Best golf courses in Wisconsin.

Sheboygan, WI

The Straits course at Whistling Straits is a Pete Dye design in Kohler, Wisconsin, that opened in 1998. The site was a former military airfield along Lake Michigan, flat and unremarkable, and Dye moved enormous amounts of earth to build dunes and shape two miles of shoreline into golf holes. Eight holes now sit directly on the lake. The course is defined by its bunkering, with hundreds of sandy hollows and scrapes of every size scattered through the property, many of them well outside where a golfer would realistically play. It is walking only, with caddies, and a flock of Scottish blackface sheep grazes the grounds. The Straits has hosted the PGA Championship three times, in 2004, 2010 and 2015, the 2007 U.S. Senior Open and the 2021 Ryder Cup, where the United States won 19 to 9. It is one of two 18-hole courses at Whistling Straits, alongside the inland Irish course.

Nekoosa, WI

The Lido at Sand Valley Golf Resort in Wisconsin opened in 2023 and is unlike anything else in American golf: it is a reconstruction of a course that no longer exists. C.B. Macdonald's original Lido Club, built on Long Island in 1917 on sand pumped from a bay, was lost during the Second World War. The rebuild was made possible by Peter Flory, who spent years assembling a digital model of the original from aerial photographs, Macdonald's written plans and period accounts. Tom Doak, with Brian Schneider and Brian Slawnik, then built that model into the sand barrens at Nekoosa, hole for hole and contour for contour. The result includes Macdonald's template holes and several concepts that had disappeared from golf entirely, among them the Channel hole, where golfers choose how much of a diagonal carry to take on off the tee. It is walking only, and the scale of the greens and bunkers reflects 1917 design rather than modern practice.

Erin, WI

Erin Hills sits on glacial terrain in Erin, Wisconsin, about 35 miles northwest of Milwaukee. Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry and Ron Whitten designed it, and it opened in 2006 on land shaped by retreating ice into kettles, ridges and hollows, with very little earth moved to build the holes. There are no trees in play and no housing on the property, so wind is the main defense along with constant elevation change. Fairways are wide, the fescue rough is punishing, and several greens sit in natural bowls or on exposed shelves. The course is walking only, and caddies are available. Erin Hills hosted the 2011 U.S. Amateur, the 2017 U.S. Open won by Brooks Koepka at 16 under par, and the 2025 U.S. Women's Open. It is a daily fee course with on site lodging, and the USGA has scheduled further championships there, including the 2027 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and the 2035 U.S. Amateur.

Nekoosa, WI

Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley Golf Resort in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, was designed by David McLay Kidd and opened in 2018 as the resort's second course. The site is an inland sand barren left by a glacial lake, and Kidd built the course to be enjoyable rather than punishing. Fairways are among the widest in American golf, some more than 100 yards across, and the greens are large with open fronts, so most approach shots can be run in along the ground. Sand blowouts and native scrub line the holes, and the elevation change through the dunes is substantial. The short par-4 14th, drivable for many golfers, is one of the most discussed holes at the resort. Sand Valley is a walking resort with caddies. Mammoth Dunes sits alongside the original Sand Valley course by Coore and Crenshaw, the Lido, the Sandbox short course and Sedge Valley.

Nekoosa, WI

The original course at Sand Valley Golf Resort in Nekoosa, Wisconsin. Designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and opened in 2017, Sand Valley routes across ancient glacial sand barrens, with wide fairways, exposed sand, and firm, fast turf that rewards ground-game creativity and thoughtful angles over raw distance. It is walking golf on rolling dune terrain, and the course that established the resort.

Green Lake, WI

The Links Course at Lawsonia in Green Lake, Wisconsin, opened in 1930 and was designed by William Langford and Theodore Moreau. It is one of the clearest surviving examples of their style, and very little about it has been softened in the decades since. The greens are the reason golfers travel for it. Nearly all of them are pushed up well above the surrounding ground, squared off at the edges, and framed by deep, steep-faced bunkering, so a shot that misses the surface falls a long way down. The seventh green is the most famous, built on top of what local lore says is a buried railroad boxcar, which makes for one of the most severe targets in American golf. The property is open and rolling with wide fairways and long views over Green Lake. It is a daily-fee course, walkable, and sits alongside the club's later Woodlands course.

