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Having experienced US golf trips to Monterey Peninsula, Bandon Dunes, Scottsdale and soon Colorado/Nebraska, I am trying to put the next one together but to Where??

My options seem to be:

Pinehurst (centred on Pinehurst #2)

Florida ( Streamsong )

Texas (Dallas/Austin/San Antonio)

Wisconsin (Sand Valley/ Whistling Straits)

Others ???

We go for 2 weeks and play every day. Usually rent a van and live as cheaply as possible so we can pay for some better courses. Dont mind an hour or two drive. eg if we did Texas then a few days in Dallas and a 200 mile trip to Austin would be fine.

Season is not an issue as we can vary that as needed for the shoulder season.

What I dont know is how these destinations compare with each other re course access, playability, accommodation and other local facilities.

How would you rate them? what others should I consider?

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having not been to all of these places im not the best to compare them all but my choice would be sand valley. I really love central Wisconsin and there are a ton of other really great affordable courses in the area that I have not played but plan to. Granted I know the Midwest isn't for everyone and other choices like Pinehurst and streamsong are much sexier. My thoughts are for international golfers it would be a much more unique experience than the traditional America golf destinations. I would definitely not recommend texas in the summer

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Plenty of good options. Wisconsin and Michigan are two good choices. A lot of great courses. I might also look at a trip down the southeast. Start in Myrtle Beach, Ocean course at Kiawah (Charleston), Harbor Town in HHI and finish up at TPC Sawgrass. Break it up and the windshield time isn't that bad. Just a thought.

 

I'd do Wisconsin myself. Kohler, Erin Hills, Sand Valley etc

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Having experienced US golf trips to Monterey Peninsula, Bandon Dunes, Scottsdale and soon Colorado/Nebraska, I am trying to put the next one together but to Where??

My options seem to be:

Pinehurst (centred on Pinehurst #2)

Florida ( Streamsong )

Texas (Dallas/Austin/San Antonio)

Wisconsin (Sand Valley/ Whistling Straits)

Others ???

We go for 2 weeks and play every day. Usually rent a van and live as cheaply as possible so we can pay for some better courses. Dont mind an hour or two drive. eg if we did Texas then a few days in Dallas and a 200 mile trip to Austin would be fine.

Season is not an issue as we can vary that as needed for the shoulder season.

What I dont know is how these destinations compare with each other re course access, playability, accommodation and other local facilities.

How would you rate them? what others should I consider?

 

Other than Streamsong and Sand Valley, I've played all of the places on your have already played and want to play list, so here goes.

 

For a two week stay I'd say your best best are Pinehurst followed by Wisconsin. In addition to #2 and the resort courses there are a LOT of other really good courses. Mid Pines, Pine Needles, Tobacco Road, etc. You can golf there forever.

 

Wisconsin is a close second place. All four of the Kohler courses are very good and the proximity to Erin Hills, Sand Valley and the courses in the Chigaco area make it a good option for a trip. You asked about weather in October. The playable season runs until the end of October, but the weather can be iffy. We went to Whistling straits the first weekend in October and had 25C. Or it could have been 5C.

 

One other option for your list is Kiawah Island and the surrounding South Carolina area. Again, lots of options to choose from in that area.

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having lived in houston for 20 years, i see no reason to include texas as an option ... whatever public courses there are, none of them compare to the other sites/areas you listed ... i'd say 2 weeks is best covered in wisconsin ... multiple sites with multiple golf courses, all of them highly ranked overall or as a public course ... kohler has a very nice package in late may, before june 1st ... same for sand valley ... lawsonia/bull at pinehurst/sentry world are already reasonably priced ... erin hills doesn't offer any type of discount ... pinehurst in hot july will be cheaper, and there's usually a "top 100 public courses" package on the tobacco course website that is a sweet deal for mid pines/pine needles/dormie/tobacco ... streamsong isn't a two week option, but it's driveable to sawgrass, and the world of golf is just north of tampa, another highly ranked public course ... can't go wrong with any of those areas, and they dwarf austin/dallas as far as golf courses go ... shoulder season prices are going to be higher for pinehurst and streamsong/florida, though ... very high for pinehurst ...

