Whistling Straits
Encyclopedia
Whistling Straits is one of two golfing destinations
associated with The American Club, a luxury resort
located in nearby Kohler, Wisconsin
, and owned by a subsidiary of the Kohler Company
. The other course is Blackwolf Run
. The Whistling Straits complex is located in the unincorporated Sheboygan County community of Haven
in the Town of Mosel
, north of the city of Sheboygan
. Although the course is located in Haven, it officially has a Kohler postal address, and is mentioned within promotional materials as being in Kohler.
The two courses at Whistling Straits were designed by Pete
and Alice Dye
.
won by Vijay Singh
in a playoff over Chris DiMarco
and Justin Leonard
, the 2007 U.S. Senior Open won by Brad Bryant
, and the 2010 PGA Championship
won by Martin Kaymer
in a playoff over Bubba Watson
.
The Straits Course replicates the ancient seaside links
courses of the United Kingdom
and Ireland
. Nestled along a two-mile (3 km) stretch of Lake Michigan
, the course features vast rolling greens, deep pot bunkers, grass-topped dune
s and winds that sweep in off the lake. At 7,514 yards, it is the second longest course to host a major
.
The seventeenth named "Pinched Nerve", the unofficial signature hole, is the most difficult par-3 on the course. At 223 yards, with towering sand dunes and the lake to the left leaves golfers with no option but to go straight for the green.
The course also features two miles (3 km) of shoreline on Lake Michigan, eight holes hugging the lake, a flock of Scottish Blackface
sheep, elevation changes of approximately 80 feet (24.4 m) and three stone bridges at holes 10 and 18.
Although the Straits Course duplicates British and Irish links layouts, its original state was not linksland. Before the course was built, the property was a more or less featureless abandoned airfield called Camp Haven (1949–1959), with a stream running through the middle. Its one saving grace, from a golf standpoint, was its two miles (3.2 km) of lake frontage. Kohler Company CEO Herbert Kohler signed up Dye as course architect. During construction, the original landscape of the Straits Course alone was covered with about 800,000 cubic yard
s (610,000 m3) of dirt and sand, all of it remaining on-site with none brought in from outside sources. Until recently, the amount of earth moved would have been considered extreme for a golf course, but this amount has been dwarfed by that required by several other courses, most notably Shadow Creek
in Las Vegas
, where 25 million cubic yards (19.1 million m3) of earth were moved.
Liang Wen-Chong
holds the course record for the Straits Course with a 64 in the third round of the 2010 PGA Championship
.
is 146. It was designed by Pete Dye, and opened in the year 2000.
Having served as a PGA Championship host site, the Straits Course has more notoriety, but the Irish Course is rated more difficult to play as it is trouble-filled with forced carries, gnarly rough, ponds, streams and ravines, and waste bunkers — tremendous in size and number — which are minimally maintained to let the elements shape and reshape them.
Dustin Johnson
, who was leading the tournament at the time, hit his drive deep into the gallery to the right of the fairway. His ball came to rest in the sand, and he proceeded to complete the hole in bogey to drop into a tie with Martin Kaymer
and Bubba Watson
. However as he left the 18th green, an official informed him that he may have been guilty of a rules infraction while playing his second shot on the 18th hole. It was determined that Johnson's ball had been in a bunker and he had grounded his club, an offence which attracts a 2-stroke penalty. As a result, he fell out of the playoff and into a tie for 5th place.
Since the bunker lay outside of the gallery ropes in an area where the crowd had been walking, Johnson had not realized that the sandy area where his ball lay was in fact a bunker. Prior to the tournament, the Rules Committee had notified all competitors and posted statements throughout the clubhouse locker room, informing the players of a local rule that declared that all sandy areas, regardless of their location and condition, were to be considered bunkers (hazards). Martin Kaymer ultimately won the three-hole playoff to win his first major championship
.
