It appeared the island would lose its only golf course this summer when Deer Run Golf Course — a 9-hole course that opened in 1970 — started showing signs of neglect. Maintenance equipment sat idol and the fairways became overrun fields.
Just when it appeared like the course might be lost, local businessman Keith Mann stepped in with a group of volunteers. While Mann worked behind the scenes to get the financial piece on order, he worked with the previous owner to start grooming the property, allowing golfers to enjoy the course. Since the course didn’t have any paid staff, those who played the par-36 track were asked to pay greens fees via Venmo.
But this month, according to a story at the Door County Pulse, Mann finally gained full control of the golf course, clubhouse, a restaurant, a motel and a strip of land along the road that hadn’t previously been tied to the course.
Here’s more from the Pulse:
“It all belongs to me now, headaches and all,” Mann joked on Oct. 17.
The purchase of the land along Main Road should allow for better visibility and a possible entrance drive from what indeed serves as the main road for residents and visitors, Mann said.
Mann was optimistic about the future of the scenic little nine-hole course. He said he has a good mechanic for the course’s equipment, and he received an educational visit from Horseshoe Bay superintendent Brian Ferrie and experts from a regional course-maintenance and chemical company, Reinders. Ferrie provided Mann with some guidance on improving course conditions and Reinders’ experts are working up a plan too.
“They’re going to help me through this process,” said Mann, adding that he has a lot to learn about best practices for turf management and pest control.
He foresees several projects in addition to day-to-day maintenance, such as tree-trimming and possibly replacing a liner that helps keep water in the pond bordering the first and ninth holes. The pond is important for the course because Mann uses it to retain water used for irrigation.
Due to unseasonably warm weather, Mann has kept the course open deep into October and also plans to re-open the restaurant soon, according to the Pulse. Also, he has taken the name off the course and is taking submissions for new names.
It’s all been part of the process of taking over the property.
“New names and logos are coming in every day,” he told the Pulse. “We already have got some good ideas. The goal is to be more island-relevant.”
Mann requested submissions by Nov. 15 to kwmann7355@yahoo.com. He and some family members will choose the winners by Nov. 30, and a $100 gift card will go to the person who comes up with the chosen name. Another will go to the logo creator.
Forget about an ace on a par 3. Blasi did one better.
Most golfers dream of scoring a hole-in-one on any par 3. Golf course designer Jay Blasi did one better.
Blasi, who serves on Golfweek’s Best architectural advisory panel and often hosts course-rating events, used driver to ace the short, downhill par-4 14th of Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley Resort in Wisconsin.
The hole tips out at 325 yards. Blasi was playing the orange tees as he led a group of Golfweek’s Best raters around the David McLay Kidd-designed layout. He said it was playing 272 on a direct line at the flag. As seen in the video below, it took a few seconds to register. (Warning: Some language is as might be expected for such a surprise, and might be NSFW.)
“On a par 3, anytime you hit one towards the hole you have a sliver of hope it will go in,” Blasi told Golfweek. “On a drivable par 4, the hole becomes the green itself and you feel like you accomplished your goal if you knock it on. In this case it landed on the green in line with the flag, rolled at the hole and disappeared. The feeling was more shock and awe than pure joy for me. But for the group it was just bliss.”
Blasi didn’t immediately share details via text about what his bar tab might have been after buying a round for the house to celebrate, but the Golfweek’s Best raters can be a thirsty bunch with high standards.
The hole curves sharply downhill with a feeder slope coming in from the right on a typically firm fairway, allowing players to send the ball out wide of multiple centerline bunkers and still feed it onto the green. It’s not exactly a monster so long as players miss the sand, but still, a hole-in-one? Pretty cool and totally unforgettable for Blasi on a course that ranks No. 3 among all public-access layouts in the state and is No. 36 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of all modern courses in the U.S.
No. 14 of Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley in Wisconsin (Brandon Carter/Sand Valley)
The Wisconsin-raised, California-based Blasi sports a 2.9 handicap index and previously had made four holes-in-one on par 3s at a strong lineup of courses: The Patriot in Oklahoma (after having helped design the course, he made the first ace on opening day), Stanford Golf Course in California, Pasatiempo in California and Omni PGA Frisco’s short course named the Swing (of course we count them on par-3 courses!) in Texas.
The latest ace comes on the heels of Blasi complaining to this writer about the state of his game. Might that have anything to do with the fact we’re opposing captains in the Ryder Cup-style, Golfweek’s Best rater-based Scratch Cup in October? After the hole-in-one, this writer and his team are accepting thoughts and prayers.
