Destination Kohler/The American Club

Making the trip to Kohler, this course is an absolute must.

We played the tips and it was arguably the most challenging course I have ever played next to Pound Ridge (another Pete Dye in Pound Ridge, NY). A ton of forced carries over water, elevated greens and well positioned bunkers.

We partied till 3am the night prior and teed off at 7.30am - would not suggest doing that. Get your rest before this course or it will eat you up.

Went for my brothers 30th, played Straights, Irish and Blackwolf River course. Straights is a must cause it’s the straights, but make sure you play Blackwolf River too.

Straights: 15-20 mph winds and rain and 45-50 degrees we got the true experience. Was hitting stingers all day, and it worked.

For the 1k traps that are on the course, i didn’t find myself in them as much as I would have thought.

Greens: Greens rolled true, and rolled well. They weren’t super fast but they weren’t slow either. Probably rolling to an 11 on the stint.

Tee boxes: Play the tee box assigned to your handicap!! Or one down if it’s your first time playing the course. For expose my handicap would have dictated to play blue, but with the 20 mph wind and first time playing the course we opted for green.

In the words of Phil, hit bombs, attack pins and drain putts. Enjoy the Straights!

I finally had the opportunity to play the 4th course of the Kohler empire. The Meadow Valleys did not disappoint. This would be a great track to play as a warm to the other 3 or a great way to end your trip as a relaxing course to finish up with. Course conditions were amazing for October. Greens were super fast and fairways were nice and tight. Obviously all the fescue and tall grass is cut down this time of year but it was still a beautiful course. The front nine is good but not great like the back nine and the other 3 courses. Once you get to the back you will not be disappointed. 10th hole is a cool starting whole cut through the woods. The back has generous fairways but if you miss you fall down 5-10 feet down into the rough which is pretty cool. 17th is a awesome visually tough par 3 lots of places to miss but only a 150 yds. 18 is a cool hole with the great clubhouse in the background. Finish with a long iron over the river to a double green shared with the 18th of the river course.

All in all this is a great place to go and play. I highly suggest playing all the Kohler courses and staying up there and doing it right. Its a great relaxing area with some tough but fun golf.

This place is a golf powerhouse with multiple courses which are all very popular. I opted for the big boy, the Straits course. Clubhouse is incredible, make some time just to explore the whole building. The front doors alone put most clubhouses to shame. Pro shop is stocked with items, and with the Ryder Cup coming in 2020, they have a lot of Ryder Cup gear as well. Only pro shop I have been in with a fireplace, and it was lit, that was a neat touch. This course is no where near cheap, it is very expensive. So, enjoy it as you don't shell out that kind of money on a round every day. Driving range was nice, free tees, bug spray, many targets to aim for, all around a great range. Also had a chipping area which was nice. They also had a few practice putting greens which were very nice. This is a walking course, there are no golf carts. This adds a new dynamic to the course and it is an awesome touch. I loved how everyone had to walk and I enjoyed the walk as well. They have caddies, use them. They add to the experience and help a lot. We had Berry and PJ, both were knowledgable and fun caddies. They helped immensely and really brought some fun to our group. The course is tough, with 1100 bunkers, you need to accurate. Most of the bunkers serve a cosmetic role, unless you are a very wild shot. You need to be accurate here, if you are not, you will not enjoy the scorecard. Your driver has to be dialed in or you may want to opt for a different club, if you are not in the fairway off the tee you will be fighting for par, if not bogey. Its an awesome course, extremely pretty and maintained very well. They have 6 tees, 7790 from the Blacks down to 5564 from the Reds. I played the Blues at 7142 and found it to be very fun and challenging. Play the right tee though, I felt like the Blues were just fine for me, and it made it very enjoyable. The course has multiple holes that run along Lake Michigan, its incredible and the most memorable set of holes I have played. The lake is great and really adds to the beauty of the course. Greens were true, they rolled well and were fairly quick. Not as fast as I was thinking they would be but they were still nice. My favorite hole was 7, named Shipwreck, 205 par 3. This is a once in a lifetime type course, absolutely a bucket list member. Playing here is a treat and no matter how you play or what the scorecard looks like, you will enjoy it immensely. One of my favorites I have played and I absolutely recommend playing here.

