Kenosha Country Club relocated to its current property in 1920 and engaged Donald Ross to design a new 18-hole course on land bisected by the Pike River. Club records indicate Ross spent seven days on site in September 1920, returned in March 1921 with his trusted associate Walter B. Hatch to lay out holes and greens, and that construction—supervised in the field by foreman William West—progressed through 1921. The clubhouse and course opened in 1922.
Independent listings from the Wisconsin Historical Society concur on a 1922 completion and note the approximately 140–175-acre scale of the new 18, while multiple secondary sources confirm Ross/Hatch field involvement. Rogers, the club’s present consultant, reports that he and the superintendent team secured the original Ross routing plan from the Tufts Archives, and that the club retains ledger sheets showing phased expenditures and fees to Ross and Hatch during 1921–22.
There is no documentary evidence that Ross returned for post-opening phases; the course entered regular play in 1922 and, according to contemporary accounts, remained largely unchanged architecturally for decades, with most evolution occurring through tree planting, fairway narrowing, and green shrinkage—common maintenance-era changes that altered presentation more than routing.
Unique Design Characteristics
The routing hinges on two broad benches of ground—one on the river plain and another roughly twenty feet higher. Ross used that split to create alternating uphill and downhill demands and to direct play toward, over, and away from the Pike River at key moments. Rogers describes how, as tree corridors have been thinned, original ground “forms” Ross employed to define play have reappeared, clarifying his intent.
Water strategy is unusually prominent for a Ross course and is central to Kenosha’s identity. On today’s par-5 4th and par-4 16th, competent tee shots sidestep Pike River entirely, while misses or timid lines invite detours or forced carries—an approach Top100GolfCourses highlights as a distinct twist in Ross’s repertoire here. The finishing stretch uses elevation rather than water for defense, with 18 tumbling downhill to a well-protected green.
Greens are compact and varied. Local documentation and field commentary emphasize the tiny, steeply uphill par-3 3rd, where a small, perched target penalizes imprecision; the par-4 7th’s strongly canted, semi-punchbowl green that gathers shots from the left; and the par-3 17th, whose present upper-right hole location has spurred planned corrective work to recover lost pinnable space. The par-4 10th, meanwhile, is a case study in Ross’s original intent being restored: expansion work is adding back slopes meant to feed balls toward the center.
Distance and par today—approximately 6,530 yards, par 70—mask how the course defends itself: the 591-yard 12th demands placement to negotiate bench transitions; the long par-3 14th plays downhill and exposed; the celebrated par-4 15th—played from an elevated tee into the river valley—offers multiple lines of charm and risk and is frequently cited by contemporary observers (including Rogers) as one of the standout holes in the portfolio.
Given the available evidence, the clearest surviving expressions of Ross’s work at Kenosha are the overall routing that toggles between the two benches; the small, often elevated or canted greens (notably 3 and 7); and the strategic interaction with Pike River at 4, 15, and 16. Those patterns are specifically documented by modern analyses and by the restoration team’s findings as they “uncovered and brushed off” original forms.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s body of work, Kenosha holds interest on two fronts. First, it is widely described as one of only two Ross designs in Wisconsin, giving it geographic significance within his national practice. Second, it represents an uncommon Ross engagement with water in routing and hazard placement, compelled by the Pike River’s course through the property; contemporary reviewers explicitly call Kenosha an “exception” to his usual sparing use of water hazards.
In terms of competitive reputation, the Society of Hickory Golfers selected Kenosha CC to host the 17th U.S. Hickory Open on September 8–10, 2024, underscoring the layout’s suitability for period equipment and its renewed historical integrity. Event materials and results confirm Kenosha as host and list champions, with local coverage noting strong participation. In Golf Digest’s 2025–26 cycle, the course holds the No. 22 spot in the state rankings.
Current Condition / Integrity
Kenosha’s bones—routing, many green forms, overall scale—remain largely as Ross and Hatch left them in 1922, but decades of tree planting had constricted widths and buried ground contours. Since 2015, architect J. Drew Rogers has led a long-horizon “design reinstatement” with superintendents Paul Bastron and Harrison Beal. The work has included: progressive tree thinning to reopen corridors; reintroduction of fescue and short-grass areas; recovery of fairway widths and alignments; recapture of over an acre of lost green surface and pinnable area; renovation of bunkers nearer to their original forms (with selective shifts to remain relevant to modern distances); full irrigation replacement; and rebuilding of several Pike River bridges. Rogers has stated that the course “stood the test of time” such that much was already there to reveal rather than reinvent; in 2025, his plan calls for delicate surface work at the par-4 13th and par-3 17th to restore multiple hole locations.
Today, the club’s own materials emphasize a faithful return to the Ross original while enhancing infrastructure and maintenance—an approach consistent with what is observable in recent photography and third-party course tours. The Pike River still frames decision points on 4, 15, and 16; greens remain small and, increasingly, closer to their 1921 perimeters; and the two-bench rhythm of the routing is intact.
Sources & Notes
Kenosha Country Club — Club History (“The Club”). Includes Ross’s September 1920 visit; March 1921 return with Walter Hatch; William West as foreman; 1922 opening; restoration overview and recapture of >1 acre of greens.
Wisconsin Historical Society, Property Record for Kenosha Country Club (HI240790). Notes 1922 construction to a Donald J. Ross design and site scale.
Top100GolfCourses — “Kenosha”. Course overview stressing Pike River’s role and hole-specific water interactions (e.g., Nos. 4 and 16), present par/yardage characterization.
Golf Digest — Course Page: “Kenosha Country Club (Kenosha, WI)”. Lists “#22 Best in State” for 2025–26 and describes the 175-acre setting.
Golf Course Architecture — “Rogers recovers Donald Ross’s work as Kenosha renovation enters tenth year” (Sept. 30, 2024). Details two-bench landform (≈20-ft rise); tree-management; reinstatement scope (greens, bunkers, fairways, fescue); irrigation and bridge projects; 2025 plans for 13 and 17; general integrity comments.
ASGCA / Industry Coverage of Project Start:
a) ASGCA News (Jan. 27, 2015) announcing Rogers’s Kenosha commission;
b) Golf Course Architecture (Feb. 17, 2016) and Golf Course Industry (Mar. 18, 2016) on “design reinstatement,” multi-phase plan, irrigation/bridge work, and tree removal.
Kenosha CC — Course Virtual Tour. Hole-by-hole distances (used for table and hole references).
kenoshacountryclub.com
Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG) — Event pages and materials for the 2024 U.S. Hickory Open at Kenosha CC, including dates, site, and champions; supplementary local media/social posts.
WiscoGolfAddict — “Kenosha Country Club: Wisconsin’s Top Ross” (2020, updated 2022). Secondary field observations used for specific hole characteristics (e.g., tiny 3rd, canted 7th, downhill 14th/18th, green-expansion notes on 10th and limited pinnable area on 17th; praise for strategic variety on 15th). Note: blog-level source; corroborated where possible with primary/industry material.