D e s t i n a t i o n s
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It Turns Out the Best Golf Trips Feel a Little Like Summer Camp O nly now the beer is better and the beds are real. There was a time when a golf trip had
charcoal grills and Blackstone, swapping stories and replaying putts that almost dropped. Downstairs, the night contin- ues at Tim’s Hardware Store, the motel’s basement bar built by Mae’s dad, Tim, bringing his lifelong alibi of the hardware store to life.
The bar is unapologetically Wisconsin. Spotted Cow on tap. Proper Wisconsin Old Fashioneds. Shake of the Day. Pull tabs. The kind of bar Chicagoans instant- ly recognize as authentic, because you usually only find places like this once you cross the border.
more personality than just a confirma- tion email and a key code for the door. It began with a drive north, clubs rattling in the trunk, and the quiet excitement of knowing the best parts of the weekend were still ahead. You checked in, were greeted by a smile, handed a real key (retro keychain and all), and settled into a place that felt familiar even if it was your first visit. That feeling is alive and well at Acorn Ridge Motel, a retro roadside escape just outside Green Lake, Wisconsin. And it’s very much by design. Owners Mae and Mark Wilton didn’t set out to run a motel. Mae grew up in Mount Prospect, where “heading north for the weekend” was a big part of her childhood. Mark is a New Zealander; the two met while working as summer camp counselors. At the roots of their relationship, they learned how to create a community, where guests don’t stay strangers for long. When they stumbled upon Acorn Ridge, they recognized a well-kept vintage motel with a strong golf tra- dition, and saw a chance to add a few thoughtful touches of their own. The rooms are clean, comfortable, and proudly retro, like stepping into a well- kept time capsule from the 1960s, but with modern amenities that make the stay easy. At check-in, you’re handed an actual key and greeted by someone who wants to know where you’re from, whether you’re here for the scorecard or the stories, and how you take your Old Fashioned. Golf is the heartbeat of the experi- ence. Acorn Ridge sits just three minutes from the gates of the nationally ranked Lawsonia Golf Course and within 25 minutes of three additional courses, including GolfPass multi-ranked course, Mascoutin. The golf packages are simple and completely customizable, designed to keep the focus on the game and the time spent together, not logistics. But like the best golf trips, what happens after the round matters just as much. Guests gather outside around the
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