Sand Valley Golf Resort

Sand Valley sits on more than 1,700 acres of ancient, glacially deposited sand dunes and heathland near Rome, in central Wisconsin, a rare inland site whose sandy soil and rolling terrain evoke a links even hundreds of miles from any ocean. Developed by Mike Keiser and his sons, it extended the Bandon Dunes dream golf philosophy of firm, walkable, minimalist courses to the Midwest. The eponymous first course, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, opened in May 2017 and was named Golf Digest's Best New Course of 2017. The resort quickly expanded: David McLay Kidd's Mammoth Dunes and the Coore & Crenshaw-designed Sandbox par-3 course both opened in 2018, followed by additional layouts including Tom Doak's Sedge Valley. Built around exposed native sand, fescue, and a caddie-and-walking culture, Sand Valley has become one of America's most acclaimed modern public golf destinations.