Best Golf Courses In Wisconsin: Everything You Need to Know

Wisconsin is one of those rare states (along with Oregon) where the public golf truly outshines the private golf courses.

That’s not to say there aren’t some great private courses in Wisconsin, but the quality of public and resort golf in the State is nearly unparalleled across the country.

From Kohler, to Sand Valley, to Lawsonia, and Erin Hills – there are so many good options for the public golfer.

That said, where should you be trying to play on a golf trip to Wisconsin? 

This post will tell you everything you need to know.

The Best Golf Courses in Wisconsin

As we’ve done with our other Best in State rankings, we’ve done our best to combine the rankings for best Wisconsin golf courses from the other major publications into one aggregate, more definitive list.

These rankings are averages of the Best in State Rankings from Golf Digest, Top 100 Golf, Golf Magazine, and Golfweek. We listed the nearest major city to make planning easier.

To be included there needed to be a minimum of two inclusions in one of the publications listed above. Make sure you read the whole post, as there are some very good courses that didn’t get included by this methodology. I’ll discuss some of them below

1. Whistling Straits (Straits), Haven
2. Milwaukee C.C., River Hills
3. Sand Valley (Sand Valley), Nekoosa
4. Erin Hills G.C., Hartford
5. Sand Valley (Mammoth Dunes), Nekoosa
6. The G. Courses at Lawsonia (Links), Green Lake
7. Blackwolf Run (River), Kohler
8. Blue Mound G. & C.C., Wauwatosa
9. Whistling Straits (Irish), Haven
10. Sentryworld G.C., Stevens Point
11. Blackwolf Run (Meadow Valleys), Kohler
12. Oneida, Green Bay
13. Troy Burne G.C., Hudson
14. West Bend, West Bend
15. University Ridge G.C., Madison
16. The Bull at Pinehurst Farms, Sheboygan Falls
17. Pine Hills C.C., Sheboygan
18. Minocqua, Minocqua
19. Wild Rock at Wilderness, Wisconsin Dells
20. Geneva National (Arnold Palmer), Lake Geneva
21. Geneva National (Gary Player), Lake Geneva

Golf Digest Best in State: Wisconsin

1. Whistling Straits (Straits), Haven
2. Erin Hills G.C., Hartford
3. Milwaukee C.C., River Hills
4. Blackwolf Run (River), Kohler
5. Sand Valley (Sand Valley), Nekoosa
6. Sand Valley (Mammoth Dunes), Nekoosa
7. Whistling Straits (Irish), Haven
8. Sentryworld G.C., Stevens Point
9. Blue Mound G. & C.C., Wauwatosa
10. The G. Courses at Lawsonia (Links), Green Lake
11. Blackwolf Run (Meadow Valleys), Kohler
12. The Bull at Pinehurst Farms, Sheboygan Falls
13. Pine Hills C.C., Sheboygan
14. Troy Burne G.C., Hudson
15. University Ridge G.C., Madison

Top 100 Golf Courses – Wisconsin

1. Whistling Straits (Straits), Haven
2. Milwaukee C.C., River Hills
3. Sand Valley (Sand Valley), Nekoosa
4. The G. Courses at Lawsonia (Links), Green Lake
5. Erin Hills G.C., Hartford
6. Sand Valley (Mammoth Dunes), Nekoosa
7. Blue Mound G. & C.C., Wauwatosa
8. Blackwolf Run (River), Kohler
9. Whistling Straits (Irish), Haven
10. Sentryworld G.C., Stevens Point
11. Troy Burne G.C., Hudson
12. Blackwolf Run (Meadow Valleys), Kohler
13. Pine Hills C.C., Sheboygan
14. University Ridge G.C., Madison
15. West Bend, West Bend
16. Grand Geneva (Brute), Lake Geneva
17. The Bull at Pinehurst Farms, Sheboygan Falls
18. Green Bay, Green bay
19. Oneida, Green Bay
20. Wild Rock at Wilderness, Wisconsin Dells
21. Strawberry Creek, Kenosha
22. Minocqua, Minocqua
23. North Hills, Menomonee Falls
24. Horseshoe Bay, Egg Harbor
25. Ozaukee, Mequon
26. Geneva National (Arnold Plamer), Lake Geneva
27. The Bog, Saukville
28. Lac La Belle, Oconomowoc
29. Lawsonia (Woodlands), Green Lake
30. Westmoor, Brookfield
31. LaCrosse, Onalaska
32. Hawks View (Como Crossings), Lake Geneva
33. Geneva National (Gary Player), Lake Geneva
34. Kenosha, Kenosha
35. Big Fish, Hayward
36. Tuckaway, Franklin
37. Bishops Bay, Middleton
38. Trappers Turn (Lake & Canyon), Wisconsin Dells
39. Eagle Springs Golf Resort, Eagle
40. House On The Rock (Springs), Spring Green

