MAJESTIC WISCONSIN GOLF

by Art Stricklin

Kohler, Wisconsin

Ryder Cup viewers were treated to three days of stunning vistas by massive Lake Michigan as golf’s greatest players attempted to conquer one of its most scenic landscapes

But what may not have been as evident is that the Ryder Cup site, Straits Golf Course along with the other three courses at the Whistling Straits Resort, are wide open to the public the vast majority of the year.

In fact, day trippers and hotel guests were teeing it up at the Straits course just a few days after the American team wiped out the European squad on the same location.

But the public golf buffet in the Badger state isn’t solely limited to Whistling Straits. In fact, almost every major golf area in the state is open to visitors statewide, nationwide and internationally. TThe Jack Nicklaus designed Bull at Pinehurst Farms in nearby Sheboygan, former U.S. Open site Erin Hills just northwest of Milwaukee, Sand Valley in the center part of the state and Lake Geneva in the south complete as strong a public golf lineup as any state in the golfing US of A.

“I never thought in my life that Wisconsin would become a prime golf destination, nationally and internationally,” said Scott Evans, Director of Golf and General Manager at The Bull. “It started with Herb Kohler at Whistling Straits. The Ryder Cup this week is just another opportunity to showcase great golf in this state.”

“For seven months of the year, Wisconsin golf is heaven on earth,” added Wisconsin golf publisher Glen Tuck.

The par 72 Bull is the only Jack Nicklaus course in Wisconsin and this thickly wooded design, just miles from the Ryder Cup location, is the true Nicklaus tough test with tight fairways, sloping greens and enough water to challenge the best golfers. New local owners have greatly added to prime conditions.

“Jack certainly didn’t hold anything back here,” said one recent Ryder Cup visitor.

For a state roughly the size of noted golf hotbeds England and Scotland, Wisconsin has done a remarkably good job of producing special public golf resorts for its brief, but spectacular golf season, running from late April to late October, possibly mid-November or Thanksgiving

Whistling Straights Kohler, WI

First came the Whistling Straits Resort, the Herb Kohler owned, four-course property and five-star American Club lodging which hosted the Ryder Cup players. Then Erin Hills Golf Resort, the site of the 2017 US Open, The Bull, the many courses at Lake Geneva, but the latest addition, the Sand Valley Resort in Central Wisconsin might be the closest to the Scottish Idea.

Because when the Scots invented golf more than 500 years ago, the idea was to get outside with your mates, practice your aim and direction for upcoming archery drills and just see how many swigs of Whiskey you could get from the bottle you brought with you. (18, if you believe the legend of how they came up with the number of holes in a complete round).

Well, the earliest of Scots would indeed enjoy the new Sand Valley Resort in the Central Wisconsin sandy wilderness.

Because if asked to describe this new 36-hole facility, with a 17 hole par 3 course, lodging and food, and you weren’t allow to use the word “sand”, of which there is plenty, the word would be “fun”.

Well, the earliest of Scots would indeed enjoy the new Sand Valley Resort in the Central Wisconsin sandy wilderness.

Because if asked to describe this new 36-hole facility, with a 17 hole par 3 course, lodging and food, and you weren’t allow to use the word “sand”, of which there is plenty, the word would be “fun”.

Fun to play, fun to challenge, fun to be with friends and fun to discover developer Mike Keiser has not lost his magic golf resort touch which has made Bandon Dunes and Cabot Links on both the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts respectively and equally fun and will have the same effect on his new Caribbean product

Sand Valley is a drivable par 4, pitch and putt, on-course Kielbasa sausage eating, Wisconsin brewed beer (Spotted Cow) drinking fun, for amateur and serious golfers and all who love getting together with friends, family and associates.

Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, true lovers of fun links golf, opened the first course, Sand Valley, in May of 2017 and it was quickly named best new public course in the U.S. by Golf Digest Magazine. The 17-hole Sand Box Par 3 course, another fun short game tribute also designed by Crenshaw and Coore came next, then Scotsman architect David McLay Kidd opened the Mammoth Dunes course at the resort.

It’s always a matter of personal opinion on which of the two courses at any resort is the best. Both use the same hilly, sandy landscape here, but the original Sand Valley boasts faster greens, more settled into the surroundings, but judging on the fun factor only, Mammoth Dunes is the clear early winner. The New Lido course at Sand Valley scheduled to open in late 2022 is another early fun factor.

The par 73 Sand Valley course boasts wide sloping greens forcing players to aim totally away from the hole at times to be able to roll it back into close position of the pin placement.

There is little on course water on either of the two courses, but wide expanses of sand to hit over and wide canyon gaps on several of the par 3s, notably the par 3 16th at Mammoth Dunes.

The course name itself comes from several of the greens which look like wooly Mammoth Elephants were buried beneath. Perhaps bad for the single figure purist looking to win golf’s national championship, but perfect for a friendly foursome looking for maximum enjoyment.

The hole you’ll go home talking about here is the par 4 14th which tees off from a huge vista overlooking the entire property and slopes greatly downhill with the green protected by large mounds on the right side of the putting surface.

At only 318 yards from the very back tees and considerably shorter for most golfers, it sets up to be drivable for many players and gives you a rare chance of putting for eagle. On these sloping greens, good luck, but still a fun and potentially confidence-building experience.

