Wisconsin native and former Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker will serve as a player consultant on a new course to be built in the southern section of the state less than an hour from Milwaukee. Stricker will join forces with Jackson Kahn Design and architect Scott Hoffman to lay out what will be become the private Kettle Forge in Ashippun.
Wisconsin already is one of the best golf states in the U.S., especially on the public-access side with destinations such as Whistling Straits and the other courses at Kohler, Sand Valley and Erin Hills. Kettle Forge, with an anticipated opening in 2027, is about eight miles west of Erin Hills, which hosted the 2015 U.S. Open as well as this year’s U.S. Women’s Open.
Nebraska-based Landscapes Unlimited will build the course on 270 acres. Its sister company, Landscapes Golf Management, will operate the club as well as oversee the course grow-in and handle membership sales at Kettle Forge.
“This is pure, unadulterated golf without tennis and swimming,” Bill Kubly – chairman of Landscapes Unlimited, a principal of Kettle Forge and a Wisconsin native – said in a media release announcing the course. “Based on our work at Lost Rail outside Omaha, Kettle Forge is likely to reach a full membership before the course opens.”
The Kettle in the name refers to local glacial kettles (steep-sided hollows) and mounds in the landscape. Holes on the 7,600-yard course will traverse wetlands and feature wide fairways across dramatic elevation changes. The clubhouse and guest cottages will be located atop a big hill with 20-mile panoramic views.
“Kettle Forge will uniquely look like a natural preserve with grasses, wildflowers and wetlands,” Brett Craig – a Wisconsin resident, former president and COO of Transitions Optical and a principal of Kettle Forge – said in the media release. “It promises to be a course that attracts repeat play – fair to members yet exhilaratingly difficult for those who desire challenge amid rugged elegance and timeless appeal.”
Read the full article here
