Wisconsin's Top Ten Golf Courses

My brother and his wife bought me a golf ball trophy cabinet three years ago for Christmas, and I've started collecting logo balls from the courses I've played since then. It holds 63 balls, and I've got eight spots left to be filled.

Every time I play with someone new, the conversation of "the best course ever played" inevitably seems to come up. Man, that's a tough question, but one I will attempt to tackle now.

My Top Ten List:

1. Whistling Straits, Irish Course (Kohler, WI):

First of all, I unfortunately have not had the opportunity to play the Straits Course... Yet. That being said, this course has got to be the next best thing. Striking vistas of Lake Michigan, and a perfectly curated layout make the Irish quite memorable. The 10th hole, nicknamed "Shepherd's Post," provides one of the most visually stunning tee shots in the state.

Carved alongside the site of the 2004 and 2010 PGA Championship Straits Course, the Irish features much of the same charm that makes the Straits such a fantastic tournament venue: Roaming herds of sheep, huge cliffs and changes in elevation, lightning-fast bent-grass greens, and shaved fescue fairways that roll beautifully. Even the restrooms built into the hillsides add to the rustic charm that is the Whistling Straits.

2. Blackwolf Run, The Original Championship Course (Kohler, WI):

The Original Championship Course, featured in 2010 while the River Course was being partially redesigned for the 2012 U.S. Women's Open, was a combination of the River and Meadow Valleys courses. It is absolutely breathtaking, and I loved that I could play most of it on Tiger Woods the night before playing it for real! The $70 Kohler corporate rate makes Blackwolf Run quite feasible when the opportunity presents itself.

3. Wild Rock (Wisconsin Dells, WI):

The one word that comes to mind when trying to describe this course is "Majestic." How each hole seems to somehow outdo the last one is mind-boggling to me. The drastic changes in elevation, and the ridiculous length of this course is staggering (7,418 yards from the Quartzite tees). Wild Rock is a bit pricy, but well worth the $89 rate.

4. Castle at the Bay (Arkdale, WI):

A primarily replica course, my only complaint about Northern Bay is that it's too far away! I have a hard time deciding which of the replica holes is my favorite: TPC 17, Firestone, Oakland Hills, Amen Corner (pictured below), Rosebud, the Oakmont church pews, or Bay Hill 18? Castle at the Bay is the most entertaining course I have ever played.

5. The Bull at Pinehurst Farms (Sheboygan, WI):

The Bull is beautiful, to say the least, with outstanding hole layouts. But, it is also incredibly tight and penalizing. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, the course is spread out over 400-plus acres of former farm land, and beautifully incorporates the Onion River, dense forests, rolling hills, deep ravines, large ponds and significant elevation changes. The course rolls out one signature hole after another, especially in the stretch of the fifth through eighth holes, which is one of my favorite four-hole stretches of all time.

6. University Ridge (Madison, WI):

U-Ridge is a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. course, and is the home of the Wisconsin Badgers golf team. The back nine has some exceptional holes cut through the woods, starting with the thirteenth and continuing through sixteen. The split-fairway sixteenth is one of the most well designed holes I have ever played, and ranks as my best par five in the state of Wisconsin.

7. Horseshoe Bay Golf Club (Egg Harbor, WI):

A semi-private golf club, Horseshoe Bay is a troon-style course that is as well-manicured as any course in the state. Long and challenging (7,101 yards from the tips), Horseshoe Bay has two of the most interesting holes I have played in the par five thirteenth and eighteenth holes. Fantastic facilities and a gorgeous layout make this country club one of my top courses in the state.

8. Geneva National, Gary Player Course (Lake Geneva, WI):

The Player course at Geneva National is a wonderful track. Rated as Wisconsin's number ten course you can play by GolfWeek in 2010, the Player course is the signature round at Geneva National, and for good reason. The facilities, staff and hole layouts make for a memorable experience, especially when off-season rates make it affordable.

Five spectacular par threes and fives make for a challenging round with great variety, while several short par fours allow for fun risk/reward situations. The par four fifth hole is an instant classic, and ranks highly in my list of Wisconsin's greatest par fours.

9. Lawsonia, Links Course (Green Lake, WI):

Built in the late-1920's, the Links course cost comparably the same as the Kohler Company spent to build Whistling Straits. One of the top links-style courses in the country, the Links is a totally different style of golf than anything else I have played: All target shots with treacherous green areas.

10. Lawsonia, Woodlands Course (Green Lake, WI):

At the mention of Lawsonia, most golfers immediately default to thoughts of the Links. The Woodlands is a wonderful course in its own right, though, chocked full of fantastic holes and all the charm you'd expect from a course neighboring Green Lake and owned by the American Baptist Church.

The par four second hole, par three third, and par five seventh all rank in my listing of all-time best holes in the state of Wisconsin. The course sprawls over heavily wooded terrain, with a multitude of ponds, quarries and elevation changes that leave a lasting impression.

For honorable mentions, and dynamic lists of my top ten courses and par three, four and five holes in the state of http://wiscosportsaddict.blogspot.com.