Meet a Wisconsin golf course you’ve (probably) never heard of

When you turn off Highway 50 and arrive at the best golf course in Wisconsin you’ve (probably) never heard of, you’ll drive by putting houses, around picturesque golf holes and past manicured flower beds.

The speed limit during this 90-second drive on the way to the clubhouse is an arbitrary 26 mph, for no other reason than to grab the attention of visitors. It certainly works, but every eye-catching item does that too.

And hands up, until recently, I had no idea this place existed. But the pictures looked good and the drive from the Twin Cities looked easy enough, so we gave it a try one August morning. Fast forward 36 hours and 54 holes after arriving – while standing on the big Dance Floor putting green on the last night of a quick two-night stay – I was rolling putts as the sun set over Lake Como and I couldn’t believe I had it. be unreasonable.

How did I not know about this place? And was I alone?

I have spent most of my life within 300 miles of my neighborhood golf course and the last ten years working for a golf website. Sure, I knew about Sand Valley and Lawsonia and Whistling Straits and Erin Hills and others, but I had never heard of Destination Geneva National until this summer. I’m sure most golfers in Wisconsin and Illinois’ are well aware of it, but I still felt it slipped under the radar for anyone even remotely. It looked well worth a visit, and was quickly on the to-do list.

Undiscovered is a subjective term, but I left Geneva National with the goal of making sure a few more people know about one of the best golf courses in Wisconsin.

Geneva National Area – new title; used to go by Geneva National Resort & Club – located in southeastern Wisconsin, in the small resort town of Lake Geneva, Wis. About an hour from Milwaukee, less than two hours from Chicago and five hours from Minneapolis. The town has a unique history as a hideout for Chicago gangsters such as George “Baby Face” Nelson and George “Bugs” Moran, but these days it is best known as a family getaway that boasts a beautiful downtown area with great restaurants and shops and downtown. a number of beautiful resorts and golf courses, many of which are sprinkled on Lake Geneva or Lake Como.

One of those places is Destination Geneva National, a sprawling resort on the western side of Lake Como. Its draw is that it basically does it all – and it does it all well. It hosts weddings, corporate outings, family retreats and golf outings for friends. And its configuration – hard against the pool – is almost like a cheat code to make any of the aforementioned special. (But the pools, a dozen restaurants and plenty of lodging options don’t hurt, either.)

The biggest selling point for golfers is, as you might imagine, the golf. There are three 18-hole courses, so a run of 54 holes means you’ll never play the same hole of golf twice. The courses are great, too, and weekday stay-and-play rates are $145 during high season ($190 on weekends, cart included). Spring and autumn are cheaper, and at this time of the year – October – you can play for $ 100.

What you get are three unique courses designed by dozens of farmers we can easily identify by their last names: Player, Trevino, Palmer. The Trevino Course starts in the woods and is a forgiving setup that opens on the back nine. The Player Course will test your shooting and challenge your aggressiveness (and was home to a few of my favorite holes). And the Palmer Course has great finishing spots near Lake Como and the finishing 18th hole plays back to the Geneva National clubhouse, a lively place full of golfers, couples and plenty of others who wake up to the bar or eat on the patio.

But this busy area is designed by design, and at the heart of it all is the brand new Dance Floor, a 27-hole Himalayan course that opened in 2022 and extends to the back of the clubhouse. It’s 44,000 square feet and is free for anyone staying at the resort (and just $9 for anyone else) and is open until 11pm on weekends. There are drink holders perched on top of a monstrous rack with music blasting from the surrounding speakers. Just a few meters away sits another recent addition, Paloma Cantina, an outdoor bar where you can order tacos, craft cocktails and beer. It is surrounded by new amenities – a bocce ball court, two fire pits and additional patio seating.

Overlooking all this is high turf. The smokehouse patio, a restaurant that sits behind the clubhouse (which, by the way, is big enough to accommodate a pro shop, hotel lobby and outdoor event spaces). The Turf serves breakfast, lunch and dinner – go for the wings and woodfire pizzas – but there are other restaurants a few miles away (there’s a free shuttle you can use). Crafted Italia offers pasta, pizzas and more – all the carbs you need after a long day on the golf course – and the Hunt Club Steakhouse offers water-wald-aged cuts, an excellent wine catalog and a long list of desserts. . old fashions inside one of the area’s historic buildings. Oh, and the heavenly apple cider smoked bacon appetizer will literally be set on fire by your waiter before it’s ready to devour (small stuff).

After filling up on golf, red meat and wine, digging is good, too. There are cottages, suites and lodges to stay in, and some have enough space to accommodate large groups (with custom stay-and-play packages).

It’s easy to become a fan of Destination Geneva National. Everyone there seemed to be there. However, there is one thing that few agree on – it is their favorite subject. Some say Palmer. Some swear by Mladli and others like Trevino. It’s a running joke here; everyone has a different opinion without a clear winner. If you’ve been there, you know the drill. Don’t tell me there’s nothing else but the Player.

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Josh Behow

Golf.com Editor

As managing editor of GOLF.com, Berhow manages the day-to-day and long-term programming of one of the most widely read news and service websites in the sport. He spends most of his days writing, planning, organizing and wondering if he will ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and two children. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.