Courtesy of Kettle Forge
Kettle Forge, a new golf course in Ashippun, Wisconsin, is still prepping for construction, but it already has its development, design and construction team.
Jackson Kahn Design will lead course architecture. Filled with Tom Fazio disciples, the firm is known for its acclaimed work at Conway Farms, Monterey Peninsula, Scottsdale National and St. Lucia Preserve.
Others on the team include Scott Hoffman, a fellow Fazio student and master of the course’s early routing who created Lost Rail Golf Club near Omaha, Nebraska, and Mapleton Golf Club in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, both private clubs serving as models for Kettle Forge; and Steve Stricker, a design consultant and winner of 12 PGA Tour and 18 PGA Tour Champions tournaments who was integral in the making of TPC Wisconsin.
Landscapes Unlimited is project manager and will build the course. Landscapes Golf Management, meanwhile, will operate the club upon opening, preceded by course grow-in oversight, membership sales and other planning functions.
The course will be located eight miles west of U.S. Open host Erin Hills. Construction is scheduled to start this fall with an anticipated opening in fall 2027.
At 7,600 yards from the tips, the course will be one of the longest in Wisconsin. It features native woodlands with mature oak and maple groves, holes traversing through wetlands with dramatic elevation changes, generous fairways, deep bunkers, strategically placed water features and smooth greens rewarding shot-making precision.
“Kettle Forge will uniquely look like a natural preserve with grasses, wildflowers and wetlands,” says Brett Craig, principal of Kettle Forge, Wisconsin resident, and a past business executive and entrepreneur. “It promises to be a course that attracts repeat play — fair to members, yet exhilaratingly difficult for those who desire challenge amid rugged elegance and timeless appeal.”
The name Kettle Forge is derived from the glacial kettles and mounds that characterize the land, and forges where raw materials meet fire and purpose.
A dominant aesthetic is a massive hill offering 20-mile panoramic views on which the clubhouse and future guest cottages will sit. Amenities include dining, a wellness spa, a cigar and bourbon vault, business den, bike and walking trails, and fishing and pheasant hunting on a partner game farm.
“This is pure, unadulterated golf without tennis and swimming,” said Bill Kubly, Landscapes Unlimited chair and Kettle Forge principal who is also a Monroe, Wisconsin, native. “Based on our work at Lost Rail outside Omaha, Kettle Forge is likely to reach a full membership before the course opens.”
