Whistling Straits – The Straits Course

Kohler, Wisconsin, USA

About

Course Architect: Pete Dye
Number of Holes: 18
Par: 72
Distances: 7,123 Metres / 7,790 Yards
Course Type: Links
Club Type: Golf Resort & Club
Address: N8501 Lakeshore Rd, Sheboygan, WI 53083, United States
Contact Us: [email protected]

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Whistling Straits has 36 holes of championship golf; two 18-hole courses named The Straits and The Irish. The Straits course is the home of the 2020 Ryder Cup, and has been the venue of many major tournaments. The Irish golf course is less-known but equally as good, ranking in the top 100 of every category from Public course, to Resort course, to #51 on the World’s 100 Greatest golf courses. The Straits course plays like the classic Scottish Links courses, along tight, undulating fairways lined with fescue grass and protective bunkers with the all-encompassing wind. Nearby golf attractions include Sentryworld, Erin Hills, Grand Geneva and Geneva National.

Update: The 2020 Ryder Cup has been postponed to 2021. Read more about it here.

The Irish is a bit more inland, but interspersed with four streams, the course is traditional with its pot bunkers, wild tussocks and dune-scape set up like the famed Links courses of Ireland. The two championship Whistling Straits golf courses should be on the bucket-list of every golfer. A stay at the resort will only enhance your golfing experience with numerous accommodation and dining options at Destination Kohler.

Golf Course Information

Arguably the greatest championship course in the United States, The Straits at Whistling Straits® has hosted the 2004, 2010 and 2015 PGA Championships and the 2007 U.S. Senior Open, and it is the future site of the 2020 Ryder Cup. Open, rugged and windswept terrain defines The Straits®, sculpted along two miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. Borrowing influences from Irish links courses, The Straits has fescue fairways and massive sand dune bunkers. Open, rugged and windswept terrain defines the walking-only, links-style Straits course sculpted along two miles of Lake Michigan shoreline.

Pete Dye has fashioned a masterpiece from scrappy land on the shores of Lake Michigan. With only a thin stretch of coast to work with, he has placed over 1,000 bunkers without rakes (in-line with famed Irish links courses.) The golf course opened in 1998 and its relatively short life (compared to the great Irish and Scottish courses of old), has seen it burst to life with great fame. Jason Day won his first major title in 2015 winning the US PGA by three shots from Jordan Spieth with a record score of 20 under par.

The layout features a routing of a figure eight for both nines and features a well-balanced utilisation of the natural elements. Greens are often raised platforms with little undulation due to the layout of the land surrounding the greens. Approach shots to the greens must be accurate, and if the wind is up, low shots will be paramount to getting a score close to par. The layout presents a challenge that is both exciting and adventurous; in short, it is considered one of Pete Dye’s best golf courses & a must-do on every traveller’s itinerary.

A masterpiece in the world of golf created by Pete Dye, The Straits at Whistling Straits® was ranked #4 in Golf Digest’s 2017/2018 America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses, #5 in GolfWeek’s 2017 Best Resort Courses, #22 in Golf Digest’s 2017/2018 America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses, and #51 in Golf Digest’s 2016/2017 World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.

Venue Information

Kohler Swing Studio

Kohler Swing Studio & Golf Shop houses two aboutGolf® Simulators, the official golf simulator provider of the PGA TOUR and Golf Channel. With over 25 years in the golf simulation business, aboutGolf is the world’s number one all-time distributor of computer golf simulation software. With the latest technology aboutGolf measures total distance, carry, run, club speed, ball speed, backspin, sidespin, vertical angle, horizontal angle, maximum height, shot shape and much more.

Kohler Golf Academy

Kohler Golf Academy provides year-round golf instruction with practice facilities at Blackwolf Run®, Whistling Straits®, and Kohler Swing Studio & Golf Shop. Improve your game with golf schools and private lessons at Kohler Golf Academy, the only golf academy in the Midwest recognised with Golf Digest’s Editors’ Choice Best in Golf Award. The academy’s certified instructors have experience working with players of all abilities including touring professionals and top amateurs. Take advantage of state-of-the-art game improvement technology to advance your game including video analysis with the JC Video System.

Blackwolf Run Restaurant

With panoramic views of the Pete Dye-designed championship golf courses, this rustic American grill features regional cuisine, such as corn sausage chowder, king salmon, stuffed and smoked pork chops, premium steaks and house made desserts. Dine in front of a huge fieldstone fireplace, or enjoy outdoor dining on the terrace, overlooking the 18th greens of the River and Meadow Valleys courses.