Blackwolf Run - River

Rankings

Golf Digest:  #91
Golfweek:  #73 Modern

A college-roommate reunion led me to Kohler, WI in late summer of '15.  As a golf destination, Kohler was a great venue for our eight-man trip.  We stayed at the Inn on Woodlake since The American Club (the ritzier venue) was sold out.  The Inn was quaint - kind of a woodsy Residence Inn.  We played three rounds in two days and then headed off to Erin Hills.  Since I'm penning this a year after my trip, it'll be lighter on details and heavier on my big-picture takeaways.

Whistling Straits is a links venue, while Blackwolf Run winds through woods, a river, lakes, etc.  It is apples to oranges, but equally as impressive.  The Blackwolf pro shop is understated and doesn't feel like a big resort.  Perhaps our week was less crowded than others, but we did not feel like we were a bunch of sheep being herded through the turnstiles (Whistling felt a bit like this gearing up to tee of on #1).  

Blackwolf has 36 holes, the River and the Meadow.  We played the River course, but had to skip the Meadow for scheduling reasons.  After deciding to play the tips, we quickly found that driving it straight is more important at Blackwolf than at Whistling.  While both courses give you trouble if you're off the beaten path, a wayward drive on the River course can be in such dense trees that you can't attempt to find it.  Hence, my score reflected the countless Pro V1s I donated.  

The River was in amazing condition, and the greens were quick.  We took carts, which is not preferable on top golf courses, but there are a number of long drives in between holes that necessitate a cart.  The River's holes didn't feel redundant, and at 7,400 yards from the tips, there wasn't an opportunity to leave the driver in the bag to focus on hitting fairways.  Second shots were brutal on many holes, even with great drives.  

The course offers some tee shots that are not intuitive, and with caddies that are unfamiliar with your game, it can lead to confusion when picking your lines.  Playing the course a second time would be optimal to feel comfortable over the ball.  Even some lay-up shots can be a little confusing playing blind.  However, the course is not unfair.  It is simply a demanding layout and having any uncertainty over the ball can lead to disaster.  

I'm a fan of lush, parkland style courses, and Blackwolf did not disappoint.  I'd definitely take another trip to Kohler to play this one, especially with so many great courses nearby.