Nekoosa, WI

Sedge Valley opened in 2024 at Sand Valley in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, and was designed by Tom Doak. It was built deliberately short, playing to a par 68 at well under 6,000 yards, as a counterweight to the longer courses at the resort. The model was British heathland golf. Corridors are tighter than elsewhere on the property, the ground is covered in low sedge and scrub, and the emphasis is on shot placement and iron play rather than driving distance. There are more short par 4s and par 3s than a standard rotation. It is walking only, open to resort guests, and shares the same sandy soil as the resort's other courses.

Kohler, WI

The River Course at Blackwolf Run runs along the Sheboygan River in Kohler, Wisconsin. Pete Dye designed the course, which opened in 1988 as part of the original Blackwolf Run layout; the River eighteen was completed in 1990 using half of those original holes plus nine new ones built within a bend of the river. Water is in play on much of the routing, and the ground moves hard, with pitched fairways, blind shoulders and deep bunkering. From the back tees it plays 7,404 yards to a 76.2 rating and 151 slope. It is operated by Kohler Company's American Club and open to resort guests and the public.

Kohler, WI

The Irish Course at Whistling Straits is located in Kohler, Wisconsin, along Lake Michigan near its more famous sibling, the Straits Course. The layout crosses Seven Mile Creek and skirts coastal dunes, combining links-style and target-golf elements. The course was designed by Pete Dye and opened in 1998, the same design team responsible for the Straits Course. Unlike the Straits, the Irish uses bentgrass fairways and allows carts, though it also includes the property's only blind par-3, the 13th hole, played over sand hills to a large, heavily bunkered green. The Irish Course is open to the public through the Kohler resort's golf operation, with tee times bookable directly; greens fees are on the higher end typical of destination resort golf. It has hosted the Palmer Cup and other amateur events.

Sheboygan Falls, WI

The Bull at Pinehurst Farms is an 18-hole, par-72 public course in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 2003 on a former dairy farm. It is the only Jack Nicklaus Signature course in Wisconsin. It measures 7,354 yards from the back tees, with a course rating of 76.3 and a slope of 147. The par-5 first hole, named 'Copyright' after a bull from the farm, opens a routing that moves through mature woodlands, open meadows, wetlands, and elevation changes across 400 acres.

Oconomowoc, WI

Historic 1896 lakeside course in the Oconomowoc lake district

Stevens Point, WI

SentryWorld Golf Course is an 18-hole public championship course in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, owned by Sentry Insurance. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., it opened in 1982 as Wisconsin's first upscale public course and was renovated by RTJ II in 2013-14. Its par-3 16th, the Flower Hole, is surrounded by tens of thousands of flowers each season. The course has hosted the 2023 U.S. Senior Open and is set to host future USGA championships.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Wisconsin Dells, WI

Wild Rock Golf Club is part of the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, routed through a former stone quarry along with a wooded area with a natural stream and the sandstone ridges the Dells are known for. The course was designed by Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry, the same architects behind Erin Hills, and opened on May 1, 2008. The routing incorporates rocky quarry mounds, elevation changes, and views toward the Baraboo Bluffs, with the design team adjusting the layout late in planning to feature that vista. The course is open to the public as a resort amenity, with five sets of tees and a full practice facility including a driving range and chipping area. It plays to a par of 72, with a longest yardage of roughly 7,400 yards, and has hosted state amateur and senior championship events.

Lake Geneva, WI

The Palmer Course at Geneva National is one of three 18-hole layouts at the Geneva National golf resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, a lakes-region community roughly midway between Chicago and Milwaukee. Designed by Arnold Palmer and opened in 1991, the course winds through wooded, rolling land with three finishing holes running along the shore of Lake Como. Palmer's design opens with scorable holes before increasing in difficulty through the middle and closing stretch, using bunkers, water hazards, and green-side fall-off areas to demand a mix of driver aggression and conservative club selection. Several doglegs and blind shots add variety, and homes now line portions of the course as the surrounding development has grown. Geneva National operates as a resort facility with lodging, dining, and a golf shop on site, and the Palmer Course is available to resort guests and members. Bentgrass tees, fairways, and greens are maintained across the property's 54 total holes.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Menomonee Falls, WI

Records for a course listed as North Shore Golf Club in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, could not be independently verified; searches instead return a similarly named private club in Menasha, Wisconsin, founded in 1930, and other unrelated Menomonee Falls-area facilities such as North Hills Country Club and Wanaki Golf Course. Because no official source confirms a golf course under this name and city combination, no course-specific facts can be reported here. This entry should be checked against source data for a possible naming or location discrepancy.