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Done all these trips and all are great. (Texas being the weakest of the bunch). Early to mid september in wisconsin is sublime for golf. All public access Kohler and Whistling Straits will strain the budget, but the golf is so good. Erin Hills was my favorite on the trip and Sand Valley is remarkable. That is just about as good as it gets for public golf. If you need to go in October I wouldnt do Wisconsin. Pinehurst is perfect then as it Streamsong. I would put them Wisconsin>Pinehurs>Streamsong>>Texas. If you have enough time and want to travel a bit add an extra week to your Wisconsin trip and do (In Michigan) Arcadia Bluffs, Kingsley Club and Forest Dunes (if connected possibly Crystal downs as well). Cant go wrong with your list.

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Texas would be absolutely pointless. It's pretty much a "golf destination" wasteland. Come for the BBQ sure, but save the golf for somewhere else.

Wisconsin | Michigan | Carolinas would be my choice for next three, based on where you've been and/are going.

[url="http://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTOZNxdsDKajrKxaUCRjcU8eB7URcAMpaCWN-67Bt6QG8rmBUPYW3QAQ7k87BlYizIMKJzEhuzqr9OQ/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true"]WITB[/url] | [url="http://tinyurl.com/CoursesPlayedList"]Courses Played list[/url] |  [url="http://tinyurl.com/25GolfingFaves"] 25 Faves [/url]

F.T.

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Wisconsin's eastern/central loop of Erin Hills, The Bull at Pinehurst Farms, Blackwolf Run (2), Whistling Straits (2), Lawsonia Links, Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes and SentryWorld gets you 10 courses currently ranked by Golf Digest/Golf Magazine. Travel would be less than two hours between pretty much all of the courses. You could add in some around the Chicago area to fill out the two weeks if need be.

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I love the Pinehurst area, and it could certainly make a good base for your trip. At the Resort,#2, #4, #8, and #9 are very solid, and you can add in Dormie Club, Mid Pines, Pine Needles, Tobacco Road. I'm also partial to Talamore and Mid South, although they might be a half-notch below the others. Several of those are worth a second round, something I occasionally enjoy on a golf holiday. You could also have two bases, Pinehurst and then something on the coast like Hilton Head or Kiawah Island or Myrtle Beach.

In reading your original post, I think its important to mention that access to advance reservations on some of these courses (#2 and #4, I'm pretty certain) will require you to stay at Pinehurst Resort. Its a lovely place, but fairly pricey. You could do that for a few days, and move to something less costly for the remainder of your stay. For some of the others, you'll save on greens fees by booking through another lodging option, I'm not sure that using something like VRBA or AirB&B would result in overall savings.

Good luck with your planning, I'll be watching to see what you decide.

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let me know if yo have a different post for this elsewhere but curious what your itinerary is for the Colorado/Nebraska trip

 

Wondering also as being in Denver and played most the courses in both states. Public and Private.

 

Trip happening in August / September 2019. Playing Bear Dance/Fossil Trace/Arrowhead/ Commonground in Denver then driving out to Ballyneal, Wild Horse, Dismal River and Prairie Club. A lot of driving but with 4 in the group should be OK. I like the play all day options although 36 holes can be tough on the old body. May have to use a cart here and there. Coming from Aussie it will be a Wild West experience. Might have to buy a Stetson!

[url="http://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTOZNxdsDKajrKxaUCRjcU8eB7URcAMpaCWN-67Bt6QG8rmBUPYW3QAQ7k87BlYizIMKJzEhuzqr9OQ/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true"]WITB[/url] | [url="http://tinyurl.com/CoursesPlayedList"]Courses Played list[/url] |  [url="http://tinyurl.com/25GolfingFaves"] 25 Faves [/url]

F.T.

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No decision at this point but Wisconsin is the clubhouse leader.

And thanks everyone who has contributed to the discussion.

America is blessed with some brilliant golf options.

 

 

Just wanted to chime in with some food for thought:

 

The midwest had an early, cold fall last year so it's a bit of a crapshoot the later you go. If you didn't want to go in the middle of summer to WI, going in early September would be ideal as the weather should still be good and a lot of courses start fall rates with vacations done and kids in school.

 

For flying in, Milwaukee is ideal, but Chicago more likely given it sounds like you're coming from Australia. But keep in mind that Minneapolis is a Delta hub so worth checking just to see if you can fly in for less that way. Sand Valley is halfway between Minneapolis and Chicago although the overall easier "loop" of WI golf is closer to Chicago. Worth looking at though as international flight costs can really vary.

 

Lastly, since you mentioned this would be a two week golf bender, a half hour north of Whistling Straights is Manitowoc, WI. You can take a ferry across Lake Michigan to Ludington, MI. Drive an hour north from there and you're at Arcadia Bluffs with all of the northern MI courses.

