A Sad State of Sports in Wisconsin

If it weren’t for the Green Bay Packers and their recent run at football dominance, the state of professional sports in Wisconsin would be a tough one to bear.

The Milwaukee Brewers certainly seem to be trending toward sustained mediocrity while the Bucks’ struggles have continued into another decade. Without that Super Bowl championship in 2011, the cupboard would be empty. Thank goodness for Aaron Rodgers and his countless receivers.

If only the football season lasted yearlong, then Wisconsin sports fans would ease their minds with an abundance of touchdown passes instead of blown saves. Alas, this is not the case.

However, the professional golf season lines up almost perfectly, offsetting the regular season of professional football. In the coming years, Wisconsin will play spoiled host to the greatest professional golfers from around the world.

Taking in a Packers game from Lambeau Field is an experience specified on bucket lists of sports fans everywhere. It is also an experience that many Wisconsinites are gratefully blessed with each and every season. Professional golf, on the other hand, comes around only so often.

Before the turn of the century, illustrious golf tournaments turned a blind eye to Wisconsin. The shorelines of America were considered a spectacle not to be ignored, and the Dairy State was left largely unnoticed. Thankfully, this lacking awareness has changed. In fact, Golf Digest considered Wisconsin the fifth best state for golf just last year. The Professional Golf Association (PGA) has certainly taken notice.

A great deal of the attention has gone to Whistling Straits. Widely regarded as a top-10 course in the nation, Whistling Straits has two championship worthy courses, with the Straits Course hosting the PGA Championship in 2004, 2010.

When Whistling Straits obliges to host a tournament, it has always been at the peak of professional golf. In a few short years, they will host the PGA Championship for a third time in 2015.

Then, the Straits will take on an international scale of awareness in 2020, when the United States battle a collection of golfers from Europe in the biennial Ryder Cup.

If Whistling Straits (somehow?) does not suit your viewing fancy, Erin Hills is a course quickly growing in national prominence. Located just northwest of Milwaukee, Erin Hills will host the 2017 U.S. Open.

The U.S. Open is largely considered the most difficult event to win on the PGA tour, with only the most difficult courses in America constructed to even greater difficulty for the professionals. Yikes. I’ll gladly elect to watch this one from beyond the fairways.

In addition, Wisconsinites welcomed the LPGA to Blackwolf Run just this past month for the Women’s U.S. Open.

It is clear to see that Wisconsin has become a golf destination in the eyes of professional golf, rivaling the likes of South Carolina and Hawaii. If there’s a spot on your bucket list named, “Attend a major golf event,” there has never been a better time to do so close to home!

While I have cheered my heart out at a Packers-Bears night game, I have never hushed before the tee shot of a professional golfer, nor have I ever witnessed a caddy and his running mate size up a tournament-winning putt. Wisconsin sports fans will enjoy the Packers forever, but if ever they fall out of championship form, championship golf is here to stay. Thank goodness.