Buddy and I took a Wisconsin golf trip and played River, Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes and University Ridge. The River is a pretty course, but was our least favorite and $250 to $300 would be a more on-target green fee. Definitely not worth the $500 we paid. We also used a forecaddy who was not very knowledgeable about the greens, etc. and turned out to be a waste of money.

Visually Stunning, unbelievable layout. Course is challenging, but surprisingly not as challenging as anticipated. Obviously need to play the right tees. The $500 is a hard pill to swallow, but I'd recommend it once. Probably would not spend it again, but definitely worth it to check it off the bucket list. It's an amazing experience and a fair test if you can keep the ball in play, etc.

Always love visiting Kohler and Whistling Straits. The Straits course is extremely difficult but great fun when you are striking the ball well. Which I was this day. The routing is wonderful and Dye always has you feeling like you are on Lake Michigan or at least making your way back to the lake when playing the inland holes. Clubhouse is great and sitting outside overlooking the 18th hole with a cocktail is always a highlight of the day.

This was our final round of our Wisconsin adventure, following Erin Hills, both courses at Whistling Straits, and Meadow Valleys. This course was right at home in that lofty company. In some ways, it may have been my favorite.

As with all of those courses, the facilities were superb and welcoming. The restaurant was good. The staff was friendly. There was even a nice shower so that we could all clean up before heading to the airport. My only criticism is about the constant marshalling about pace of play even though we weren't really out of position and the group behind us was even further behind. I get it's important to keep things moving, but it's a tough course and a bad hole can kill you. Not a huge issue.

This course is pretty similar to Meadow Valleys, but a little more dramatic. More split fairways, more forced carries, and (as you might expect) more water.

Knowing where to place your tee shot is a key skill on this course. You need to be in position to have a chance of hitting good approaches. Hole 8 is a really cool drive through a chute that then leaves you with a tough call on how much to challenge the green on your second shot, but if you hit a bad drive it's a lot tougher. #11 is similarly beguiling in that a misplaced tee shot will force you into a longer third than you'd expect or want. Hole 12 is a highlight both for the tee shot and the second shot.

My least favorite hole on the course is #13. Much like #17 on Meadow Valley, the tee shot is obstructed by a huge tree. Being a long par 3, with the river to the right, it's a lot to ask to hit a 4i over that tree or to expect someone to start a draw over the water and let it come back. I did not care for the hole.

However, 14-18 is one of the strongest stretches of holes in the Destination Kohler package. I'd nearly put it up there with 14-18 on the Straits course. You get some good scoring opportunities on 14, 15, and 16 and then some tough closers in 17 and 18.

This is a super course, well worth the praise it receives. The conditions are ideal, with greens that are speedy, but true. Get yourself to Wisconsin and check it out.

Well this is it isn't it? The gem in the Wisconsin golf crown? Host of tons of golf history situated on the shore of a great lake? Indeed.

Visually, this course is just what you'd expect based on TV. It's beautiful, and just a little scary. OK... A LOT scary!

This is a walking only course and you have to take a caddie. You'll want one. Fortunately, the walk is very reasonable, just a touch over 6 miles and not too hilly. Pace of play is a bit sluggish. One of the marshals told me average is a touch over 5 hours.

No sugar coating... this course is hard. Like, maybe the hardest course I've ever played. There is trouble everywhere, at all times. Bunkers, lakes, taller bunkers, deeper bunkers, cliffs, fescue. Bring your best golf swing. Certainly if it's windy, don't hesitate to move up a tee box or two.

The par 3s are the real show stealers here. Each nestled along the lake with fantastic hills, bunkers, and cliffs. They are breathtaking to look at and leave you lightheaded when you have to take a shot.

Normally I'd highlight some holes I really liked, but it's tough here. It was so tough it was hard to take in the holes... too focused on just battling to get a score. I will say that 13 was one of the craziest holes. It's a midlength par 4 that runs down towards the lake. The whole green runs away from the fairway, creating an insanely difficult 2nd shot. Looking back, I almost wish I'd just putted a hybrid for my second shot from 110. 18 is a real stunner of a hole. Very cool tee shot and intimidating approach.

