Wisconsin: Golf's Latest Hot Spot

Sure, the Chicago area has innumerable quality golf courses. But everyone needs to get away once in a while, and a perfect spot to consider is Wisconsin. It’s not too far, and the golf is good—really good.

Michigan was once considered the best place for a quick golf getaway. After all, the state is loaded with great courses that won’t put too much of a dent in your wallet. Wisconsin, though, is coming on strong. Why? Most of its best courses have been built in recent years, so they’re new and spiffy.

Two developments within the past few months have put Wisconsin in the golf spotlight far beyond its borders. Erin Hills—a relatively new course—was recently awarded the 2017 U.S. Open by the U.S. Golf Association (USGA). In addition, Whistling Straits just hosted its second PGA Championship; it will host another in 2015, as well as the Ryder Cup in 2020. Best of all, both Erin Hills and Whistling Straits are open to the public.

The selection of Erin Hills, located in the little town of Erin northwest of Milwaukee, for the U.S. Open was controversial. Mike Davis, director of competitions for the USGA, took an immediate liking to the layout, and it may have gotten more attention than it deserved because of that. I’ve played Erin Hills three times and wasn’t as excited about it as some of my media cronies. Plus, it’s disconcerting to note that the course has undergone frequent architectural adjustments, as well as a change in ownership since it opened. Still, it’s an exciting and interesting venue.

PGA Tour pro Steve Stricker, a University of Illinois alum and native of the small Wisconsin town of Edgerton, won’t liken Erin Hills to Whistling Straits, but he still enjoys it. “It’s got its own beauty,” says Stricker, one of the world’s top-ranked players. “You’re out in the middle of farm country, basically. It reminds me of Shinnecock Hills [a past U.S. Open site] out on Long Island.”

As for Whistling Straits, Stricker says: “When I drive there, it feels like home. All I see is corn, soybeans, and cows. But when I get there, it doesn’t feel like home at all. It looks like we’re overseas somewhere playing in a British Open.”

Indeed, there’s no denying that Wisconsin has arrived as a “golf state.”

“Golf is a huge part of this state’s DNA,” says Joe Steranka, executive director of the PGA of America. Steranka backs up his assertion with some impressive statistics: The annual overall economic impact of golf in Wisconsin is $2.4 billion; there are 38,000 people employed in Wisconsin’s golf industry; and the state gets 80 million tourism visits every year, with 1.2 million being golf-related. Of course, all of these people don’t go to Erin Hills or Whistling Straits. Wisconsin has a slew of golf options, many of which I’ve visited. Here’s a sampling:
We’ll start with the Kohler area, where Whistling Straits is located. Whistling Straits is a tough Pete Dye-designed layout on the shores of Lake Michigan that’s a bit different than all the other courses in the Midwest. I like young star Rory McIlroy’s assessment of it: “Esthetically, and visually, it does look very much like a links course, but it just doesn’t play like one.”

You must play Whistling Straits if you want to test yourself against the best challenge Wisconsin has to offer. Still, I prefer the Irish Course, which weaves in and around Whistling Straits’ holes. It’s a little less challenging and more fun. Both layouts are walking only.
Before leaving the Kohler area, you should check out Blackwolf Run, 27 holes of beautiful terrain that has hosted a U.S. Women’s Open and will host another. Nearby Sheboygan Falls has The Bull at Pinehurst Farms (the only Jack Nicklaus design in Wisconsin). The Bog in Saukville is also worth a visit.

For sheer fun, I like the three courses at Geneva National, a layout that is barely over the Illinois line. Designed respectively by Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, and Gary Player these courses are great for players of all ages. Not far away is Grand Geneva Resort with its time-honored Brute course and the less-challenging Highlands and Lake Lawn Lodge.

Milwaukee offers one of the few public courses, Brown Deer Park, that has hosted a PGA Tour stop: the Greater Milwaukee Open, later known as the U.S. Bank Championship. Sponsorship problems led to the demise of the longstanding PGA Tour event, but Brown Deer Park remains an enjoyable destination for weekend warriors and the like. What’s more, Brown Deer Park is a massive facility at which the golf course is just part of the attraction.

In the Wisconsin Dells area, there’s Wild Rock, a great track that’s relatively new. Trapper’s Turn, a 27-holer jointly designed by Andy North and Roger Packard, is also a gem.
For something new and different, try Northern Bay, which is 30 miles from the Dells in Arkdale. It sets itself apart from other Wisconsin courses by claiming it has some holes that are patterned after famous holes from around the country. I’m generally skeptical about courses that take this approach, but Northern Bay’s 146-yard 10th hole—billed as a replica of the famous 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass—is close to the real thing.

For sheer beauty, you can’t go wrong with the SentryWorld course in Stevens Point. It has the world’s most colorful hole, a par-3 adorned with 42,000 flowers. It’s a sight to behold.
Obviously, I haven’t played every quality course in the Badger State, but I’ve heard good things about Glen Erin in Janesville, University Ridge in Madison, and Lawsonia in Green Lake.

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, I enjoyed family vacations in Wisconsin near the Minnesota state line. One of the small towns in that region—Siren—now has a course that I’m told is well worth playing. It’s called Siren National and was created after a 2001 tornado devastated the town. In the years when I was a summer regular in those parts, there were just sporty nine-holers. It’s nice to know that the golf scene is improving even in Wisconsin’s rural areas. CG