Wisconsin Golf Trip Review

[Roadking2003]

We (eight golfers) just returned from a seven day, seven golf courses trip to Wisconsin. We played 18 per day (except one day we also played the Sandbox). We walked with caddies on Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes, Erin Hills, Straits and Irish. We had forecaddies on Blackwolf Run. No caddies on The Bull.

 

Weather was close to perfect and only had to wear a rain jacket for about 45 minutes one day. We would play all of these courses again other than Straits due to its very high cost.

 

Here is a summary of our observations.

 

We ranked all of the courses using whatever criteria we individually chose. So this isn't a Golf Digest ranking; it's a ranking by eight golfers who have played all over the world. Our indexes range from 4.5 to 8.3.

 

Whistling Straits and Erin Hills were ranked #1 or #2 by all but one of us. So they clearly were our top choices.

 

Mammoth Dunes was ranked last or next to last by all eight golfers making it the cellar dweller for this trip. The course is a lot of fun, but a blind one armed golfer could hit the fairways. It's just way too easy to drive which makes it the poster child for bomb and gauge golf. I suspect that beginner golfers or golfers who spray their drives all over creation would rank it higher than we did.

 

Sand Valley, Blackwolf Run, The Bull and Irish were all ranked very close together in the middle of the pack.

 

Notes in the order we played;

 

Mammoth Dunes

• Fun to play
  
• Wide open, extremely wide fairways
  
• Impossible to lose a ball
  
• Huge greens
  
• Removes any need for accurate driving
  
• Good condition but needs to mature
  
• Caddies were good
  
• Hard fairways make it play shorter
  
• This would be a great course for beginners
  

Sand Valley

• Very wide fairways
  
• Large greens with interesting undulations
  
• Impossible to lose a ball
  
• Caddies were good
  
• Hard fairways make it play shorter
  
• Greens and fairways in very good condition
  

Blackwolf Run River

• Perfect condition except for some ball marks on the soft greens
  
• Wide variety of holes
  
• Take a few extra balls
  
• Soft fairways make it play longer
  
• Very good forecaddies
  
• Very little elevation changes
  

Whistling Straits - Straits

• Spectacular course
  
• Spectacular views
  
• Every hole is different
  
• Elevation changes and doglegs both ways
  
• Very good caddies
  
• Wind adds to the difficulty
  
• Perfect condition
  
• Do not try to use a pull cart
  
• Huge practice facility
  
• VERY expensive green fees
  

Whistling Straits – Irish

• Wide variety of holes
  
• More fun to play than Straits
  
• Very good caddies
  
• Perfect condition
  
• Do not try to use a pull cart
  
• Huge practice facility
  

Erin Hills

• Wide variety of holes
  
• Elevation changes and doglegs both ways
  
• Very good caddies
  
• Perfect condition
  
• Very good facilities
  
• Do not try to use a pull cart
  
• High wind adds to difficulty
  
• Huge practice facility
  
• Expensive green fees
  

The Bull

• Very good value
  
• Very interesting variety of holes
  
• Every hole required a strategy off the tee and approaching the green
  
• Straight drives are a requirement
  
• Lost balls should be expected
  
• Difficult to navigate without a caddie
  
• Perfect condition except for ball marks on the soft greens
  
• Electric carts are a must
  

[mci711]

Very well done review. Shocked to hear Mammoth Dunes as last. Haven't played there yet, but obviously hearing great things. Agree Erin Hills and WS are the top 2 courses in WI. I have trouble picking 1 over the other, I think EH is the better overall course, but not sure when it comes to overall experience. Sounds like an awesome trip though! I plan on going to Sand Valley at the end of the month. Just wondering for comparison's sake, have you been to Streamsong? I get a very Streamsong Black feel when reading about Mammoth Dunes.

[Roadking2003]

I have not played Streamsong. But just to be clear, I'm glad we played Mammoth and it was a lot of fun. It's just that the other six courses we played were better.

 

I highly recommend playing all three of the Sand Valley courses.

 

BTW, we played the Sandbox as an eightsome......played skins, drank lots of beer and had a blast.

[jerebear21]

mammoth is about angles and playability. I am looking forward to mammoth the most and my lineup is pretty sick.

[SDL]

Thanks for the summary of your Wisconsin trip - sounds like a lot of fun!

 

I'm hoping to play Erin Hills and the Straits next year - and hopefully return to Sand Valley again soon.

 

I liked Mammoth Dunes a lot more than you and your friends did, but we may just have different preferences in golf courses. I liked Mammoth a lot better than BWR River, for example, because River is too tight and "target-focused" for my taste.

 

Just out of curiosity, what are your favorite courses throughout the U.S. (or even internationally)?

[Roadking2003]

Thanks for the summary of your Wisconsin trip - sounds like a lot of fun!

 

I'm hoping to play Erin Hills and the Straits next year - and hopefully return to Sand Valley again soon.

 

I liked Mammoth Dunes a lot more than you and your friends did, but we may just have different preferences in golf courses. I liked Mammoth a lot better than BWR River, for example, because River is too tight and "target-focused" for my taste.

 

Just out of curiosity, what are your favorite courses throughout the U.S. (or even internationally)?

 

BTW, One in our group rated SV #1 and BWR River #8. So you and he must like similar courses. He is an Ireland / Scotland fanatic.

