One Of America’s Great Golf Resorts Is More Than Just Whistling Straits

When the Ryder Cup returns to the U.S. in 2020, it will be along the shoreline of Lake Michigan at one of the most impressive modern courses in golf: Whistling Straits.

The phenomenal Pete Dye creation, which required 7,000 truckloads of sand during the construction process, was my introduction to golf in Wisconsin. Talk about making a great first impression.

Golfers likely know the name Whistling Straits from the three PGA Championships its already hosted in a relatively short history (the course opened in 1998 on the site of a former antiaircraft training facility that was previously farmland as flat as a board). Unless they’ve made the trip to Wisconsin though, they may not know it’s among four terrific 18-hole courses that are part of Destination Kohler and the historic American Club Resort, which this year is celebrating its 100^th anniversary.

While some of the newer iconic golf destinations are somewhat off the beaten path, Kohler stands out for how accessible it is.

It’s just an hour drive from the Milwaukee airport and if guests are coming from Chicago – home to the third-most golfers of any U.S. metro area – it’s less than a 2 ½ hour drive up the Lake Michigan shoreline. I flew into Milwaukee from the East Coast and was on the first tee at the famed Straits course less than two hours after my flight touched down.

The Straits is sculpted along two miles of rocky shoreline and offers views of Lake Michigan from all 18 holes, eight of which are directly on the water.

A nod to the great courses of Ireland, the rugged Straits is rightfully ranked among the Top 100 public courses in the country, featuring more than 500 bunkers, massive sand dunes, windswept bluffs and dramatic vistas enhanced by fairly substantial elevation change.  It’s also a walking-only course – one of the toughest walks in the game.

Dye built the second course at Whistling Straits, the Irish, as well as both courses at nearby Blackwolf Run, which sits just outside the charming village of Kohler. The River and Meadows courses at Blackwolf Run are inland, about a 20-minute shuttle ride from Whistling Straits, which at $410 has the steepest peak season green fees at the resort.

Blackwolf Run’s River Course comes with a $305 playing fee, but there are discounts, including those for my playing partners – three young Kohler employees who teed it up only occasionally, but enthusiastically shared their local knowledge, both of the layout and the area.

I had no idea what to expect when I first arrived in Kohler, which was originally founded in 1900 when the Kohler Company brought its plumbing fixtures business to the area.

To call the Midwest town quaint is an understatement. The homes, many of which date to the early 1900s, are neat and tidy. The Kohler factory sits on the main street, directly across the street from the American Club, which was originally built in 1918 to house male immigrants who worked for the company. A north wing was added to the property six years later to house female nurses, secretaries and cooks.

The sprawling American Club re-opened as a luxury hotel in 1981 and today its recognized as the only Forbes Five-Star hotel in the Midwest, with the adjoining Kohler Waters Spa and six terrific dining options. It has 186 guest rooms in the main building, among them the Ray Nitschke suite, which was tastefully adorned with memorabilia celebrating the former Green Bay Packers linebacker and his Hall of Fame football career.

Looking around the modern bathroom, I couldn’t help but wonder how often the fixtures — Kohler, obviously — were changed out. I was particularly taken aback by the faucet for the bathtub, which poured water straight down from the ceiling with the pounding pressure of a fire hose.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the first thing most people think of when they hear the Kohler name is plumbing related. But for golfers, the Kohler name should spring to mind images of a golf destination that’s in the same echelon as Pebble, Bandon and Pinehurst. While that kind of recognition is growing, it’s understandable that Whistling Straits still gets the lion’s share of the attention at the resort. It’s unquestionably among the most visually stunning courses I’ve ever played.

Herb Kohler, who has a net worth of about $8.4 billion, indeed has created a destination outside Sheboygan, with four distinct championship courses scattered around a historic and modern resort. A fifth public course, a minimalist design set for a tract of land the Kohler family has owned for more than 75 years, is in the works. And the emergence of the Sand Valley Resort about three hours away has further turned Wisconsin into a bucket list golf getaway.

Whistling Straits might be the catchier name, but Destination Kohler is as fitting as they come for this Great Lakes jewel that’s truly one of the great American golf resorts.

RELATED CONTENT:

Mammoth Dunes: 20 Years After Bandon, McLay Kidd Delivers Fun Golf to Wisconsin

Northern Michigan’s Golf Gems: From a Reversible Loop to Pebble Beach on a Lake

Golf on the Emerald Isle: Irish Eyes Smile from Lahinch to Waterville

Streamsong’s New Black Course Embraces Fun and Creativity

Shepherd’s Rock Course Punctuates $250 Million Rebirth at Nemacolin Resort