Whistling Straits
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Course Type
Resort -
GOLF Top 100 World Rank (2023-24)
91 -
Year
1998 -
Architect
Pete Dye -
Par
72 -
Yardage
7790
Course Overview
Home of the 2004, ’10 and ’15 PGA Championships, this 1998 Pete Dye design on Lake Michigan was once a poker-table-flat military training base in World War II. Eventually it became a site for illegal dumping of toxic waste. Dye and owner Herb Kohler engineered a mind-boggling cleanup, moving 3 million cubic yards of dirt, trucking in 7,000 loads of sand to create the hills and bunkers and relocating the bluffs back off the shore. Kohler told Dye “I want the course to look like it’s in Ireland.” Mission accomplished. The 2021 Ryder Cup played here highlighted what a great match-play course it is, too, with its plethora of ½-par holes. Its set of par-3s is virtually unmatched and is complemented by a slew of other standout holes that come in all shapes and sizes, including the long par-4 4th, the short par-4 10th with its central hazard, and the par-5 11th, which rivals any par-5 that Dye built over his six-decade career. (Photo: Getty Images)
3 things to know
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Hole everyone talks about
All of the par-3s! The 188-yard 3rd. The 221-yard 7th. The 163-yard 12th. The 249-yard 17th. All set along Lake Michigan. All majestic. -
Best non-golf amenity
The Whistling Straits restaurant. Great food. Great views. A must-stop after the round. -
Insider tip
Blackwolf Run is also part of “Destination Kohler,” and it helps make for a lovely golf vacation, if you’re into those kinds of things.