Best Golf Courses In Milwaukee
Milwaukee is a blue collar town, and proud of it. That Midwestern ethos of work hard, play hard (especially in summer) helps Wisconsinites survive the long winters without golf. The best golf courses in Milwaukee reflect this blue-collar background but offer enough for those looking for something higher-end.
Milwaukee probably isn’t on the radar of most golf travelers, who fly in to race off to see major championship sites to the north (The American Club in Kohler) and the west (Erin Hills). Meanwhile, the best golf courses in Milwaukee offer a sturdy collection of great places to play. The muni headliner is, of course, the famous Brown Deer Park, host of the PGA Tour’s Milwaukee Open from 1994-2009. Tiger Woods launched his PGA Tour career at the 6,759-yard course, while others kept theirs alive. Veterans Scott Hoch, Jeff Sluman, Loren Roberts and Carlos Franco each won twice on the narrow, tree-lined track. The Dretzka Golf Course and Oakwood Park Golf Course are two other favorites in the 15-course Milwaukee County Parks System. Water crosses 12 holes of the 6,838-yard Dretzka, located in Milwaukee. Oakwood Park, in Franklin, is the longest county course at 7,074 yards.
By extending out into the suburbs, more options are revealed. The highest profile is perhaps The Bog, an entertaining Arnold Palmer course in Saulkville north of the city en route to Kohler. The 7,221-yard course has hosted multiple tournaments and state championships since opening in 1995.
Locals flock to courses on the southern rim, like Johnson Park Golf Course in Racine, a half-hour south, and Brighton Dale Links, home to 45 holes in Kansasville (40 minutes south) and Muskego Lakes Country Club in Muskego, which hosts an event every November where you can drive a real car on the cart paths.
A trio of choices are located northwest of the city. Of the 36 holes at Silver Spring Golf Club in Menomonee Falls, the island green on the appropriately named Island course stands out. Roughly 25 miles farther in Hartford sits the Washington County Golf Course, a muni that gets strong reviews on Golf Advisor. Then, of course, you have Erin Hills, the host of the 2017 U.S. Open. This stunning course isn’t for everybody with its walking-only policy, demanding layout and high green fees. But at least the option is there to play one of the best golf courses in Milwaukee, if not in the region. Considering only five other destinations in the country feature a public U.S. Open venue among their offerings, golfers in Milwaukee should feel privileged.