Sand Valley Chosen to Host Four USGA Amateur Championships

The United States Golf Association will organize four amateur national championships at Sand Valley Resort in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, starting with the 2026 U.S. Mid-Amateur.

The 2029 U.S. Junior Amateur, 2030 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and 2034 U.S. Girls’ Junior will also be conducted at the resort which is owned and operated by Michael and Chris Keiser and occupies more than 12,000 acres of wilderness in the Wisconsin 100 miles north of Madison, 170 miles northwest from Milwaukee and 220 miles from the Chicago area.

“We have looked forward to this day for a long time,” said Chris Keiser, co-owner of Sand Valley. “Amateur golf is the heart of the game. To have the opportunity to host these elite men and women over the next 10 years is a great honor, and we are thrilled to become part of the history of these great championships.”

Sand Valley Resort features five golf courses. The Lido, the primary course for the 2026 U.S. Mid-Amateur and the 2029 U.S. Junior Amateur, is a re-creation of the legendary links designed by inaugural U.S. Amateur champion Charles B. Macdonald on Long Island that opened for play in 1917. The original course on Long Island was repurposed by the U.S. Navy during World War II and closed in 1942.

“The USGA is excited to begin this commitment with Sand Valley Resort and we look forward to a long and fulfilling relationship,” said Mark Hill, United States Golf Association managing director, Championships. “The Keiser family has been committed to hosting national championships and promoting amateur competitions. We know that the resort’s courses will challenge and thoroughly impress the world’s best players.”

There have been 17 USGA championships contested in Wisconsin through the 2023 season. Erin Hills, outside of Milwaukee, will host the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open. Whistling Straits has hosted the 2021 Ryder Cup, 2007 U.S. Senior Open and PGA Championships in 2004, 2010 and 2015.

The U.S. Mid-Amateur is open to any amateur who is 25 years old by the start of the championship with a Handicap Index not exceeding 3.4. The U.S. Junior Amateur follows the same format with a field of comparable size. The U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur is open to female amateur golfers with a Handicap Index not exceeding 9.4 and who have reached their 25th birthday by the start of the championship. The U.S. Girls’ Junior is conducted in the same format, but with a 156-player field.