“Wisconsin Captured” Tees Off at SentryWorld
Last summer I was invited to take part in the WSGA’s big 2023 Marketing initiative: Wisconsin Captured.
Stevens Point Country Club: Wisconsin’s Ultimate Hidden Gem
Following an ingenious renovation project led by architect Craig Haltom, Stevens Point Country Club is unlike any other private club in the state, and – for the time being – is Wisconsin’s very best hidden gem.
The Wisconsin Dream 18: The State’s Best Golf Holes
While the idea behind this post is not original, it’s a fun practice and one I’ve tried a dozen or so times in the past but got too frustrated to finish. I decided to give it a go again, especially as I reflect on what was a great season of golf in Wisconsin and look…
Nakoma Golf Club: The Ideal Everyday Course
My home course, Nakoma Golf Club, one of Tom Bendelow’s finest original designs in Wisconsin, has embraced continuous improvement to promote an optimal everyday golfing experience.
The Oaks Golf Course: A One-of-a-Kind Experience on Madison’s East Side
The Oaks has long been one of my favorite local courses, and it’s become even better after a successful renovation effort under the direction of its original course architect Greg Martin.
The Lido: America’s Next Great Golf Course, Again
The most highly anticipated course development of our time just might be The Lido, a private club adjacent to Sand Valley Golf Resort that’s being built as a carbon copy of the world’s greatest ever NLE golf course.
The Glen Golf Park: A Model of Inclusivity and Accessibility
The Glen Golf Park has been re-imagined into a much more fun track than than the one I played growing up, and has given Madison municipal golf a shot in the arm.
The Flower Hole: Robert Trent Jones, Jr.’s Mona Lisa at SentryWorld
Over 30,000 annuals are planted every Spring on the famed Flower Hole at SentryWorld, and the result is mesmerizing.
Lawsonia Links: Haltom’s Great Golden Age Restovation of a Langford/Moreau Masterpiece
This Golden Age masterpiece that has undergone a highly successful restoration should be on every Wisconsin golfer’s bucket list. One of the best public golf deals in the state, Lawsonia Links is widely regarded as one of Langford and Moreau’s finest works.
Pioneer Pointe: Madison’s New Par 3 Experience
The newest golf course in the Madison area, Pioneer Pointe in Verona is an awesome 13-hole par three track designed by Lohmann Quitno that features great Golden Age designs. This is not your average executive course!
SentryWorld Enters 2022 with Big Things on the Horizon
Closed for the past 2 seasons, SentryWorld has kept busy preparing for the 2023 US Senior Open, and for a revolutionary new operational model they plan on rolling out upon the course’s reopening in Spring 2022.
Sand Valley: The Course that Put Rome on the Map
The original Sand Valley Course is my favorite at this world-class Wisconsin golf resort that in just 5 short years has made a significant impact on golf in the state of Wisconsin. And this is just the beginning.
North Shore Golf Club (Menasha)
I had the privilege of being invited up to North Shore Golf Club in Menasha, Wisconsin, last month, and was not disappointed! This 1930 Leonard Macomber track is one of the state’s true hidden gems, featuring great golf and conditions, beautiful scenery alongside Lake Winnebago and a wonderful Golden Age course design.
Nakoma Golf Club: Madison’s Bendelow Gem
Nakoma Golf Club in Madison, Wisconsin is a great classic parkland course originally designed by Tom Bendelow and opened in 1925. We took great advantage of this perfect Fall day, got some nice photos and played excellent golf including some of the best greens I’ve played in Wisconsin. Two thumbs up, Nakoma.
Bullseye Golf Club: A Fun Add-On to Your Sand Valley Vacation
Bullseye Golf Club is a terrific course to add to the itinerary of a trip to Sand Valley Golf Resort, but as a “Pro tip” I highly recommend playing it before playing Mammoth Dunes. It would be hard to find two more diametrically opposed golf courses… If you’re a fan of classic parkland courses, Bullseye…
Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes: McLay Kidd’s Midwest Masterpiece
David McLay Kidd has designed some of the most vast, fun-filled golf courses of the 21st Century. Beginning with the break-through of all break-throughs, Bandon Dunes in 1999, Kidd has led developments at Nanea Golf Club in Hawaii (2003), the Castle Course at St Andrews (2008), Tetherow in his now home town of Bend, Oregon…
Hawk’s Landing: Wisconsin’s Best Conditioned Golf Course?
