Last year, I entered the world of golf content creation as a WiscoGolfAddict Contributing Writer, gaining a solid foundation of basic writing and photography skills. More importantly, though, it allowed me to explore the game I’ve always loved from new perspectives and tap into a creative side of myself that I didn’t even know existed.
After a successful first year of writing, I entered 2023 with a passionate drive to exponentially grow my content creation abilities. I knew that my photography skills would have to evolve significantly, though, so as the season kicked off I invested in the one product that could put these efforts into hyperdrive: a drone.
The model I chose, the Mini 3 Pro, proved to be a wise selection for a beginner like myself. I found it to be extremely user-friendly with a short learning curve, and its photo quality has been far better than I ever could have imagined. Golf courses look stunning from the air, and my drone has allowed me to see these properties from a different point of view and to capture angles that were previously outside of reach.
After seeing the first high-quality images produced by my drone, I was hooked, spurring me to tackle the golf season with fervor. Over the course of the year I branched out across the state to many noteworthy layouts (typically at sunrise) in search of great shots. Even though quite a few photography sessions didn’t turn out great due to suboptimal weather, some of the shoots were home runs in sunny conditions. Golf photography is a feast-or-famine proposition, and I’ve learned that persistency pays off.
Here are some of my favorite drone shots from this past season:
Photography has become an integral part of the overall golf experience for me, to the point where the state of my game is secondary. It’s been an avenue to immerse myself more deeply in great properties across the state and beyond, without having to worry too much about breaking 80.
Golf Experiences
This has been a banner year for me, complete with a wealth of great golf experiences. By my count, I’ve played 31 courses this season across four states, including 12 tracks I had never previously visited. I haven’t closely tracked these stats in the past, but I’m pretty sure I broke personal records for total courses and new courses played. And none of the places I played were “bad” or even below average – it was an all-star lineup from start to finish.
My Instagram page (@bmurphgolf) features a countdown of the Top 15 golf experiences of the year, and my Updated Top 50 Course Rankings also reflects which properties stood out the most to me this season:
Erin Hills has ascended to number one, the most notable move in my course rankings. Every time I visit this former U.S. Open host venue, I’m completely awestruck by its glacially-sculpted topography and the dramatic golf holes which seem to fit the surreal terrain perfectly.
In August, WiscoGolfAddict’s Paul Seifert and I played Erin Hills in the wake of a torrential rainstorm. With Paul’s all-time favorite caddie, Julius Germany, on our bags, I was once again blown away by the epic setting, with the sun bursting through the passing storm clouds. In that moment I realized that Erin Hills is not only the greatest golf course I’ve played, it’s one of my all-time favorite places, period.
A March trip to the Pinehurst area with WiscoGolfAddict writers Paul Seifert, Troy Giljohann and Sam Sova was my first ever journey to this bucket-list golf mecca, featuring a four-course lineup of heavyweights: Pinehurst No. 4 (#11), Mid Pines (#13), Tobacco Road (#17) and Mid South (#42). Also included on the trip was photography at Talamore Golf Club and two loops at Pinehurst’s short course, The Cradle.
What’s most impressive about the Pinehurst region is that we only scratched the surface of what it has to offer. The sheer number of great layouts in the area could make for many possible golf trips with completely different itineraries.
This was a great time to soak in some much-needed Southern sunshine at the end of winter with buddies on a collection of great courses laid out across North Carolina’s dramatic sandhills. It was also my first golf trip fully devoted to high-quality content creation, and while that made it a very busy trip, it was incredibly memorable and fun. Add it all up and it was the best golf experience of the year.
While I had played Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run a few times before this season, these past rounds were all one-offs and I had never gotten the full Kohler golf trip experience.
That changed in mid-September with a weekend family getaway that included rounds on all of the resort’s world-class courses, in addition to a stay at the luxurious American Club. The excursion featured my first-ever plays of Whistling Straits’ Irish Course (#26), the Meadow Valleys at Blackwolf Run (#20) and Destination Kohler’s outstanding short course, The Baths.
