Herb Kohler, the chairman and chief executive officer of Kohler Co., has asked renowned golf course architect Pete Dye to evaluate a property in Sheboygan County that could be developed into another Kohler Co. golf course to complement its American Club resort, according to a report by the Golf Channel.
Dye was the designer for Kohler’s Whistling Straits, located north of Sheboygan along Lake Michigan, and Blackwolf Run, located in the Village of Kohler. Both golf courses have hosted major professional golf championships. Whistling Straits was the site of the 2004 PGA Championship, the 2007 U.S. Senior Open and the 2010 PGA Championship. The course will host the 2015 PGA Championship and the 2020 Ryder Cup. Blackwolf Run was the site of the 1998 and 2012 U.S. Women’s Open.
Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run each have two 18-hole golf courses.
The potential site for another Kohler golf course in Sheboygan County would have four holes along Lake Michigan, Dye told the Golf Channel.
“Herb’s been sitting on this property for years,” said Dye.
Dye also told the Golf Channel that Kohler may be moving ahead with plans for another Sheboygan County golf course to respond to Mike Keiser’s plans to build a multi-course resort near Wisconsin Rapids. Keiser developed the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon, which is considered one of the top golf resorts in the world. He has hired two of the top golf course architects in the industry, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, to design the first course for his development near Wisconsin Rapids. Keiser told the Golf Channel that he plans to build three courses in the next eight years for the project, which he calls Sand Valley.
A spokesperson for Kohler Co. could not be reached for comment.
