Sometimes all a golf course needs is a personal touch—a patron truly invested in its success because it means that much to them.

For Racine Country Club (RCC), that guiding hand is Scott Molitor, who carried golf bags around the course while in 7th and 8th grade. He later became a club member and an entrepreneur who founded the Infosoft Group, Inc., a web-based company located in Milwaukee.

Molitor purchased RCC in 2023 with the goal of taking the former member-owned club in a new direction. Molitor brought a broad vision to invest in course improvements while improving the overall club atmosphere.

The changeover at Racine’s flagship club has truly been dramatic—from the moment you step on the grounds you can feel the difference.

RCC’s refreshed pro shop is bright and airy, while its second-to-none pool complex hums with activity on any hot summer day. The club used to lie dormant in the winter months—but even that has changed with a new golf simulator area, making the club a popular destination for indoor play and practice.

The course itself is both beautiful and challenging. Since taking over, Molitor spearheaded improved conditioning, opened up vistas, added a new practice area and built new family-friendly forward tee boxes.

What hasn’t changed is that Racine Country Club features a great track set on engaging land along a large bend in the Root River. While the current layout looks a lot different than the course that greeted players in 1909, it stands the test of time as a place its members love to play.

Racine Country Club Overview

RCC’s original nine-hole course was laid out in 1909 by Tom Bendelow, one of America’s first great architects. Bendelow would later design the original three courses at the Medinah Country Club in the Chicago area (home to this year’s Presidents Cup), and five of the current holes (1, 2, 3, 9 and 17) trace their roots back to those original Bendelow plans.

Talented golf professional Todd Sloan added nine more holes in 1926, giving Racine Country Club a century of history as a regulation 18-hole layout. Sloan’s fingerprints can be seen on most of the current holes, though the routing was a little different.

A fine player in his own right, Sloan went on to later design nine holes at RCC’s next door neighbor Meadowbrook Country Club, and all 18 holes at Racine’s outstanding muni Johnson Park Golf Course. Sloan also worked with Bendelow on the original 18 holes at The Evans at Canal Shores, one of the Chicago area’s most enjoyable parkland layouts.

Fast forward to 1977-78, when Larry and Roger Packard (along with Bob Lohmann) made significant changes to the entire layout. The stretch of holes 7 through 12 took their current shape during this update, and three ponds were added to the layout. The Packards also placed additional bunkers throughout, modernizing and toughening the course.

In 2005 architect Mark Mungeum renovated all of the bunkers, marking the last official course design work done at Racine Country Club.

Since taking over, Molitor directed some recent touch-ups, including the addition of an extensive new practice area. RCC’s current layout stands as a 6,656-yard, par 72 test. It plays as a course that will challenge a low handicapper, with several tough spots like the 2nd, 7th, 11th, 14th and 16th holes.

However, RCC’s hardest holes are balanced with chances to score. Three of the club’s four par 5s (holes 1, 9 and 15) play less than 525 yards, and there are a few short par 4s that offer great birdie opportunities.

While Racine Country Club still plays tight, some recent tree removal means that players can take their chances with hitting heroic recovery shots rather than being forced to pitch back to the fairway. This makes the playing experience much more enjoyable.

Racine Country Club

Location: 2801 Northwestern Ave, Racine, WI 53404

Architects: Mark Mungeam (2005); Larry Packard, Roger Packard and Bob Lohmann (1977); Todd Sloan (1926); Tom Bendelow (1909)

Course Details: Par 72; Tees: Blue – 6,656/73.2/133; White – 6,332/71.7/130; Gold – 5,702/68.8/125; Red – 5,205/72.2/125; White Short – 3,816; Yellow Short 2,136.

Favorite Holes and Highlights

Racine Country Club has its fair share of great holes spread throughout its historic layout, and there are a few from each design era that stand out.

My favorite hole on site is the 15th, a rollicking short par 5, where 3s, 4s, and 6s are all common scores. It stretches back to just 485 yards, but the tee shot plays gently uphill with a bunker cut into the corner of the dogleg left.

If a player finds the short grass, they have a chance to go for the green in two shots. However, this shot is no easy task, as it plays significantly downhill over a ridge. The problems grow by the green as a blind pond fronts the small, sloping putting surface.

While it’s a risky shot to go for the green, the layup options aren’t any picnic either. You can either try to lay back to the top of the ridge, leaving a tricky short iron approach, or play over the fescue ridge to the left. This sets up an easier pitch from a great angle.

The first hole is an even shorter par 5 than the 15th, offering a chance to get a round off to a fast start. Clocking in at only 473 yards, it dates back to Bendelow’s original plans and looks stunning from tee-to-green.