Is Hawk’s Landing the state’s best conditioned golf course? If it’s not, it’s right up there.
Lawsonia: One of Wisconsin’s Best 36-Hole Destinations
Some still and video shots from a beautiful 36-hole day spent at The Golf Courses of Lawsonia in Green Lake, WI. May 2019.
A Preview of Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes
The 3rd and newest golf course at Sand Valley Golf Resort, Mammoth Dunes is pure golf on a gigantic scale that puts David McLay Kidd’s architectural genious on full display.
The Sandbox at Sand Valley Golf Resort: 17 Holes of Coore/Crenshaw Fun
The perfect complement to the championship golf experience at Sand Valley Golf Resort in Rome, Wisconsin, the Sandbox is a beautiful 17-hole par 3 course designed by golf design legends Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. I briefly discuss the Sandbox here, documenting and photographing it during its opening day on May 1, 2018.
![A [Small] Sneak Preview of Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley](https://i0.wp.com/wiscogolfaddict.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/img_6949-e1501911428324.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&ssl=1)
A [Small] Sneak Preview of Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley
A sneak peak of 6 holes of David McLay Kidd’s Mammoth Dunes design at Sand Valley Golf Resort in Rome, WI
AmFam Championship Countdown: Less than 3 Weeks!
A recap of the AmFam Championship media day at University Ridge in Madison, WI with Steve Stricker, Kirk Triplett and Andy North – the June 19-25 event will feature this year’s celebrity foursome with Brett Favre, Andy North, Derek Jeter and Darius Rucker
Sand Valley Golf Course
A full 18-hole review of the brand new Sand Valley Golf Resort in Rome, Wisconsin – site of the 2016 Illinois vs. Wisconsin Writer’s Cup and set to open in Spring, 2017 to coincide with the US Open at Erin Hills
2016 Wisconsin vs. Illinois Writers Cup at Sand Valley Golf Resort
Following a tour of the front nine at last year’s Sand Valley media day, a reference to the Wisconsin vs. Illinois Writers Cup was made to which Mike Keiser, Jr. immediately replied: “Can we host next year’s event here!?” The Writers Cup alternates between Wisconsin and Illinois courses each year, with last year’s event played at…
Sand Valley: Preview Play Now Open!
Interest in the Sand Valley project in Rome, Wisconsin is palpable. The article I wrote on America’s next great golf destination following their August, 2015 media day has now become the most popular course review I have ever written, and I literally get asked several times a week about the resort’s progress. That progress has been rolling along smoothly, and…
Sand Valley Golf Resort: In Case You’ve Been Living in a Cave
By this time, I’m pretty certain the majority of golf enthusiasts in and around the state of Wisconsin have heard a few things about Mike Keiser’s ongoing project in Rome, Wisconsin, named Sand Valley. The first course, being designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, is scheduled to open to founding members in 2016 and…
Lawsonia’s Links Course: The Langford Shield and William Langford’s Contributions to Golf Course Design
The Langford Shield Golf Tournament: The Langford Shield golf tournament on the Links course at Lawsonia in Green Lake, Wisconsin, was created last year to honor the significant contributions made to golf course architecture by the legendary golf course design team of William Langford and Theodore Moreau. The Links course at Lawsonia is perhaps the…
Great Golf Holes: Lawsonia, Links #7
One of my favorite golf holes in all of Wisconsin is the par three seventh on the Links course at The Golf Courses of Lawsonia. Lawsonia has earned high acclaim from the media for decades, and in the past year has held steady as one of Wisconsin’s very best, including: Golf Digest # 12 in…
![Sand Valley: The Next Big Thing is [Almost] Here](https://i0.wp.com/wiscogolfaddict.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/image4.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
Sand Valley: The Next Big Thing is [Almost] Here
In 2013, Oliphant Vice President of Golf Management and Project Development, Craig Haltom, contacted Mike Keiser about a piece of land in remote Central Wisconsin that he just had to check out. Keiser, the prolific developer behind Bandon Dunes, Cabot Cliffs and other ongoing international golf resort projects, works closely with the Wisconsin-based Haltom and trusted his…
Golf Course Review: SentryWorld… Reimagined (Now vs. Then)
