In my view it is not a question of if Wisconsin will be a golf destination due to Sand Valley. We already are a destination to many avid golfers and high end golf seekers with Whistling Straits, Blackwolf Run, Erin Hills, and those who can get on some of our great private clubs like Milwaukee CC, Blue Mounds, and several others. Yes, a Wisconsin destination avid golfer would probably add Lawsonia to the rota if touring our little 'dairyland destination'.
After playing SV last fall on the preview soft opening, I have no doubt the course will fulfill all the expectations and thrill the avid destination golfer. And, given the development team, the DMK course on-track to open and other future courses will likely be just fine, as I really think it would be an act of GCA malpractice to actually screw up this incredible land. Yes, everyone that is a golf design fanatic will have some alternative idea of how this hole or that corridor might have been better designed or routed. That is what keeps us GCAer contributors going.
What this is really about in my mind is the depth of the destination golfer market and the resources that one spends for such. There are getting to be so many destination offerings, I just don't know if there are enough golfer destination rounds to spread through the inventory of such destination golf developments to sustain in the long run. I do worry that the incredible investment and high quality design effort along with the heart and soul of the construction development team would come to a situation that is less than the developer vision due to it falling economic viability prey to the next 10 greatest destination things that will likely be built and 'marketed as destinations'. Yes, probably in the next few years, a great number of 'destination' avid golfers will get there to SV. But, will they return or notch their belt and move on?
For me, it is a day trip destination, that I'd rather pay up for once in a blue moon, and surpasses Whistling and other Wisconsin destination courses in the real deal great sandy barrens, pure golf ground and design. That is certainly a matter of personal preferences and fulfilling of my golf design sensibilities. But, if folks like me are allowed to continue to play there, as a day trip, I just can't see also ponying up for expensive lodging, etc. I'd go to play a round on one of which ever courses are up and running. I am not sure how folks in the big metro areas of Minnie, Milwaukee, Chicago will view that. Once they have multiple courses available to play over 2-3 day getaways, we'll see how that works out as 'destination' value.
Destination is just a vague and variable concept. I personally feel I need more to make something a high expense, golf destination. I personally need hours of a golf day that are also spent at the destination to see and do other things. So in that regard, I define destination perhaps more like Jeff Warne may think of it above, and view the local culture and nearby offerings as essential to cause me to spend up on the destination concept.
The exception to this for me is still the Sand Hills, both Dismal River, Prairie Club, and SHGC, . There, it is on-sight golf focused, captive within the compound. Perhaps the difference is simply a longer journey to get there that makes it seem more of a destination in my mind. I also think the cost may actually be less to go to the sand hills offerings and play multiple rounds than it would be to play the same amount at SV on the same captive to the compound basis.
The other comparable that certainly must be high on the 'destination sustainability' factor is the season and number of rounds. The sand hill compounds/clubs due to the availability of scarce worker-labor in that remote region in order to operate to the high standards that are part of the destination promise of high quality, seem roughly the same length of season. And, we see how that does... and does not work out. SHGC definitely has the edge there due to strong national membership and first to establish the authentic unique first great thing.
The depth of the market and value offered to destination golfers VS the number of destination choices will ultimately decide this, IMHO.