I’d say he was the first to build great golf courses for the public. Mike Keiser followed, but Herb Koehler started it.
I was lucky enough to get to know Mr. Kohler in 1987 and it's disappointing that we never did a project together, despite a couple of close calls, in Wisconsin and in The Philippines.
I met Mr. Kohler when Mr. Dye recommended me to take pictures of the original 18 holes at Blackwolf Run. Herb was completely new to the golf business -- he had only pursued building a golf course because consultants told him that's what he needed to get people to come to The American Club -- and when I showed up with a wealth of info about promoting golf courses and working with the tours and the USGA, he took an interest in me and we had lunch three days in a row in my down time from taking pictures!
While I don't think it was Herb's intention to "build great golf courses for the public" in the same way it was Mike Keiser's, Herb did give Mr. Dye a great site to work with for the original 18 at Blackwolf Run, even while holding back some of the most attractive land down by the river. When Herb was then disappointed by Pete's third nine, Pete challenged him and said he would do much better if he could build on the land he wanted, and the River Course was born. And when it came time to build Whistling Straits, Herb went out and found a piece of ground equal to his ambitions. So, he should probably get more credit than he does for dedicating great land to the creation of great courses, even if he had to be goaded into it a little.
Herb was a headstrong and powerful guy, and there were all sorts of stories of him battling Pete over various things during the construction of his courses; he might not have been the easiest client to work for. At the same time, he was always fun to hang around with, and when I think of him I think of his great belly laugh and his sense of humor.
Of course, all that golf stuff was just a hobby for Herb; his legacy is the growth of the Kohler Company into a massive international empire. His sons have very big shoes to fill.