SentryWorld Course Rankings: Golf Digest: #5 Wisconsin GolfWeek: #4 Wisconsin public Golf.com: #10 Wisconsin public Designer: Robert Trent Jones, Jr. (1982, 2013) On October 15, I had the honor of being part of SentryWorld’s pre-reopening media day. Once the top track in all of Wisconsin, and the original destination course in the state, SentryWorld has…
JSOnline: Coore and Crenshaw Selected for Sand Valley Project
According to today’s article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel online edition by Gary D’Amato, the Sand Valley golf resort’s course architect team for the initial course has been selected, and will be Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. Coore and Crenshaw have worked with Mike Keiser (developer of Sand Valley, and previously at Bandon Dunes and…
Golf Course Review: SentryWorld
Ask any avid Wisconsin golfer who has yet to play SentryWorld about the course, and chances are they will say something about the “Flower Hole.” But the course is a perennial top fifteen track in Wisconsin, so there has to be more going on than just one great par three, right? After finally playing it, I can say with certainty…
Golf Course Review: The Oaks
This weekend was one of my best friend’s bachelor party in Wisconsin Dells. We had 11:00 tee times at Coldwater Canyon at Chula Vista to get things started. It was bound to be a long weekend, and my friend Dan and I figured we wouldn’t mind making it a little bit longer. Getting up at 4:30…
Golf Course Review: Baraboo Country Club
A week and a half ago, one of my buddies called to see if I have any connections for finding four tee times for his bachelor party yesterday in Wisconsin Dells. With it being “Automotive Week,” every course in the city seemed to already be swamped, or at best with full-season rates up to $95…
The 2nd Annual Friends of Frank Wisconsin Dells Golf Weekend
This weekend was our second annual “Friends of Frank” golf trip to the Wisconsin Dells. “Who’s Frank,” you’re asking? Frank is my cousin who lives in the Dells area and is an avid golfer, much like myself. Frank loves great food and courses, and spending quality time with friends and family. Needless to say, we get…
The Golf Courses of Lawsonia, Links Course
Note to the reader: Lawsonia’s magnificent Links course was significantly altered in 2014 to eradicate almost all trees from the course. It now looks almost nothing like it does in the photos from this review but is staggeringly similar to the original intentions of its ingenious original architects, William Langford and Theodore Moreau. I am…
The Golf Courses of Lawsonia, Woodlands Course
At the mention of Lawsonia, most golfers immediately default to thoughts of the Links, which is an authentic links-style course currently rated as the 55th best Classic track in the country, and top five in the state. The Woodlands at Lawsonia is a wonderful course in its own right, chocked full of fantastic golf holes and all the charm…
University Ridge
Home of the Wisconsin Badgers golf team, University Ridge features some of the most remarkable golf holes in the state. Designed and built in 1991 by one the country’s most well-known and beloved course designers, Robert Trent Jones, Jr., the course sits atop a several million year old glacier. Located in the Verona suburb of Madison, the course…
Deal of the Year: The Golf Courses at Lawsonia
All rounds are $30 including cart for the rest of the season at both the Links and Woodlands courses at Lawsonia, in Green Lake. These are two of the top rated golf courses in Wisconsin. Links is one of the top-rated classic courses in the country, in fact. Book your tee time on GolfNow before…
Wild Rock at the Wilderness Resort
Following a day of world-beating at Northern Bay, we figured to ourselves: The granite tees at Wild Rock play to the same length as our last round, so we should have no problems playing back tees. Bad idea. While Wild Rock may be 6,953 from the granite tees, do not compare this to any other 6,950-yard…
Castle at the Bay (Northern Bay)
A 40-minute drive from the Wisconsin Dells, Arkdale is home to the most fun golf course I have ever played. Widely known as the “Replica Course,” Northern Bay features six replica holes and 12 others that should be replicated by lesser tracks. View from the clubhouse of hole 10 The replica holes at the Castle Course…
The Anticipation of a Great Golf Weekend: Northern Bay Preview
Have you ever had a weekend planned that you were so psyched for, you could barely contain your excitement? This is one of those weekends for me. Ask the guys on my sales team, and they will probably tell you that I have not contained my excitement well at all. Tomorrow, a couple of friends and…