‘It’s so calming’: Inside the Ryder Cup teams’ luxurious home this week

HAVEN, Wis. — Nobody, pretty much, is wearing a mask around here, but there’s still talk of “a bubble.” The players, in theory, are in a bubble. Then there’s the bubble-within-the-bubble: The American Club hotel, in the heart of downtown Kohler, about 10 miles from the course.

The public cannot get in it, in these holy days of Ryder Cup play. You know a special pass, and a special handshake. It’s the HQ for the U.S. team and its caddies and captain and assistant captains and support team. Ditto for the European team. Ditto for various Golf People of High Standing. Your John Solheims, for instance, father and son. Your NBC talent. A Paul Azinger. A Dan Hicks. This name-brand executive. That one.

“You walk in there, and your heart rate goes down by 10 beats,” Azinger said the other day. “It’s just so calming.”

Anybody who has stayed there is likely to tell you about the same thing. The lobby is cozy. The ceilings are low. The beer is cold. The water pressure is excellent, and the faucets are wide. You’re in Kohler Country now!

You like high-cotton sheet counts? This is your place. You like dark wood, heavy forks, low voices? This is your place. Bring your heaviest credit card. Rooms can be had for less than $200 per night during sleepier periods but creep north of four-figures when demand is high.

Golf has some fine and cozy hotels. Rusacks, in St. Andrews, Scotland. La Playa, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif. The American Club in Kohler, Wis.

Check out The American Club here: