Despite the natural beauty of the Wisconsin Dells area, golf didn't play much of a role in the outdoor recreation scene until 1991, when Trappers Turn Golf Club opened. Trappers Turn offers 27 meticulously groomed holes of golf designed by Andy North and Roger Packard.
Later, the golf course was acquired by Kalahari Resort, and a state-of-the-art clubhouse was opened in 2008, along with the Kalahari Golf Academy. The practice facilities are excellent, and The Mystic restaurant in the clubhouse is one of the better dining experiences in The Dells.
The varied topography of The Dells makes for a lovely pastiche of golf holes, with about one-third of them being linksy, one-third water-lined and one-third heavily wooded. Trappers Turn Golf Club's three nines - the Canyon course, Lake course, and Arbor course - can be played in any combination, but whichever you choose, yardages will be just under 7,000 from the tips and around 6,500 from the blues.
Although these yardages sound respectable, Trappers Turn Golf Club places an enormous premium on accuracy. So much so, in fact, that if you are having trouble hitting it in the short grass off the tee, you may just remember your round for the number of lost balls rather than the idyllic scenery and immaculate conditioning.
Trappers Turn Golf Club - Wisconsin Dells
The landscaping and maintenance at Trappers Turn Golf Club are second to none in the Wisconsin Dells area.
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Trappers Turn Golf Club - Arbor course - hole 2
The 502-yard, par-5 second on the Trappers Turn Arbor Course is very pretty, but hitting the ribbon-like fairway is easier said than done.
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Trappers Turn Golf Club - Arbor course - hole 6
The 441-yard sixth hole on the Arbor Course at Trappers Turn Golf Club would be simply stunning if not for the road running alongside. As it is, the 40-plus foot elevation drop from tee to fairway is still quite memorable.
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Trappers Turn Golf Club - Arbor course - hole 7
The 217-yard seventh on the Arbor Course epitomizes Trappers Turn Golf Club: beauty and challenge rolled into one.
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Trappers Turn Golf Club - Canyon course - hole 1
The stream that runs in front of the green on the 446-yard first hole on the Canyon Course at Trappers Turn Golf Club skirts the hole down the right side and is blind off the tee.
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Trappers Turn Golf Club - Canyon course - hole 4
The 203-yard fourth on Trappers Turn Golf Club's Canyon Course allows no room for error: dense woods left, a deep ravine just a few yards off the green on the right. No room to bail out short or long, either.
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Trappers Turn Golf Club - greens
Trappers Turn Golf Club's greens are generally small and undulating, well-guarded by sand, woods, water or sometimes all three.
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Trappers Turn Golf Club - Canyon course - hole 7
The 176-yard seventh on the Canyon Course presents golfers with one of the most memorable par-3 tee shots at Trappers Turn Golf Club. Again, no room for error.
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Trappers Turn Golf Club - Canyon course - hole 9
The rollercoaster-like 549-yard ninth on the Canyon Course at Trappers Turn Golf Club is an excellent closing hole.
Andrew Hollingworth/WorldGolf.com
Trappers Turn Golf Club - Lake course
See that sliver of fairway to the left of the lake? The one just to the right of the stone wall? That's the target on the first hole of the Lake Course at Trappers Turn Golf Club.
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Trappers Turn Golf Club - Lake course - hole 3
The green on the 614-yard third hole on the Lake Course at Trappers Turn Golf Club is a welcome sight.
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Trappers Turn Golf Club - Lake course - hole 6
The 193-yard sixth on the Lake Course is a worthy addition to the strong collection of par 3s at Trappers Turn Golf Club.
Andrew Hollingworth/WorldGolf.com
Trappers Turn Golf Club - Lake course - hole 9
The 534-yard ninth on Trappers Turn Golf Club's Lake Course is another great closer, with a risk-reward tee shot and an approach that must negotiate the rather irksome but lovely creek that meanders in front of the potato-chip green.
Andrew Hollingworth/WorldGolf.com
Trappers Turn Golf Club boasts 27 scenic holes that tumble across the glacier-carved hills of Wisconsin Dells. The rolling countryside provided the perfect terrain for course designers Andy North and Roger Packard to create a challenging course, or actually three different 18-hole courses. The Lake/Canyon combination combines links-style holes with woodland holes. The Lake Course has four holes that play along the edge of the 13-acre Mystic Lake.
The 27 holes of championship golf at Trappers Golf Club are spread across the rolling countryside of Wisconsin Dells, a landscape that was carved by glaciers thousands of years ago. The golf courses can be played as three different 18-hole combinations. The Canyon/Arbor Course combines the old and the new. The Canyon is home to Trappers Turn's signature hole, the par-3 seventh, which has an extreme drop in elevation into a small green that sits amidst a glacier-formed canyon but it is not as intimidating a hole as it seems.
Trappers Turn Golf Club offers 27 holes of championship golf that stretch across scenic terrain that was carved by glaciers. The Arbor/Lake Course starts with the newest nine, which was added in 2000. This nine is known for its scenic views since it has the Rocky Arbor State Park as its neighbor. The Lake nine has four holes that wrap around the 13-acre Mystic Lake.
(based on 3 reviews)