Destination Kohler/The American Club

The price may scare some people away, but it is worth it as a bucket list course. Top notch everything. Not a bad hole on the golf course and some excellent views.

played the meadows in a practice round the day before I played it during a tournament, it was in excellent condition and plays far easier than the river course...I had a lot more fun.

the river course was in excellent condition considering the poor weather, but it is extremely challenging-can't wait to go back and play it again now that I know where NOT to hit it.

Wow, this course was brutal with the wind blowing consistently over 20mph the entire day. The fairways are fair, but if you are having trouble finding the fairway the course shows its teeth. I didn't have my best game and with the wind blowing the course was a brute from the green tees. I made a tee time only 2 days before hand as a single and surprisingly when I showed up in the morning it was just me, sent out as the first group of the day. I basically had the course and caddie to myself, typically a caddie carries two bags, so we managed to play in about 3.25 hrs. This is a bucket list course, but this does not come cheap. The Straits course requires a caddie so expect to spend at least $120 on top of the steep $380 green fee. I would love to play this course again, but I think I would do so as part of a package to try and lower the somewhat exorbitant price.

The River Course at Blackwolf run is far more challenging and scenic than it's sister course the Meadow Valley course. You could still see some signs of aeration on the fairways and greens but this had no impact on the playability of the course; everything else on the course was in immaculate condition. The day I played it was cool, foggy, and windy and this made the River course a bit of a beast even though the long grass was thinner than it would be later in the season. I would highly recommend playing this course as part of one of the packages, otherwise it is quite expensive.

Pro: I like the way the course is set up as a links style course. There are lots of bunkers on the course I was playing on as well as the Straits course. The greens were rolling fast even though it was raining there a little.

Con: With the course being next to Lake Michigan it is prone to having foggy weather. This happened toward the late part of the round. It made it more difficult than it looked when the fog rolled in. I did not like playing in the fog at all. Watch for heavy winds or it can get tougher.

Pro: The course was an excellent condition even after they had some rain. Greens were rolling fast and it is unbelievable how many bunkers are out on each of the two courses. I like the course very much.

Con: The course being located next to Lake Michigan can sometimes like I experience have foggy weather. For me it is not fun to play in the fog. I had to hit some tee shots in the fog and you do no know where it is going. They say it does not happen very often but that is the only downside I saw.

The course is beautiful. Bent grass, tightly manicured fairways mean you'll never have a bad lie. Stay out of the roughs. They are long and thick. Pot bunkers may or may not have sand in them, but are tough to get out of.
All 18 holes are so picturesque that they should be on postcards or a calendar.
You don't feel like you're in Wisconsin.

A bit over the top, but a course that any serious golfer has to play. Half of the bunkers never come into play. I expected an unfair, quirky course, but actually, it's fair but difficult. Fairways are much wider than they look from the tee box. Greens are fairly easy to read and extremely consistent. Played front 9 with no wind and shot even par. Lots of wind on back 9 and shot 43...different course in wind. Absolutely beautiful scenery. Great caddies. VERY pricey.

After playing the Straits Course at Whistling Straits, you'd think it would be difficult to be impressed. And it is. But the River Course at Blackwolf Run more than lived up to the challenge. Of course, it's completely different than the Straits, and it actually looks a bit more natural (because it is). The holes around the river valley may be the most scenic, but the course features on imaginative hole after another. I particularly like the options off the tee with bailout areas and more aggressive risk-reward plays. Greens are also outstanding, tricky and fast.

I can finally cross the Straits Course off my bucket list. It's everything I thought it would be -- incredible views, difficult and very Pete Dye. Was it necessary to put 1,000 bunkers on the golf course, especially since half or more really don't come into play? Probably not, but that's Dye for you. With that said, I found the course to be imminently interesting, even though it is a little over the top. It's certainly an experience I'll never forget. And despite it's intimidating feel, I never lost a ball (the caddies told us that might be the case before the round). I actually found it more playable than two of Dye's other more recent works -- Pound Ridge in NY and his course in French Lick, Indiana. And yes, it's expensive, but this is one of those golfers every avid golfer should get to once in his or her lifetime simply to experience it.

So obviously this is a bucklist with a high price tag and I had high expectations entering the round. The course not only met them all, it exceeded them. Probably got a big break given it was about 72 degrees with minimal wind and sunny. The atmosphere is first class and the sheep roaming the course are a nice touch. Amazing vistas from just about every hole. The pace of play was pretty slow, not due to slow play, but because of course length. There aren't too many better finishing holes than #18 Dyeabolical

The Straits Course is, quite frankly, a tribute to excess: excessive land moved, five-something-thousand bunkers and also (at least for most of us average hacks) excessive balls lost during a round.

While I certainly respect and appreciate what Herb Kohler and Pete Dye have done here, and the views are spectacular, I can't say it's one of my favorite courses in the world. I don't think it feels like "Ireland." It looks like a bomb went off in Ireland. I've never been completely on board with how severely and jaggedly Dye shapes courses and this is a prime example. Maybe one day, should I get down to scratch, I'll appreciate the challenge made here for the Ryder Cups, PGAs,etc. Until then, I'll stick to Blackwolf Run or the Irish Course, both of which I prefer (and both of which are far more affordable).

Play it once to get the point, then head across Lake Michigan and play Arcadia Bluffs for half the cost.

I'm tempted to proclaim the River Course as my favorite Pete Dye Course among the dozen-plus of his I've played (and I know Dye also did the Straits course). The setting is surreal, set along a river and playing through gorgeous woodlands and hills. I adore short, drivable par 4s and I think the par-4 9th hole is my favorite: 3 options off the tee and as many pitfalls if you miss your shot. Dye courses leave you nowhere to hide, which sometimes makes me not enjoy them, but he's struck a pretty good balance on the River.