Getting To Know: Harbor Links Golf Club By Brian Weis

Getting To Know: Harbor Links Golf Club

An Insightful Interview With Kory Vonder Meulen, Office Manager

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 Kory Vonder Meulen 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
Harbor Links Golf Club was originally designed and constructed by P.B. Dye in 2002 as a lake side, championship resort course open to the public. Since then the course has come under the ownership and operation of Kent's Harbor and The Sagamore Resort as an integral component of the marina / golf resort. While maintaining its 7, 034 yard length from the long tees, Harbor Links has incorporated three sets of forward tees to suit and challenge a wider range of player skills. The par 72 course features a variety of undulating bent grass greens, many of them elevated, with four greens in direct proximity to Brookville Lake. Indeed, vistas of Brookville Lake and the surrounding hillsides of the Whitewater River Valley come into play on every golf hole. The bent grass fairways meander around the natural terrain with only subtle earth work evident. The golf course is situated within a 17,000 acre state recreation area with few signs of the modern world other than the sounds of boats plying the lake. Another of Harbor Links features is the recognition and utilization of the valley's history. Dry stacked concrete slabs of old Indiana State Road 101 fortify greenside banks and shoreline. A disused county bridge once leading to Bath, Indiana is back in service on golf hole # 12. Par five # 5 features a tribute to old Sims Cemetery with its unique fairway bunker complex. Harbor Links at the Sagamore Resort offers convenient Stay and Play options with the opportunity to include on-site boating or fishing in your stay. While less than 60 minutes from Cincinnati and under 90 from Indianapolis this championship golf course, crafted by a world renowned designer feels a world away.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Don't take it from us, take it from our players: "I believe this was the fourth time I've played here in the last decade, and each time the impression becomes more reinforced -- this is a singular golf experience in the Tri-state area of Greater Cincinnati, and a strong contender for best public course overall."

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Take less club to hit the fairway. Make sure to get on the right level on the green with your second shot. Some of the greens are huge.

Any recent changes to the golf course? Or any upcoming changes?
Our goal every year is to continue to improve the conditions of the tees, fairways, and greens. Our staff trains constantly to try to give the golfer the best experience possible.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
Harbor Links was rated the #5 course in Indiana on Golf Advisor for 2016. It was also rated the #37 course in the US in 2016 according to Golf Advisor. 2017 rankings have not yet been released.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
One of the great things about Harbor Links is that we probably have 4-5 holes that you will remember after playing. Hole #5 is a par five that heads straight towards the lake. You will see the flags of the on-water store in the background; hole #6 is a par three right on the water; and hole #16 is a par three sitting high above the water with amazing views. But the signature hole is probably #11. It is a par four with a slightly elevated tee box. The fairway dog legs to the right alongside a cove of Brookville Lake. The green is mostly surrounded by water. Come up short, and your ball will bounce of the stone wall surrounding the green.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
My favorite hole is probably #16. A par three with outstanding views. Just remember to take less club. It's downhill slightly to the green and anything over the green is lost.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Ainsley's Café has many amazing dishes but you can't go wrong the Ainsley Burger. Enjoy it on one of their decks overlooking Kent's Harbor Marina and Brookville Lake.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 7034
Slope: 136
Rating: 74

More Information
Harbor Links Golf Club
15179 Old State Road 101
Liberty, IN 47353
(765) 458-9999

www.harborlinksgc.com

Revised: 02/03/2020 - Article Viewed 12,321 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.