Wisconsin
Wisconsin September 18th – 23rd.
Having been invited on this trip by Golf Tourism Network it was great to spend a couple of days before the event in Chicago acclimatising to the time difference ready for a busy few days exploring the golfing opportunities in Wisconsin.
18th September 2022
On the 18th September we transferred from Chicago to Milwaukee to pick up more Golf Business people then on to a visit to Central Waters Brewery which you have to do in Wisconsin as it is famous for its Breweries, the American Football team is known as the Brewers.
After a good taste of the local beer it was off to Sentry World which is situated in ???
Travel time from Chicago to Milwaukee is approximately 90 minutes and then approximately 2 hours to Sentry World. Travel time seems long for what we are used to in the UK however everywhere is easy to get to.
Sentry World is owned by the Insurance company Sentry and it really is all about the experience here. Last year there was a remodelling of the course as well as a hotel built on site, The Inn at Sentry World. This is a high class establishment, excellent rooms and spacious seating areas. The clubhouse is an extremely large building comprising seminar area, locker rooms, restaurant, paddle and tennis courts, pro shop and a large restaurant. There is a superb fire pit area as well to sit and enjoy the evenings. A lovely high class restaurant is 3 minutes away on the resort called Muse. Excellent food and it is the first and maybe last time I actually eat a meal whilst sat underneath an original Picasso.
The golf course is very good indeed with some superb holes which brings in to play lots of water and lots of LONG shots over water I might add. The practice facilities are also extremely well presented.
This is a no expense spared golf course where as said previously the emphasis is more on client experience than profit (helps if you have the backing of a major company that also sponsors a PGA event). The course works to 20 minute tee times so you really are playing ‘millionaires golf.
The premier hole is the 16th hole, a par 3 known as the flower hole. There are 35,000 flowers planted on this hole each year.
The course is being used for the US Seniors Open next June.
September 19th 2022
Today was all about meeting the suppliers within the area. There are excellent options within Wisconsin, firstly there are 10 of the top 100 golf courses in America in the State of Wisconsin. More than any other State in the US. There are also some really good resorts to stay on and use as your base, Sentry World being one of them, Sand Valley is another excellent property with three golf courses and Wild Rock Resort with two golf courses and lots of fun activities for the family.
Meeting with the suppliers is always very fruitful and helps to get a feel for the area and opportunities for the golf traveller. Wisconsin is certainly more than a golf destination, it really does fit the Dream Golf Holidays Mantra of Golf, Culture, Cuisine.
September 20th 2022
Today was the golf tournament played over the Sentry World Course. 4 man team, 2 scores to count, all nice and relaxed.
We woke up to a lightning storm at 05:00 which deposited 1.5” of rain on the course so we had an hours delay. How quickly the course recovered, it was completely playable.
A good day was had on the course, a really challenging course and it will be interesting to see how the Senior Pros get on with it next year.
When you play Sentry World all refreshments whilst out on the course are included in the green fee. Well I was quite amazed as you pass amazing food stores probably 5 times during the round and you really can get anything you want.
The fridges are stocked with beer of any kind, spirits and liquor and food to crave for. Chocolate bars, frozen chocolate bars, sweets of various kinds, crisps, burgers the list goes on and on. My favourite and certainly a new thing for me was ‘Walking Taco’s’. Here’s how it works as we we talked through the process. Get your bag of nachos which is a long flat bag and scrunch up the nachos, then on the counter there was hot pulled pork, grated cheese, diced tomatoes, onions and sour cream! But don’t put your meat in first e were told as that is the heaviest and will sink to the bottom of the nachos. So everything else first, shake it all up and add your pulled pork…. And away you go with your Walking Taco’s.
So Sentry World gets a massive thumbs up from me. Extremely impressive, top class service and all round a resort to get yourself there and play.
From Sentry World it was a quick visit to Wild Rock Resort which covers I believe 600 acres. Though the main course on site wasn’t played it looked a fun course to play with lots of different undulating holes and extremely difficult par 3s, and if you like deer then these are every where!
Onwards to Milwaukee then for the base for the next few days.
September 21st 2022
Early start and off to Erin Hills, if you have ever played golf in Ireland then you will feel you have been transported back. The course looks like one of the great Irish courses, the amazing cottages around the property are named after some of the great Irish courses, Ballybunion, Lahinch to name a couple. The bar is traditionally Irish and lastly the emblem of Erin Hills is a Shamrock. Welcome to a piece of Ireland in Wisconsin.
Didn’t get to play the course but it did look amazing. There is a great emphasis on fun and enjoyment at courses in America, you have to remember this is a Public course not a Members course so accessible to all even though it has hosted such prestigious events..
There seems to be a modern move on these courses to have a really large putting green with amazing undulations, the par 3 course at Erin Hills is called the Drumlin. It’s fun to play, not only that in the evening it is floodlit with music playing and guys and gals drinking beer. Not that it is a problem but you wouldn’t get this relaxed attitude at say Royal Birkdale. It is just the different culture in America.
The afternoon was spent playing Lac La Belle Golf Course. A really enjoyable, undulating golf course with amazing green complexes. The course had a links/heathland feel, it was a fair course but difficult at the same time. An excellent clubhouse and practice area provides a really polished golf course.
September 22nd
Destination Kohler resort completed the courses/resorts Dream Golf Holidays visited. Destination Kohler was pretty mind blowing to be fair. The size of the whole Kohler machine is amazing. The different accommodation covers a big portion of the golfing market. Nothing low key, but just different levels of excellence.
The Inn on Woodlake is the entry level property, a more communal setting with large breakfast areas that is totally geared to the golfing experience.
Guests of Inn on Woodlake enjoy an 11-acre lake, its own private beach, an island, a walk around two lobes of the lake, a variety of water activities, and a putting green. There is a shuttle service throughout Destination Kohler that can take you wherever you wish to go within the resort.
The American Club, converted from a building used at the start of Kohler for the immigrant workers who came to work in the Kohler Village. This is a 5* 5 Diamond property and is part of the Historic Hotels of America Collection.
This is a very upmarket property which oozed history and culture.
A further property was one of the Kohler families old houses, converted into a 5* 5 diamond property. This is an opulent property, totally high end in a wonderful setting by the river.
The four courses on the Kohler resort are extremely special to. Meadow Valley and The River are two of the courses, Originally when there was just one course there it was known as Blackwolf Run which many people may remember.
The other two courses, about 15 minutes away on the shore of the lake are The Irish and Whistling Straits.
The Irish, you see very little of the lake but you see a lot of the dunes for sure, a really nice course. Whistling Straits, well just wow, this was a piece of flat land when Kohler purchased it. Now it is an amazing undulation golf course worthy of any tournament and definitely worthy of playing by any discerning golfer.
And to cap it all off at Destination Kohler there is so much golfing heritage that you feel in awe of being in the same place. A pretty cool locker room is to be seen!
So Wisconsin, most definitely worth the trip. You will play amazing golf courses, stay in exceptional properties, be treated to 5* service wherever you go and feel the full force of the friendliness of the Wisconsinites.
A destination to visit for sure.