Starting at the course’s highest point just a few steps from the clubhouse and pro shop, the opening tee box features an incredible view of the valley holes below. The fairway looks narrow from the tee with deep bunkers guarding both sides, but there is room to swing away and find the short grass.

Any ball in the fairway sets up a chance to get home in two on this short par 5. But the green is small, with trouble lurking on both sides.

Running parallel to the 1st is the 18th, the course’s lone par 5 that tops 550 yards. The closer is a beautiful hole that traces along flat ground en route to its stunning finale.

The green complex is what sells this as a special spot. The putting surface sits dramatically under an amphitheater, with the clubhouse spanning a ridge high above the target.

From anywhere around the clubhouse or on the cart path along the top of the ridge, you have an incredible view of the closer. The 18th green is protected by a pair of deep bunkers short and right of the target.

Beyond the 18th you can see the 9th green in the distance, tucked into a secluded corner of the property. This is the end point of a superb short par 5 that plays as almost a 90-degree dogleg right.

From the tee there are two options on the 524-yard dogleg. A power player could try to cut the corner, needing a huge carry over the Root River to set up a good chance to get home in two.

The other option is to lay up left of the river. While a player can still get home in two from this position, they’ll need a great fairway wood or hybrid shot. Otherwise, the smart play is to lay up, then pitch the third shot into a tiny, well-guarded green that slopes steeply from back to front.

While birdies are plentiful on the first hole, the screws turn hard on the 2nd, which plays as a dramatic mid-length par 4. From a high tee, the 388-yard hole requires a long carry over the Root River.

If you can get a ball on dry land, the 2nd becomes a birdie opportunity. The green is spacious, but is well-guarded by deep bunkers on both sides of the putting surface.

While the 2nd plays tough, the toughest challenge on RCC’s front nine is the 7th.

This 422-yard par 4 is the first of the newer Packard valley holes, which play inside a bend in the Root River. This long par 4 is a beautiful dogleg left that traces along the bottom of a ridge.

A large pond guards the corner of the dogleg and also cuts in left of the green. Two bunkers guard the front of the target, but rather than punish, they can save a poorly hit shot from finding the water left of the putting surface.

Moving parallel to the 7th is RCC’s toughest hole, the long par 4 11th.

At a stout 444 yards, this is classic Packard design, complete with two options for the tee shot. The safe play is to stay to the left, where there is about 280 yards of runway before the fairway ends at a pond. This leaves a mid-to-long iron to reach a well-defended, spacious green.

Another option for a big hitter is to play over the inside corner of the dogleg right, carrying bunkers and trees to find more fairway away from the initial pond. There is another small lake to contend with on this side, but if you can find the flat landing pad, you’re playing from the garden spot for your approach.

All that’s left from here is a short second shot into a green guarded by a pond short-right and bunkers on both sides.

The 5th is another terrific risk/reward hole, but is also one that can bite back.

This Sloan-era hole plays 359 yards moving downhill. For a power player, the 5th is potentially a drivable par 4, especially when the tees are moved up. A pond and creek system snakes along the left side, protecting both the landing area and the green.

For the smart player, the 5th isn’t a tough par. A straight 200-yard shot plays to a wide fairway, leaving only mid-to-short iron into a gentle green.

There is also an option to challenge the hole beyond the 200-yard mark, but it’s a risky play as the fairway pinches in. The corridor gets very tight between the water and trees guarding the right side.

The 6th then ascends another ridge, before the routing returns to the valley for the 7th.

The 311-yard 6th is a juicy little hole. This straightaway short par 4 is drivable for a long hitter and there isn’t much trouble in play short of the green site. Two front bunkers protect the target, but it is the putting surface here that is the star.

The 6th features RCC’s most undulating green, featuring all sorts of humps and swales. This is a good chance for a birdie or even eagle, but it’s also easy to walk off the 6th green scratching your head.

On the opposite side of the spectrum is the 433-yard 14th, RCC’s toughest challenge.

This long par 4 plays straightaway across a ravine, before climbing back uphill. With a short drive, the second shot is blind, but the green is open and receptive to any shot chased onto the putting surface.

What I love about the 14th is its width. It’s a big par 4, but the fairway is open and generous. While fairway bunkers guard both sides of the fairway, there is plenty of space to take a big swing from the tee.

Weak Links

Racine Country Club is one of those unique courses that’s more than the sum of its parts.

Many architects left their fingerprints on the layout, so there are some contrasts in design styles as you play the course. This is noticeable as you trek downward from the 6th green to the 7th and as you climb from the 12th green up to the 13th tee. However, RCC melds the varying styles together quite well, with thoughtful integration of diverse design elements.

