Wisconsin has earned its position as the state with the most elite public golf courses. Tracks like Whistling Straits, Erin Hills and Sand Valley make almost every nationwide ranking list. These outstanding courses attract many visitors to the Badger State, but what flies under the radar is Wisconsin’s undercurrent of affordable municipal golf.

Washington County Golf Course in Hartford is one of the state’s best municipal courses, but it has plenty of company. Wisconsin’s top munis also include Brown Deer Park Golf Course in Milwaukee (a former PGA Tour host), Brown County Golf Course in Hobart (near Green Bay), Johnson Park Golf Course in Racine, Naga-Waukee War Memorial Golf Course in Pewaukee and Riverside Golf Course in Janesville.

But there is one more unpolished gem in Wisconsin’s muni collection that often gets overlooked—Krueger-Haskell Golf Course in Beloit.

Krueger-Haskell blends a challenging layout with good playing conditions at an affordable price point, and experiencing a round here makes it easy to understand why Beloit’s understated muni is a true diamond in the rough.

Krueger-Haskell Overview

Krueger-Haskell Golf Course was originally built in 1927, starting out as a sporty nine-hole course.

Today’s 18-hole version maxes out at 6,574 yards, but plays much tougher than its modest length indicates. Krueger-Haskell is a stout par-70 that features several tough par fours and four challenging par threes. While there are only two par fives on the scorecard, both are definite birdie opportunities.

The course does not list any architects, but it was named after Butch Krueger and Everett Haskell. Both men have long since passed away, but they played a prominent role in the course’s 99-year history.

Krueger was a longtime PGA Professional at the course, serving from 1936-66. He was a superb golfer who played his way into 12 U.S. Opens. Krueger also won four Wisconsin State Opens and had four Wisconsin PGA Championship titles on his resume.

Meanwhile, Haskell was a Beloit native, a city councilor and local businessman. He was an avid golfer and one of the course’s most vocal supporters.

Krueger-Haskell evolved from its original nine holes with many updates and tweaks over the years. Just four years after opening, the course was expanded to its current 18-hole layout.

The most notable change to the layout came with the addition of four new ponds in 2010-11. These little lakes figure prominently on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 18th holes. The update made an already difficult course play even more challenging.

Next summer marks Krueger-Haskell’s centennial. The city is marking the occasion with additional improvements like replacing the course’s fleet of golf carts and updating its cart paths.

Krueger-Haskell Golf Course

Location: 1611 Hackett St., Beloit, WI, 53511

Par 70/72; Tees: Blue – 6,574/72.4/129; White – 6,142/70.5/126; Silver – 5,802/68.4/122; Red – 5,329/71.5/123; Gold – 4,495/66.7/112

Favorite Holes and Highlights

Krueger-Haskell has a slew of excellent challenges, but its four par threes are the property’s standout holes.

The 14th is my favorite of the bunch. This beautiful long par three plays hard against the north side of the property, with Burton Street serving as out-of-bounds along its left side.

From the elevated tees the hole tips out at 199 yards, playing ridge-to-ridge across a tributary of the Rock River to a green that slopes severely from back-to-front. Large bunkers frame both sides of the putting surface, but the worst miss is long and over the expansive target.

Krueger-Haskell’s 17th is a natural stunner. While the 187-yard test is the flattest of the course’s short holes, it plays up a bluff flanked by wetlands along its left side.

Golfers need to hit a mid-to-long iron shot to a saddle-like green, guarded by a group of pines on the left and bunkers on both sides of the putting surface. A miss left of the trees will likely kick down into the lake.

The 11th is a sleeper, looking deceptively easy from the tee. The 182-yard hole plays short, moving slightly downhill. However, mounding and bunkers protect an elusive target.

The fourth is the longest of Krueger-Haskell’s short holes. This 215-yard brute plays devilishly across a valley to a steeply tilted green.

Getting up-and-down is nearly impossible from behind the putting surface, with everything on the green running away. A miss to the right is also dead with a deep, bulk-headed bunker protecting the front-right corner of the green.

A par on the fourth will be well-earned, but before you take on this thrilling challenge, savor the view from the tee area. The back tees represent the course’s highest point.

The fourth is the last in an excellent stretch of holes that players have to survive at the start of a round.

After a crafty little par four kicks things off, you move to the course’s two toughest par fours.

The second is a beast, with all of the difficulty right out in front of you. This 455-yard par 4 is a beautiful hole, playing arrow straight.

The tee shot plays over a pond to a spacious fairway, but you still need another great shot to reach the undulating green.

A small creek snakes along the right side, with a hazard providing separation from the neighboring third – however, it doesn’t come into serious play on either hole.

