Jan. 23, 2026 4p
(WGTD)---A proposal to reinvigorate a small golf course in the Racine area has been met with both strong enthusiasm and disdain.
About a year ago, Craig Leipold, owner of the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League and husband of Johnson Outdoors Chair Helen Johnson-Leipold, announced a partnership with a prominent golf course developer to improve the nine-hole Shoop Golf Course in Wind Point.
The deal is complex. The City of Racine actually owns the course, but the land around it, which includes the historic Wind Point Lighthouse, is owned by the Village of Wind Point. Adjacent to the lighthouse grounds and the golf course are multi-million dollar homes and scenic settings.
In late summer, a redevelopment plan was rolled out that includes construction of a larger clubhouse with a public restaurant, a 70-vehicle parking lot and a dunes-styled course that would require the removal of dozens of trees. The golf course itself would be expanded to 12 holes.
While some people praised the plan, others, like Wendy Sorenson, voiced concern over increased traffic, the loss of trees and the encroachment of an expanded parking lot on the lighthouse grounds. "The parking lot would add a lot of activity at the lighthouse that isn't there," she said. "People go there because it's a quiet place. It would add terrible traffic."
The village board has held several closed-door meetings but has yet to take a vote on the matter. The City of Racine appears to be on board with the plans as they affect the golf course.
Discussions with the developers are said to be continuing.
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