When you think of Wisconsin’s golf map, there are several areas of the state that stand out with exceptional courses. The Kohler/Sheboygan, Nekoosa and Lake Geneva areas all stand out as renowned golf destinations. Milwaukee, Madison and Wisconsin Dells are all areas with solid layouts bunched around their city limits.
But what makes the Badger State such a wonderful place is that there are over 500 golf courses within its borders. Many areas of Wisconsin feature at least two or three noteworthy tracks. This includes Fond du Lac, a pleasant lakeside community set along the south shore of Lake Winnebago.
The Fondy area should not be overlooked by any avid golfer. Located in the middle of a triangle between the state’s three main population centers (Milwaukee, Madison and the Fox Cities), Fond du Lac is home to three of my favorite hidden gem golf courses in Wisconsin.
Whispering Springs Golf Club and Rolling Meadows Golf Course are both outstanding public courses, and offer good value on any day you play them. Combined, they feature 45 holes of compelling golf and should not be skipped.
Oakgreen Golf Course presents another fun 18 holes nearby, in the form of nine executive holes and a nine-hole par 3 course. I haven’t played here yet, but I’m eager to check out this unique facility.
But Fond du Lac offers one more terrific course that many golfers haven’t heard of— South Hills Golf & Country Club. This historic club, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2026, tends to keep a lower profile. However, South Hills G&CC offers a golf experience worthy of its stature as one of Wisconsin’s top private clubs.
South Hills G&CC Overview
South Hills G&CC was sparkling on the gorgeous November day when I played it. However, the 6,625-yard par 71 layout began with humble origins.
South Hills’ life as a golf course began in 1925 when landowner A.D. Filiatrault and some of his farmhands developed the 164-acre property. The former Takodah Golf Course debuted two years later, built on rolling land—a pleasant surprise in this flatter region of the state.
The property’s engaging topography is largely shaped by De Neveu Creek, a meandering waterway cutting through the 164-acre track and shaping the banks on each side of the creek bed. The creek is the focal point of the layout, serving as a hazard or crossing play on nine of the course’s 18 holes.
De Neveu Creek is featured prominently at the northeast corner of the property, near the 4th and 14th greens. The rapidly flowing stream helps make these two holes among the course’s best.
Takodah Golf Course was sold and the course changed hands in 1951, taking on a new life as a private club. With the 1958 addition of the pool and additional amenities, South Hills took on its current country club moniker.
Fast forward to August 2018, when South Hills was further elevated thanks to the renovation work led by architect Craig Haltom who orchestrated the removal of trees, renovated bunkers and added some new tees.
Haltom, who performed outstanding work at The Club at Lac La Belle, Sand Valley and Beloit Club, continued work periodically through the spring of 2023, creating the present layout with its wonderful views. While Haltom’s work was notable, the layout still retains a strong resemblance to its original bones—especially in its famed greens.
South Hills G&CC was always a hidden gem, but the new version of the course challenges low handicap players while remaining a joy to play for its family-oriented membership. Many courses claim this distinction, but few deliver on that promise more than South Hills.
South Hills Golf & Country Club
Location: 1175 Fond du Lac Ave., Fond du Lac, WI, 54935
Architect: A.D. Filiatrault (1927); Craig Haltom (2020 & 2023)
Course Details: Par 71; Tees: I – 6,625/72.5/128; II – 6,234/70.8/125; III – 5,507/67.4/118; IV – 4,830/68.4/117
Favorite Holes and Highlights
South Hills G&CC features several outstanding holes, including an “Amen Corner” stretch of holes 14 through 16 which ranks among the best three consecutive hole stretches in Wisconsin.
The 14th hole kicks off the gauntlet as a short par 5 begging to be attacked. The 480-yard hole is one of the most interesting reachable par 5s in Wisconsin, thanks to its terrific green site.
The tee shot starts out blind, but the fairway is spacious, bending gently from right to left around a few large trees. With a good drive to the corner of the dogleg, the hole opens up in front of you as it plunges into the valley.
From this stunning vista, you can peer down at the green perched on the other side of the creek. A low handicap golfer should only need a hybrid or even an iron to reach the putting surface in two shots. However, the prudent play is to lay up, as the green is an adventure all on its own.
The large putting surface of the 14th is shaped a bit like a shepherd’s crook, bending around a deep front left trap. There are three distinct sections, including a front area that slopes steeply down to the creek. There are a couple of shelves in the back, but this area is flatter and raised, falling off prominently into a hidden back right bunker.