Krueger-Haskell’s outstanding third follows, an excellent 429-yard test with no bunkers in play.

The tee shot looks intimidating, but there is plenty of room out ahead of you. Any shot missed left off the tee will likely carom back into the fairway off the hillside, but the hole ramps up the challenge on the approach. The second shot is all carry over a pond fronting an enormous green.

Krueger-Haskell has another excellent stretch of holes making up the meat of the back nine.

After playing the short par four 12th, the 448-yard 13th is another solid challenge. There is plenty of room off the tee, but a stream cuts in from the left in the landing zone.

Players will want to challenge the creek off the tee, which will shorten the approach to a narrow target.

The excellent 14th is then followed by a shorter par 4. The tee shot on the 392-yard 15th looks deceptively narrow, but it’s the approach here that is the challenge. The uphill shot plays to a deep, plateau green that falls off sharply to the right.

Ironically, the 15th at Krueger-Haskell was the most painful hole I’ve ever played. After finding the thick rough on the right side off the tee, I caught a flier wedge that put me over the green and even beyond the back bunker. I hit a good chip from an awful spot, but in the process my wedge dug into a hidden wasps’ nest. Sure enough, the infuriated insects stung me a couple times en route to a hard-earned par.

The 383-yard 16th is another crafty par four, featuring the most imposing dogleg on the course.

Off the tee you can either hit a layup to the corner or challenge the left-side trees and let it all out. The riskier route is worth it if you have a high draw in the bag, as the green is tough to approach with anything more than a short iron.

The green is guarded by a bunker and tree to the right with contours pulling hard right-to-left and back-to-front, making recovery difficult from the high sides of the putting surface.

The sixth through ninth forms another interesting stretch of holes.

The sixth plays as a short par five, which is followed by a short par four. The front nine then concludes with two challenging par fours.

The 504-yard sixth hole climbs gently uphill, but is reachable in two shots. This is a birdie or even an eagle opportunity if you can get your drive in play. Trees and deep rough punish any mishit tee shots, and can make this easy hole play much tougher.

The 7th is a drivable par 4, but the hole plays very narrow. The 315-yard thriller moves slightly uphill before arriving at a round green protected by trees and a menacing front right bunker.

The eighth mirrors the sixth, hugging its inside lane. Clocking in at 395 yards, this is an exacting par four moving uphill, guarded on the low side by a small trap.

The front side concludes with the longest par four on the course. However, the 459-yard hole doesn’t have any bunkers and plays gently downhill. The large green is welcoming to long approaches, but falls off severely beyond its back edges.

Weak Links

Overall, Krueger-Haskell Golf Course packs a good punch throughout the round. The course strikes a good balance with its most challenging holes often followed by a chance to catch your breath.

Unfortunately, the course’s weakest design is the 385-yard finisher. The 18th is a middling par 4 that forces a long hitter to layup off the tee. Playing on flattish terrain, there isn’t much to the closing hole beyond traversing over the crossing pond. One lone bunker flanks the right side of the putting surface.

The first and 10th holes are classic fillers, merely taking you out from the clubhouse to more exciting terrain. The opener is a fun drive-and-pitch hole playing 341 yards, while the 511-yard 10th hole is a short par five.

The first hole can sneak up and bite you with its small green surrounded by all sorts of trouble.

The only trouble to avoid on the straightaway 10th is out-of-bounds bordering the entire left side.

While the first and 10th holes are a little mundane, they serve their purpose of setting up the best sections of the course.

Final Thoughts

If you haven’t visited Beloit recently, things have changed significantly – and for the better. Thanks to significant investment in the downtown area, the “Gateway to Wisconsin” is in the midst of a remarkable turnaround.

At present, Beloit is a beautiful college community that is home to the Single-A baseball club Beloit Sky Carp, while ABC Supply Stadium highlights the changeover to the downtown area that features great restaurants and entertainment.

The Beloit/Janesville corridor is also one of my favorite regions in Wisconsin for golf, with Krueger-Haskell being just one of several great courses in this area. The Beloit Club is an excellent private track, recently updated by architect Craig Haltom of Sand Valley and The Club at Lac La Belle notoriety.

Meanwhile, a short drive to the north is Janesville, Wisconsin’s “City of Parks” that’s home to public gems Glen Erin Golf Club and Riverside Golf Course as well as private Janesville Country Club—all excellent courses.

While all of these layouts carry more notoriety, don’t sleep on a round at Krueger-Haskell – this hidden gem will test your game for all 18 holes. That is all you can ask for when you discover the challenge of Beloit’s beloved muni.

Krueger-Haskell Golf Course website