Thu, September 3, 2026 at 1:00 PM CDT
Wisconsin's public golf landscape is getting deeper with the addition of Whitehall Sands in an abandoned sand mine - projected to open in 2028.
Wisconsin has a strong case as the best state for public golf in the country. And with the recent reveal of Whitehall Sands, an "industrial inland links" being built on a reclaimed sand mine with bold landforms and dynamic terrain, it'll soon be getting even better.
Located on the western side of Wisconsin, closer to Minneapolis (about 2 hours) than Milwaukee (approximately 3 1/2 hours), Whitehall Sands is being positioned as a destination property that will bring new life to the abandoned 300-acre mine, not to mention jobs, tourism, and long-term economic activity to the town of Whitehall and Trempeleau County. It's the vision of two retired potato-farmers, Derrick and Mitchell Bushman, whose family-owned Wisconsin business has a legacy that dates to 1909.
Architect Jay Blasi, whose prominent work includes Chambers Bay (Washington), Poppy Ridge (California) and SentryWorld (Wisconsin), designed the course and routing at Whitehall Sands that is currently under construction and being shaped. Irrigation and grow-in is planned for 2027, with the potential of a full opening in 2028 – and possibly select preview play in fall 2027, if the weather, construction schedule and turf establishment align.
Whitehall Sands is being built on a 300-acre property that includes a quarry as well as "raw driftless area landscape."
Blasi says the goal is to craft a course that showcases the special setting -- both the former quarry that features rugged, untamed terrain and a 90-foot sandstone highwall, as well as the "raw driftless area landscape." The mining features will remain an inextricable part of the course's identity.
"The routing is designed to take golfers on a journey that weaves across the landscape with some very bold shots at key spots," Blasi said in an e-mail. "We love golf that is fun, exhilarating, and thought provoking."
The long-term vision for Whitehall Sands, which will have a walking culture, includes a short course, a putting course and exceptional practice facilities, with lodging and hospitality options also in the plans.
Wisconsin Public Golf
Jay Blasi has routed the 18-hole course that's under construction at Whitehall Sands.
Whitehall Sands will join a Wisconsin public golf scene that's both deep and loaded at the top end.
There are more than 460 public courses in the state, according to the National Golf Foundation, with facilities such as Sand Valley, Whistling Straits, Blackwolf Run, Erin Hills, SentryWorld, and Lawsonia Links among those that have garnered national acclaim. More than 88% of the golf courses in Wisconsin are public, per the NGF, putting "America's Dairyland" well ahead of the national average of around 72%. Only five states have a higher public proportion than Wisconsin and none have more golf courses.
"Wisconsin obviously has an incredibly deep public-golf scene, but I think that helps prove the market rather than work against us," Whitehall Sands General Manager Jase Baldauf told me. "Golfers throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest have shown that they will travel for something special. We believe there is room in western Wisconsin for another destination-quality public experience, particularly one with a landscape and story that are entirely its own."
The sandstone walls of the former quarry soar up to 90 feet high, creating a dramatic canvas for Wisconsin's next great public golf course.
Baldauf said he can envision a time when Whitehall Sands might become the starting point or final stop on a future Wisconsin golf trail.
"With the quality and variety of public golf already here, golfers can build an entire trip through the state," he added. "We want Whitehall Sands to add something different to that trip and give people another reason to visit western Wisconsin."
While the nearest seaside is more than 1,100 miles away, the canvas upon which Whitehall Sands is being created has the sandy base, scale, exposure, width and ground-game options that many golfers associate with traditional links golf. Those characteristics, in addition to the raw, rugged setting of the former frac-sand mine, with its elevated ridgelines, exposed edges and long-range views, prompted Baldauf to describe the identity of the course as an "industrial inland links."
Aerial photo of the land that will be home to Whitehall Sands, tne public destination course scheduled to open in 2028.
The land was acquired by the Bushman brothers in 2025, a handful of years after the property's previous owners, Hi-Crush Inc., filed for bankruptcy.
When it opens in 2028, Whitehall Sands will be positioned as a premium public golf experience.
"Accessibility and repeat play matter to us," Baldauf said. "We want golfers to be able to come back and play it, not feel like it has to be a once-a-year splurge."
The dramatic, sandy landscape that will be home to Whitehall Sands has been described as a "industrial inland links."
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