Overall, this course is incredible. It's quite obvious why this is a great venue for a major championship. If I'm honest though, I'd rather watch someone else play this course. It's difficult to the point I just don't think I'm good enough. I have a hard time imagining a 15-20+ handicap player enjoying themselves, but it's STILL worth it because it's WHISTLING STRAITS!

Our group did the Destination Kohler package and hit up all 4 courses involved. Meadow Valleys was a real highlight. I feel like it had the least hype of the 4 courses, but it was just as fun and challenging as any of them.

You can use full carts here, which is nice after Whistling Straits.

Hard to overstate how different the Blackwolf Run courses are from Whistling Straits. Conditions are LUSH. Meadow Valleys is pretty much a perfect description of what to expect. You've got some hills to navigate with some incredible pastoral views. The native areas are beautiful, but they sure are hungry for golf balls!

The greens here are quick! And some of the pin positions can be brutal. #3 is mid-length par 3 with a wicked green. On the day we played the pin was in the back just off a severe slope. It was nearly impossible to two putt if your tee shot wasn't past the hole. In fact, in an afternoon scramble our 3 groups all bogeyed this hole!

#9 is an awesome, but tough hole. We had the wind into us, making the tee shot hard to carry to the fairway and then having 185ish into the green with water all down the right. Very challenging, but lovely.

#10 is the most unique hole on the course. Randomly you are just encased in a tunnel of trees. You have to carefully choose your club off the tee to set up a clean look at the green. It's not a hard tee shot, but the sudden walls of trees make it feel very tight. After this hole, you're back in the meadows and valleys.

#13 is also an unusual hole. It's a short par 4, making you think you should be aggressive if you're swinging the long clubs well. But what you can't see from the tee is that the green is on a giant plateau. Being close isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's easier to leave yourself a comfortable full shot.

#17 is a stupid hole. It's a shortish par 3, but there is a tree right in the play line. That's annoying enough, but the green is also all sorts of treacherous. This is the only hole on the course I really did not enjoy.

Overall though this course is fun. It's a little less dramatic than its sister course (The River), but conditions are very similar and very nice. It will challenge you (especially the greens), but it won't beat you up.

The Straits course gets most of the hype between these two co-located courses due to its major championship pedigree, but I think that's a shame. The Irish sits just a little inland from the Straits course, but boasts many of the same incredible features and challenges while maintaining a personality all its own.

This course does allow carts, but it's cart path only. So be prepared to do some walking. I'd recommend taking a forecaddie, as it's a tough course to try and navigate on your own if you've never been before.

There are many holes that force some strategy off the tee in terms of how aggressive to be. I love when you don't just have to automatically bash a driver on every hole. Hole 2 is a great example. You can try to be more aggressive off the tee, but you've got water down the left and a bunker on the right that comes into play if you try and hit driver. How much are you willing to risk?

The greens are tricky, but slower than other courses in the usual package of Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run courses. Bunkers are used strategically in the all the best ways... to challenge you, to deceive you, and to punish you. The bunkers on this course are a little rockier than others in the area... really more waste areas than bunkers. Not many will allow your typical explosion shot.

Some holes I really liked:

#5: Very cool par 5. Big risk/reward tee shot. You can go straight and be safe or try and cut off the bunker and give yourself a look to go in two. However, if you fail to carry the bunker you likely have to just splash out to the same layup area as if you went straight. The rest of the hole is no picnic either. Good par 5!

#9: One of my favorite holes of the whole trip. Tee shot doesn't allow you to be super aggressive, but you can play to the strength of your approach game. Even though it's just a straightforward shot of 200-250 yds, there is plenty of trouble to keep you honest. The approach is another good challenge, especially with the pin on the right side of the green. Fun hole that can be a good birdie op or ruin your round.

#17: Challenging, sweeping par 4 with water all down the left. You need 2 good shots to get safely home. Definitely a good test of the nerves as you close down the round.

