Whistling straits celebrates 25 years

Whistling Straits has become so ingrained in the golf championship calendar that it is sometimes hard to remember Pete Dye’s design on Lake Michigan’s shores was only 25 years old. The Straits Course celebrated its silver anniversary on Thursday, July 6,

The Straits opened in 1998 and has hosted three PGA Championships. Vijay Singh won the 2004 PGA Championship, Martin Kaymer won the 2010 PGA Championship, and Jason Day won the 2015 PGA Championship. The Straits Golf Links joins Pebble Beach Golf Links and Pinehurst No. The Straits joins Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pinehurst No.

Whistling Straits is a major player in golf. With the U.S. Senior Open of 2007 (Brad Bryant), and the Ryder Cup 2021 (U.S.A. won 19-9 against Europe), Whistling Straits quickly became a household name.

The idea was there from the start.

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  Golfweek’s Best list of the top 100 U.S. public-access courses
  
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  Golfweek’s Top 200 Resort Courses in the U.S.
  

Herb Kohler Jr., longtime executive chair of Kohler Co. (the plumbling fixtures powerhouse located near Sheboygan in Wisconsin), branched out into golf by creating Blackwolf Run, a course, in 1988. The resort club was home to the two 18-hole golf courses (River Valleys and Meadow Valleys), as well as a newer par-3 course, Baths of Blackwolf run. Blackwolf Run, along with the American Club Resort hotel, formed the first backbone of Destination Kohler. Blackwolf Run was the site of the first major event at the resort: the U.S. Women’s Open, which Se Ri Pak won in 1998. The composite course hosted the Women’s Open again in 2012 by Na Yeon Choi.

Kohler was not content to stop there. Kohler wanted to win more major titles, both for men and women.

In a 2019 interview, Kohler said: “That was always our goal.” “We didn’t want weekly tournaments. We wanted majors.”

Kohler enlisted the help of architect Pete Dye, just as he did with Blackwolf Run. Kohler was initially attracted to Dye because of his sometimes quirky personality.

Kohler said, “This particular chap was an oddball, but had two courses that were particularly interesting.” Kohler said, “One had just opened to the public. It was the TPC Sawgrass, home course of the PGA Tour. At least 20 pros who were able to play the course were extremely upset and expressed their feelings to local media. It was fascinating to me. It was interesting that he wanted to really confuse a professional and get inside his head.

“This guy, Pete Dye took them to the brink of embarrassment and they didn’t enjoy it, but I did. Here was a single man, as strange as he was – he wore khakis and tennis shoes all the time – who was able to confuse the pros while being considerate of the amateurs. “I liked the combination.”

The Straits Course was created to meet the challenge of competing with the pros at every shot. Kohler discovered 560 acres of land on the shores of Lake Michigan. The land was flat and perched on top of the lake, including an abandoned military airport. Dye, who died in 2020, was 94 years old. He began converting the land into a rolling, rocking golf course that resembled the wild Irish dunes. 13,000 truckloads were moved to create 70 feet of elevation. The Straits Course was built, as well as the adjacent Irish Course.

“Pete agreed with me that we wanted the Straits Course to be similar to Ballybunion in Ireland, but that’s the closest thing I could say about the design.” Kohler said that Pete did an amazing job. He died in 2022, at the age of 83. The sand gave it character and speed to the fairways.

Since then, The Straits has challenged the best players to the game. Even without its two masterminds, Kohler and Dye, the resort will continue challenging and thrilling its guests for many years to come. The Straits is ranked No. The Straits ranks No. 9 on Golfweek’s Best list for top modern courses across the U.S. and is the most-ranked public access course of Wisconsin.

Below are some photos from the grand opening in 1998, as well as more images of the course now. For more information on Whistling Straits , check out these flyover videos that show the entire course before the 2021 Ryder Cup.