-changer as well in competition.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
My favorite hole is the par 4 #9 closing out the front nine. I love this hole because of the backdrop scenery. Personally, I like to play the hole from the 354 yardage to set up a wedge and take advantage of the undulation on the receptive green. From the 423 tee box it plays much longer and requires a solid tee shot. If you play from the back tee, favor the right side even if you play to the rough, the left side brings the water in play if the tee ball isn't struck well or into the wind. Keep the approach shot below the hole for you putt. Every putt is difficult on this hole due to the back to front slope.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Head to the Pine Mountain State Park Lodge for your fresh flame broiled Bacon Cheeseburger or the famous "Kentucky Hot Brown". The catfish is always a hit.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
We record competitive course records at Wasioto Winds since opening in 2001.

Matt Gann, Pineville holds the competitive course record of 62 (10-under par) during the 2012 Wasioto Winds Club Championship from Sunday's Round on August 26th, 2012

John Kartheiser, Lexington /Tony Brown, Ashland/ Matt Gann, Pineville all share the Competitive Course Record from the Championship Tees at 66 (6-under par) Kentucky Public Links Championship

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 7037
Slope: 137
Rating: 73.9

More Information
Wasioto Winds at Pine Mountain State Park
114 Highway 190
Pineville, Kentucky, 40977
800-814-8002
www.kystateparks.com

Revised: 02/05/2014 - Article Viewed 33,077 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.