A Straits green on the bluffs of Lake Michigan
▦ hero—A Straits green on the bluffs of Lake Michigan
Destinations / Kohler, Wisconsin

Destination Kohler

Pete Dye's Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run—five courses and a Five-Star resort an hour north of Milwaukee.
Courses
5 courses across 2 sites
Straits & Irish · River, Meadow Valleys & The Baths
Best season
May – October
Getting there
Fly to Milwaukee (MKE), ~1 hr drive
Whistling Straits is ~15 min from Kohler village, at Haven
From the airport
Milwaukee (MKE) · ~1h 14m drive
Price
$$$$

Kohler is a company town in the best sense—the plumbing-fixture giant Kohler Co. built the village, the Five-Star American Club resort, and, through Pete Dye, the courses that turned a Wisconsin dairy county into a major-championship destination. The same standard runs through everything, from the caddies to the spa.

The golf splits between two sites. Whistling Straits is a pair of treeless links strung along two miles of Lake Michigan bluff, fifteen minutes from the village; Blackwolf Run's River and Meadow Valleys courses—plus the new par-3 Baths—wind through the wooded Sheboygan River valley in town. Between rounds there's the American Club, the Kohler Waters Spa, and the River Wildlife preserve.

The courses
Blackwolf Run (Meadow Valleys)
Blackwolf Run (Meadow Valleys)
Pete Dye · par 72 · the more open, prairie-and-farmland half of Blackwolf Run.
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Blackwolf Run (River)
Blackwolf Run (River)
Pete Dye · par 72 · Pete Dye along the Sheboygan River; host of two U.S. Women's Opens.
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The Baths of Blackwolf Run
The Baths of Blackwolf Run
Herb Kohler and Pete Dye · par 30 · a new par-3 short course with deep, revetted pot bunkers.
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Whistling Straits (Irish)
Whistling Straits (Irish)
Pete Dye · par 72 · the inland sibling to the Straits—dunes and fescue, no lake.
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Whistling Straits (Straits)
Whistling Straits (Straits)
Pete Dye · par 72 · three PGA Championships and the 2021 Ryder Cup, along Lake Michigan.
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Where to stay

On-property lodging sells out well in advance—book early.

The American ClubThe American Club — inside
The American Club
Forbes Five-Star flagship in Kohler village · rates est. · from $450/nt
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Inn on WoodlakeInn on Woodlake — inside
Inn on Woodlake
The relaxed option on the Wood Lake shore · rates est. · from $240/nt
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Some stay links are affiliate links — booking through them supports the site at no extra cost to you.

Staying off property

These nearby stays keep the trip alive when the resort is full.

The Rochester Inn
The Rochester Inn
Historic, close to golf · from $140/nt
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These stays are booked through Expedia, an affiliate partner — booking supports the site at no extra cost to you.

Where to eat
The Immigrant Restaurant
$95 pp
Fine dining · dinner
The Wisconsin Room
$65 pp
Wisconsin steakhouse · dinner
River Wildlife Restaurant
$60 pp
Rustic game & fish · dinner
Whistling Straits Restaurant
$55 pp
Fine dining, Lake Michigan views · dinner
Blackwolf Run Restaurant
$50 pp
Rustic lodge dining · dinner
Taverne on Woodlake
$45 pp
Wood-fired, lakeside · dinner
The Horse & Plow
$38 pp
Historic gastropub · dinner
Off the course
The American Club (Five-Star resort & dining)
Kohler Waters Spa
River Wildlife nature preserve & trails
Kohler Design Center & factory tours
Best time to go
JanAprJulOctDec
Courses close for the Wisconsin winter; the Straits is walking-only, caddie or forecaddie required.
Sample itineraries
The major-championship day
Straits in the morning with a caddie loop; dinner at the American Club
Two sites, two days
Whistling Straits one day, Blackwolf Run the next, spa in between
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