Our Story

The Keiser family’s love and commitment to the outdoors are rooted in early lessons from Mike’s father – Norman Michael Keiser – to “leave every place better than you left it.” Norman, a decorated Navy WWII veteran and Eagle Scout, led countless family trips to the Adirondacks to explore the rugged beauty of untouched mountains and lakes in upstate New York by foot and canoe. Mike Keiser, the patriarch of the family, carried on his father’s tradition by spending summers in Michigan and planning hiking trips to the Adirondacks, Dolomites and other far-flung destinations for his own family.


PineTrees_1.png

The Keiser family – Mike and sons Michael and Chris - purchased 1,700 acres of red pine tree plantation land in 2013 and early 2014 with aspirations of developing a world-class inland links golf destination in central Wisconsin. In 2020, after opening Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes and the Sandbox to critical acclaim, the property that is Sand Valley has grown into 12,000 acres of natural tumbling sand dunes, indigenous low-lying vegetation and flowers and intermittent strands of live oaks and red pines - the perfect landscape for outdoor adventures and exploration. The family embraced the non-golf pursuits at Sand Valley and opened to resort guests during the winter months for the first time in 2020-2021. Snowshoeing, ice fishing, cross country skiing, ice plunges and hiking take the place of golf as a conduit for adventure in the winter, connecting with nature, connecting with those you love and deepening one’s self-understanding.

The Keiser family welcomes you to explore the rugged beauty of central Wisconsin this fall and winter. Whether you’re looking to start a new ritual or carry on an existing tradition of outdoor adventure, Sand Valley awaits.


our commitment to restoration and conservation

This unique property was once the lakebed of an ancient glacial lake that covered much of Central Wisconsin. In roughly 16,000BC, the ice dam protecting the glacial lake burst, causing a catastrophic flood event that emptied the entire 150-foot deep lake in just two days - thus creating what is now the Wisconsin Dells. The sandy lakebed where Sand Valley now sits became exposed and over time, it blew into the 80-foot high dunes and valleys that are seen today.

In the 19th century, the site became a pulp tree plantation with red pine trees planted in rows managed as "crops," harvested, and sold periodically. When the Keisers’ discovered the property, it lacked the diversity of plant life that is natural to the site. Before it was a tree plantation, it was naturally known as a "Jack Pine-Hill's Oak Sand Barren" with exposed sand areas, indigenous low-lying vegetation and flowers, and intermittent strands of Jack Pines and Hill's Oaks. In addition to building a world-class golf resort, our goal is to restore the native Sand Barrens by removing the red pine trees and encouraging the growth of native plants. Several years after removing the majority of red pine from the property, we're happy to see a great diversity of vegetation come to life.

 
leave every place better than you left it.
— Norman Michael Keiser