Golf Digest recently released their new rankings for the country’s best public courses, and Wisconsin rolled! Some highlights include:
Wisconsin courses highlighted:
- The Straits course at Whistling Straits up to #2, just behind Pebble Beach
- Erin Hills debuted in the annual rankings at #10, nestled between TPC Sawgrass and Spyglass Hill
- The River course at Blackwolf Run up to #14
- The Irish course at Whistling Straits down to #39
- The Meadow Valleys course at Blackwolf Run fell to #62
- The Bull at Pinehurst Farms moved up eleven spots to #77
Other rankings of interest include:
- Arcadia Bluffs (Arcadia, MI) moved up to #13 – I will find a way to play it in 2013!
- The site of this weekend’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions, Kapalua’s Plantation Course (Kapalua, HI) #19, one spot ahead of the Quarry at Giant’s Ridge (Bibawik, MN) – another course I am hoping to play in 2013
- My beloved Chambers Bay (University Place, WA) stayed at #25
- Pronghorn (Bend, OR), which I am hoping to play in September, dropped to #28
- Torrey Pines South Course (La Jolla, CA), host of the Farmers Insurance Open, up to #38
- The Wilderness at Fortune Bay (Tower, MN), one of the most magnificent courses I have ever played, fell to #59
- Ghost Creek at Pumpkin Ridge (North Plains, OR), which I am also hoping to play in September, moved up to #63
- Cog Hill #4 Dubsdread (Lemont, IL) dropped to #64
- The Links/Quarry duo at Bay Harbor (Bay Harbor, MI) moved up to #65 – another destination I am hoping to put a trip together for this upcoming season
- World Woods (Brooksville, FL), a course I am hoping to play on vacation in March, fell to #76
- Caledonia Golf & Fish Club (Pawley’s Island, SC), which I am hoping to play during this year’s Myrtle Beach trip, found its way back on to the list at #97
- TPC of Myrtle Beach, which I am also hoping to play during the above trip, debuted on the list at #98
The article:
http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-courses/2013-02/100-greatest-public-courses?currentPage=1
I still prefer GolfWeek’s rankings, but this is some good stuff!
Thanks for the suggestions! Wild Rock does look interesting based on their website so hopefully I can get up there this summer.
I've been meaning to check out Pine Meadow, too – definitely this season.
The Michigan trip is exactly what I'm hoping to do, too. For your Wisconsin trip, that's a great itinerary, but if you can get one more day out of the trip I suggest checking out Wild Rock in the Dells (45 minutes past Madison), and while heading home hit up the Oaks off of I-94 in Madison.
You'll have a great trip either way, but Wild Rock is really unique. I bring a group of 16-20 there the last couple of years and almost everyone new says it's the best course they've ever played.
Paul,
Thunderhawk happens to be my home course and it's truely a great place to play golf. You'd also like Pine Meadow which isn't that much further south in Lake County.
My hope is to do one trip to Michigan and one to Wisconsin this year. In Michigan, I'm thinking of playing Tullymore/St. Ives and then up to Forest Dunes and Arcadia Bluffs. If I had to cut it short and pick one it would clearly be Arcadia.
For the Wisconsin trip, I'd like to make a loop from where I live, up towards Milwaukee, over the Madison and back. So I was thinking of playing at Morningstar Golfers Club, University Ridge and Hawks Landing. Any alternate suggestions?
Hi Smitty, thank you for the kind words I really appreciate it!
I have only played two courses in Lake County so far, but I love them both, especially ThunderHawk which I tell everyone I talk to about.
I couldn't agree more about the rankings – I am already checking on an almost daily basis on GolfWeek to see if the 2013 rankings have been posted. They typically post around February-March, so we shouldn't have too much longer to wait.
What courses do you have on your 2013 to-play list, other than Arcadia Bluffs, aka “Whistling Straits East?”
Thanks again!
-Paul
Paul, you've got a great site here! I live in Lake County IL and stumbled on your blog earlier in 2012. As I've been putting together my courses to play list, your site has been very helpful when it comes to what courses in Wisconsin to have on the list. For a golf addict, having the major publications update their Top 100 lists is like Christmas morning. The one that stood out to me was Arcadia Bluffs, which I was already planning on getting to sometime in 2013 and being at #13 now has me even more excited. Looking forward to more posts as we get nearer to spring!