43.8497536°N 87.7345419°W
Golf resort
Golf resorts are resorts that cater specifically to the sport of golf, and include access to one or more golf course and or clubhouse. Golf resorts typically provide golf packages that provide visitors with all greens and cart fees, range balls, luxury accommodations and...
associated with The American Club, a luxury resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
located in nearby Kohler, Wisconsin
Kohler, Wisconsin
Kohler is a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Sheboygan River. The population was 1,926 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, and owned by a subsidiary of the Kohler Company
Kohler Company
'The Kohler Company is a manufacturing company in Kohler, Wisconsin best known for its plumbing products. Kohler also manufactures furniture, cabinetry, tile, engines, and generators.-History:...
. The other course is Blackwolf Run
Blackwolf Run
Blackwolf Run is a golf course complex in Kohler, Wisconsin. It is one of two golfing destinations associated with The American Club, a luxury resort, and owned by a subsidiary of the Kohler Company...
. The Whistling Straits complex is located in the unincorporated Sheboygan County community of Haven
Haven, Wisconsin
Haven is an unincorporated community in the town of Mosel in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States.-History:A military camp called Camp Haven was named after the community. It was located in Haven on of rented land. The camp operated from 1949 until November 16, 1959. as an anti-aircraft...
in the Town of Mosel
Mosel, Wisconsin
Mosel is a town in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 839 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, north of the city of Sheboygan
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
-Airport:Sheboygan is served by the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport, which is located several miles from the city.-Roads:Interstate 43 is the primary north-south transportation route into Sheboygan, and forms the west boundary of the city. U.S...
. Although the course is located in Haven, it officially has a Kohler postal address, and is mentioned within promotional materials as being in Kohler.
The two courses at Whistling Straits were designed by Pete
Pete Dye
Paul B. "Pete" Dye is a world-renowned golf course designer and a member of a famous family of course designers. He is married to fellow designer and former amateur champion Alice Dye.-Early life:Pete Dye was born in Urbana, Ohio...
and Alice Dye
Alice Dye
Alice Dye is an American golf champion and golf course designer known as the "First Lady" of golf architecture in the United States....
.
Straits Course
The Straits Course is the flagship course at Whistling Straits. It has a length of 7,514 yards and a par of 72. It hosted the 2004 PGA Championship2004 PGA Championship
The 2004 PGA Championship was the 86th PGA Championship, played from August 12 to August 15 at the Straits Course of the Whistling Straits complex in Haven, Wisconsin . It was the first PGA Championship held at Whistling Straits. Vijay Singh earned his third major win in a three hole playoff...
won by Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...
in a playoff over Chris DiMarco
Chris DiMarco
Christian Dean DiMarco is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. DiMarco has won seven tournaments as a pro, including three PGA Tour events.-Early years:...
and Justin Leonard
Justin Leonard
Justin Charles Garrett Leonard is an American professional golfer.Leonard was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He attended Lake Highlands High School and graduated in 1990. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and was the individual NCAA champion in 1994. He was a two-time All-American...
, the 2007 U.S. Senior Open won by Brad Bryant
Brad Bryant
Bradley Dub Bryant is an American professional golfer.Bryant was born in Amarillo, Texas, the son of a Southern Baptist pastor. He moved with his family to Alamagordo, New Mexico during his youth...
, and the 2010 PGA Championship
2010 PGA Championship
The 2010 PGA Championship was the 92nd PGA Championship. Martin Kaymer from Germany won for his first major championship, in a three-hole playoff over Bubba Watson. The tournament began on Thursday, August 12, 2010, and concluded on Sunday, August 15. It was played at the Straits Course of the...
won by Martin Kaymer
Martin Kaymer
Martin Kaymer is a German professional golfer. He became the No. 1 ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings on 27 February 2011 after his runner-up finish in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship....
in a playoff over Bubba Watson
Bubba Watson
Gerry "Bubba" Watson is an American professional golfer. Watson is one of the few left-handed golfers on tour and is known for his tremendous length. The longest driver on the PGA Tour, in 2007 he had an average drive of 315.2 yards and is capable of generating a ball speed of 194 mph, being...
