The Bandon of the Midwest, built on ancient glacial sand dunes in central Wisconsin. The original Coore & Crenshaw Sand Valley, Tom Doak's tight new Sedge Valley, David McLay Kidd's wide-open Mammoth Dunes, the Sandbox par-3 romp — and the most talked-about course in modern golf, The Lido, Doak's faithful resurrection of a lost 1914 masterpiece.
Day-by-Day
Day
1
1
Arrive + The Sandbox
Fly into Central Wisconsin (CWA) — about 40 minutes — or drive up from Milwaukee or Madison (roughly 2 hours)
Check into the lodge or a cottage on property — it's a remote, all-in golf retreat
Afternoon: The Sandbox — a 17-hole par-3 course by Coore & Crenshaw, with holes inspired by famous originals. The most fun you'll have with a wedge
Drinks at Craig's Porch or the Aldo's clubhouse — sand dunes and sunset
💡 Sand Valley is a remote, walking-friendly resort — plan to stay on property and eat there. Book caddies or grab a push cart; the courses are built to be walked across the sandy, rolling terrain.
Day
2
2
Sand Valley + Sedge Valley — 36
Morning: Sand Valley — the Coore & Crenshaw original that started the resort, routed over rumpled sand ridges with wide fairways and bold green complexes
Lunch between rounds at the clubhouse
Afternoon: Sedge Valley — Tom Doak's tight, low-profile par-68 inspired by England's heathland courses. A complete contrast — shorter, craftier, and a joy to walk
Dinner at Mammoth Bar — compare the two design philosophies over a beer
💡 Sand Valley and Sedge Valley are studies in opposites — big and bold versus tight and clever. Playing them on the same day is the best way to feel the range of what modern minimalist design can do.
Day
3
3
Mammoth Dunes
Morning: Mammoth Dunes — David McLay Kidd's wide, generous, big-fun layout. Enormous fairways and a drivable, do-or-die short par-4 that everyone remembers
Long lunch on Craig's Porch overlooking the dunes
Afternoon free — replay the Sandbox, hit the range, or just relax at the lodge
Sunset over the dunes — central Wisconsin delivers big skies
💡 Mammoth is the resort's crowd-pleaser — built to be fun for everyone, with width to spare. Be aggressive: the wide fairways reward a swing-out-of-your-shoes round you can't risk on the tighter courses.
Day
4
4
The Lido — The Resurrection
Morning: The Lido — Tom Doak's painstaking recreation of C.B. Macdonald's legendary 1914 Long Island course, lost to time and rebuilt here from old plans and photos. The most talked-about course in modern golf
Soak it in — the template holes, the engineered dunes, and a piece of golf history brought back from the dead
Final lunch on property
Drive to CWA and fly out
💡 The Lido is the hardest tee time at the resort — generally reserved for resort guests and members, so build your stay around it and book the moment your dates are set. It's the round people fly in for.
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