World-class resort to add new 14-hole golf course in Wisconsin
Jason Lusk- King Collins Dormer Golf Course Design will build a new 14-hole course at Kohler in Wisconsin.
- The new layout, named Purebred Farm, will be a walking course with a mix of par 3s, 4s and 5s.
- Construction is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2025, with a planned opening in the fall of 2027.
The team at King Collins Dormer Golf Course Design has been hired to expand the golf offerings at Kohler in Wisconsin, already home to four full-size courses at two complexes plus one of the highest-rated par-3 courses in the country.
Architect Rob Collins described to Golfweek an opportunity to build something entirely different with a “great piece of land and a wonderful client.”
The new layout, to be named Purebred Farm, will be a 14-hole golf course just west of Kohler’s Blackwolf Run, site of two highly ranked 18-hole courses and The Baths par-3 course. Blackwolf Run sits near the village of Kohler and the expansive company’s headquarters as well as the American Club and other resort amenities. Kohler’s other two highly ranked 18-hole courses at the Whistling Straits complex, the Straits and the Irish, sit several miles north of the main complex on the shoreline of Lake Michigan. The Pete Dye-designed Straits course has been home to three PGA Championships, a Ryder Cup and a U.S. Senior Open, among other top-tier events.
The design firm is led by Tad King, Collins and Trev Dormer, who joined in 2024. The company has been behind extremely successful courses such as the nine-hole Sweetens Cove in Tennessee and Landmand in Nebraska, both of which are the top-ranked public-access courses in their states. The firm also is working on a masterplan for Royal Dornoch in Scotland – one of the top golf clubs in the world – that includes a new 18-hole course and a renovation of the club’s Struie Course. The firm’s upcoming work even stretches around the world with a new course at 7 Mile Beach in Tasmania.
Plans are for King Collins Dormer to begin construction on Purebred Farm in the fall of 2025, with an opening date planned for the fall of 2027. The Tomczyk Cabin, which is now a lodging option at Kohler, will be converted into a rest station at Purebred Farm. Existing hiking trails in the area will remain intact and potentially could be expanded.
“Kohler is committed to growing the game of golf and expanding access to more individuals at all skill levels,” Dirk Willis – vice president of golf, landscape and retail for Kohler Hospitality – said in a media release announcing the plans. “Each of the last five years has been record-setting in terms of golf rounds at our Kohler, Wisconsin resort, and we project this strong growth to continue. This additional golf course will provide another level of enjoyment for guests and further cement our position as a leading global golf destination.”
The new 14-hole course will tip out around 4,900 yards across 47 acres of maintained turf. It will be a walking-only, multi-loop layout with a mix of par 3s, 4s and 5s. The course will feature a routing that includes prairie, farmland and river valleys while avoiding existing wetlands. The plans describe inspiration from Golden Age golf course architecture, referencing courses built mostly in the early 1900s that prioritize strategy, aesthetics and shot-making challenges over simply penal obstacles. Expect Purebred Farm to include plenty of ground-game options across fast and firm turf.
“These courses blend seamlessly with the landscape and are natural works of art,” Willis said of the great Golden Age layouts. “Our new course reflects this minimalist style in an environmentally conscious way. We will use the natural terrain when setting locations for tees, fairways and greens.”