 

Imagine telling your mates that you took a ferry across a Great Lake as part of your golf trip. "Seriously? Seriously."

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Done all these trips and all are great. (Texas being the weakest of the bunch). Early to mid september in wisconsin is sublime for golf. All public access Kohler and Whistling Straits will strain the budget, but the golf is so good. Erin Hills was my favorite on the trip and Sand Valley is remarkable. That is just about as good as it gets for public golf. If you need to go in October I wouldnt do Wisconsin. Pinehurst is perfect then as it Streamsong. I would put them Wisconsin>Pinehurs>Streamsong>>Texas. If you have enough time and want to travel a bit add an extra week to your Wisconsin trip and do (In Michigan) Arcadia Bluffs, Kingsley Club and Forest Dunes (if connected possibly Crystal downs as well). Cant go wrong with your list.
Mosquitoes and gnats get pretty bad in Wisco from mid-June on, spring golf just before peak season is best here. The fall colors and September air is nice, but it can be 90's and humid through mid-Sept. Early May is my favorite time here, bugs are tame yet and temps are upper 50s at worst and low 80s at their height. Bug crop might have took a huge hit the past few days, time will tell.

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My buddies and I are planning a weekend trip to Lajitas, TX to play the Black Jack Crossing @ Lajitas.

https://www.lajitasgolfresort.com/default.aspx?pg=golf

 

Unbelievable course where almost every Tee box is elevated by at least 75 feet above the fairway. Cut thru the canyon landscape, this is truly a great course. The only problem is getting there...Located about 15 minuted from Mexico in far SW Texas, to facilitate your trip, they have a Golfers' Package:

A private jet leaving Dallas on Fridays and returning on Sunday

2 nights stay in their casitas

Unlimited golf

Around $1000

 

We plan on going in early May, so I will post my reviews after that.

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My buddies and I are planning a weekend trip to Lajitas, TX to play the Black Jack Crossing @ Lajitas.

https://www.lajitasg...lt.aspx?pg=golf

 

Unbelievable course where almost every Tee box is elevated by at least 75 feet above the fairway. Cut thru the canyon landscape, this is truly a great course. The only problem is getting there...Located about 15 minuted from Mexico in far SW Texas, to facilitate your trip, they have a Golfers' Package:

A private jet leaving Dallas on Fridays and returning on Sunday

2 nights stay in their casitas

Unlimited golf

Around $1000

 

We plan on going in early May, so I will post my reviews after that.

Been down there to go to Big Bend, but not golf. You folks should make at effort if you can to get up to the Starlight Theatre in Terlingua for dinner and drinks one night, it's a really cool spot.

[url="http://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTOZNxdsDKajrKxaUCRjcU8eB7URcAMpaCWN-67Bt6QG8rmBUPYW3QAQ7k87BlYizIMKJzEhuzqr9OQ/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true"]WITB[/url] | [url="http://tinyurl.com/CoursesPlayedList"]Courses Played list[/url] |  [url="http://tinyurl.com/25GolfingFaves"] 25 Faves [/url]

F.T.

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Ever give Central Oregon any thought?

 

There are as many courses as you want to play and can get some great VRBO deals. Courses range from the super high end (Pronghorn, Tetherow) to an incredibly underrated muni in Juniper ($50) you can venture west to Tokatee or make the drive and stay over night Sivies Ranch out East. Outstanding brew pubs and things outside of golf.

 

Most summer days are high 80’s and low 90’s with some days creeping into the low 100’s but even that isn’t to bad to walk and an easy cart ride with no humidity.

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Ever give Central Oregon any thought?

 

There are as many courses as you want to play and can get some great VRBO deals. Courses range from the super high end (Pronghorn, Tetherow) to an incredibly underrated muni in Juniper ($50) you can venture west to Tokatee or make the drive and stay over night Sivies Ranch out East. Outstanding brew pubs and things outside of golf.

 

Most summer days are high 80's and low 90's with some days creeping into the low 100's but even that isn't to bad to walk and an easy cart ride with no humidity.

Having been to Bandon, I think we would rather go further afield than Oregon although I get that the depth of courses around there is good.

One option not so far mentioned is to the Pacific North=West ie Washington state and BC. Chambers Bay is the obvious attraction on the US side but Vancouver is a beautiful city with excellent golf both on the mainland and Vancouver Island.

You could go inland to Gamble Sands and maybe Idaho to play Circling Raven then up to the Okanagan and Tobiano etc. That would involve much more travelling though which is the attraction of a concentrated area like a Wisconsin or a Pinehurst.

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