.
The Straits Course replicates the ancient seaside links
Links (golf)
A links is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland. The word "links" comes from the Scots language and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes and sometimes to open parkland. It also retains this more general meaning in the Scottish English dialect...
courses of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Nestled along a two-mile (3 km) stretch of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
, the course features vast rolling greens, deep pot bunkers, grass-topped dune
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
s and winds that sweep in off the lake. At 7,514 yards, it is the second longest course to host a major
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
.
The seventeenth named "Pinched Nerve", the unofficial signature hole, is the most difficult par-3 on the course. At 223 yards, with towering sand dunes and the lake to the left leaves golfers with no option but to go straight for the green.
The course also features two miles (3 km) of shoreline on Lake Michigan, eight holes hugging the lake, a flock of Scottish Blackface
Scottish Blackface
The Scottish Blackface is the most common breed of domestic sheep in the United Kingdom. This tough and adaptable breed is often found in the more exposed locations, such as the Scottish Highlands or roaming on the moors of Dartmoor...
sheep, elevation changes of approximately 80 feet (24.4 m) and three stone bridges at holes 10 and 18.
Although the Straits Course duplicates British and Irish links layouts, its original state was not linksland. Before the course was built, the property was a more or less featureless abandoned airfield called Camp Haven (1949–1959), with a stream running through the middle. Its one saving grace, from a golf standpoint, was its two miles (3.2 km) of lake frontage. Kohler Company CEO Herbert Kohler signed up Dye as course architect. During construction, the original landscape of the Straits Course alone was covered with about 800,000 cubic yard
Cubic yard
A cubic yard is an Imperial / U.S. customary unit of volume, used in the United States, Canada, and the UK. It is defined as the volume of a cube with sides of 1 yard in length.-Symbols:...
s (610,000 m3) of dirt and sand, all of it remaining on-site with none brought in from outside sources. Until recently, the amount of earth moved would have been considered extreme for a golf course, but this amount has been dwarfed by that required by several other courses, most notably Shadow Creek
Shadow Creek Golf Course
Shadow Creek is an 18-hole golf course in North Las Vegas, Nevada, designed by Tom Fazio and built by Las Vegas casino magnate Steve Wynn in 1989. Built from empty desert flatland on a site, it cost a reported sixty million dollars...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, where 25 million cubic yards (19.1 million m3) of earth were moved.
Liang Wen-Chong
Liang Wen-Chong
Liang Wen-Chong is a Chinese professional golfer. He is the highest ranked golfer from the People's Republic of China and the only Chinese golfer in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking. He has succeeded his mentor Zhang Lian-wei as the top Chinese player.Liang plays on the Asian Tour, ...
holds the course record for the Straits Course with a 64 in the third round of the 2010 PGA Championship
2010 PGA Championship
The 2010 PGA Championship was the 92nd PGA Championship. Martin Kaymer from Germany won for his first major championship, in a three-hole playoff over Bubba Watson. The tournament began on Thursday, August 12, 2010, and concluded on Sunday, August 15. It was played at the Straits Course of the...
.
Irish Course
The second course at Whistling Straits, the Irish Course, is an inland grass-and-dune layout. It is a par-72 18 hole course that features 7,201 yards of golf from the longest tees. The course rating is 75.6 while the slope ratingSlope rating
The slope rating of a golf course is a measure of its difficulty for bogey golfers. The term comes from the fact that when playing on more difficult courses, players' scores will rise more quickly than their handicaps would predict. The "slope rating" of a course thus predicts that rise...
is 146. It was designed by Pete Dye, and opened in the year 2000.
Having served as a PGA Championship host site, the Straits Course has more notoriety, but the Irish Course is rated more difficult to play as it is trouble-filled with forced carries, gnarly rough, ponds, streams and ravines, and waste bunkers — tremendous in size and number — which are minimally maintained to let the elements shape and reshape them.
