Public Play · Golf Trips from Chicago
Whistling Straits — The IrishKohler
Pete Dye's second course at Whistling Straits, crossing Seven Mile Creek and skirting the coastal dunes.
Par
72
Yardage
7,201
Rating · Slope
75.6 · 146
Holes
18
Green Fee
Contact for pricing
The Course
About Whistling Straits — The Irish
Whistling Straits has two courses, and the Irish is the one laid around the western side of the property, next to the Straits. Kohler calls it a mix of links and target golf, with Seven Mile Creek and the coastal dunes shaping much of it. It is open to the public; of Kohler's courses, only the Straits may restrict non-resort guests. GPS carts are allowed and a forecaddie can be booked. Whistling Straits is about 142 miles from O'Hare, so from Chicago this is an overnight trip.
History
Whistling Straits — The Irish — History
Public play on the Irish began on August 1, 2000, when Golf Course News reported it as the fourth Pete Dye design at Kohler's American Club resort. Dye placed it beside the Straits, the course that later hosted the PGA Championship in 2004, 2010 and 2015, the 2007 U.S. Senior Open and the 43rd Ryder Cup; those events were played on the Straits, not the Irish. It opened with bentgrass from tee to green.
Design
Whistling Straits — The Irish — Design
Kohler describes the Irish as a combination of links and target golf that criss-crosses Seven Mile Creek and skirts the coastal dunes. At its opening, Golf Course News noted large bunkers and sand dunes, four creeks in play on nine holes, and five tee placements per hole so players of different abilities can share a round. The hole notes show Dye's tools: split fairways, an island green ringed by sand, deep pot bunkers and greens with tiers and false fronts.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Whistling Straits — The Irish
The Irish is the more accessible half of Whistling Straits, a Pete Dye course of dunes and creeks next to a sister course that has hosted three PGA Championships and the 43rd Ryder Cup.
The Round
The Journey at Whistling Straits — The Irish
I.
The Opening
The 400-yard 1st, High Ground, offers a generous landing area and a long, narrow, elevated green. The 372-yard 2nd asks for the fairway to hold a narrow green, and the 147-yard 3rd plays past a pond and bunker on the left. The 489-yard 4th, the No. 2 handicap, is framed by bunkers on both sides. Long hitters can cut the corner of the 570-yard 5th, and the 160-yard 6th plays to an island green surrounded by one large bunker.
II.
The Middle
The 372-yard 7th is a short dogleg right to a two-tiered green with deep bunkers behind it, and the 555-yard 8th splits its fairway and invites a go in two past a false front. At the 484-yard 9th a creek cuts the fairway and crosses again in front of the green. The 398-yard 10th climbs to high ground, the 208-yard 11th has deep pot bunkers left, and the 413-yard 12th drops from the Irish's highest tee with views of Lake Michigan.
III.
The Finish
The 183-yard 13th, Blind Man's Bluff, is a multilevel, double-tee par 3 to the largest green on the course, and the 564-yard 14th is a risk-reward par 5 from the property's northwest corner. The 479-yard 15th is the No. 1 handicap, a dogleg right to a long, skinny green; the 474-yard 16th has one of the most undulating greens. The 375-yard 17th wraps around a pond, and the 558-yard 18th winds left of a fairway mound.
How to Play It
Whistling Straits — The Irish — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
The Black tees make the Irish a serious test, 7,201 yards rated 75.6 with a 146 slope, so choose a forward tee and consider a forecaddie. Kohler's own notes favor caution: play safe off the 2nd tee, bail out right on the 17th and miss right of the 18th green. At the 6th, the island green is ringed by sand rather than water.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
The round turns on the 4th, 15th and 16th, the three hardest holes by handicap and all over 470 yards. Position beats power: Kohler warns against cutting too much off the 15th's dogleg and says the 4th's generous fairway helps only if you are in position. On the split-fairway 5th and 8th, pick the side that leaves your favorite approach.
Advanced / Low Handicap
Two par 5s can be had in two: Kohler calls the 5th reachable and invites a go at the 8th, though a false front guards that green. The 14th is the other risk-reward par 5. Pin position decides the 16th, one of the most undulating greens, and the two-tiered 7th; check the sheet before choosing a club.
Signature Holes
Whistling Straits — The Irish — Signature Holes
The Card
Whistling Straits — The Irish Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
| Yards | 400 | 372 | 147 | 489 | 570 | 160 | 372 | 555 | 484 | 3,549 | 398 | 208 | 413 | 183 | 564 | 479 | 474 | 375 | 558 | 3,652 | 7,201 |
| Handicap | 4 | 6 | 18 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 8 | — | 5 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 9 | — | — |
Good to Know
Whistling Straits — The Irish — questions answered
- How do I book a tee time at Whistling Straits — The Irish?
- Whistling Straits — The Irish takes tee-time bookings directly on its own website. Golf in CHI links the course's booking page on this listing.
- Who designed Whistling Straits — The Irish?
- Whistling Straits — The Irish was designed by Pete Dye and opened in 2000.
- What is the par and yardage at Whistling Straits — The Irish?
- Whistling Straits — The Irish plays to a par of 72 over 7,201 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 75.6 and a slope of 146.
- Is Whistling Straits — The Irish public or private?
- Whistling Straits — The Irish is open to public play. Tee times can be reserved in advance.
- Where is Whistling Straits — The Irish located?
- Whistling Straits — The Irish is located at N8501 Lakeshore Road, Sheboygan, WI 53083, in the Golf Trips from Chicago area of Chicagoland.
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Pete Dye's public Meadow Valleys course at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, finishing across the Sheboygan River.
How to Play It
Book a Tee Time at Whistling Straits — The Irish.
Whistling Straits — The Irish takes its tee sheet directly — book your round on the club's own site.
Golf in CHI is an independent guide — we don’t sell tee times or mark them up. We map the exact way on.