Private golf course to remove 270 acres from farmland, dividing Dodge County town
ZOEY THOMAS
Updated
1 of 2
Dale Redlin, whose 400-cow family farm is adjacent to the planned Kettle Forge golf development, previously leased about 75 acres of the land now intended for the golf course. He’s skeptical of the promises by local leaders that the project will benefit residents, noting that the private, high-end course seeks to attract wealthy members from far away.
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Bob Guenther of Guenther Family Farm pictured in his home on the property in Ashippun, Wis. Tuesday, June 30, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
ASHIPPUN — Mandy Christian buried her father on a wildflower-dotted lookout over a sloping hill, one of his favorite hiking spots. Soon, his grave will overlook a multi-million dollar golf club.
An arrangement of stones marks a grave containing the cremated remains of Mandy Christian's father, Davy Wolf, on a hill overlooking the planned Kettle Forge golf development in Ashippun.
Nick Christian drives along what will be the perimeter of the Kettle Forge golf development. “I don't think we’ll ever coexist, because the people here can't play there,” he said of the exclusive club.
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
From a rise on their property adjacent to the planned Kettle Forge golf development, Nick and Mandy Christian survey the landscape that is about to become an upscale private club.
Bob Guenther of Guenther Family Farm checks in on a three-day-old calf on his property. His three sons help him work the farm, 3 miles from the planned golf club. But he worries his granddaughter won’t have anything to inherit.
George Monis in the home he shares with his wife, Elaine and their golden retriever, Scooby. The couple live adjacent to the proposed Kettle Forge golf development. “I'm glad it's going to be a golf course, because when they're golfing, only so many people can be on the course at a time,” Monis said. “You know, it's not going to be a constant flow of traffic.”
Therese Guenther and her granddaughter, EllaMae, walk the grounds of the Guenther Family Farm in Ashippun.
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Bob Guenther, an Ashippun dairy and beef farmer, helped lead the opposition to the golf course. He said he’s seen the number of dairy farms in the area drop from nine on his road alone to three in the entire town.
Dale Redlin, whose 400-cow family farm is adjacent to the planned Kettle Forge golf development, previously leased about 75 acres of the land now intended for the golf course. He’s skeptical of the promises by local leaders that the project will benefit residents, noting that the private, high-end course seeks to attract wealthy members from far away.
An arrangement of stones marks a grave containing the cremated remains of Mandy Christian's father, Davy Wolf, on a hill overlooking the planned Kettle Forge golf development in Ashippun.
Bob Guenther, an Ashippun dairy and beef farmer, helped lead the opposition to the golf course. He said he’s seen the number of dairy farms in the area drop from nine on his road alone to three in the entire town.
From a rise on their property adjacent to the planned Kettle Forge golf development, Nick and Mandy Christian survey the landscape that is about to become an upscale private club.
George Monis in the home he shares with his wife, Elaine and their golden retriever, Scooby. The couple live adjacent to the proposed Kettle Forge golf development. “I'm glad it's going to be a golf course, because when they're golfing, only so many people can be on the course at a time,” Monis said. “You know, it's not going to be a constant flow of traffic.”
Nick Christian drives along what will be the perimeter of the Kettle Forge golf development. “I don't think we’ll ever coexist, because the people here can't play there,” he said of the exclusive club.
Bob Guenther of Guenther Family Farm checks in on a three-day-old calf on his property. His three sons help him work the farm, 3 miles from the planned golf club. But he worries his granddaughter won’t have anything to inherit.