Overall, this course is a treat to play. The facilities are exceptional (as you'd expect). The staff is very friendly, but they are pretty aggressive about pace of play. Even if you're not really too far out of position they bug you quite often. In general, the rounds seem to be slow (5-ish hours), and it wasn't particularly pleasant to be told to speed up every 3 holes even when nobody was behind us.

if you're looking for a break from the difficulty of Whistling Straits or the River Course at Blackwolf Run, this may be it. The fairways are more generous, and it's a little more straightforward. But it isn't easy, especially if you don't play the right set of tees. There's also plenty of water hazards on the course. It's also gorgeous and when I played it, in great shape. The greens were very fast, but easier to negotiate and make putts on certainly than the courses at Whistling Straits. Overall, Blackwolf Run is a beautiful facility.

While Whistling Straits gets all ink and accolades, the Irish Course is no slouch, not by a long shot. What it misses in views of Lake Michigan, it makes up for in quality of holes. In many ways, it's more straightforward than Whistling Straits, but I'm not sure it's any easier. There are definitely quite a few bunkers you want to avoid at all costs, and if you can do that (and if you play the right set of tees), you're going to have a great time. One recommendation is to walk this course instead of taking a cart. We took a cart because of the threat of heavy rain, but there are certain holes where you wind up carrying your bag to your ball anyway because the cart path is so far from the fairway and your ball isn't even visible over the mounds. Ideally, take a caddie, but that part isn't as critical as it is at Whistling Straits, where you're going to need a little more guidance.

This is the second time I've played the Straits Course, and I feel the same way about it as I did before: It's beautiful and difficult, but not as difficult as one would think. In other words, it's visually intimidating, but there really is ample room to hit the ball, especially off the tee. And I say this having not played it nearly as well as I did the first time. With that said, if your handicap is over 20, you'll have a difficult time out here. Despite its links look, you're not going to run many shots up to the greens. And you definitely want to try to avoid the bunkers (some are more reasonable than others). Most of all, though, the Straits Course is one of the most unique golf courses in the world. It's contrived, but so what? It's a visual feast from the first tee to the 18th hole. The par 3s are spectacular. And if you didn't know better, you'd think you were on the ocean. Yes, it's expensive to play, but they charge that because they can get it.

4 of us went to Kohler this weekend and played 36 holes on Friday (Blackwolf - Meadows and River) followed by 18 on Saturday at the Irish. Hands down my favorite course was the Irish and it had nothing to do with scoring. Scored my best at the River which seems to be the toughest of the three. We were the first group out on Saturday and lucked out with some great weather. Holes 10-13 offer some of the best views on the course with 2 great Par 3s mixed in. We had lunch both days, Blackwolf and the Straits, both were excellent. Customer service is top notch from the second you arrive till you depart. Overall great golf destination that everyone should experience

The River course was the most enjoyable course of the four Straits/Blackwolf offerings in my opinion.

The absence of knee high rough beyond the first cut this early in the playing season no doubt relegates this track less toothy than it can be. But I found the course to be extremely playable provided you find the fairway off the tee.

The course isn’t very long from the green tees, but this is offset by the quirkiness that lie in many of the holes. The first example is the par-5 eighth that offers a terrific risk/reward option off the elevated tee, followed by a split fairway. Another, the short par-4 ninth is one of my favorite holes at the resort.

This is a course that I would not tire of playing. I can’t say the same about the Straits, although it is a superior test of golf.

I would summarize my Straits/Blackwolf experience as this:

Most playable course: River
Toughest course: Straits
Most fun course: back nine of the Meadow Valleys
For whatever reason, other than a great collection of par 3s, the Irish was the least memorable course in the rotation for me.

This is the hardest golf course I’ve ever played, and as a Top 100 list chaser, I’ve played some brutes. The Straits course, however, humbled me.

My experience was no doubt influenced by my struggle to find the fairway off the tee. I didn’t bring my best stuff with my driver, and that put me a half-shot per hole behind all round long. This is a first-shot golf course in my opinion. Pete, as Pete will do, makes fairways and landing areas visibly hard to discern from the tee, which will aggravate many players. Other times, you see only a ribbon, which can gnaw at your confidence. If you don’t hit fairways here, you are either in a craggy, often bathtub-size bunker, or the first-cut of rough that was highly unpredictable to judge how balls would would come off the clubface. The knee-high hay that borders holes, is nearly impossible to escape. Wedge it out. Trust me.