When I played the 14th, I hit my shot of the year, holing a 40-yard pitch for an eagle. I played this shot creatively into the slope behind the front hole location, but it went a hair too far and seemingly got stuck at the crest. As I began crossing the creek, I noticed my ball starting to roll, and by the time I reached the bridge it clanked the pin and fell in for an unlikely three.
That great birdie chance on 14 is followed by two difficult par 4s. The 15th starts on a steep plateau back behind the 14th green. The 392-yard hole then bends gently to the right around the largest bunker on the course inside the corner of the dogleg.
The uphill approach plays to a small green nestled on a ridge, surrounded by three punishing traps. Like many of the greens at South Hills G&CC, this one slopes steeply from back to front, and in this case left to right toward the creek.
South Hills G&CC’s hardest hole follows, as the 16th is one of the great uphill tests in Wisconsin. The 420-yard, dogleg left par 4 plays downward initially to a split fairway with its left side pressed against the creek. The right side is spacious, but the hole plays much longer from this angle.
The 16th then moves steeply uphill, crossing the creek as it bends left, before arriving at a two-tiered green shaped like a light bulb. This is one of two bunkerless targets at South Hills G&CC, but there are falloffs on all sides of the putting surface, including a false front that can kick balls back down into the valley. This is truly a terrific and terrifying par 4.
South Hills G&CC’s outstanding back nine stretch is rivaled by the 3rd through the 5th on the front nine. All three holes move in an easterly direction, with my favorite of the bunch being the 180-yard par 3 4th.
After a gentle start to the course on flat land near Fond du Lac Avenue, the 4th tee boxes sit on a bluff looking down at the valley and the meat of the course. The hole then plunges into the lowlands from two different angles, playing to another wild creek-bordered green.
While not hard-pressed against the putting surface, the creek guards the green’s left, right and back sides. In addition, there is a small trap cut into the front right corner of the target. The putting surface itself features a high front section, a huge middle swale and a back section built up before it falls back to the creek beyond.
The 541-yard 3rd is the longest hole at South Hills G&CC, and this fun par 5 really turns up the heat after the quiet first two holes. This strategic challenge features a wide fairway, but the hole pinches in around the 350-yard mark.
The goal on the second shot is to get your ball to a ridge around 100 yards short of the green. From this vantage point, you’ll have a pitch to a sloping putting surface, pinched in between bunkers front left and back right.
The 5th is another of South Hills G&CC’s tough uphill holes. This 368-yard dogleg right starts at a secluded tee area, and then plays steeply up to a wide fairway. After navigating a 250-yard carry, you’ll find a flat plateau. This is the ideal spot to approach the small, rounded green that slopes severely from back to front, especially at its rear.
Fail to muster a long enough drive, and you are left with a blind second shot that plays much longer into the punishing green.
While there are several scoring opportunities in South Hills’ opening six holes, you’ll face the course’s toughest three-hole challenge to close the front nine.
The 448-yard 7th begins this excellent stretch and is South Hills G&CC’s longest par 4. The hole plays straightaway to another tilted green. A pair of menacing bunkers protect the left side of the putting surface. While the target is small, it is welcoming to a long iron approach.
The 7th serves as a precursor to the outstanding 8th and 9th holes. Both looked resplendent draped in late fall colors.
The 372-yard 8th is one of South Hills G&CC’s most scenic holes, moving swiftly downhill from an elevated tee area down into the valley. A chute of trees lines both sides of the fairway, but the hole opens up the further you go.
The ever-present creek cuts in across the hole at 275 yards from the tee, with the green set some 70 yards further back on the far side of the water. The 8th hole’s beautiful putting surface is framed by large trees, with one bunker guarding its back right corner.
The 9th hole closes South Hills G&CC’s front nine with its most difficult challenge. This is another outstanding uphill par 4, tipping out at 445 yards and bending to the right around the back side of the 11th green. A deep bunker guards the inside of the dogleg, and this trap should be avoided at all costs if you want to reach the green in regulation.
Finding the fairway sets up a long second shot played to a small green. The putting surface is guarded by a nest of traps on the front left and another bunker fronting the target on the right.
If you can, take a short break after finishing the 9th hole at South Hills G&CC, because the course’s toughest par 3 greets you to start the back nine.
The 218-yard 10th hole plays from a ridge near the clubhouse downhill over a bend in the creek to a large round green. Like the 4th, there are alternate teeing angles offering two different ways to play this picturesque hole.