The 4th annual Midwest Golf Open is Saturday at Brown Deer Golf Course in Milwaukee.
Richard Badger, director of We Black We Golf in Milwaukee, said the origin story for the group is a tale as old as time. About six years ago, the group’s founder, Marshall Martin, went golfing at the Silver Spring Golf Gourse in Menomonee Falls when he noticed a group of white males giving him the “side-eye,” Badger said.
Martin didn’t let the moment pass before exclaiming, “Yeah, we Black, we golf.”
He was inspired to start a Facebook group on July 30, 2018, which has grown to more than 7,500 followers around the world and led to the creation of the nonprofit We Black We Golf. Since then, the group has worked to improve participation in the sport by utilizing the game to develop networking and philanthropy skills and offering lessons.
We Black We Golf hosts its 4th annual Midwest Golf Open through Sunday. In addition to golf, other offerings will include food, games, a DJ, comedian and live bands. Badger stressed that people of all backgrounds are welcome and anyone can participate in the open on Saturday at Brown Deer Golf Course, even first-timers.
Badger, who was head coach of the women’s team at Alverno College in recent years, decided in an act of “rebellion” to his wife over 20 years ago to buy a set of a golf clubs when she dragged him along on a trip to the old Kmart near Highway 100 and Burleigh Street.
“I didn’t want to be at the store, so I went straight to the sports section,” he said.
“And there was a box set of clubs on clearance for like $40 so I bought them.”
Badger said about a year later his uncle invited him golfing and he’s been hooked ever since.
Being a beginner, he didn’t understand the sport, and credits his development to the television network Golf Channel.
“I watched religiously,” he said. “With pen and paper, taking notes on different golf lesson shows. … I’ve been studying the game ever since, taking lessons ever since, and working on my game ever since. I lost over 100 pounds just to improve my golf game.”
Badger said it’s not all about being the best at golf, but the skills you develop while playing the game.
“It teaches you a lot about patience,” he said. “It teaches you a lot about negotiating, navigating obstacles. It can be very parallel to how you make decisions in life. There is really like no other sport than golf. Golf has no boundaries; it has no dimensions.”
Badger hopes to be part of a growing movement that sees Black America, especially young people, trying the centuries-old sport.
We Black We Golf offers lessons to the public (Contributed photo)
Data suggests the game growing in Black participation
Despite many parts of the U.S. having public courses near major population areas, often golf is perceived as a sport for the wealthy and privileged, as the best courses, equipment and exclusive memberships are reserved for those willing to pay a hefty price and for those who have connections.
The sport is still largely white and has small Black participation, although one group says Black participation is on the rise.
According to the National Golf Foundation, the number of Black people playing golf in the United States has increased over a 10-year period, but they still make up about 10% of the sport. In 2021, 4.1 million Black people played golf, compared to 2.6 million in 2011. The latest report from the foundation states about 41 million people golf in the U.S.
“You’ll find that golf is starting to make more headway into the culture,” Badger said.
“People want something that’s comfortable. When you go to a golf course outside of Milwaukee, you likely are the only Black person on the golf course. So We Black We Golf was created for a state of comfort.
“How can you get Black people to play golf that don’t want to go to the golf course? Well, we bring golf to the community.”
We Black We Golf travels the state going to community events, like on Juneteenth, with a mobile driving range. “We bring golf to your front door, and put it right in your face, and put a club right in your hand, and people get that bug, because now they’ve swung a club, they’ve hit a ball,” Badger said.
Representation on the pro level has regressed
Aside from availability and costs, many Black people aren’t drawn to the sport for a number of reasons, including cultural popularity and lack of representation.
Despite arguably the greatest and likely the most famous golfer ever, Tiger Woods, being Black and Asian, fewer than 1% of Professional Golfers Association members are Black.
“You had more Black people that played on the PGA in the ‘70s and ‘80s than you do currently, even though there’s more Black people that play golf today,” Badger said. “To the PGA’s credit, they are trying to make amends for the past.”
Golf has been around longer than the United States and grew in size, power and influence throughout the country and like many establishments denied opportunities to people of color. Woods famously discussed the racism he faced as a young boy at country clubs in a 1990 interview.
“I always feel it, you can always sense it,” Woods said, then 14 years old. “People always starring at you. ‘What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here.’”
When asked if he could help change perceptions in America through golf by achieving success like Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, Woods said, “Since I’m Black, I might be even bigger than (Nicklaus). I might be something like a Michael Jordan in basketball.”
