Whistling Straits
The Whistling Straits , set on the western edge of Lake Michigan in Kohler, Wisconsin, has two courses: the Irish Course and the signature Straits Course .
History of the course
The Straits Course was designed by Pete Dye and was opened for play in 1998. It replicates the links courses of Britain and Ireland. The course is 7,514 yards in length and features vast rolling greens, grass-topped dunes, deep pot bunkers and wind coming in from the lake. Eight holes are set on the shores of Lake Michigan and the course features three stone bridges. Playing conditions change very rapidly due to the change in wind direction. The fairways are wide enough measuring around 40 to 50 yards.
The land, on which the course was built, was an abandoned airfield with dilapidated sheds and runways. As the budget for the building of the course was unlimited, around 800,000 cubic yards of sand and dirt were brought in from outside. It was considered as huge at that time but as time passed the new golf courses that came up required more amount of dirt to be brought in.
The Irish Course is an inland grass and dune course and was opened in 2000.
Course Trivia
- The Straits Course has hosted The PGA Championship in 2004 and will again host it in 2010 and 2015.
- It is also scheduled to host the Ryder Cup in 2020.
- The 17 th hole is unofficially considered as the signature hole. It is known as the ‘ Pinched Nerve ' and with towering sand dunes and the lake to the left, the golfers have little option but to go straight for the green.
The Straits Course at Whistling Straits has all the makings of a classic course. It is presently ranked 2 3 rd in Golf Digest magazine's list of top 100 golf courses in the US. As we continue on this tour we will learn about the other top-100 golf courses in the world.
