Hole in One

Ideas & Inspiration

Hole in One

An hour before midnight, under the harvest moon near Lake Michigan, Susan Tamblyn and Steve Connors slipped outside the Irish Barn at Kohler’s Whistling Straits with their wedding photographer.

“Steve and I were standing there, looking back at the barn and the people dancing,” says Susan. “All around it was pitch dark, but the barn was just glowing with the lake behind it. It was just one of those moments when everything you planned turned into exactly what you wanted, and everyone is having the exact kind of time that you wanted them to have. That moment made the eight months of planning worthwhile, because it was exactly what I wanted it to be.”

Susan and Steve, then living in Chicago, had sought a unique setting for their Labor Day weekend wedding in 2007. “A lot of people we knew had weddings at big reception halls,” she says. “We were looking for a more intimate setting, more of a weekend getaway that happened to include our wedding.” They talked about Maine. They talked about Napa. But those locations would have made travel daunting for their Chicago-area families, so they narrowed their search to the Midwest and looked at state parks and family-owned farms. While looking for sites online, Steve, a student at a California golf school, decided to check the dates of the U.S. Open tournament and happened upon Whistling Straits, a golf course near Sheboygan.

“We wanted something rustic, but something that had enough facilities for people to be comfortable,” Susan says. “We came across the Irish Barn at Whistling Straits, and it was exactly what we wanted.” One road trip to Sheboygan to see the facilities, and the couple was sold. “It looked almost like the rolling hills of Ireland,” she says. And the barn, which is open on one long side, offered views of the championship course and Lake Michigan. They signed a contract in November for the next year’s September wedding.

For Susan and Steve, the wedding and Whistling Straits were just what they’d hoped for their 150 guests. Tee times were reserved throughout the weekend for the golfers, the famous Kohler Waters Spa was available for the soakers, and a historic bratwurst factory in Sheboygan also provided entertainment.

Country clubs have long been a bridal favorite. Now, well-appointed destination golf courses are becoming a trendy option. But it’s important to give some thought to the details before committing to such a wedding, says events planner Ginger Gant of Ginger & Company in Madison. “Keep in mind airport and transportation scenarios and how arduous—or expensive—you want the trip to be for your guests.” Travel logistics are key. At Kohler’s Whistling Straits, for example, Gant says fly-in guests will need transportation from the airport just 15 minutes away. “You don’t want your guests to spend more time getting to the wedding than actually attending it,” she said. “That said, if you can be extravagant for yourselves, and your guests for themselves, it will be a memorable occasion.”

Wisconsin offers a plethora of settings as idyllic as Whistling Straits. Wedding planner Jen Getz-Miller of Pelham + Otis in St. Paul, Minn., recommends a combination of two resorts on one lake: Stout’s Island Lodge and Tagalong Golf & Resort in Birchwood in northwestern Wisconsin. Getz-Miller has designed several weddings that use the lodge and golf course, including her own in July 2005.