Getting To Know: Moonlight Basin By Brian Weis

Getting To Know: Moonlight Basin

An Insightful Interview With Greg Wagner, PGA 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 Greg Wagner 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
Moonlight Basin is an epic 8,000 yard Jack Nicklaus Signature Design Golf Course in Big Sky, Montana surrounded by dramatic views of Lone Peak, Fan Mountain, the Spanish Peaks, and the Madison Valley. Playing Moonlight is like golfing in a National Park. With the West Entrance to Yellowstone just one hour away, golfers can expect to see and hear a wide variety of wildlife, making this one of the most memorable golf experiences the game has to offer. Moonlight has almost ten miles of cart path expanding over 800 acres of truly wild golfing terrain.

In addition to the 18-hole golf course, members and guests enjoy a three-acre short course and practice field along with a double-sided range with five target greens and two putting greens. No excuses for poor play here! Sitting at 7,000 feet above sea level, Moonlight Basin is known for personal best long drives as the ball travels an average of 14 percent farther compared to courses at sea level.

The summer days are long in Big Sky, Montana and members and guests here tend to take advantage. Following a round of golf Moonlighter's tend to challenge each other to five stand sporting clays, 3D Archery, or a mountain bike ride across the intricate trail network in Moonlight. Others sneak down Jack Creek Road, a private road for members, to the Madison River where some of the best fly-fishing in the state takes place. It's safe to say that Moonlight Basin is an outdoor enthusiast's paradise and anyone looking for wild adventure and a golf course that demands creativity would feel right at home here.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Anyone that truly loves the challenge of the game of golf would appreciate the treasure that Jack Nicklaus created within the terrain of Moonlight Basin. Golfing Moonlight is unlike any mountain golf experience in the world. Players that come here have typically played golf all over the world and we continually hear Moonlight would be in their top 10. For someone looking for a truly unique and unforgettable golf experience, Moonlight is the place to play. Just don't forget your camera!

Moonlight is a private, member's only golf course that provides access to golf and other outdoor activities to non-members who are renting a home in Moonlight Basin. Other than being a guest of a member, access can only be achieved by renting a member's home. With all of the great summer activity in Big Sky, Montana and Moonlight Basin, planning a summer vacation here surely won't disappoint.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Moonlight, more so than most, is full of local knowledge and secrets to better scoring. It's a place you have play five or six times before you even remotely start to understand its intricacies. Members love it here because no two rounds are alike and every pin position and tee box can completely change a hole. It is very important that a player finds the tee box that suites their game.

With the course being 8,000 yards from the championship tees, the yardage can be intimidating, especially to higher handicappers. Moonlight has four sets of tees and three combination yardages, which helps players find the perfect yardage for their ability. Shorter tee boxes, however, do not always equate to easier scoring as they often bring in trouble and narrow landing areas.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
At Moonlight we are most proud of the culture we have created within our team and the membership. Members and guests leave here talking about the golf experience. The golf course itself is truly incredible, but the opportunity to golf with your dog at your side or cast a fly at a cutthroat trout on hole #9 are things you can't do in many places. Golfing Moonlight is full of surprises. You never know what wildlife is around the next corner or if you'll actually have to put the bear spray found in each golf cart into action. The Cabin, a fully stocked comfort station with every treat under the Big Sky sun, is another testament to the uniqueness of this golf experience. We are so proud of how people feel after spending a day here with us.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
One of the most talked about holes at Moonlight Basin is #17. At 777 yards, this beast stands alone in the golf world as one of the more remarkable holes in golf. Not only for it's daunting yardage, but for the sheer overwhelming beauty. Not to mention the smile on a player's face when their tee shot carries the hill and they find a drive that came to rest at over 400 yards long. For a longer player, the hole is actually reachable in two shots, which is remarkable considering the yardage on the scorecard.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
It's almost impossible to narrow it down to one favorite hole at Moonlight. There are so many great golf holes with different incredible views here. It is hard to put into worlds or a photo what it is like to actually stand on some of the tee boxes on this golf course. We recommend golfers see it for themselves and make their own favorite memories.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
The key to ending a day of golf at Moonlight is with a home made personal pizza from our outdoor pizza oven and a Montana craft beer from the bar. Most certainly enjoyed over a game of corn hole, reminiscing on the best shots of the day.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
The course record at Moonlight holds a special place in the hearts of those in our community. Our Assistant Golf Professional, David "Chainsaw" Wanninger, holds the course record from the championship tees with a two over par score of 74. Anyone that has played golf at Moonlight knows that 74 from the back tees is one heck of a score! David passed away unexpectedly in March of 2016 and his record still holds true today. We know he is looking down on us every time we tee it up, chasing his record of course.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 8000
Slope: 148
Rating: 76.8

More Information
Moonlight Basin
510 Moonlight Trail
Big Sky, Montana, 59716
http://www.moonlightbasin.com

Revised: 11/16/2016 - Article Viewed 27,627 Times

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.