Sand Valley

Tucked into the central Wisconsin sand barrens, Sand Valley has established itself as one of the most compelling golf destinations to emerge in North America this century. The resort earned immediate credibility by assembling a collection of courses from the most respected names in modern golf architecture — Coore and Crenshaw, Tom Doak, and the ambitious recreation of the lost Lido design — drawing comparisons to the great Scottish and Irish links resorts that inspired it. That combination of pedigree and raw, elemental landscape has placed Sand Valley firmly on the bucket list of any golfer who takes the game and its history seriously.

The courses here share a philosophy rooted in minimalism and the natural character of the land. Massive sand waste areas, firm and fast turf, and routing that follows the natural contours of glacially formed terrain give Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes, Sedge Valley, and The Sandbox a feel that is closer to Old Tom Morris's prairie than to anything built by a bulldozer chasing a developer's brief. Walking is the only way to play, which immediately filters the experience toward golfers who want to be fully present in the landscape rather than shuttled through it.