Hole Number #17 - Highlands

Getting To Know: Mississippi National Golf Links

An Insightful Interview With Nathan Gale, Head Golf Professional

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 Nathan Gale 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 Highlands course at Mississippi National is a memorable golf experience that offers spectacular views from the bluffs high above the Hiawatha Valley. The Highlands is par 71 and is 6,282 yards from the back tees, and it peers down directly on into the Mississippi River bottoms & surrounding valleys with shots and views that are simply one-of-a-kind. While each hole at the Highlands is memorable and fun to play, its signature hole is No. 17, which features over a 150-foot drop from tee to green.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Unique design and views of the Hiawatha River Valley and famed Red Wing bluffs.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Take 40 yards off the yardage on #17. the 150 foot drop makes the hole play significantly shorter.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
#17 Highlands. It features 150 foot drop from tee to green. Most people come to play just to have the opportunity to play that hole.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
#10 because it requires 3 great shots to get on the green in regulation. It's a 650 yard par 5. It doesn't really offer a bail out area which is rare for today's golf. I think every course should have one difficult hole that really tests golfers.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Bagger Burger

Back Tee Stats
Par: 71
Yardage: 6282
Slope: 129
Rating: 70.7

More Information
Mississippi National Golf Links
409 Golf Links Drive
Red Wing, MN, 55066
(651) 388-1874
www.GolfRedWing.com

Revised: 07/09/2015 - Article Viewed 30,238 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.