Wisconsin has more than 60 golf resorts, over 500 courses and have hosted some of the game’s biggest tournaments like the PGA Championship (2004, 2010 and 2015) and the US Open. The state will welcome back top pros in 2020 for the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. These events have raised the profile of golf in Wisconsin internationally.
These three golf courses located in Central Wisconsin and within a two-hour drive make a perfect golf getaway:
Sand Valley Golf Resort in Nekoosa is Wisconsin’s newest golf resort, located on over 1,700 acres of sand dunes in Central Wisconsin. It was featured in New York Times article and was named the “Best New Course of 2017” by Golf Digest.
– The resort has three golf courses that pay homage to the famous courses in London.
– The Sand Valley course opened last year and offers very different scenery from the hilly front nine holes to the valleys in the back nine.
– The Mammoth Dunes course will open this spring. The course will go through sand dunes formed by a prehistoric glacier, giving the course its name.
– The Sandbox is a 17-hole short course that will be ready for play on May 1.
– The resort also includes three lodging options.
– Nearby Castle Rock and Petenwell Lakes offer excellent fishing and boating opportunities and Ho-Chunk Gaming location in Nekoosa is just 30 minutes away.
University Ridge in Madison home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Men’s and Women’s Golf Teams, but anyone can play there.
– University Ridge gets its name from the landscape features left by the last retreating glacier. The natural ridge it sits on provides overlooks to the City of Madison.
– The course changes drastically while you play, from prairie and marshland, to holes that are cut out of a dense woodland.
– Fun Fact: The Ice Age Trail also runs through a portion of the golf course. And the course is open to cross-country skiing in the winter.
The American Family Championship, part of the PGA TOUR Champions Tour, has been held there the past two years and will again take place this summer (June 18-24).
– Just 10 minutes away, Wisconsin Brewing Company offers a wide selection of craft beer and offers live music in its beautiful outdoor setting.
Wild Rock Golf Club in Wisconsin Dells was designed by the same duo who created Erin Hills.
– It was rated the #1 Golf Course in Wisconsin for two years in a row (2016 and 2017) by Golf Advisor.
– The course was chiseled around and through a former quarry (one of the few quarry courses in the U.S.), creating extreme elevation changes that give it a desert-like feel.
– Golfers will also play through a woodland area, sandstone formations and former farmland that still holds its red barn.
– The course has two on-site dining options, and two Class A PGA professionals on staff.
– Wild Rock is located at Wilderness Resort and golf and stay packages are available throughout the summer.
Check out much more on travelwisconsin.com.