Hudson, WI

Tom Lehman design in the St. Croix River Valley near Minneapolis

Somerset, WI

Saint Croix National is a public golf course in Somerset, Wisconsin, in the St. Croix River valley east of the Twin Cities. Joel Goldstrand designed the course on the site of the former Snowcrest ski hill, and it opened in 1996. The par-72 layout plays 6,909 yards from the back tees over rolling, wooded ground with elevation changes carried over from the ski hill. A 2023 clubhouse expansion added a restaurant, golf simulators and an 18-hole putting course.

Green Lake, WI

The Woodlands Course at the Golf Courses of Lawsonia in Green Lake, Wisconsin, was designed by architect Rocky Roquemore and opened in 1983 as the newer companion to Lawsonia's classic Links Course. The public, par-72 layout plays about 6,586 yards through wooded terrain, contrasting with the open Links Course nearby. It underwent a renovation directed by architect Craig Haltom, reopening around 2021 with rebuilt bunkers and other updates. The Woodlands operates as part of the Green Lake Conference Center's golf facilities.

Lake Geneva, WI

The Highlands Course at Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin opened in 1970, designed by Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye. Bob Cupp redesigned the course in 1996, with further updates by Bob Lohmann in 2006, including changes to holes 9, 12 and 15. The par-71 layout plays to 6,659 yards from the tournament tees with a 71.5 rating and 125 slope. Set on rolling, tree-lined parkland with open sight lines, it operates as public resort golf alongside Grand Geneva's Brute course, about 2.5 miles northeast of Lake Geneva.

Milwaukee, WI

Brown Deer Park Golf Course is a Milwaukee County Parks course on the city's northwest side, despite its name referencing the nearby suburb of Brown Deer. The course was designed in 1929 by George Hansen, who also laid out several other county courses, and its clubhouse opened in 1931. It hosted a PGA Tour event, most recently as the U.S. Bank Championship, from 1994 through 2009, and was the site of Tiger Woods' professional debut in 1996. Golf course architects Andy North and Roger Packard later carried out a partial redesign. The par-71, 18-hole course plays to about 6,759 yards and remains the tournament course of the Milwaukee County Parks system, with a driving range and full clubhouse on site.

Kohler, WI

Meadow Valleys is one of two 18-hole courses at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wisconsin, designed by Pete Dye and opened in 1988 as a public course owned by Kohler Company. The layout occupies glacier-carved terrain along the Sheboygan River Valley, land once used as hunting grounds by Chief Black Wolf and his Winnebago tribe. It measures 7,314 yards from the back tees, with a course rating of 75.3 and a slope of 145. Meadow Valleys is operated through Kohler's Destination Kohler golf resort alongside the River Course and Whistling Straits.

Saukville, WI

The Bog is a golf course in Saukville, Wisconsin, built along the Cedarburg Bog, a state natural area about 25 minutes north of Milwaukee. It was designed by Arnold Palmer with Ed Seay and opened in 1995. The par-72 layout stretches to 7,221 yards from the back tees across 297 acres of woods and wetlands, with 118 bunkers and bentgrass greens built to USGA specifications. Five sets of tees allow for a range of playing lengths. The Bog operates with public tee times, a large practice center with target greens, and a clubhouse used for outings and events.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Fontana, WI

Abbey Springs Golf Course occupies rolling, wooded hills on the south shore of Geneva Lake in Fontana, Wisconsin, with several holes offering views of the lake and surrounding hillsides. The layout was designed by Ken Killian and Dick Nugent and opened in the early 1970s. The routing reflects the penal style common to early-1970s design, with narrow tree-lined corridors that punish wayward tee shots. In 2021 and 2022 Lohmann Quitno Golf Course Architects, led by Todd Quitno, rebuilt many of the greens and bunkers to ease maintenance and add more varied recovery options around the putting surfaces. Abbey Springs functions as a semi-private facility tied to a residential and condominium community, with outside play available alongside member access.

Lake Geneva, WI

The Brute is one of two 18-hole courses at Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, built when the property opened in the late 1960s as the Playboy Club Hotel. It was designed by Robert Bruce Harris and remains largely as he laid it out, with tree-lined fairways and large, often domed greens. From the back tees the course measures roughly 7,000 yards, and most of its par fours run over 400 yards, demanding both power and accuracy through forced carries. The back nine climbs toward the highest point of the property, where wind becomes a factor. The Brute operates as part of a resort golf offering alongside the Highlands course, available to resort guests and the public, with lodging, dining and spa facilities on site.

Last verified 2026-09-17