Wisconsin... what's in Wisconsin?


This was the response all of my coworkers gave me when I told them where I was headed on PTO. Little do they know Wisconsin is a great place to eat, drink, hang out with the boys and obviously- golf. If you've never been to Wisconsin- GO!

We hacked up Ridgeway first (Professor's track) before the game on Thursday. Ridgeway is a fun track in good shape with tricky greens and firm fairways. I enjoyed it thoroughly even though Higley cut my birdie on 18 with an epic eagle, and he and Tiger rolled us for a victory.

Everything Speedy said about Lambeau is true. The tailgating, atmosphere, fan attitude-especially in the beer line- everything is unreal- a 10 out of 10. Lambeau felt more like a SEC or Big 10 game than the NFL (and that's a good thing). Higley's seats are amazing, and the tailgate set up was 1st class all the way.

Erin Hills, in my humble opinion has the best logo in golf. I found it hard no to drop a paycheck in the pro shop. From the moment you turn onto the property you know you're in for something special. It's hard to describe the landscape. It's wide open, but it feels tight. There's a lot of blind shots and a lot of trust between player and caddy. It doesn't really look like Wisconsin, but it also doesn't feel artificial in any way. Bottom line- it just seems like an amazing golf course was meant to be there. The layout is challenging at every turn, and a little course knowledge goes a long way. I love that there was a good mix of long, short, straight, and doglegged holes. No two holes were the same, there isn’t a “right way” to play any hole and I distinctly remember all of them. Our caddy Ryan was the man, and I wish we could have brought him everywhere. He gave us some really great reads, including an unconventional read that Higley and I will remember for life. We finished our round with a round and some fried cheese curds by the fire pit. There's not many better 19th holes nationwide.

The Straights course was no joke. I knew there was a lot of bunkers, but man... there's more than you think. Many of them come into play, but a lot of them are purely ornamental. I'm pretty sure there was a bunker in the parking lot and one in the bathroom too. I enjoyed the play at Erin Hills more, but the scenery is ridiculous at the Whistle. I think everyone took pictures of nearly every hole on the track. The lake, sunset, foliage, and yes- bunkers- really made for great photos. Again, a little course knowledge would have gone a long way. There wasn't a bunch of water and railroad ties, but the tricky greens and awkward looks were quintessentially Pete Dye. If you hit it in the wrong spot, there's inevitably something that will snare your ball and crush your score. We all found bunkers, and many of us found the tiny little outcroppings within those bunkers that gave the pros fits. Tiger hit the shot of the day here getting it up and down from a bunker on the "Deamon's Ear" that was no less than 12 feet deep. The Caddy said he'd never seen anyone make it out to the back right pin in the 3 seasons he was there. I think we said “wow this is a cool hole, where do we hit it?” about 18 times that round. The clubhouse is crazy, and makes you feel like you’re in the Irish countryside. There’s a beer made just for them, and everything is customized throughout the course and clubhouse. To top it all off, we had a bald eagle sighting on the 10th and 18th hole.

We stopped at a brewery on the ride back from Kohler. I can’t remember the name, but I do remember my massive burger with bacon and a fired egg on a pretzel bun. Man… I wish I had another one right now! Other than the company, my favorite part about these courses is that they’re walking only. There’s no cart paths, no lines in the fairway, it’s just golf as it was meant to be. I really enjoyed my time in Wincy, and would love to make a return trip.

To echo Speedy, a huge shout out has to go to the Professor. Mr. Higley could have a second career as a vacation planner. He did a phenomenal job of chauffeuring us around Cheese Head nation, figuring out the logistics, making sure Speedy had enough beef jerky, and ensuring Tiger and I had enough moon man/spotted cow for the day. Kudo's to you sir!

I know most people don’t think of Wisconsin when they think golf destination, but they definitely should.

Wisconsin... what's in Wisconsin?


This was the response all of my coworkers gave me when I told them where I was headed on PTO. Little do they know Wisconsin is a great place to eat, drink, hang out with the boys and obviously- golf. If you've never been to Wisconsin- GO!

We hacked up Ridgeway first (Professor's track) before the game on Thursday. Ridgeway is a fun track in good shape with tricky greens and firm fairways. I enjoyed it thoroughly even though Higley cut my birdie on 18 with an epic eagle, and he and Tiger rolled us for a victory.

Everything Speedy said about Lambeau is true. The tailgating, atmosphere, fan attitude-especially in the beer line- everything is unreal- a 10 out of 10. Lambeau felt more like a SEC or Big 10 game than the NFL (and that's a good thing). Higley's seats are amazing, and the tailgate set up was 1st class all the way.

Erin Hills, in my humble opinion has the best logo in golf. I found it hard no to drop a paycheck in the pro shop. From the moment you turn onto the property you know you're in for something special. It's hard to describe the landscape. It's wide open, but it feels tight. There's a lot of blind shots and a lot of trust between player and caddy. It doesn't really look like Wisconsin, but it also doesn't feel artificial in any way. Bottom line- it just seems like an amazing golf course was meant to be there. The layout is challenging at every turn, and a little course knowledge goes a long way. I love that there was a good mix of long, short, straight, and doglegged holes. No two holes were the same, there isn’t a “right way” to play any hole and I distinctly remember all of them. Our caddy Ryan was the man, and I wish we could have brought him everywhere. He gave us some really great reads, including an unconventional read that Higley and I will remember for life. We finished our round with a round and some fried cheese curds by the fire pit. There's not many better 19th holes nationwide.

The Straights course was no joke. I knew there was a lot of bunkers, but man... there's more than you think. Many of them come into play, but a lot of them are purely ornamental. I'm pretty sure there was a bunker in the parking lot and one in the bathroom too. I enjoyed the play at Erin Hills more, but the scenery is ridiculous at the Whistle. I think everyone took pictures of nearly every hole on the track. The lake, sunset, foliage, and yes- bunkers- really made for great photos. Again, a little course knowledge would have gone a long way. There wasn't a bunch of water and railroad ties, but the tricky greens and awkward looks were quintessentially Pete Dye. If you hit it in the wrong spot, there's inevitably something that will snare your ball and crush your score. We all found bunkers, and many of us found the tiny little outcroppings within those bunkers that gave the pros fits. Tiger hit the shot of the day here getting it up and down from a bunker on the "Deamon's Ear" that was no less than 12 feet deep. The Caddy said he'd never seen anyone make it out to the back right pin in the 3 seasons he was there. I think we said “wow this is a cool hole, where do we hit it?” about 18 times that round. The clubhouse is crazy, and makes you feel like you’re in the Irish countryside. There’s a beer made just for them, and everything is customized throughout the course and clubhouse. To top it all off, we had a bald eagle sighting on the 10th and 18th hole.

We stopped at a brewery on the ride back from Kohler. I can’t remember the name, but I do remember my massive burger with bacon and a fired egg on a pretzel bun. Man… I wish I had another one right now! Other than the company, my favorite part about these courses is that they’re walking only. There’s no cart paths, no lines in the fairway, it’s just golf as it was meant to be. I really enjoyed my time in Wincy, and would love to make a return trip.

To echo Speedy, a huge shout out has to go to the Professor. Mr. Higley could have a second career as a vacation planner. He did a phenomenal job of chauffeuring us around Cheese Head nation, figuring out the logistics, making sure Speedy had enough beef jerky, and ensuring Tiger and I had enough moon man/spotted cow for the day. Kudo's to you sir!

I know most people don’t think of Wisconsin when they think golf destination, but they definitely should.