Golf Digest Ranks 11 Wisconsin Public Courses Among the Best in the U.S.

As published in the June 3, 2025 story by Emmett Prosser on the website version of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin's three-decade run of hosting seven major golf championships — and a Ryder Cup — may have ended last weekend with the 2025 U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills. But the state will continue to be a mecca for the sport.

Golf Digest released its annual ranking of the America's 100 Greatest Public Courses last week and, despite the limited number of warm-weather days in the state, Wisconsin led the country with 11 courses on the list.

What might be more impressive is that six of the 11 courses are ranked in the top 25. Fourth-ranked Whistling Straits, 10th-ranked Erin Hills and 17th-ranked Blackwolf Run have been sites for major championships, but Sand Valley in Nekoosa now has three courses in the top 25, including The Lido, which is new to the list at No. 12.

Here's some of what Golf Digest wrote about The Lido:

"The Lido at Sand Valley in central Wisconsin opened in May 2023, and is a down-to-the-inch recreation of The Lido that C.B. Macdonald built on Long Island from 1914 to 1917. Heralded as one of the country’s greatest courses, it went extinct in the 1940s when the U.S. government converted the land to a naval base. Rebuilding The Lido has been the fantasy of many historians, but doing so accurately became possible when Peter Flory, a financial consultant and architecture enthusiast, developed a detailed computer simulation of the course based on scrupulous study of old photographs and other material. Sand Valley proprietors Michael and Chris Keiser discovered Flory’s computer model, then asked architect Tom Doak if he could use it to rebuild the course."

Sedge Valley is another new course on the list at No. 51 and also at Sand Valley. Here's a bit of why Golf Digest added it to its list.

"Sedge Valley is architect Tom Doak’s homage to the early 20th century, sub-par 70 courses popular in the London heathlands and throughout the U.K. Tipping the scales at less than 6,000 yards and par 68, it might seem like light fare but it isn’t — this is real golf that demands confident driving and smart approaches into a set of small, distinguished green complexes. Though located in proximity to Sand Valley’s original course, Sedge feels like it's in a different state. Formal bunkers replace the exposed sand borders common at the other resort courses, and the routing circles through meadows of mostly hardwoods rather than lumber pine. While the par 4s are short, only a few like the sixth and 18th are drivable for regular players and resort guests don’t come away thinking the course is too short or a pushover." 

Here are the rankings of the 11 courses among the top 100:

4. Whistling Straits (Straits Course) in Haven

10. Erin Hills in Erin

12. The Lido at Sand Valley in Nekoosa

17. Blackwolf Run (River Course) in Kohler

21. Sand Valley in Nekoosa

25. Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley in Nekoosa

49. SentryWorld Golf Course in Stevens Point

51. Sedge Valley at Sand Valley in Nekoosa

65. Whistling Straits (Irish Course) in Haven

66. Golf Courses of Lawsonia (Links Course) in Green Lake

92. Blackwolf Run (Meadow Valleys Course) in Kohler

Golf Digest also posted its list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses, which includes private clubs. Courses must have a minimum of 50 evaluations over 10 years to qualify for the combined private- and public-course rating.

Whistling Straits remains Wisconsin's top course at No. 26, the same ranking it held in 2024.

26. Whistling Straits (Straits Course)

49. Erin Hills

69. The Lido at Sand Valley

97. Milwaukee Country Club in River Hills