After publishing my lists of top ten coursers in several states, I have received numerous complaints about the lack of public golf courses on these lists. In order to address these gripes, I turned to the state of Wisconsin… the best state in the USA for public golf. 7 out of the 10 golf courses on “The Wisconsin Ten” are open for public play.

The tough part about Wisconsin is that the Badger state is filled to the brim with high quality golf courses and some mighty fine locations will undoubtedly be left without proper recognition. This is the dirty business of ranking golf courses. Because of this inequity, someone is always going to be overcome with rage and threaten your life with deadly force. While that statement is certainly a tad dramatic, passion exists behind people’s connections to golf courses and it is necessary to explore that passion. Behold The Wisconsin Ten.

UPDATE: In 2021, I embarked upon the great WSGA internship and covered 76 of Wisconsin’s finest golf courses in 49 days. I sat down to re-evaluate my top 10 and make any necessary judgements. The biggest adjustment is that we are expanding. Just like the Big Ten, we are expanding to 14 golf courses. We are still calling it the Wisconsin Ten though. It makes no sense, just like college football.

14. Blackwolf Run - Meadow Valleys - Sheboygan, WI (Previously unranked)

Meadow Valleys slips into the final spot and barely keeps The Irish course at Whistling Straits and Troy Burne as the first 2 on the bubble of greatness. The reason for my selection was based on an extremely strong back nine. The 14th hole is one of the strongest in the entire Kohler portfolio.

13. The Club at Lac La Belle - Oconomowoc, WI (Previously unranked)

After a recent renovation, the new kid on the block is starting to make some moves. Ironically, this “kid” isn’t new to the block at all, it is actually one of the oldest clubs in the state. In 1899 it joined Milwaukee Country Club as the third Wisconsin club to be approved as an Allied Member of the USGA. The 2018 renovation by Craig Haltom has brought the course back into the state spotlight.

During 2021’s WSGA internship, I paid a visit and wrote some words on the golf course.

12. Stevens Point Country Club - Stevens Point, WI (Previously Unranked)

At Stevens Point Country Club, we find another success story from Craig Haltom and Oliphant Golf. In 2016, the course underwent a dramatic transformation with the removal of a significant amount of trees. The result is a golf course that is wildly fun to play.

11. Wild Rock Golf Club - Wisconsin Dells, WI (Previously Unranked)

This Michale Hurdzan and Dana Fry design was one of the most exciting surprises during my 2021 WSGA internship. With bold views and wide fairways, the course manages to challenge the scratch player while still providing an enjoyable round of golf for the average golfer.

Wild Rock takes advantage of the stunning natural landscape and provides golf holes that fit very naturally into the Wisconsin Dells topography.

10. Sentry World - Stevens Point, WI (Previously #9)

The number 10 course on our list really spruces up the scenery. With the flower hole in full bloom, it’s easy to forget that there are 17 other golf holes at Sentry World. However, the reason that this golf course makes the list is because of the strength of those 17 other golf holes. Co-designers Robert Trent Jones Jr., Bruce Charlton, and Jay Blasi designed the course to give visiting golfers something else to feed on besides the 33,000 annuals on the 15th hole.

UPDATE: Even though the flowers have gotten brighter and the conditioning has improved, this stunner somehow managed to lose a spot on the 2021 Wisconsin Ten.

While the golf course will keep you entertained with plenty of options and challenges, the flower hole is what will undoubtedly leave an impression on you after you leave. Come for the flowers, stay for the golf.

33,000 flowers surround the green
Free drop if you golf ball lands in the flowers
A new flower design is created every year.

9. Mammoth Dunes - Nekoosa, WI (Previously #7)

The new kid on the block at Sand Valley Golf Resort is another serious addition to the Wisconsin powerhouse of public golf. Designed by David Mclay Kidd, the course is strategic, fun, and scenic. My personal favorite hole comes early in the round at the boomerang 6th green. As an ode to Mackenzie’s 7th hole at Crystal Downs, this reachable par 4 will provide the public golfer the opportunity to experience such a fun and uniquely imagined golf design.

I had the good fortune to walk the grounds while Mammoth Dunes was under construction in 2017. As I toured the sandy expanses, I snapped the photo below of the planned site for the 13th green. A year later I would return to the same spot to find that the golf grass was coming in nicely. Mammoth Dunes earns extra bonus points with me for it’s extremely photogenic nature. Be sure to check out the full gallery, this one is a real super model.