Woods said he was fixated on winning the Masters Tournament because “the way Blacks have been treated there. … If I win that tournament, it is really big for us.” Augusta National Golf Club didn’t allow a Black member until 1990 and no women members until 2012.
Woods achieved his goal in 1997, becoming the first Black person to win the tournament. He would wear the green jacket another four times (2001, 2002, 2005, 2019) as part of his 15 major tournament victories.
Tiger Woods at the 1997 Masters (Stephen Munday/Allsport/Getty Images)
“Nike did a great job with Tiger giving him swag,” Badger said. “For Black people, especially younger Black folks, he made it look effortless. He also changed the game in the sense of how the game has always been perceived as nonathletic, old, fat, rich, white guys that are just out there drinking scotch and smoking cigars.
“Gary Player was like that, he was European, but Tiger Woods on the American market capitalistic side was able to truly change the game. Before Tiger, million-dollar purses were unheard of.”
We Black We Golf hosts its 4th annual Midwest Golf Open through Sunday. (Contributed photo)
Opportunities missed by not playing golf
Woods and the Black men on the PGA Tour that came before him are an important piece of the puzzle, Badger said, but it’s also about showing Black people the opportunities that can come with playing golf.
“Deals are still made on the golf course,” Badger said. “If you want to be an entrepreneur or business owner you could lose out on potential deals because you aren’t willing to put yourself in that environment.
“You’ve been trying to get on someone’s calendar for months, just for 15-20 minutes. But then you call and offer a tee time and he agrees. Now you have five hours with this individual.
“Golf is an integrity sport. You call fouls on yourself. There might be money on the line. So, you learn a lot about people while golfing.
“And then there’s what we call the 19th hole. It’s just celebrating the closing of the deal.”
He flew across the country to Wisconsin just hours after playing in the American Century Championship.
WAUKESHA, Wisc. – Within 96 hours, Tony Romo played 72 holes of golf.
He still can’t get enough of it, even if he’s never seen the course before.
The former Dallas Cowboys All-Pro quarterback and CBS commentator from Burlington competed Monday in the 123rd Wisconsin State Amateur Golf Championship at The Legend at Merrill Hills.
He flew across the country to Wisconsin just hours after playing in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
The @WSGAGolf Wisconsin State Am is underway at The Legend at Merrill Hills – and Ty Kretz is the early leader at 5-under.
Tony Romo (pictured) & the Utah Hockey Club’s Nick Schmaltz are currently on the course. pic.twitter.com/o4Jzt7LGuR
“It’s fun,” he said of the celebrity tournament. “We take a lot of family and friends. We probably had 20 people or so. That’s one of our favorite trips of the year.
“It was a blast outside of golf. When you play good golf, everything’s more fun.”
Romo is no stranger to the American Century Championship, having won it in 2018, 2019, and 2022. He came up short this year, though, tying with Jacksonville Jaguars’ head coach Doug Pederson for 38th.
Romo sought to redeem himself in the State Amateur, despite having to make a quick transition from the American Century Championship.
He’s no stranger to the immediate turn.
Last year, due to a delayed flight, Romo didn’t get in until 3:30 a.m. He knew, though, that he had a special opportunity to play with his dad, Ramiro, who also qualified for the opening round at the Erin Hills golf course.
Although Ramiro isn’t playing this year, Tony still made the trip after a disappointing performance in Lake Tahoe.
“It means a lot,” he said. “If it wasn’t this tournament, I don’t think I would probably be coming. It’s a long week (at Lake Tahoe). I feel like it just shows how much I want to play and how good the WSGA does to put this on.
“It’s gonna be as good a golf course as you’re gonna play every year, condition-wise. It’s as well done as any tournament you’re gonna play in the state. They’ve really outdone themselves this year and last year, each time I’ve played.”
Unfortunately, the struggles Romo faced in Lake Tahoe followed him for his first-ever round of golf at The Legend at Merrill Hills.
In the first round, he finished 14-over-par 85 and is tied for No. 149, four strokes out of last place.
“All the above,” he said when asked about multiple potential injuries.
Before the celebrity tournament, Romo was in France with family. He felt the turnaround between France and Nevada also threw off his game.
“Chipping, wedge game has been poor when I came back,” he said. “I’ve been hitting the ball fine. When I came back it just felt a little foreign. Just trying to work out the kinks now.”
Even with NFL training camps opening up next week, CBS’ main color commentator has some more golf tournaments lined up. He’s set to play in the Texas State Open and the Utah State Open.
Romo’s plan for improvement in the next couple tournaments?
“I think in the future I need to see the golf course before I play it,” he said.