The spacious putting surface has a deep bunker protecting the left side. However, there is plenty of room to miss short and right of the target, which sets up a pretty simple up and down.
After surviving this difficult stretch, South Hills G&CC offers a chance to get a shot back on the 11th. This 371-yard par 4 plays back over the creek to a fairway framed by tree-lined hillsides. Two bunkers guard the higher ground on the right side, pinching the fairway in.
If you can find the short grass, the approach should be no more than a short iron or wedge played to an elongated, flat green. The putting surface is accessible, sitting in a natural amphitheater.
The 11th is followed by the menacing 12th hole, another of the course’s outstanding uphill par 4s. The drive on this 381-yard hole is awkward, but fun. From a low tee you play back over the creek, and then almost straight up a cliff to reach the plateau fairway that bends to the right.
Getting a ball in play on the 12th allows access to a small green nestled within the trees. If you aren’t in the fairway, a dense forest on the right side can block out your approach to the putting surface.
The Lowlights
South Hills G&CC’s lone drawback is that it opens and closes on its weakest holes.
After starting gently on the first two holes, the course moves out from a pleasant neighborhood near U.S. Highway 151 to the rolling land that makes up the meat of the course. South Hills then closes with two of its easiest holes.
While the starting and ending stretches lack the majesty of the rest of the course, they aren’t pushovers. Each of these holes offer admirable qualities and quiet challenges.
The 340-yard first hole at South Hills G&CC eases you into the round, playing straightaway from the clubhouse. This is a good chance to calm any nerves as the fairway is wide and flat. The approach requires just a wedge or short iron to a small green flanked by a front left trap.
Playing in the opposite direction alongside the opener is South Hills G&CC’s finishing hole. The 18th is one of the shortest closers in Wisconsin. This 311-yard hole is drivable, playing straightaway, but it gets much more challenging near the green.
A menacing trap on the right pinches in the tight landing area, while the approach is played into a narrow green that slopes severely from back right to front left. Because of its punishing putting surface, making a closing birdie or even a par is no guarantee.
With a much less severe green, the 357-yard 17th hole is easier than its shorter counterpart in the 18th. The penultimate hole plays as a beautiful dogleg right, finishing near the first green. This strategic hole offers a good birdie chance with a drive up the left side of the fairway.
A deep L-shaped trap guards the outside corner of the bend and should be avoided. But get a drive into the short grass, and your approach won’t have to carry the tree and bunker that protect the front right corner of the putting surface.
The 2nd is set in flat land and shares a tee with the 18th, but the 426-yard dogleg right is a tough two-shot challenge. That difficulty stems from its steep raised green, which is fronted on the right by a gaping bunker.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I had a terrific time playing South Hills G&CC. I really enjoyed exploring the course and meeting their staff, including head golf professional Luke Scharf.
Greens and grounds superintendent Jim Vanherwynen keeps South Hills G&CC in outstanding shape. The greens were absolutely pure and perfect to putt on, even with the November chill in the air.
South Hills G&CC’s putting surfaces were also the fastest I putted on all year long, and truly punishing to any ball left above the hole on its most severe surfaces. This was especially true on the 3rd and 6th greens – on both of these holes I hit approach shots to within eight feet of fronting hole locations, only to face sloping birdie putts that I was afraid to attack.
I had a tremendous time at South Hills G&CC and would certainly look forward to a return engagement on this fun layout. The club is a friendly and accommodating place, and there is a reason why it is so popular with its members.
If you are looking for more golf while visiting Fond du Lac, I’d definitely recommend pairing a round of golf at South Hills G&CC with either Whispering Springs or Rolling Meadows.
Whispering Springs is one of the Badger State’s most underrated layouts, an imaginative daily fee course designed by Bob Lohmann that builds up to a couple of great finishing holes on each side.
Meanwhile, Rolling Meadows features 27 holes of championship-level, Dick Nugent-designed golf. This wonderful facility is located just a short distance west of South Hills G&CC. Each of Rolling Meadows’ three nines feature great holes to enjoy. Water hazards are frequently in play throughout the course, as well as some large waste areas.
With an abundance of great golf and an ideal location about an hour away from all three of the state’s major population centers, the Fond du Lac area is hard to top as far as a great place to play golf. South Hills G&CC provides a great home base to explore this beautiful part of Wisconsin.
South Hills Golf & Country Club Website
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