 

Some of my favorite courses that I have played;

 

Augusta National

Pebble Beach

Royal County Down

Castle Pines Golf Club

Cabo del Sol - Ocean

Shoal Creek

Turnberry

Princeville - Prince course

Kiawah - Ocean

Cherry Hills

[SDL]

You have an interesting list of favorite courses, with quite a few different styles represented. Would any of the Wisconsin courses make it onto your favorites list?

 

Like your friend, I really like the links courses in Scotland and Ireland. My favorites are St. Andrews (Old), Dornoch, Turnberry-Ailsa (haven't played it since renovations), and Ballybunion. My favorite courses in North America are Cabot Cliffs, Pacific Dunes, and Mammoth Dunes. I'm pretty sure that Augusta and Pebble Beach would make it onto my list if I am lucky enough to play them. I'm hoping to make it to PB in the next year or two.

[jwhite86]

You avoided some pretty bad weather on your trip... Very good summary and I agree with everything you've said...

 

The Bull takes a couple of rounds before you know when and where you can attack

[Roadking2003]

You have an interesting list of favorite courses, with quite a few different styles represented. Would any of the Wisconsin courses make it onto your favorites list?

 

Like your friend, I really like the links courses in Scotland and Ireland. My favorites are St. Andrews (Old), Dornoch, Turnberry-Ailsa (haven't played it since renovations), and Ballybunion. My favorite courses in North America are Cabot Cliffs, Pacific Dunes, and Mammoth Dunes. I'm pretty sure that Augusta and Pebble Beach would make it onto my list if I am lucky enough to play them. I'm hoping to make it to PB in the next year or two.

 

Yes, I like all types of courses. I like the Irish and Scotland courses. Loved Muirfield and Carnoustie. But I also like mountain courses and desert courses (Desert Mountain has six really good courses). I'm a big fan of Nicklaus courses and have played 38 of them.

 

I need to review my list to see which Wisconsin courses will go to the top 10 or 20 of my list. Definitely Strats and Erin Hills.

 

I have a trip to planned for Cabot Links next year.

[Roadking2003]

You avoided some pretty bad weather on your trip... Very good summary and I agree with everything you've said...

 

The Bull takes a couple of rounds before you know when and where you can attack

 

We played The Bull without forecaddies (I don't think they have them) and that made it quite difficult. We loved the course but got eaten alive by indecision. Almost every tee shot requires a decision. Lots of strategy choices.

[SDL]

You have an interesting list of favorite courses, with quite a few different styles represented. Would any of the Wisconsin courses make it onto your favorites list?

 

Like your friend, I really like the links courses in Scotland and Ireland. My favorites are St. Andrews (Old), Dornoch, Turnberry-Ailsa (haven't played it since renovations), and Ballybunion. My favorite courses in North America are Cabot Cliffs, Pacific Dunes, and Mammoth Dunes. I'm pretty sure that Augusta and Pebble Beach would make it onto my list if I am lucky enough to play them. I'm hoping to make it to PB in the next year or two.

 

Yes, I like all types of courses. I like the Irish and Scotland courses. Loved Muirfield and Carnoustie. But I also like mountain courses and desert courses (Desert Mountain has six really good courses). I'm a big fan of Nicklaus courses and have played 38 of them.

 

I need to review my list to see which Wisconsin courses will go to the top 10 or 20 of my list. Definitely Strats and Erin Hills.

 

I have a trip to planned for Cabot Links next year.

 

Our course preferences appear to overlap a bit, but they diverge significantly as well. I am not a big fan of Nicklaus or Dye courses in general. Among modern designs, I tend to like courses by Doak and Coore/Crenshaw quite a bit.

 

I hope you enjoy your Cabot trip next year. I really like the courses at Cabot Links and the people of Cape Breton Island. It's a place that's not easy to get to, but it's worth the trip. Cabot Cliffs is fantastic!

[ode1]

You avoided some pretty bad weather on your trip... Very good summary and I agree with everything you've said...

 

The Bull takes a couple of rounds before you know when and where you can attack

 

We played The Bull without forecaddies (I don't think they have them) and that made it quite difficult. We loved the course but got eaten alive by indecision. Almost every tee shot requires a decision. Lots of strategy choices.

 

The Bull is a very difficult course, IMO right there with The Straits and The River (I have not played EH). Curious your thoughts on which you/group found to be the most challenging between Straits, Bull, River, and EH.

 

There are a plethora of really, really good holes at The Bull. 1, 2 (the approach is no joke) and 3 are fairly benign, but then the fun begins, with no let up....and some gorgeous holes too. My personal favorites are 5 with the huge ravine on the left and semi blind approach. 16 is so visually imposing off the tee with the junk short, drop to an expansive woods left, and lise it tright more woods/ravine. After playing it a few times, thesensible play is at the pines in the background with a little draw and there is room to play with. It doesn't really require a great tee shot, but just looks daunting from the tee. And damn the approach is daunting over the ravine and to a two tiered green....back left is a b1tch to get at. And 17 is just plain fun, wide open off the tee with a huge run off to the bottom of the Fwy and then drops off to a ravine. And the downhill approach to a well guarded green is just fun....easily reachable in two, but lots to think about too!

 

Glad you had fun and hope you make it back!

[Roadking2003]

Here are the courses in order by our average gross scores (low to high);

 

Mammoth Dunes

Sand Valley

Blackwolf Run

Irish

The Bull

Straits

Erin Hills (very high winds contributed to higher scores)

 

My personal high score was The Bull.

[Phreddy]

It takes a couple three rounds at the Bull to learn your lines off the tee. Really a fun risk/reward course.