By Len Ziehm
Have you ever wanted to go for a swim in the middle of your round? Well, now you can at the new Baths short course at Blackwolf Run, in Kohler, Wisconsin. Golfers can take a cooling dip, or look for long-lost golf balls, on their new 10-hole par-3 course.
Longtime Pete Dye associate, Chris Lutzke designed The Baths, along with, Herb Kohler, the Executive Director of Kohler Resort. Lutzke and Dirk Willis, Kohler’s Vice-President of Golf, took a running leap into one of the ponds, when The Baths opened in early June.
Not many have taken the plunge since, but swimming remains an intriguing option. 
Three PGA Championships (2004, 2010, 2015) have been played at Kohler’s Whistling Straits course, which was also the site of the U.S. Team’s dominate Ryder Cup victory earlier this year.
Blackwolf Run opened the first of its 36 holes in 1988. It hosted the U.S. Women’s Open in 1998 and again in 2012. Staging such big events has boosted Wisconsin’s image as more than just the home of Cheese Heads.
The legendary Pete Dye designed Kohler’s four championship courses, but Herb Kohler took a more hands-on approach with The Baths collaborating with Lutzke, a Dye disciple for 30 years.
Short courses, as well as, challenging putting courses are the trend at upscale golf resorts. The Baths includes a two-acre putting course that can be played in 18, or 27-hole loops.
The short course course measures 1,362 yards from the back tees with holes ranging from 62 to 171 yards. A golf cart shuttles golfers to the first tee of The Baths, but after that it’s walking only. Push carts and carry bags are available. With the steep hills and thick rough, we found that carry bags were the more efficient.
Sod-wall bunkers are prevalent throughout and several greens have steep elevations, thus putting is always a challenge. We suggest laughing off that four-putt, no sense becoming too frustrated. The Baths is made for fun, not frustration.
The four water features on The Baths pay homage to Kohler Company’s 128-year history of bathroom fixture design excellence. The Bath’s ponds all feature sand-lined bottoms and are all very shallow, plus there are no steep drop-offs. If you decide to go for a quick dip, returning to dry land is an easy task.
The first six holes head out from the 125-year old log cabin, imported from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, that serves as a food and beverage station. The final six return to the log cabin.
The Baths can be played in three, or six-hole loops and playing extra holes is encouraged. A single daily fee of $75.00 means that golfers can play multiple rounds all day long.
Mix in some time on the massive putting course with multiple rounds on The Baths and even without a dip in the water you will have a great day.
