Top 10 Courses: Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Here’s our list of the top 10 courses in Wisconsin, also known as the Badger State 1. WHISTLING STRAITS (STRAITS), Sheboygan In 1998, Herb Kohler told Pete Dye, “I want a course that looks like it’s in Ireland,” and that’s what Dye gave him, converting a World War II military base into Ballybunion on Lake […]

6 Great Double Dogleg Holes

double doglegs

During the first few decades of the 20th century, architects A.W. Tillinghast and C.B. Macdonald often engaged in good-natured debates about course design. While Macdonald favored the strategy of implementing template designs, Tillinghast most often let the natural land dictate a hole’s inherent shape and strategy. That said, Tillinghast—who garnered the nickname “Tillie the Terror” […]

Wisconsin: An American Golf Mecca

sand

The secret to Wisconsin’s future as a golf destination isn’t dairy cows or cheese. It’s sand. When Mike Keiser looks at Sand Valley, the 78-year-old developer doesn’t see a successful venture so much as he sees potential—not just for the resort, but for all of central Wisconsin to develop into a robust and diverse golf destination. […]

7 Golf Holes with Tremendous Amounts of Sand

sand

“A water hazard is like an airplane crash, [if you hit your ball into one] there’s no hope,” Rees Jones once said. “Being in a bunker is like being in a car crash,” he continued. “There’s a chance of survival.” There’s sound logic in the 82-year-old’s perspective, but its degree of truth can fluctuate from […]

Pete Dye’s 9 Scariest Holes

scariest holes

Tiger Woods once asked me, “Has anybody ever built harder courses than Pete Dye?” I replied, “Nobody has ever built courses that are more visually intimidating than Pete Dye.” Tiger shot back, “Exactly.” Indeed, Dye himself stated, “My overall philosophy is to make the hole appear more difficult than it really is.” In reality, Pete […]

Golf’s Most Intimidating Courses

terror trap

No course intimidates so thoroughly as Pine Valley Legendary scribe Bernard Darwin called Pine Valley “an examination in golf.” It’s been called far worse. Perennially ranked as the world’s best golf course, it is also likely the most intimidating, certainly for a middle handicap golfer. Its bunkers sport sinister names such as “Hell’s Half-acre” at […]

The 9 Best Twilight Golf Rounds You Can Play in the U.S.

twilight golf

Teeing off after prime time offers a mixed bag. On the one hand, you’ll get cooling breezes, artist-worthy color textures, and often reduced fees. On the other hand, your round might be called short on account of darkness. Courses to avoid when teeing it up at twilight are any that play through canyons—where daylight vanishes […]