Whistling Straits (Irish)

Whistling Straits (Irish) – Played May 2019

• Rankings: Golf Digest Public #39, Golf Magazine Public #74
• Location: N8501 Lakeshore Road, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
• Year: 2000
• Architects: Pete Dye
• Course Access: Resort
• Walking Rules: Carts & Caddies Available

Score Card Information:

• Black: 7,201 yards, Par 72, 75.6 Rating/146 Slope
• Blue: 6,750 yards, Par 72, 73.5 Rating/141 Slope
• Green: 6,366 yards, Par 72, 72.0 Rating/137 Slope (Men’s), 77.4 Rating/142 Slope (Women’s)
• White: 5,992 yards, Par 72, 70.3 Rating/133 Slope (Men’s), 75.2 Rating/137 Slope (Women’s)
• White/Red: 5,613 yards, Par 72, 68.4 Rating/132 Slope (Men’s), 72.8 Rating/132 Slope (Women’s)
• Red: 5,109 yards, Par 72, 65.6 Rating/121 Slope (Men’s), 70.0 Rating/126 Slope (Women’s)

After finishing up on the Straits and a quick lunch, I was off to the first tee of Whistling Straits (Irish).  This section of the property is more inland from the lake but it still features water with streams throughout the holes.  There is also more elevation change than the Straits.

I was rolling solo for playing partners but I did have my wife walking with me.  I decided not to take a caddie for the round but that was probably a mistake for my second round of the day.  The temperatures were warmer and there was less wind coming off the lake.  That’s all probably easily known but keep it in mind if you’re playing 36.

I didn’t include it in the Straits write up but the flags for each course are the same.  I’ve included a photo below to showcase the unique logo.

Hole 1 – 369 yards – Par 4 – High Ground

Throw away the yardage on the card.  This hole is steeply uphill and will play much longer.  There is a mild false front in the green that requires you to hit your approach deep enough to stay on the putting surface.

Hole 2 – 347 yards – Par 4 – Giants Leap

The trouble is pretty easy to spot when you are standing on this tee.  The fairway is quite wide despite being dwarfed by the pond.  Consult your yardage book because depth perception can be deceiving.

I liked the volcano bunker on the left side of the green.  It’s a Dye twist that I’ve seen at some of his other courses, specifically French Lick.

Hole 3 – 128 yards – Par 3 – Sleeper

Don’t come up short here or you might get a mean ricochet of the railroad ties.

Hole 4 – 432 yards – Par 4 – Sandbanks

With a wide fairway and more uphill slope that it seems, now is a good drive for a solid drive.  Avoid the sand on your tee shot and approach and you just might walk away with a hard-earned four.

The green has plenty of contours to keep you honest.

Hole 5 – 501 yards – Par 5 – Devil’s Elbow

This aptly named hole bends to the right around a large bunker on the inside corner.  Throw in a creek for good measure and your ball striking better be on point.  That is kind of the theme at Whistling Straits (Irish).

This hazard is no joke.  It’s deep and the railroad ties on the opposite side will reject any indifferent shots.

Hole 6 – 135 yards – Par 3 – Mulligan’s Watch

All of the sand here is meant to be visually intimidating.  With a short distance, the green should be the focus.  It’s a large target for a short club.

Hole 7 – 344 yards – Par 4 – Troll

This one looks innocuous from the tee but the fun starts when you get to the green.  A quick drop off on the right of the green will bust up a scorecard quickly.

All the danger begins on your approach shot.  This front pin is a bit of a trap with more room left than it appears.

Here is a look from behind the green.

Hole 8 – 501 yards – Par 5 – Garden Creek

A good drive will set you up well but there is a creek that cuts across the fairway.  It really shouldn’t be in play but you never know.

It sure seems longer than 501 yards!

Hole 9 – 322 yards – Par 4 – Last Gaspe

While this hole is short, it is still well protected by a serpentine creek that cuts across the fairway twice and runs up the left side.  Be smart and hit two solid shots.

Plenty of sloping rings the back of this green making for tricky short game tests.

Hole 10 – 378 yards – Par 4 – Shepherd’s Post

It was upon seeing this hole that I was wishing I wasn’t walking.  Straight up the hill and to the left, even more so than the first hole.  It’s a beast.

Hole 11 – 177 yards – Par 3 – Lamb Chop

This is quite an interesting hole, especially because of the surrounding landforms.  In the photos, you can see the large dune on the left side of the hole as well as the dunes behind the green.  This didn’t fit my preconceived notion of Wisconsin golf.

It also features another volcano-ish bunker that I narrowly avoided.

Hole 12 – 373 yards – Par 4 – Highland Trek

While the tee is elevated, the rest of the hole plays uphill.  The fairway was also a bit wet so no roll was happening.

The green itself is a very generous target with closely mown surrounds.

Hole 13 – 152 yards – Par 3 – Blind Man’s Bluff

Depending on the tee placement this can be a drastically different hole.  I got it on an ordinary day as it can be up well to the right.  Either way, the bunkering behind this green is quite cool!

The green is a massive target since it is supposedly blind from the other tee boxes.

Hole 14 – 508 yards – Par 5 – Tullamore Dew

It looks simple enough but a creek runs up the left side and cuts into the fairway later in the hole.  I found it necessary to consistently focus on shots here lest you get off track.

The bunkering around the green is varied in style and large in number.

Hole 15 – 416 yards – Par 4 – Frog Water

This one was a brute, straight up.  It takes two very good shots to find the green on this dogleg right.

Once you get to the putting surface, you better hope you’re on the correct tier.

Hole 16 – 425 yards – Par 4 – Deep Dye

C’mon Pete, what’s with the uphill holes at Whistling Straits (Irish)!  This is one of the longest par fours on the course and the slope does you no favors.

 

Be sure to avoid this little bastard.  Also, take note of the ridge bisecting the green.

Hole 17 – 335 yards – Par 4 – Irish Mist

This is one of the flattest holes but that doesn’t mean it is uninteresting.  You can run out of room on the right but the water lurks left.  Once you get past the tee shot, the approach is no piece of cake.

Below are closer looks at the green.

 

Hole 18 – 523 yards – Par 5 – Black and Tan

I didn’t love this hole but I might change my mind if I play it again.  Pick a comfortable line for your tee shot because anything left is likely wet.  The layup can be awkward so be sure on distances.

The fun is just beginning once you walk around the corner and see the rest of the hole.

I may not have loved the hole but the view from behind the green is easy to like!

I didn’t quite know where to put the pictures below so I went with the end.  These sheep are the unpaid groundskeepers on the Whistling Straits property.  They meander throughout the holes and have bells on so they don’t sneak up on you.  My wife noticed that you could see their wool on the trees, letting you know where they’d been.  Pretty neat!

Whistling Straits (Irish) will play difficult in any conditions.  But on a cool day and the backend of 36 holes, it straight up whopped my ass.

That being said, I enjoyed it from start to finish.  The land isn’t near as dramatic as it’s sister course but Dye manages to create interesting holes and challenging shots throughout.  I especially enjoyed the par threes.  Don’t skip it!