The signature 27-hole, walkable golf course, designed by David Gill with recent upgrades from architect Bob Lohman, allows Members and their guests a challenging and exciting golf experience. The layout features three distinct nines, Woodland, River and Highland. The golf course has five sets of tees, making it enjoyable for golfers of all skill levels. The course has been host to various tournaments such as the US Open Local Qualifying, WI State Open Qualifier, WI State Amateur Qualifier and the WSGA State Junior.
The last time the River Club played host to the MDGA Championship was in July of 2000 when public links golfer, John Haines beat David Johnson, Oconomowoc GC, 3&2. This article was pulled from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Archives. You can read the historical recap by Gary D’Amato below.
Mequon golfer sweats out victory - Haines claims victory on the 16th hole of title match
July 31, 2000 | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)
Author/Byline: GARY D'AMATO; Journal Sentinel staff | Page: 02 | Section: CSports | Column: MILWAUKEE DISTRICT MATCH PLAY
The final of the 74th Milwaukee District Match Play Championship had a little bit of everything Sunday.
There were tee shots hit out of bounds, tee shots hit up against the bases of trees, a ball buried under the lip of a bunker, a hole conceded with the winner still 150 yards from the green and a chip-in.
And that was just on the front nine.
This one was so weird, both players were forced to hit shots left-handed.
When the divots stopped flying at Mequon Country Club, John Haines of Mequon claimed a 3 and 2 victory over David Johnson of the Oconomowoc Golf Club.
"I'm golfed out," said Johnson, who beat Randy Warobick on the 23rd hole in the morning semifinals. "It was hard to keep my concentration. I tried to keep good swing thoughts, but I couldn't."
Haines, a two-time state public links champion, easily had the better ball-striking day but he was tentative on the greens and missed short putts on Nos. 4, 6 and 9.
"I got defensive," Haines said. "I could see he was struggling and I started putting not to lose. I lost my whole edge."
Haines was 3-up after 11 holes, but the 53-year-old Johnson finally hit his first green in regulation on No. 12, halved the hole and then won No. 13 by rolling in a 35-foot birdie putt.
Suddenly, Haines was just 2-up with five to play.
"He was doing some Houdini for a while," Haines said of Johnson, who chipped in for a birdie on No. 2 and got up and down for pars on Nos. 3, 9 and 10. "He's a gritty guy."
Haines finally put away the match with a routine par on No. 16, after Johnson made a bogey from the trees.
The victory completed a remarkable run for Haines, a salesman for Sheboygan Paperbox Co. He got into the tournament as an alternate when Brown Deer Park club champion Mark Eberle decided not to play.
In the second round, Haines beat State Amateur champion Pat Boyle, 2 and 1. He breezed past former Milwaukee District champion Tim Barber, 5 and 3, in the quarterfinals and beat Matt Martinek, 3 and 2, in the semis.
