Third Best Golf Destination in America

The May, 2006 issue of Golf Digest ranked Kohler, WI (population 1,926), adjacent to Sheboygan, as the third best golf destination area in the USA. Number 1 on the list was Pebble Beach, CA, followed by Bandon, OR. That Kohler developed such a reputation is due to the vision and dedication of one man, Herb Kohler.

John Michael Kohler, Herb’s grandfather, emigrated from Austria and bought the Sheboygan Union Iron & Steel Foundry in 1873. The company primarily made farm implements. In 1883, he developed a process to put baked enamel onto iron and turned a horse trough/hog scalder into a bathtub. It has been bathroom fixtures ever since!

At the turn of the century John Michael bought a piece of land on the outskirts of Sheboygan to turn it into a company town. He built houses, dormitories and all of the buildings for his workers. The company continues to own all of the land in the town, only leasing it on long-term leases.

In the mid 80’s, Herb Kohler decided to turn the American Club dormitory, across the street from the company headquarters into a five star resort. Even though three feasibility studies showed that it was a horrible idea, due to Kohler’s remote location, Herb decided to do it anyway. He also decided to build a golf course as part of his overall plan.

When he resolved to put the parking for the hotel underground, the locals said, “It’s because he doesn’t want any of us to see that there isn’t anyone at his white elephant.”

They were wrong. The American Club was a resounding success and Herb has continued building other hotels and golf courses in the town. He turned an abandoned military base into two links style courses at Whistling Straights. The hospitality group of Kohler hires over 4,000 local residents and is hosting at least one national PGA event every two years, quite an accomplishment for a town the size of Kohler and Sheboygan.

Someone with the vision and passion of an Herb Kohler can transform a community. My guess is that he is not satisfied to be number three on Golf Digest’s ranking system. When I did my talk to the Sheboygan Chamber I asked them, “Does anyone want to bet that Herb Kohler isn’t planning to make Kohler the number one golf destination in the world, or to bet against him?”

No one would take my bet!