Through this past year, the USGA has held 17 of its golf championships in the state.
The United States Golf Association will continue its partnership with the state of Wisconsin by bringing four amateur tournaments to Sand Valley Resort in Nekoosa through 2034.
Following the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills, Sand Valley will host the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2026. That tournament will be held on the newly constructed Lido, a private course on the resort. It opened for play this year.
The resort, which includes four courses, will then host the 2029 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 2030 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and the 2034 U.S. Girls’ Junior.
Through this past year, the USGA has held 17 of its golf championships in the state, most recently the 2022 U.S Mid-Amateur at Erin Hills.
Sand Valley hosted the 2022 Wisconsin State Amateur.
The resort occupies 12,000 acres in central Wisconsin and is owned and operated by Michael and Chris Keiser.
“We have looked forward to this day for a long time,” Chris Keiser said in a statement released by the USGA. “Amateur golf is the heart of the game. To have the opportunity to host these elite men and women over the next 10 years is a great honor, and we are thrilled to become part of the history of these great championships.”
One suspect ran toward the woods beside the course. The other beelined for the nearby port-a-potty. Bad move.
Two neighbors had just started a round of golf at Lincoln Park Golf Course in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, suburb of Glendale when they witnessed an arrest in a port-a-potty.
It was part of a scene that unfolded Wednesday in which two people were arrested after four occupants fled from a vehicle that crashed into multiple others on North Port Washington Road — a vehicle Glendale police said was stolen from Plymouth, Minnesota.
A Glendale police officer first spotted the stolen SUV driving south along North Port Washington Road around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Glendale Police Capt. Tom Treder said. As the officer turned to approach the SUV, it took off.
An officer further down the road put down tire deflation devices on the pavement. The vehicle swerved to avoid them and crossed into the northbound lanes of Port Washington Road, striking another car then careening across the median and into a barrier along adjacent Interstate 43.
All four occupants fled the car, with two running east and two running west across the Lincoln Park Golf Course. One of the suspects who ran east was taken into custody by Glendale police. Whitefish Bay neighbors Ilissa Boland and Adam Westermayer were on the golf course when they heard the loud crash on Port Washington Road. A few minutes later, they saw two people run past them, Boland said.
They witnessed one of the suspects fleeing west, running toward the woods beside the course. The other beelined for a nearby port-a-potty, she said.
“We’re looking at each other like, ‘Are you serious? That’s where he’s gonna hide?’” said Boland, a realtor in the area.
The golfers watched a police car hurtle past them, and Westermayer approached the port-a-potty. Finding the door locked, he walked to the back and pushed it over, trapping the suspect inside; since the door now faced the ground, Boland said.
“Good luck man,” Westermayer said, before walking away.
Once officers arrived at the scene, they rolled the portable toilet over, allowing the suspect to crawl out before he was taken into custody, Glendale police said.
Authorities are still searching for the other two suspects who fled from the SUV.
Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.
This X-Golf suite is the only one inside a Major League Baseball stadium.
The Milwaukee Brewers were bounced from the MLB playoffs but that doesn’t mean their in-stadium golf experience is closing down til next season.
The X-Golf suite at American Family Field, the only one inside a Major League Baseball stadium, is open year-round and seven days a week. The venue has seven golf simulators, several bars and a restaurant. There are 79 other X-Golf locations around the U.S.
It costs $40 per hour and golfers can virtually play more than 50 golf courses. This place will come in especially handy during those brutal Wisconsin winters.
The suite at the Brewers park opened late in the 2022 season.
“There were over 200 golfers here last Thursday. A week ago, it would’ve crashed onto golf holes that people were playing on.”
DELAFIELD, Wis. — A plane carrying three people and over 50 dogs crashed onto the Western Lakes Golf Club course in this town about 30 minutes west of Milwaukee on Tuesday morning.
Lake Country Fire & Rescue responded to a call of a downed aircraft around 9:04 a.m., according to Assistant Chief Matthew Haerter. The first unit arrived five minutes later to find a twin-engine plane on the third hole as heavy snow conditions hit the area. The course is at W287 N1963 Oakton Road.
Club General Manager Jason Hoelz told the Journal Sentinel that a few staff members were performing maintenance on the course a few hundred feet away when they heard and saw the plane coming down.
“I was in a building up here and didn’t hear anything, but there was a couple employees working on the course that heard this plane coming down and witnessed it hitting the fifth green, crashing between two trees, (going) through a marsh and another 100 feet through the second hole fairway and onto the third hole, where it uprooted another tree and came to a rest,” Hoelz said. “In total, it skidded around a few hundred yards.”