2010 PGA Championship controversy
While playing the final hole of the 2010 PGA Championship2010 PGA Championship
The 2010 PGA Championship was the 92nd PGA Championship. Martin Kaymer from Germany won for his first major championship, in a three-hole playoff over Bubba Watson. The tournament began on Thursday, August 12, 2010, and concluded on Sunday, August 15. It was played at the Straits Course of the...
Dustin Johnson
Dustin Johnson
Dustin Hunter Johnson is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. He is one of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour having been third in the driving distance stats for three consecutive years between 2009-2011....
, who was leading the tournament at the time, hit his drive deep into the gallery to the right of the fairway. His ball came to rest in the sand, and he proceeded to complete the hole in bogey to drop into a tie with Martin Kaymer
Martin Kaymer
Martin Kaymer is a German professional golfer. He became the No. 1 ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings on 27 February 2011 after his runner-up finish in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship....
and Bubba Watson
Bubba Watson
Gerry "Bubba" Watson is an American professional golfer. Watson is one of the few left-handed golfers on tour and is known for his tremendous length. The longest driver on the PGA Tour, in 2007 he had an average drive of 315.2 yards and is capable of generating a ball speed of 194 mph, being...
. However as he left the 18th green, an official informed him that he may have been guilty of a rules infraction while playing his second shot on the 18th hole. It was determined that Johnson's ball had been in a bunker and he had grounded his club, an offence which attracts a 2-stroke penalty. As a result, he fell out of the playoff and into a tie for 5th place.
Since the bunker lay outside of the gallery ropes in an area where the crowd had been walking, Johnson had not realized that the sandy area where his ball lay was in fact a bunker. Prior to the tournament, the Rules Committee had notified all competitors and posted statements throughout the clubhouse locker room, informing the players of a local rule that declared that all sandy areas, regardless of their location and condition, were to be considered bunkers (hazards). Martin Kaymer ultimately won the three-hole playoff to win his first major championship
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
.
Major tournaments hosted
| Year | Tournament | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 2004 PGA Championship The 2004 PGA Championship was the 86th PGA Championship, played from August 12 to August 15 at the Straits Course of the Whistling Straits complex in Haven, Wisconsin . It was the first PGA Championship held at Whistling Straits. Vijay Singh earned his third major win in a three hole playoff... |
PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
Vijay Singh Vijay Singh Vijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008... |
280 (-8) |
| 2007 2007 in golf -Men's professional golf:Major championships*5-8 April: The Masters - American Zach Johnson won his first major tournament, in a high scoring week at Augusta.*14-17 June: U.S. Open - Ángel Cabrera became Argentina's first U.S... |
U.S. Senior Open United States Senior Open The U.S. Senior Open is one of the major championships in men's senior golf. It was first played in 1980 and is administered by the United States Golf Association and is recognized as a major championship by both the Champions Tour and the European Seniors Tour... |
Brad Bryant Brad Bryant Bradley Dub Bryant is an American professional golfer.Bryant was born in Amarillo, Texas, the son of a Southern Baptist pastor. He moved with his family to Alamagordo, New Mexico during his youth... |
282 (-6) |
| 2010 2010 PGA Championship The 2010 PGA Championship was the 92nd PGA Championship. Martin Kaymer from Germany won for his first major championship, in a three-hole playoff over Bubba Watson. The tournament began on Thursday, August 12, 2010, and concluded on Sunday, August 15. It was played at the Straits Course of the... |
PGA Championship | Martin Kaymer Martin Kaymer Martin Kaymer is a German professional golfer. He became the No. 1 ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings on 27 February 2011 after his runner-up finish in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.... |
277 (-11) |
| 2015 | PGA Championship | ||
| 2020 | Ryder Cup Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe... |
External links
- Whistling Straits official site, accessed August 2006
- Straits Course, accessed August 2006.
- Irish Course, accessed August 2006.
- Architecture review at GolfClubAtlas.com
43.8497536°N 87.7345419°W