Golf Magazine – Best in Wisconsin

1. Whistling Straits (Straits), Haven
2. Milwaukee C.C., River Hills
3. The G. Courses at Lawsonia (Links), Green Lake
4. Sand Valley (Sand Valley), Nekoosa
5. Sand Valley (Mammoth Dunes), Nekoosa
6. Erin Hills G.C., Hartford
7. Blackwolf Run (River), Kohler
8. Blue Mound G. & C.C., Wauwatosa
9. West Bend, West Bend
10. The Bull at Pinehurst Farms, Sheboygan Falls

Best Public Golf Courses in Wisconsin – Golfweek

1. Whistling Straits (Straits), Haven
2. Sand Valley (Mammoth Dunes), Nekoosa
3. Sand Valley (Sand Valley), Nekoosa
4. The G. Courses at Lawsonia (Links), Green Lake
5. Erin Hills G.C., Hartford
6. Blackwolf Run (River), Kohler
7. Whistling Straits (Irish), Haven
8. University Ridge G.C., Madison
9. Sentryworld G.C., Stevens Point
10. Blackwolf Run (Meadow Valleys), Kohler
11. Troy Burne G.C., Hudson
12. Wild Rock at Wilderness, Wisconsin Dells
13. The Bull at Pinehurst Farms, Sheboygan Falls
14. Geneva National (Gary Player), Lake Geneva
15. Geneva National (Arnold Palmer), Lake Geneva

Best Private Golf Courses in Wisconsin – Golfweek

1. Milwaukee C.C., River Hills
2. Blue Mound G. & C.C., Wauwatosa
3. Oneida, Green Bay
4. Minocqua, Minocqua
5. North Shore, Menasha

Are There Any Top 100 Golf Courses in Wisconsin?

Yep, it doesn’t matter which major list you’re going to go off, there are courses in Wisconsin that will be on the top 100 public, US, and world lists.

Golf Magazine Top 100 World

• #82 – Whistling Straits (Straits Course)

Golf Magazine Top 100 America

• #54 – Whistling Straits (Straits Course)
• #75 – Milwaukee Country Club
• #79 – Lawsonia (Links)
• #98 – Sand Valley (Sand Valley)

Golf Magazine Top 100 Public

• #11 – Whistling Straits (Straits)
• #23 – Lawsonia (Links)
• #25 – Sand Valley (Sand Valley)
• #29 – Sand Valley (Mammoth Dunes)
• #31 – Erin Hills
• #38 – Blackwolf Run (River)

Golf Digest Top 100 America

• #23 – Whistling Straits (Straits)
• #46 – Erin Hills
• #70 – Milwaukee Country Club
• #95 – Blackwolf Run (River)

Golf Digest Top 100 Public

• #3 – Whistling Straits (Straits)
• #9 – Erin Hills
• #16 – Blackwolf Run (River)
• #18 – Sand Valley (Sand Valley)
• #29 – Sand Valley (Mammoth Dunes)
• #47 – Whistling Straits (Irish)
• #50 – SentryWorld
• #68 – Lawsonia (Links)
• #74 – Blackwolf Run (Meadow Valleys)
• #91 – The Bull at Pinehurst Farms

Yes, a full 10% of Golf Digest’s top 100 public courses are in Wisconsin. 

How does Whistling Straits compare to it’s two biggest competitors on this list, Pacific Dunes, and Pebble Beach?

Suggested Wisconsin Golf Itineraries

The Kohler Swing

The most well-known golf resort in Wisconsin is Destination Kohler, which features 4 courses in total.

Two courses at Whistling Straits (Straits and Irish) and two courses about 15 minutes away at Blackwolf Run (River and Meadow Valleys).

Both the Straits and River have some big tournament history, and what’s so cool about having both of these clubs at one resort is that you get two wildly different golf experiences all in one trip.

I personally prefer the River Course to the Straits, but they’re absolutely both worth playing.