A twilight round at the Straits Course (#5) was undoubtedly the highlight of this trip, a magnificent place that has always set up well to my eye. With the sun setting during the second half of the back nine, my brother and I still managed to finish, playing up the epic 18th in near-total darkness.
Destination Kohler is considered one of the top golf resorts in the country for good reason, and even though I played poorly most of the weekend I still consider this experience to be one of the best of the season.
In mid-May I had the incredible opportunity to visit SentryWorld (#22) for the U.S. Senior Open Media Day. Remarkably, the course was shut down all season until the tournament concluded in early July, except for us lucky media personnel who were allowed to play it on a beautiful spring afternoon.
Despite being required to play from portable mats through the greens, it was an exhilarating round on a property that showed off a stratospheric level of conditioning after months of play-free maintenance and care. Not a single blade of grass was out of place, nor was a divot or ball mark to be found anywhere on site.
SentryWorld went on to be an outstanding host venue for the U.S. Senior Open, with Bernhard Langer holding off Badger state favorites Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly for the title in thrilling fashion. Yielding a winning score of just seven under par, SentryWorld proved to be a demanding test of golf, complete with thick rough, narrow fairways and blazing fast greens.
This year, I had the opportunity to revisit a few gems that I hadn’t played since my youth and re-discovered why I loved them so much back in the day.
Headlining this group was Washington County Golf Course (#24) in Hartford. Laid out over rolling prairie in the foothills of the Kettle Moraine, this outstanding municipal facility blew me away with incredibly firm and fast conditions that I would only expect from the most elite private clubs in America, much less at an affordable public property. I tend to play the ball low, and firm links-style courses like Washington County appeal to me greatly.
Washington County was also the site of one of my best photo shoots of the year on a perfect late summer morning, my second visit of the year to this standout property.
In the heart of summer I joined Paul and Troy for one of the best possible days of golf in the state: 36 at Lawsonia. In addition to its famous Golden Age masterpiece Links Course (#12), Lawsonia’s recently-renovated Woodlands Course offers a completely contrasting experience, an engaging and scenic layout winding through the forest next to Green Lake. Between the Links and the Woodlands, you can’t find more variety in one day of Wisconsin golf than what Lawsonia offers.
We arrived at the crack of dawn to find pervasive Canadian wildfire smoke cloaking the region, unfortunately diminishing the quality of photography for the visit. That did nothing to take away from a remarkable day on the course, though, as we joined Brian Jensen, VP of Oliphant Golf, for loops on both of Lawsonia’s excellent courses, where I happened to play some of my best golf of the season.
This was also my first experience on a golf scooter, as we rode Finns for all 36 holes, gliding down the fairways in style. I wish all courses had fleets of scooters like Lawsonia’s, and I’m itching to have a chance to ride one again.
These were but a few of many great golf experiences this year, and our extensive course reviews on WiscoGolfAddict go into great depth about why these properties are unique and worth visiting. Other noteworthy rounds for me this year included:
Product Reviews
While courses are my primary interest for content creation, I’ve also ramped up product reviews this season, giving me an intimate look at some excellent gear, apparel and equipment manufactured by a wide variety of brands. Reviewing products has helped me diversify my writing skills while also encouraging me to stay up-to-date on new brands. My product reviews this year included:
WiscoGolfAddict is a tremendous resource for product reviews, recommendations and buyers’ guides, and I’m excited to continue growing my contributions to this space in 2024. My first trip to the PGA Show in Florida later this month will give me an in-depth look at this booming industry, and I hope to find some great brands to review in the coming year.
Closing Thoughts
2023 has been a tremendous year of growth in my overall content creation skills, and in the process I’ve come away with a wealth of great golf experiences that I have thoroughly cherished. I hope you all have enjoyed my articles this year, and I couldn’t be more excited to continue growing my skills and having more great golf experiences in the year to come.
What were your favorite golf experiences this year? We’d love to hear the tales of your 2023 season in the Comments section!