Wisconsin punches far above its latitude. Pete Dye turned the Lake Michigan shore at Kohler into major championship theater, Erin Hills hosted a US Open, and Sand Valley grew a heathland resort out of the central sand barrens. Here are the ten we rate most highly, ranked, with our verdict and how to play each.
Photograph: Whistling Straits Golf Course, Whistling Straits Golf Course, via Google
Wisconsin built its reputation in a single generation. Herb Kohler hired Pete Dye to carve Blackwolf Run and then Whistling Straits out of farmland and lakeshore, and the majors followed: three PGA Championships, two US Women's Opens and the 2021 Ryder Cup. Erin Hills, on glacial kettle country northwest of Milwaukee, opened in 2006 and staged the 2017 US Open. Then came Sand Valley, where Coore and Crenshaw, David McLay Kidd and Tom Doak built a modern walking resort on ancient dunes.
We weighed design, conditioning, setting and the simple pleasure of the round, and we noted access plainly, because the best of these are resort or daily fee courses you can actually book. Every fact here, from designers and opening years to championship history, was checked at the time of writing. Green fees move with the season and are best treated as indicative; the playable window runs roughly May to October. The verdicts are ours, and if you want any of these built into a costed trip, that is exactly what our concierge does.
The most decorated course in the state. Pete Dye built a windswept faux links along two miles of Lake Michigan bluff, with hundreds of bunkers, roaming sheep and walking only golf with caddies. It hosted three PGA Championships, in 2004, 2010 and 2015, and the 2021 Ryder Cup, where the United States won by a record 19 to 9. A resort course at Kohler, open to guests.
A treeless, walking only links laid across the glacial kettles northwest of Milwaukee. Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry and Ron Whitman let the land do the work, with rumpled fairways and fescue framing wide playing corridors. It hosted the 2017 US Open, where Brooks Koepka tied the championship scoring record at 16 under. Public, with on site lodging.
The course that launched the resort. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw found an inland sea of sand left by a glacial lake and routed a firm, sandy heathland over the dunes, all width, angles and exposed waste. Walking, caddies and the kind of bouncy ground game rare in the Midwest. The anchor of a destination resort in the central Wisconsin pines.
The bolder, more generous sibling. David McLay Kidd built Mammoth Dunes for sheer fun, with vast fairways, enormous greens and dramatic dune backdrops that reward the brave without punishing the rest. It pairs with the Coore and Crenshaw course to make Sand Valley a two course resort worth the drive. Walking, open to resort guests.
Kohler's original, and still its most muscular inland test. Pete Dye routed the River nine along the Sheboygan River, water threatening tee shots and approaches across a rugged, wooded valley. It hosted the US Women's Open in 1998, where Se Ri Pak won a playoff, and again in 2012. Public, at the Kohler resort.
Sand Valley's newest course and a deliberate change of pace. Tom Doak built a short par 68 inspired by the English heathland and the great London courses, all clever angles and tempting half pars rather than length. It opened in July 2024 to immediate acclaim and proves that a thrilling round need not measure 7,000 yards. Walking, open to resort guests.
The inland sibling to the famous Straits, and a serious course in its own right. Pete Dye laid the Irish through dunes, wetlands and four meandering streams just back from the lake, with the same brawny bunkering and tumbling ground. Quieter than its neighbor and a touch more forgiving, it rounds out a 36 hole day at Kohler. Public, open to guests.
Wisconsin's first true championship course, and the one that started the state's golf story. Robert Trent Jones Jr designed it for Sentry Insurance, and a 2013 renovation by Bruce Charlton and Jay Blasi sharpened it further. The par 3 16th, the Flower Hole, is framed by tens of thousands of blooms. It hosted the 2023 US Senior Open. Public, with hotel.
A Golden Age treasure most travelers miss. William Langford and Theodore Moreau built bold, geometric earthworks, raised plateau greens and steep bunkering on high ground above Green Lake, a style entirely their own. Beautifully preserved and walkable, it is the connoisseur's pick on any Wisconsin itinerary. Public, daily fee.
The home course of Wisconsin Badgers golf and a genuine bargain. Robert Trent Jones Jr used the front nine on open parkland and sent the back into rolling glacial woodland, a strong, varied test that has hosted college and senior tour events. Convenient to Madison and reliably well conditioned. Public.
Designers, opening years and championship history verified June 2026. The Kohler and Sand Valley courses are resort layouts open to guests; Lawsonia, SentryWorld and University Ridge are public daily fee. Green fees move with the season and are indicative only. Always confirm tee times and access directly before booking.
Tell us whether you want Kohler and the lakeshore, the Sand Valley resort, or a loop that takes in both, and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole trip to the head and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
The Straits Course at Whistling Straits, Pete Dye's links along Lake Michigan at Kohler, is the most highly rated and most decorated course in the state, host to three PGA Championships and the 2021 Ryder Cup. Erin Hills, which staged the 2017 US Open, and the Coore and Crenshaw course at Sand Valley lead the rest.
Yes. Both are public courses you can book. Whistling Straits is a resort course at Kohler, open to guests staying at the American Club, and is walking only with caddies. Erin Hills is a daily fee course with on site lodging. Green fees are premium and seasonal, so always confirm tee times and fees directly before booking.
Whistling Straits and Sand Valley tee time windows, new course openings and the trips our concierge is quietly building. Every other week.