UPDATE: Through no fault of its own, this beauty managed to lose some ground on the 2021 list. The competition is fierce and getting more fierce out in Wisconsin.

High fives after hearing the news that Mammoth Dunes made The Wisconsin Ten list,

8. Pine Hills Country Club - Sheboygan, WI (Previously #8)

When most golfers visit Sheboygan, they are there to visit the nearby “big names” in Kohler. Sadly, almost everyone overlooks Pine Hills. It’s more like Pine Thrills if you ask me. Founded in 1905, the current golf course has been around since 1928 and is a first rate example of golden age architecture. The little known Harry Smead designed a course that somehow flies under the radar even given the impressive experience that it delivers.

This view of the 10th hole greets golfers as they check into the golf shop.

UPDATE: With the removal of trees adding strategic and aesthetic improvements, Pine Hills should be making moves up the list. However, as the rankings fell into place, Pine Hills ended up holding strong at the #8 position.

7. Blue Mound Golf & Country Club - Wauwatosa, WI (Previously #10)

Coming in at #10 on the hot list is one of Seth Raynor’s few midwest designs. On a flat piece of land surrounded by busy streets, you will find Blue Mound Golf & Country Club. The property itself is by no means the finest piece of land that Raynor has had to work with, but what lies inside the fences at Blue Mound is a true testament to Raynor’s creative routing and marvelous use of template holes.

The course has hosted the 1933 PGA Championship won By Gene Sarazen and on a cool October afternoon in 2018, The RGV Tour rolled through town. The experience at Blue Mound is centered entirely around the golf course and as I look back, I enjoyed that crisp fall walk like few others. This fine collection of template holes is a must visit for any Seth Raynor fan.

UPDATE: Blue Mound has done an excellent job of removing trees to highlight the golf and as a result we see the biggest move of any golf course on the 2021 updated list. As a special bonus, Blue Mound also hosted the WSGA internship finale. The round was a special one that ended up going down in the scrolls of golf history. You can read the full story here.

Oddly enough, the clubhouse at Blue Mound is perched atop a green mound of grass.

6. Black Wolf Run - River - Sheboygan, WI (Previously #6)

One of the greatest par 4’s in Wisconsin exists on the River course at Black Wolf Run. Pete Dye gives us all sorts of delicious options to choose from on the short par 4 9th hole. It is a relatively easy layup with a long iron out to the left, but a bold draw out over the river can provide the golfer with an opportunity for an eagle. It’s a strategic choice and a thrilling decision to close out the front nine. I am officially 1/3 on pulling off the feat. One in the trees, one in the water, and one on the green. It is the perfect amount of tease to tempt the golfer.

The 10th hole on the River course gives the golfer options.

The River course demands your consistent attention as peril awaits most poorly struck golf balls. The Sheboygan River is a frequent site and can only be appreciated by those that keep their golf balls clear of the water looming on 14 of the 18 golf holes.

5. Erin Hills - Hartford, WI (Previously #5)

I like to call this place Erin Bills, because it is seriously money. All jokes aside, this golf course brings everything that one would expect with a top 5 ranking. Each golf hole is unique, challenging, and also very fun to play. Co-designers Hurdzan, Fry, and Whitten each brought a different perspective to Erin Hills and the result is a golf course that wonderfully merges traditional and modern elements of course design. Despite whatever opinions you may have forged by watching the 2017 US Open, every golfer should walk and experience this golf course.

I was off to a rough start during my first visit to Erin Hills, after carding 4 straight bogies to start the round, I hooked my drive into the fescue on #5. 3 shots later I had a 15 foot putt for bogey. “What a mess,” I thought to myself. I rolled that 15 foot putt right into the back of the cup and I fist pumped hard. Something about the way that putt went into the hole inspired me. It was the sort of putt that looked good the second it left the club face and it never wavered a millimeter off line. It was bold, beautiful, and confident. That confidence somehow transferred into my body and I played the remaining 13 holes in 2 under par. The moral of this story: Golf fortunes can change in an instant at Erin Hills.