As are the secondary courses at each club, the Meadow Valleys at Blackwolf Run and Irish Course at Whistling Straits.

Bonus Courses on a Kohler Trip

Chances are if you’re doing Kohler you’re going as part of a stay-and-play and staying at one of the hotels on property.

But there are a couple other fantastic courses you can play if you want to mix it up a bit.

The easiest is The Bull at Pinehurst Farms. It’s literally across the street from Blackwolf Run, and is a great (and challenging) Nicklaus course. It popped back into the top 100 public courses on Golf Digest’s most recent list.

The other more well-known course to play would be Erin Hills, host of the 2017 US Open. It’s about 1:15 minutes from Kohler, but it’s back South and a bit closer to Milwaukee if you’re flying out of there.

Sand Valley Trip

Sand Valley is more of a hike to get to from the Milwaukee airport, but by all accounts is worth the trip. Bandon Dunes showed us that people are willing to drive to very remote places in order to play good golf, and Sand Valley is a testament to that.

If you’re there both the Sand Valley and Mammoth Dunes Courses are obviously worth playing (probably multiple times).

Opening in 2023 is the 3rd course at Sand Valley, Gil Hanse’s homage to the CB Macdonald’s Lido Course. This will be a private club, and it’s unclear if there will be any resort play.

Bonus Courses on a Sand Valley Trip

Depending on your travel route and timing, there are some other options for golfing on your way to Sand Valley.

The obvious one would be to hit the Links Course at Lawsonia.

It’s about 2:45 to Sand Valley from Milwaukee, and about halfway into the drive you’ll find the classic Lawsonia layout, which has gotten very high praise from Golf Magazine as of late.

If you really want to get after it, you can head about 45 minutes North of Sand Valley and hit SentryWorld and take in its famous 16th “Flower Hole.”

Wisconsin Privates

As I said earlier, Wisconsin isn’t necessarily super well known for its private courses, but there are a number of them that are very good.

The ones I’d try and hit are:

• Milwaukee Country Club – A Colt and Allison Gem that is widely regarded as one of the best courses in the country.
• Blue Mound Golf and Country Club – A old-school Seth Raynor-designed course that has done some great restoration efforts recently.
• Pine Hills Country Club – Multiple Eighty Club members have told me this might be the most underrated courses they’ve ever played. It’s located closer to Kohler, north of Milwaukee in Kohler.

The Epic Wisconsin and Michigan Road Trip

Way back in 2013, about a year after I started Breaking Eighty, I decided I was going to take my first-ever proper golf trip. I spent two weeks hitting all of the top 100 public courses of the time in both Wisconsin and Michigan.

A lot of people who aren’t from the area don’t realize that Milwaukee is only an hour-ish away from Chicago – which opens up a whole slew of other golf options.

You can play solid public courses like Cog Hill #4, or a huge number of privates, like Medinah for instance.

It’s a hike to get up into Northern Michigan, but it’s one of the most beautiful spots for golf I’ve ever been to. Alternatively, you can hop on a Lake Michigan ferry for a different kind of adventure.

For anyone interested, on that trip my itinerary was:

• The Bull at Pinehurst Farms
• Blackwolf Run Meadow Valleys
• Blackwolf Run River
• Whistling Straits (Straits)
• Whistling Straits (Irish)
• Erin Hills
• Medinah #3
• Arcadia Bluffs (Bluffs)
• Bay Harbor (Links and Quarry)
• The Bear at Grand Traverse
• The Heather at Boyne Highlands
• Threetops
• Forest Dunes
• Oakland Hills (South)

Then I flew to San Francisco to play the Lake Course at the Olympic Club. 

Not bad for my first proper golf trip ever.

All that to say, my point in saying this, is if you’re willing to travel a bit, there are a lot of great options close to Wisconsin.

Other Best-in-State Recaps

• Best Golf Courses in Arizona
• Best Golf Courses in California
• Best Golf Courses in Connecticut
• Best Golf Courses in Colorado
• Best Golf Courses in Georgia
• Best Golf Courses in Massachussets
• Best Golf Courses in New York
• Best Golf Courses in North Carolina
• Best Golf Courses in Oregon

All of our Best-in-State lists.

Have You Golfed in Wisconsin?

Have you golfed in Wisconsin? What courses would you recommend playing (or skipping) drop a comment below and let us know!