The wings of the plane reportedly came off on the fifth hole where it initially struck the ground, which caused what fuel was in the plane to spill onto the course and part of a marshland water feature. The plane can hold up to 300 gallons of jet fuel. It is unclear at this time how much spilled or the impact it had on the wetland.
“I’m just happy we were able to help any way we could and glad we were on scene quickly and were able to provide some assistance,” Hoelz said.
The plane was reportedly flying from New Orleans to Waukesha to deliver 53 dogs to the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha. Three adults were also on the plane and were assessed and treated at the scene before being taken to a local trauma center with non-life-threatening injuries.
Immediately after the crash, Hoelz said that his staff jumped into action. They pulled the three passengers from the plane and also gathered the dogs in their crates. Some crates were damaged, but the staff were able to round up the dogs and all were brought to the maintenance building until HAWS arrived.
Some of the 53 dogs sustained minor injuries like “bumps and scrapes that will be monitored over the next couple of days but are expected to be good to go and ready for adoption as scheduled”, according to HAWS Director of Organizational Development Maggie Tate-Techtmann.
Because HAWS was preparing to receive the dogs at the Waukesha County Airport, they were there quickly to collect and treat them on scene before treating them at HAWS.
Twenty dogs remain at HAWS while the rest were sent to other shelters as planned.
“All are doing remarkably well,” Tate-Techtmann told the Journal Sentinel. “We are so grateful to the staff at Western Lakes Golf Club who were wonderful to work with and for the emergency response teams in Waukesha and for our team and how they responded. Everyone pivoted so well. I tell them all the time to be prepared for the unexpected, and the team did a remarkable job meeting the needs of these dogs today. Some are already out having fun in the snow and are on the road to finding their forever homes.”
The Department of Natural Resources and the Waukesha County Hazmat are on the scene assessing the extent of the fuel spill because it involves a wetland area. No other information was available Tuesday morning on the extent of the spill, but there is not believed to be any danger to the community at this time. Hoelz said the DNR is assessing what reclamation efforts might be needed for the wetland.
Additionally, Haerter praised the efforts of the golf club staff who reported the crash and assisted the passengers on the plane and first responders upon arrival.
It is unclear what caused the plane to go down. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
Damage is still being assessed by the club. Damage is believed to have been done on the fifth green, second fairway and other parts of the course. However, Hoelz said if the weather turns nice again, the club will likely reopen again this season.
“There were over 200 golfers here last Thursday,” Hoelz said. “A week ago, it would’ve crashed onto golf holes that people were playing on. It could’ve been bad.”
Additionally, HAWS has started a fundraiser for the “at-risk adoptable dogs from the southern shelters.” Tate-Techtmann said all funds will go toward treating the dogs’ injuries and care while at the shelter.
“All the animals were triaged at HAWS by staff veterinarians. Some remain at HAWS while others went to our partner shelters. All are expected to be placed up for adoption as planned in the coming days,” according to the fundraiser post.
In 2020, Krentz logged 17,766 holes. Last year, he beat that total by 54 holes, racking up an average of 48.82 per day.
As golf nuts go, Nolan Krentz has to qualify as extra nutty. To put it in candy bar terms, his nut level would be somewhere between a Snickers and an Oh Henry!
Krentz, a member at Norsk Golf Club in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, is credited with playing 17,820 holes of golf last year, which is a record, or the equivalent of 990 18-hole rounds. As of October, he’s on pace to surpass that total and is shooting for 18,000 holes.
“The joke is that I should have my mail delivered here,” Krentz said.
According to the website Wisconsin.Golf, Krentz, a scratch golfer, wakes before sunrise and plays as many holes as possible – walking and using a push cart – around his job at a grocery store and coaching the Mount Horeb High School boys’ and girls’ golf teams.
In 2020, Krentz logged 17,766 holes. Last year, he beat that total by 54 holes, racking up an average of 48.82 per day, and playing his final round on Dec. 26. (He stops when snow on the greens prevents him from putting.)
(Photo courtesy of Nolan Krentz)
The Wisconsin State Golf Association presented him with a plaque commemorating his devotion to the game.
The record of 17,820 holes is technically an unofficial world record. The Guinness Book of World Records still counts the 14,625 holes played by Chris Adams of Canada in 2012 as the record. Guinness requires a logbook and witnesses for every round.
As of Oct. 25, Krentz had played 15,426 holes this year.
“There will probably be a time when I dial back,” he told Wisconsin Golf. “But not this year.”
As the saying goes, records are meant to be broken.
