This is a battle between the establishment and the new era. Great times are possible at both thanks to gracious service, well-done food & beverage, excellent and varied accommodations and, of course, high-quality golf.

Established throughout the 1990s as the top golf resort in the Midwest, Destination Kohler and its owner, Herb Kohler, quadrupled down on the work of Pete Dye, letting the sometimes controversial but always exciting architect run wild with 72 holes split between two properties 10 miles apart: the forested Blackwolf Run and the totally manufactured lakeside links concept Whistling Straits. These contrasting sites make golfers feel like they have the run of two totally different golf environments on the same trip, which is something very few other golf resorts can offer. Distinct lodging options also contribute to a choose-your-own-adventure feel.

Whereas Kohler has the charm and infrastructure of a historic company town on its side, Sand Valley follows in the golf-first ethos and high standard set by Bandon Dunes. Its sprawling, contiguous property makes it feel like its own kingdom that has always and will always be about golf. It is an emerging golf community, but the super-low density approach makes it feel isolated and quiet in the best ways. It’s also enormous – some 12,000 acres vast – so it feels like it’s still in its infancy, which is an exciting thought considering the existence of four “big” golf courses, a short course and another on the way.