4. Sand Valley - Nekoosa, WI (Previously #3)

18,000 years ago, the site for the #3 golf course on our list was nothing more than a giant glacial lake. Fortunately for all of us golfers, the ice eventually gave way and carved out a massive sandy lake bed. That sandy glacial deposit was all that Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw needed to deliver a bronze medal in the state of Wisconsin. Sand Valley joins us as part of the Dream Golf portfolio (Bandon Dunes, Cabot) and the golf experience is one of the finest not only in Wisconsin, but in the United States.

The view from Craig’s Porch offers first rate tacos and a view.

3. Lawsonia Links - Green Lake, WI (Previously #4)

The Links at Lawsonia has climbed the Wisconsin ranks with fervor over the last several years and it ends up at #4 on our list. As the light begins to shine on this public gem, more of its luster is revealed. If you can’t find the charm in the box car 7th hole, the beautiful back nine with its magnificent bunkering and glorious grass swales should do the trick. It made a serious run at a spot in the top 3 but inevitably ran into a pretty a serious lineup of upcoming heavyweights.

Using 1920’s era steam shovels, Bill Langford and Ted Moreau finished construction of Lawsonia Links in 1930. Fun fact: the greens fees were originally just $1. Like many other classic designs, trees were planted over time obscuring Langford and Moreau’s original intent for the golf course. Fortunately in 2014, Craig Haltom took over management of the golf course and removed many of these trees allowing the air to follow freely and the natural grasses to grow wildly. In addition, Haltom has recaptured many of the green sites that had shrunk over the years. The result is a classic masterpiece open for all to enjoy.

UPDATE: During my 2021 WSGA Internship, I put together a walkthrough at Lawsonia Links. If you can’t enjoy the walk, please enjoy the read.

2. Milwaukee Country Club - River Hills, WI (Previously #2)

Designed by H.S. Colt & C.H. Alison in 1929 with renovations by Tom Doak in 2015, Milwaukee Country Club is one of the finest golden age designs in the midwest. The trees are slowly being removed to restore the original brilliance of the golf course and I couldn’t be happier about it. The golf course is still tree lined but with each tree that departs, more views of the Milwaukee River are exposed and the feeling of the golf course is enhanced.

One of my favorite caddy experiences comes from my round at Milwaukee CC. Amelia was a young Evans Scholar who was relatively new to the game of golf but she was dogged in her duties and worked hard for her caddy fees. It could be said that Amelia knew just enough about golf to be dangerous. Moments later after the quote below I did in fact birdie the par 3 12th hole.

“You make a lot of pars. Most of the people that I caddy for only make one or two pars, but you make a lot of pars. I bet you might even make a birdie.”

— Amelia The Caddy

1. Whistling Straits - Straits Course - Sheboygan, WI (Previously #1)

The only complaint that I have heard about Whistling Straits came from a 12 handicapper that played the back tees and proceeded to shoot 102. His official complaint was “This course is bullshit, I should have shot 78.”

I obviously paid that gentleman little attention as the Straits course at Whistling Straits comes in at #1 on our list of the best golf courses in the state of Wisconsin. Using a flat piece of land next to Lake Michigan, Pete Dye has created one of the most marvelous golfing destinations in the United States. The routing is simple yet genius, back and forth along the lakeside. Dye makes beautiful use of the lake front property with all four par 3’s playing right along the water.

Previously, the site had been used by the U.S. Army as an antiaircraft training facility called Camp Haven. It was “flat as a pancake” before Dye and his team brought in 7,000 truckloads of sand. That is 105,00 cubic yards if you are looking to invoke an imperial, non metric unit of volume, personally I refer to it as a “the mother load.” The approximately 967 bunkers on the golf course are predominantly maintained by the nearby whistling winds.

The 18th hole at Whistling Straits from above

Since it’s opening in 1998, the Straits course has hosted 3 PGA Championships and 1 US Senior Open. Most importantly Whistling Straits will host the Ryder Cup in 2021. That Ryder Cup is important for several reasons, most notably the aboutGOLF SIM Series will culminate in Kohler with the winning team earning a trip to Whistling Straits to compete in the finale.

That is “The Wisconsin Ten” list and I am sticking with it. Feel free to discuss your opinions and outrage in the comments below. Given the passion of the Wisconsin golfing population, I ask you to please refrain from issuing any death threats.

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The Wisconsin Ten