Whistling Straits - Hole #9

Where to Play Golf in Wisconsin During The 2020 (2021) Ryder Cup

Golf Guide For Southeastern Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Kohler

By Brian Weis

Whether you are making the pilgrimage to Wisconsin to watch the 2020 Ryder Cup in 2021 (rescheduled for September 21-26, 2021), or are you planning to play Whistling Straits in the future, the following is a golf course guide to help you find the right course(s) to round out your itinerary.

Notable Courses

Erin Hills
If you are looking to play a major course in Wisconsin during Ryder Cup Week you better book early. Erin Hill, host of the 2017 US Open, is less than 100 miles from Whistling Straits.

Why should Erin Hills be on your bucket list? Well, in the 118 years of the U.S. Open, only six host courses are open to the public.

1) Bethpage Black, 2002, 2009
2) Pebble Beach, 1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010, 2019
3) Chambers Bay, 2014
4) Torrey Pines, 2008, 2021
5) Pinehurst #2, 1999, 2005, 2014, 2024
6) Erin Hills, 2017

Limited tee times and lodging is still available.
Erin Hills' green fee is $320.

With lodging, a single room in the Lodge would be $355 per night for September 20 - 26 (with suite options available), and a cottage starts at $1860 per night for the same timeframe.
http://www.erinhills.com

The Bog
Until Erin Hills was built, this Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course was the #1 ranked public golf course in the Metro Milwaukee area. The Bog is located roughly half way between Erin Hills and Whistling Straits and is a great course to play if making that loop. The Bog is located approximately, 25 minutes north of downtown Milwaukee and 40 minutes south of Whistling Straits.
https://www.golfthebog.com

Brown Deer Golf Club
Brown Deer Golf Course is the former site of The Greater Milwaukee Open and US Bank Championship, a PGA TOUR stop from 1995-2008.

Brown Deer Park will be running the following special during Ryder Cup week and the following Monday (Sept 20th-28th).

$149 (includes tax) per golfer includes:
18 holes of golf
Motor cart rental
Bucket of range balls
$20 merchandise gift card
$15 food and beverage card

http://mke.golf/browndeer/

Blackwolf Run - Destination Kohler
Whistling Straits' sister property, Blackwolf Run, has hosted a number of women's professional championships including the Andersen Consulting World Golf Championships in 1995, 1996, and 1997 as well as the U.S. Women's Open in 1998 and 2012. Limited tee times available.
www.americanclubresort.com/

Sand Valley Golf Resort
New golf course/resort alert! Sand Valley is billed as the Bandon Dunes of the Midwest and the Coore and Crenshaw design course was named GolfWeek's Best New Course in 2017. Mammoth Dunes, the second course on property, was named by GolfWeek "Best New Course one year later in 2018. If you want to cross these courses off your bucket list you will need to drive approximately 130 miles northwest. Lodging is available on site.
www.sandvalleygolfresort.com/

University Ridge - Madison
Home of the AmFam Champions Tour Event - Steve Stricker's event. Located 130 miles Southwest of Kohler.

University Ridge will be taking tee times for advanced reservations including Ryder Cup week.
Monday through Friday=$85+tax which includes 18 holes, use of GPS golf car, practice balls, and a $10 merchandise credit to use in the golf shop
Saturday & Sunday=$105+tax which includes 18 holes, use of GPS golf car, practice balls, and a $10 merchandise credit to use in the golf shop
www.UniversityRidge.com

Grand Geneva
Located just south-west of Milwaukee approximately 90 minutes south of Kohler.
All rates listed below are starting rates, they are dynamically priced so they are subject to increase or decrease based on demand.

www.grandgeneva.com/

Play Where The Locals Play

The Bull
Wisconsin's only Jack Nicklaus Signature Course is rated #70 in nation by Golf Digest. Located 60 miles north of downtown Milwaukee in Sheboygan Falls, WI, The Bull is easily accessible on I-43 north.
http://www.golfthebull.com/

Western Lakes
Experience Western Lakes. Western Lakes Golf Club is a premier 18 Hole Championship Golf course located in the Lake Country area just minutes off of I-94.
Monday September 21st - Monday September 27th
"Travel Package"
18 Holes w/cart + Range Token, Rental Clubs & Sleeve of Golf Balls
$55 Monday - Friday & Weekends after 1:00 ($75 value)
$65 on Weekends ($85 value)
Promo Code: 2020CUP
www.westernlakes.com

Private Clubs Offering Limited Tee Times During 2020/2021 Ryder Cup

West Bend Country Club
In 2020, GolfWeek Magazine ranked West Bend Country Club ranked a Top 5 Private Club in Wisconsin. For the week of the Ryder Cup a select number of tee times are open to the public. This is a unique opportunity for the traveling/local golfer to experience one of the top country clubs in the state. West Bend CC was designed in the 1920's by Langford/Moreau, the same golf course architects that built Lawsonia Links, a course consistently ranked in the Top 10 in the state and Top 50 in the USA.

* Non-member fee $225 (golf & cart)
* Tee Times - Contact Golf Pro, James Kelly to book tee times (james@westbendcountryclub.org or 262-334-2766)
www.westbendcc.com

Watertown Country Club
Located 20 minutes due west of Erin Hills, Watertown CC is offering tee times to traveling golfers. Enjoy the full amenities of a private club. Watertown CC has hosted several US Amateur Qualifiers and WSGA State events.
www.watertowncc.com

Looking for Stay and Play Packages?

Trappers Turn Golf Club, located in Wisconsin Dells (120 miles from The Straits) is offering fantastic stay and play packages for Ryder Cup week. Prices start at only $119 per person and include an overnight, 18-holes of championship golf and an Adidas Ryder Cup hat.

https://trappersturn.com/wisconsin/specials-events/ryder-cup-packages/

Revised: 12/17/2020 - Article Viewed 13,703 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.