TheGrint HQ
6 minutes
Updated
October 23, 2026
The best golf courses in Wisconsin, according to golfers on TheGrint, are Erin Hills (97.9), the Straits Course at Whistling Straits (97.7) and Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley (95.8). All ten Wisconsin courses on TheGrint's 2026 Top 100 are on the U.S. Public list, and Wisconsin has more courses on that list than any other state.
This guide covers those ten courses, the highly rated courses just outside the Top 100, and how hard each one plays. Rankings come from golfers who played the courses, not a panel.
Every course links to its page in TheGrint's directory of 551 Wisconsin golf courses, with the full scorecard for every set of tees.
The ten best-rated public golf courses in Wisconsin are the ten on TheGrint's 2026 Top 100 U.S. Public list, led by Erin Hills at No. 1. Here they are with their rank on the list, TheGrint Rating out of 100, and TheGrint Difficulty:
| Rank (U.S. Public) | Course | City | TheGrint Rating | Plays harder than |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erin Hills | Erin | 97.9 | 99% |
| 3 | Whistling Straits: Straits | Sheboygan | 97.7 | 99% |
| 14 | Sand Valley: Mammoth Dunes | Nekoosa | 95.8 | 43% |
| 16 | Sand Valley: Sand Valley | Nekoosa | 95.7 | 64% |
| 29 | SentryWorld | Stevens Point | 95.1 | 99% |
| 32 | Blackwolf Run: River | Kohler | 95.0 | 99% |
| 35 | Whistling Straits: Irish | Sheboygan | 94.9 | 99% |
| 72 | Sand Valley: The Lido | Nekoosa | 93.6 | 99% |
| 90 | Blackwolf Run: Meadow Valleys | Kohler | 93.2 | 99% |
| 93 | Troy Burne | Hudson | 93.1 | 95% |
Erin Hills and the Straits Course are also the two highest-rated courses of any kind in the state. The top-rated private course is La Crosse Country Club in Onalaska (95.8), followed by Blue Mound Golf & Country Club in Milwaukee (95.4).
Most of Wisconsin's top-ranked courses sit in two places: Sand Valley in central Wisconsin and the Kohler area near Sheboygan. Each has several Top 100 courses within a short drive, which makes either one a natural golf trip.
Access varies. Some courses list as Semi-Private in the directory, and resort courses can have booking rules for guests, so check each course's page and the course itself before you plan a trip around it.
These public and semi-private courses rate highly with golfers on TheGrint but aren't on the 2026 Top 100. Each ranks in the top 60 of the 446 well-reviewed courses in Wisconsin:
Two par-3 courses also rate 92.8: The Sandbox at Sand Valley and The Baths of Blackwolf Run in Kohler. Both play easier than more than 90% of rated courses, which makes them a good fit for an evening round or a group of mixed abilities.
Seven of Wisconsin's ten Top 100 courses play harder than 99% of rated courses on TheGrint, so there isn't a single hardest one in the data. They are Erin Hills, both Whistling Straits courses, both Blackwolf Run courses, SentryWorld and The Lido at Sand Valley.
Sand Valley's other two Top 100 courses are the exceptions. Mammoth Dunes plays harder than only 43% of rated courses, and the Sand Valley course 64%, which shows a course doesn't have to be brutal for golfers to rank it highly. For more, see the hardest golf courses golfers rank among the best.
On courses this hard, the right tees matter. Erin Hills plays from 5,078 to 7,772 yards; our guide on what tees to play shows how to choose.
TheGrint Rating is a score out of 100 built from golfers' reviews and their head-to-head course rankings on TheGrint. TheGrint Top 100 uses those signals, including the Course Ranking Game, and gives more weight to golfers who have played more courses.
How we counted: ratings, difficulty and state ranks come from TheGrint's Wisconsin directory and course pages on October 23, 2026. Ratings update as golfers add reviews and rankings. For more on the lists, see how TheGrint Top 100 works.
TheGrint has the scorecard, ratings and difficulty for every course before you go, and GPS and scoring when you get there.
Erin Hills is the best golf course in Wisconsin according to golfers on TheGrint, with a TheGrint Rating of 97.9. It is No. 1 on TheGrint's 2026 Top 100 U.S. Public list. The Straits Course at Whistling Straits is close behind at 97.7 and ranks No. 3 on the same list.
The best public golf courses in Wisconsin, by TheGrint Rating, are Erin Hills, Whistling Straits' Straits Course, Mammoth Dunes and Sand Valley. All ten Wisconsin courses on TheGrint's 2026 Top 100 are on the U.S. Public list, more than any other state, though some resort courses have guest booking rules.
TheGrint's golf course directory lists 551 golf courses in Wisconsin: 312 public, 173 semi-private and 66 private. Milwaukee has the most courses of any city with 15, followed by Wisconsin Dells, Lake Geneva and Madison with 11 each. Each course page has a free scorecard for every set of tees.
Sand Valley in Nekoosa and the Kohler area near Sheboygan are Wisconsin's two top golf-trip destinations on TheGrint. Sand Valley has three Top 100 courses, and Kohler and Sheboygan have four between Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run. Erin Hills, the state's No. 1, is a drive of about an hour from Kohler.
Seven of Wisconsin's Top 100 courses play harder than 99% of rated courses on TheGrint, including Erin Hills, Whistling Straits' Straits and Irish courses, both Blackwolf Run courses, SentryWorld and The Lido. TheGrint Difficulty doesn't rank courses within that top 1%, so no single course is the hardest in the data.
Pick a course, check the scorecard and your tees, then keep score in TheGrint with free GPS distances and live scoring for your group. Rank the course when you're done to help shape next year's Top 100. Get started with TheGrint.
Course Rating™ is owned or licensed by the United States Golf Association® (USGA®) and/or The R&A. All rights reserved.