Sand Valley is par 72, but with a unique 35-37 combination including 5 par 3s and 5 par 5s. The fascinating way Coore and Crenshaw put the varied sandy holes together in the natural surroundings are most interesting to play.

The Sand Box Par 3 is a 17 hole short hole challenge with most of the holes less than 100 yards and only 3-4 clubs maximum needed. In fact, the resort offers small quiver golf bags to each guest, just large enough to carry your clubs and a sleeve of balls for your Sand Box round. Oh, and why 17 holes rather than 18? Just to be fun and different. There’s that word again

The unique on-course drink station is contained in a huge metal canoe, which looks like it has served duty in a summer camp before, completely filled with ice and loaded with all kinds of beverages and snacks.

Back at the wooden planked clubhouse, there is lots more local food and drink, including the Wisconsin Walleye, the massive Sand Valley Burger and homemade ice cream sandwiches, with flat screen TVs everywhere you look to watch golfers who likely aren’t having as much fun as you are right now.

Many golfers still consider the original upscale golf destination in the Badger State among the best, and professional golfers and golf organizations may agree as Whistling Straits has already hosted 3 PGA Championships, along with a U.S. Senior Open, a U.S. Women’s Open, plus the Ryder Cup.

The Straits Course, designed by Pete Dye, juts dramatically out into Lake Michigan and has served as the grand stage for previous and future highlighted golf events.

“The buzz around the Ryder Cup alone beats anything we have ever seen,” said a Whistling Straits spokesman. “We’ve seen both a pent-up demand from last year’s pandemic and the increase we usually see from championship events being held here.”

The par 72 course rambles and rolls all over the shoreline with hardily a flat lie anywhere and more than 100 bunkers of all shapes and sizes. An experienced caddy, of which there are plenty, or a very sharp eye are needed to come home from here without buying extra golf balls.

Among the most dramatic holes are those that come closest to the massive great lake, eight in all. Perhaps the best is the par 3 17th hole at the Straits Course, 249 yards from the back tees with a massive drop off all along the left side of the hole. The site of Jordan Spieth’s famous hillside Ruder Cup recovery shot.

Included at the facility is the Irish Course where sheep serve as unpaid greenskeepers along with the River Course, with plenty of water as its name would imply and the Meadow Course, part of the Blackwolf Run facility, the site of a past Women’s US Open.

Of course, all courses end in the luminous American Club which has 241 rooms and suites in a peaceful garden setting with old photos of life among the original Kohler Plumbing headquarters which is adjacent to these grounds.

Less than an hour west of the state’s largest city, Milwaukee, you’ll find Erin Hills Golf Resort, where Brooks Koepka captured golf’s national championship. It offers a tremendous 18 hole challenge with wide fairways, hilly terrain, walking only, and stellar on-site lodging with a huge fire pit to celebrate your good fortune.

There is a massive putting green between the first tee and the on-site wooden lodge. An outdoor café overlooks the sweeping landscape and caps the perfect golfing day. Further south, there is an often overlooked , but outstanding collection of courses around the massive lake of the same name. In total there are more than a dozen courses, both public and private courses in Lake Geneva, but like in most of Wisconsin, public layouts rule the day.

Geneva National offers three outstanding public golf layouts. There is the par 72 Arnold Palmer designed course, annually ranked as one of the top 10 in Wisconsin. The riskreward Gary Player course, par 72, the only one designed by the Black Knight in Wisconsin, and the Lee Trevino designed layout, with most holes designed for Trevino’s signature right to left fade.

“We have such a great variety of public courses here, we really have something for every golfer,” said Geneva National’s Neal Stineman. “We get a lot of repeat visitors and newcomers as well.”

Geneva National Lake Geneva, WI

Geneva National Lake Geneva, WI

Grand Geneva Lake Geneva, WI

The Grand Geneva resort began life as a storied Playboy Club and hosted all the top entertainers of the day. Today the renamed resort boasts of the golfing green grass variety. The par 72 Brute course more than lives up to its name as the Robert Bruce Harris design has more than 65 bunkers and putting greens of more than 8,0000 square feet with tees which go back 7,000 yards. The huge water ponds on holes 9 and 18 can sink any promising round.

The Highlands course was totally redesigned by noted architect Robert Cupp in 1996 as a tight shotmakers course at par 71. Majestic Oaks at Lake Lawn Resort is one of the oldest courses in Lake Geneva, and features some outstanding lake views, especially along the signature par 5, 12th hole with plenty of namesake oaks to redirect any wayward shot. The smoky outdoor grill after 18 holes and the outdoor dining is enough to reward any golfer.Of course, if all this daytime golf makes you hungry (and thirsty as well), one of the best nighttime dining spots is the Geneva Chop House at Grand Geneva with hand-selected steaks, wagyu beef and plenty of drinks to celebrate, if not commiserate, your recent round.

The Lake Geneva website brags the area has more golf courses than you have vacation days to experience them. The same could be true for all of Wisconsin. But choose wisely on the never ending Badger State public golf buffet which never seems to end.

On Wisconsin is not just the fight song for the largest state university, but an open invitation to experience all the great public golf here.