The Best Golf Courses at Kohler & Sand Valley (Ranked)

1. 1

   Whistling Straits — Straits Course (Kohler)

   Kohler · Bucket-list

   Pete Dye’s windswept links along two miles of Lake Michigan shoreline — hundreds of bunkers, dramatic dunes, and the site of three PGA Championships and the 2021 Ryder Cup. Walking-only with caddies. The headline round in the Midwest.

2. 2

   Sand Valley — The Lido

   Sand Valley · Modern marvel

   A faithful, painstaking re-creation by Tom Doak of C.B. Macdonald’s legendary lost Lido course — template golf reborn on Wisconsin sand. One of the most talked-about courses in the country since opening in 2023.

3. 3

   Sand Valley — Mammoth Dunes

   Sand Valley · Big & generous

   David McLay Kidd’s wide, fun, jaw-dropping course through massive sand dunes — playable for everyone yet thrilling, with enormous greens and heroic options. A group favorite.

4. 4

   Sand Valley — Sand Valley Course

   Sand Valley · Coore & Crenshaw

   The resort’s namesake original, a Coore & Crenshaw design that flows naturally through pine and sand. Strategic, walkable, and a pure expression of the minimalist style.

5. 5

   Blackwolf Run — River Course (Kohler)

   Kohler · Championship

   Pete Dye’s muscular, river-laced course that hosted U.S. Women’s Opens — a tougher, more wooded counterpoint to the Straits, and a must when you’re basing at Kohler.

6. 6

   Sand Valley — Sedge Valley

   Sand Valley · Short & strategic

   Tom Doak’s shorter, heathland-inspired course (opened 2024) that proves length isn’t everything — endlessly strategic and a joy to walk. A perfect change of pace.

7. 7

   Whistling Straits — Irish Course (Kohler)

   Kohler · Inland links

   The Straits’ inland sibling, set among dunes, streams, and tall grasses. Less famous, no less fun — a great second round at Whistling Straits when the Lake Michigan wind has had its way with you.

Wisconsin’s two resorts give you a remarkable spread: Kohler’s dramatic, championship-tested Pete Dye courses and Sand Valley’s natural, modern-classic sand-dunes golf. The ranking below spans both — weigh it by which resort (or both) you’re visiting, and how much walking-and-caddie golf your group has in the legs.

How to sequence them

If you’re at Kohler: open on Blackwolf Run (River) to warm up, make the Straits Course your caddie-led centerpiece, and add the Irish Course for a second links day.

If you’re at Sand Valley: play Mammoth Dunes and the Sand Valley course as a two-a-day, make The Lido your marquee round, and slot Sedge Valley or the Sandbox in for fun.

If you’re doing both: Kohler first, then the two-hour drive to Sand Valley — dramatic lakeside Dye golf giving way to natural inland dunes.

A word on cost

Both are premium, peak-season-priced resorts with caddie fees on top — and replays and multi-round stays change the math. That’s why we build each trip backwards from your budget, choosing one resort or both and the right round count for your group.

Want the Straits tee time, caddies, and the whole Wisconsin run handled? Tell us about your group.

Frequently asked

What is the best golf course in Wisconsin?

Whistling Straits’ Straits Course at Kohler is the most celebrated — a Pete Dye links along Lake Michigan that hosted the 2021 Ryder Cup and three PGA Championships. Sand Valley’s The Lido and Mammoth Dunes are the rising stars of the state’s other great resort.

How many courses are at Kohler and Sand Valley?

Kohler has four championship courses across two clubs — Whistling Straits (Straits and Irish) and Blackwolf Run (River and Meadow Valleys). Sand Valley has multiple courses including Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes, The Lido, and Sedge Valley, plus the Sandbox par-3 course.

Is Wisconsin golf walking only?

Whistling Straits is walking-only with caddies, in true links fashion, and Sand Valley is built around walking with caddies and push carts available. The walking ethos is central to both resorts.