Designed by the late Dr. Gordon Emerson who designed numerous golf courses in Western WI, Clifton Hollow GC opened as a 9 hole course in 1974 under then owner Lunny Kuschel. Over the next ten years, Lunny would add a back 9, a 9 hole Par III course, a supper club – and the icing on the cake – the area’s only mini golf course. The latter two didn’t last but the 18 hole course was purchased by the Egeberg family in 1987 and to this day are still run under the guidance of brothers Chuck and Don Egeberg.The 18 hole championship course at Clifton Hollow GC is filled with both subtle and glaring challenges. Take for instance the signature 14th hole, a seemingly harmless 171 yard par 3 from a slightly elevated tee to an undulating, sloped green, protected in front by stately oak trees on either side; hitting over what’s known as “The Hollow”, anything short of the green is a sure bogey at best, long means a knee-knocking bunker shot to a runaway green, and on the green is no guarantee of even par. Or take the lengthy, character-building, 637 yard 9th hole where getting on in 3 is a feat even the low handicappers will boast about. And while other holes certainly deserve recognition, there’s no better finishing hole in the area than the stunning 450 yard (blue) 18th hole. It’s a deceptive par 4 where a well hit drive gets you to the edge of “The Hollow”. From this elevated point you are left with a 200 yard second shot down to a generous but sloping green, protected along the left/front left by water, a wooded hillside behind, and thick rough to the right. A challenge for the best of golfers.
