Kohler Golf Trip- Kohler Wisconsin

Kohler Golf trip is a “must do” that should be added to your bucket list destination golf. It’s not perfectly set up for golf, but it comes close and the golf experiences are second to none.

Getting there…
You have a couple options for getting to Kohler. You can fly to Chicago and rent a car and drive up. This takes about 2.5 hours, and you can likely get a direct flight into Chicago. Your other bet is to fly into Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That trims your commute about an hour to the courses, but at the same time you probably had to take a connection to get there. If you go this route you mightwant to take some time to stop by the Harly Davidson museum.

Staying there
When you book your Kohler Golf trip, you may think you’re headed to a golf resort where the golf courses are walking distance from your hotel, but you would be wrong. Generally, you will stay at the American Club in Kohler. A very nice hotel, it is actually the converted dormitories and social club that the Kohler’s created for the immigrant workers in the Kohler factory. The staff genuinely cares, the rooms are nice, the suites are really nice, and the bathrooms are, well… Kohler (amazing). The setup is not ideal for doing double occupancy especially if there’s a snorer in the pack….and if so, there will be some bleary eyes on the first tee boxes.

Kohler runs shuttles to Whistling on the hour and to Black Wolf Run upon request. My advice is to get a car and drive to the courses. It’s 15 minutes to the Straights Course and 5 to Black Wolf Run.

Eating there
There are a number of restaurants at the American Club you can choose from. The Tony Immigrant Room is a must do. The service is incredible and the food is delicious. But if you make this reservation be sure to bring a jacket as they are required, and they will make you wear a loaner if you don’t have one. There is also the Wisconsin Room and an English Pub called The Horse & Plow. All with decent food, but The Horse & Plow is great for a relaxed post round meal. Be sure to try the local beer, “Spotted Cow” and some cheese curds — a Wisconsin delicacy.

Shopping there
The shopping is world class. Each course has a terrific golf shop, but we found our best shopping to actually be in the American Club basement. There are a couple strong golf shops there that give you a selection that is guaranteed to have you bring home something that will be unique and a nice token memory of your trip to Kohler. And there is an outlet golf shop in the strip mall .5 miles from the American Club. While you are on a break from golf, be sure to check out the Kohler museum/showroom which is adjacent to the American Club. Be sure to check out the Kohler showroom next to the American Club when you are there. It’s very impressive.

To sum it all up

The American Club is a wonderful destination for couples (and non-golfers) who can figure out things to do while their spouses are on the links. Tell your non-golfing spouse to check out the Kohler design center next door but be prepared for a couple of bathroom re-models when you return home! The spa is also very nice — and you’ll definitely see a number of people walking the resort in robes.

All in all, there is very little to complain about with this setup other than it being very spread out and a lot of driving. The golf more than makes up for these inconveniences. There are 4 courses in Kohler. Two at Black Wolf Run (the River and the Meadow) and 2 at the Straights complex, the Irish and Whistling Straights. If you can only do 2 rounds, be sure to do the River Course and the Straights course. For the best deals you will want to keep an eye on stay and play golf packages, but this will require you to play Irish or Meadow. Pony up and make sure you get the right 2 rounds. Or find out when they combine 2 middle 9’s of Black Wolf Run and play it in its original championship format.

Golf Course Reviews
Whistling Straits: Straits
Whistling Straits: The Irish Course
Black Wolf Run : River Course
Black Wolf Run: Meadow Course

Best Buddies Golf Trip Rankings:

• Bucket list rank (from 1to 5 buckets): 4 Buckets
• Caddies:  8
• Location: 8
• Spectacle/ visual: 9
• History: 7
• New/ancient: Modern
• Playability : 8
• Memorability : 8
• Buddy-a-bility : 7 (it would be awesome if they had a golf suite where everyone could have their own bedroom and bath, but share a living area)
• Service/etc: 8
• Value: 8
• Shopping: 9
• Warm up facilities/Range: 9
• Food & Drink: 9- Don’t miss the Immagant Room