Saddle Creek Resort #11

Getting To Know: Saddle Creek Resort

An Interview and Insights With Bob Higgins, General 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 Bob Higgins 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
Situated in the rolling foothills of the Central Sierra region just two hours from the Bay Area and 1.5 hours from Sacramento, Saddle Creek Resort is located in the heart of the Copper Valley in Copperopolis. Golfers will discover stunning vistas of the towering Sierra Nevada Mountains to the east, while an ethereal collection of shimmering lakes, native trees, indigenous grasses and 100 bunkers provides a challenging, thought-provoking experience from tee to green. To create an atmosphere of tranquility and isolation, golf course architect Carter Morrish devised a routing in which no two holes run parallel to each other.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
A great design and challenge for golfers of all abilities, Saddle Creek is a one-of-a-kind "must play" golf course.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Avoid the hazards and take an extra club on the uphill holes. Golfers should approach with a conservative strategy for course management when playing for the first time. Keep the ball in play to avoid a big number!

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
Saddle Creek is consistently ranked by Golfweek as one of the top 15 "Best Courses You Can Play."

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
"Miller's Cabin," hole 11, par 3, 151 yards

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
My favorite hole is 14 because it is challenging and scenic.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Steak sandwich

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
Carlos Corona, 62

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 6828
Slope: 137
Rating: 137

More Information
Saddle Creek Resort
1001 Saddle Creek Drive
Copperopolis, CA 95228
800.611.7722
www.SaddleCreek.com

Article Tags: Saddle Creek Resort

Revised: 04/26/2012 - Article Viewed 29,149 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.