Where RCC offers potential for improvement is in its overall length. The blue tees pack a solid 133-slope rating, but lack the back tee distance of some of today’s modern championship layouts. RCC does have opportunities to push tee options back if it ever wants to add distance.

The easiest example is the 14th hole. While this is already one of RCC’s toughest and longest par 4s, there is plenty of room to the right of the 13th green to add at least 50 yards to the blue tees. Already featuring a forced ravine carry off the tee, this new tee box could only be used by long hitters.

The same goes for the 2nd hole, which has a grassed-over former back tee box and even more room behind it.

The tee shot features a gorgeous vista overlooking the Root River, which looks even more impressive from high up on the hill next to Northwestern Avenue. The daunting river carry from the rediscovered back tee would require a shot of around 235-250 yards, providing a true test for a low handicap golfer.

The 9th and 17th holes present more opportunities to add length.

There is an open spot further back by the river to further tip out the 9th hole, while the 17th could become a truly great mid-length par 4.

The 17th is already a solid hole in its current form, as the 373-yard par 4 plays as a placement hole bending left along the Root River. But it would present a more difficult challenge by adding some length.

One hole that already has an additional back tee is the 10th.

Currently the 10th tips at 176 yards, playing over the Root River to a spacious, angled green. The putting surface is well-protected, fronted on the left side by two large traps, with another on the right.

But some 50 yards beyond the blue tees is a small, rectangular tee box, set on the lawn outside the halfway house. From around 220 yards, this already challenging shot would get even tougher.

While more on the imaginative side, a fun idea mentioned by RCC’s Director of Golf Matt Booker would be to add a back tee on the 8th hole near the jogging track that surrounds the course.

From up on this bluff behind the 7th green, the current short 8th (168 yards from the blues) would stretch to around 230 yards. This would offer options for playing two very different par 3s, with both ending at the same elevated green set on top of a pond.

These potential tee options serve as a strength rather than a weakness for RCC, as the club could easily add 200 yards by building new tee areas.

While it’s fun to imagine the possibilities of a longer RCC, the club really expresses itself with all of its forward tee options. RCC’s red tees play from a manageable 5,205 yards, but the course maintains tees as short as 2,136 yards (its yellow short course) that are perfect for beginner players.

Molitor’s team worked to improve playing angles by adjusting the forward tees, and it’s a big reason why the course is perfect for families and players new to the game.

Final Thoughts

Thanks to Molitor’s new direction, Racine’s flagship club has a bright future ahead.

The updated RCC is a breath of fresh air for a metro area that hasn’t had it easy in recent years.

While you can easily skip over the Racine area while driving from Milwaukee to Chicago, Wisconsin’s fifth-largest community (home to approximately 77,000 people) is one of the Badger State’s hidden gems.

Racine’s classic downtown was built where the Root River meets Lake Michigan. The Belle City of the Lakes has a beautiful waterfront area, with miles of sandy beaches along the shimmering waters.

Racine is also very underrated as a golf community, with several unique and engaging courses.

Meadowbrook Country Club, RCC’s neighbor on its west side, offers a beautiful course with nine of its classic 18 holes designed by Sloan.

Sloan also laid out Johnson Park Golf Course. This hidden-gem muni provides a stern test with its 6,703-yard, par 72 layout. The Root River figures prominently on this course, notably on its par 3 finishing hole.

Washington Park Golf Course is another historic course that is fun to play. This 2,618-yard, par 35 city track features a few holes bordering and crossing the Root River. Washington Park’s opener, a 583-yard par 5, ranks as one of the longest holes in Racine County.

Located just west of Racine next to Interstate-94 is Ives Grove Golf Links in Sturtevant. Ives Grove features 27 holes of golf and rarely ever closes. This allows Badger State golfers to scratch their outdoor golf itch even in the winter months.

But Racine’s most interesting layout is Shoop Park Golf Course. In its current state, this walking-only, 9-hole course is sporting fun. Shoop Park sits right on Lake Michigan adjacent to the Wind Point Lighthouse. Three current holes on the 2,667-yard, par 35 layout play along the Great Lake.

While Shoop Park is fun to play in its current state, the course is in need of some sprucing up. Thankfully, there are some spectacular plans in the works for this incredible site.

Shoop Park may get revitalized as either a 9-hole or 12-hole layout, with restored dunes along Lake Michigan. The impressive project is backed by local resident Craig Leipold, owner of the Minnesota Wild, and Mike Keiser of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort and Sand Valley Golf Resort fame.

Any rounds played at these Racine area courses combined with a round at RCC makes for a terrific golf day. But it is also easy to see why RCC’s members may never want to leave their outstanding home course.

Racine Country Club’s Website