Destination Clubland

If you’re a golfer, you probably already know that the 92nd Annual PGA Championship runs August 9th through 15th on the Whistling Straits course at the Kohler Resort in Kohler, Wisconsin. Got $79,000 to burn? You might be able to still get a skybox overlooking the breathtaking 18th hole. Daily grounds tickets go for $30 to $110 per day; they’re free if you’re under 17 and accompanied by an adult. Additional freebies: You’ll get a $25 Destination Kohler gift card with purchase of a championship round ticket ($300) and a $100 Destination KOHLER gift card with the purchase of a weekly grounds or Wannamaker ($450) ticket.

The ideal place to stay for the PGA event is the The American Club, part of the Kohler Resort campus. The newly refurbished guest rooms (rates start at $355) have come a long way since the place was a dormitory for newly landed immigrants making plumbing fixtures and furniture for Kohler Co. in the early 20th century. (It’s called The American Club because Kohler’s founder, Walter Kohler, wanted his employees to assimilate.) Today, the Tudor-style mansion is old-school luxe: The place feels like a club where English gents in the 19th century might have repaired to after an afternoon of fox hunting. Tip #1: If you want to increase your chances of running into world famous golf pros, hang out at the resort’s Horse and Plow pub. Tip #2: If The American Club is full, try the (dog-friendly) Inn on Woodlake (rates start at $199).

GO Kohler Resort, 419 Highland Dr., Kohler, Wisconsin; 800-344-2838, www.destinationkohler.com. For more information about PGA tickets, click here or call 800-PGA-GOLF (742-4653)

Things To Do in Kohler, Wisconsin

• Explore the Kohler Design Center, a three-story fantasyland of bathrooms and kitchens that seamlessly merge decadence with utility and beauty. The artist-designed showrooms are on the third floor, but don’t neglect the lower level, where the company’s history (and the Kohler family’s rise from dirt-poor immigrants to plumbing/furniture magnates) is documented in a truly fascinating museum.
  GO Kohler Design Center, 101 Upper Rd.; 920-457-3699

• Have a soak at the Waters Spa. Like the Design Center, the Spa does things with water that you’d never dream possible. Massages and exfoliation are part of most treatments, as is the signature Vichy shower (rather like taking a shower while reclining on a feather bed that doesn’t get soggy). Less well known: The acoustic bath ($100 to  $120), in which both the water and the tub itself vibrates in time with music of your choosing (which you can still clearly hear, even submerged.)
  GO Kohler Waters Spa, 501 Highland Dr.; 800-344-2838

• Eat chocolate at the Craverie. Ask Craverie manager Megan Turk to recommend chocolate and beer pairings. You won’t be sorry.
  GO The Craverie Chocolatier and Café, 725 D Woodlake Rd.; 920-208-4933

Best Deal of the Week

Want to get off the well-trod Mag Mile tourist track and explore Chicago’s roads comparatively less taken? The Hotel Intercontinental makes it easy with its new Neighborhood Package. Stay overnight (rates start at $499), and a neighborhood expert from the Chicago Office of Tourism will take you on a four-and-a-half hour adventure beyond the Loop and deep into the history and culture of Wicker Park, Pilsen, Little Italy, Lincoln Park, Beverly, Bronzeville, or Devon Avenue. Way cool freebie: You’ll get a Flip camcorder to record your explorations as well as a $20 CTA card should you want to venture out post-tour. And don’t worry about your car: Overnight parking is included in the package. To book a room, click here.
GO Hotel Intercontinental, 505 N. Michigan Ave.; 800-628-2112, www.icchicagohotel.com