The second key to this course is trusting your caddy. When he or she gives you a line, commit to it. That is the best advice I can give you.

It was windy today - 15 mph - meaning some par 4s are going to play like 4 1/2’s. The wind also greatly affects putts, particularly on the lake-bordering holes.

Surprisingly, it is difficult to lose a ball on this course, especially if you have an experienced caddie. Despite all of the bunkers that litter the course and the cliff-like grass slopes that run toward the lake, most balls are playable. Yet, it is hard to advance the ball very far because of the severe sidehill lies.

Another key to successfully scoring here, or at least not wrecking your card, is to accept bogey when bogey is probably the best you can do. Hero shots don’t fare well here. You will likely be exhausted after a round here, and not physically. It isn’t a bad walk. Mentally, however, the Straits is draining.

Despite a horrifically higher score than I am accustomed to, I appreciated the round. This is the type of course that separates the best players from the rest. I have a tremendous appreciation for what Jason Day and Jordan Spieth did here several years ago in the epic duel.

In summary, bring your A-tee game or you will be scrambling for bogies all day. Don’t set any scoring expectations. You will likely shoot higher, and in some cases much higher, scores than usual, so don’t let that detract from the experience of playing one of the U.S.’s most difficult golf courses. And finally, trust your caddy.

A U.S. Open qualifier was held here last week, and the greens were very quick as a result. Course is in great shape for this time of year.

I liked a few of the holes a lot, but I wasn’t blown away by the course as a whole. I get the premise of an “Irish resemblance” but it didn’t play very linksy and I thought the two cape holes were a bit out of place on the course. Not sure the Irish belongs on Top 100 American Public course lists. I think it benefits from its famous neighbor. The par threes were memorable, and I liked the short par-4 seventh hole.

The par-5 closing hole is a handful. You must hit your target when laying up on your approach or trouble awaits, making going for it in two to simply clear the hazard maybe a better option for most players. Do not miss the green right, however, as a steep, closely-mown slope will carry errant shots 15-20 feet below the green surface, making for a most difficult up-and-down.

I would highly recommend walking the course, as it is always CPO, and the couple I played with had much tougher walks to their ball from the path than I ever did.

The back nine of the Meadow Valleys is worth the greens fee alone.

Two very different nines await. The front is open with expansive fairways and water to contend with. Then, walking to the tenth tee it is like Pete Dye flipped a light switch. The tee shot requires an accurate long iron through a tunnel of hardwoods. The second shot was maybe my favorite shot on the course. From there, the inward nine flows very well, with more elevation change than the outward nine.

Don’t miss the reclaimed barn that now serves as a restroom near the 12th, 14th and 15th holes. It is really neat.

Also, though Dye notably uses railroad ties on many of his courses, pay attention to many of the cart-path bridges, which are flat-bed railroad cars. Nice touch.

The par-3 17th is another memorable hole. A 160-yardish shot is required from the green tees to a green guarded by a large tree that appears more menacing than it really is. Yet another example of Dye trying to divert your attention from what needs to be focused on.

The closing hole is very demanding. Less than 250 yards is necessary off the tee to avoid hitting into the Sheboygan River. From there, the approach must carry the hazard to a double green shared by the River Course’s finisher. Uniquely, there is an alternate green short and left of the river for golfers playing from the red tees. I’m not sure I’ve ever encountered that in all of my travels.

The patio behind the clubhouse is a great way to finish the day off watching other players conclude their rounds. One of the better post-round spots.

I have been to Blackwolf Run numerous times and it just never gets old pulling into that setting to play golf.
The service is top notch, the practice facility is excellent and the course was in great shape.
Meadow Valleys is "4th" in the pecking order of the four courses that make up Destination Kohler but it does not deserve that moniker. Pete Dye gives you a slight break on the 1st hole but then starts testing you on the 2nd with a longer par 4 with a difficult approach onto an elevated green with little room for error. Throughout the front 9 on the Meadows, you have to escape the usual Pete Dye bunkering and water hazards and then on the back 9, he turns it on by making the same hazards even more treacherous and penal. The last 5 holes are as daunting as they come in this state.
Kohler sets the standard for golf resorts in the state and they still answer the call making it a must visit if you're in the area.