Whistling Straits
150 years.
There aren’t too many companies that can say that they’ve reached this landmark level of being in business, but the folks at Kohler Co. are happy to be celebrating an iconic milestone in their company’s rich history.Â
Kohler has been a symbol of excellence in the world of kitchen and bath plumbing products for generations. Fortunately for those in the golfing world, the Kohler family decided to bring that same dedication to quality to our wonderful game.
2023 also marks two major golf anniversary milestones at Destination Kohler:
- In 1988 (35 years ago): Kohler Co. opened its first golf course, Blackwolf Run, which was immediately given the honor of being named Best New Public Golf Course that year.Â
- In 1998 (25 years ago): The golfing world was provided with one of the most incredible pieces of golf course architecture in the country in the form of the Straits at Whistling Straits.
Over the years, Destination Kohler has continued to expand and the golf product is as good as any you will find in the world. The resort is defined by its two golfing hubs of Whistling Straits which features the Straits and the Irish, and Blackwolf Run that includes the River, the Meadow Valleys, and the latest addition to the property, The Baths of Blackwolf Run.
To celebrate these major milestones, we headed up to the Wisconsin golf mecca to share the incredible designs with you, including exclusive drone footage.
We’re pretty sure after you get a look, you’ll want to book your next group stay-and-play journey in the land of Cheeseheads.
The StraitsÂ
Every once in a while, you get the pleasure of visiting a place that simply leaves you speechless. The Straits at Whistling Straits is without a doubt one of those places.
Located on an incredible piece of property that runs along two miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, Whistling Straits is captivating on every hole, giving you a special glimpse into the genius that is Pete Dye and how he perfectly molded this land into golfing perfection. The reveals begin right away as you come upon the first green and you get your first good look at Lake Michigan. With arguably the best collection of par-3s of any course on the planet, you’ll be tested on every shot and you’ll quickly realize finding greens in regulation here are a much better alternative to some of the gnarly lies that exist when you miss a green.
Hole after hole, the Straits delivers every single time you play this course, and the 17th and 18th holes are as good and as tough as it gets to help you close out your round.
The Straits
The RiverÂ
One of the best parts about a visit to Destination Kohler is how it can deliver two completely different experiences at one property. Located just 15 minutes away from Whistling Straits, you’ll find yourself at Blackwolf Run which has two 18-hole layouts with the River and the Meadow Valleys, as well as the new 10-hole par-3 course, The Baths of Blackwolf Run.
Blackwolf Run originally opened as an 18-hole golf course, and the original routing opened with nine holes at a time consisting of the River and Valleys layouts to create the first 18-hole design on property in 1988.Â
Later, the Meadow 9 holes were added to create the Meadow Valleys, and then another 9 holes were routed on the River to finish the creation of these two exceptional 18-hole designs.Â
The first 9 of the River, which exists as holes 1-4 and 14-18 today, and the Valleys 9 were utilized for both the 1998 and 2012 U.S. Women’s Open Championship as what is referred to as the Original Championship Course. This routing is still used in the early spring and late fall for those interested in playing it.
There’s a lot of history here of which the result is a beautiful layout that’s a beast at more than 7,400 yards from the tips on this par-72 design. The dichotomy of the experience here versus the courses at Whistling Straits is immediately recognizable as you’ll see in our exclusive drone footage. This parkland-style beauty features lush green fairways, beautiful water features as the course’s name alludes to and a couple of holes with uniquely positioned trees that will certainly catch your attention.
The River
The Baths of Blackwolf Run
The last contribution from the late, great Herb Kohler to the golfing world was the addition of The Baths of Blackwolf Run that he designed in partnership with longtime Pete Dye disciple, Chris Lutzke. This 10-hole short course and two-acre putting course were the perfect addition. Whether you play it on arrival, departure, before or after a round on one of the four 18-hole courses here, it’s a great complement to this property and as you’ll see from the footage here, it’s an unbelievable track that pays homage to the company’s design excellence in the plumbing fixture industry.Â
The Baths of Blackwolf Run
Final thoughts
There’s so much to see and do during your visit to Destination Kohler, and as you can see in the footage, the golf at this resort is unmissable. This resort is a must-play for any golfer who loves this game. We love these two layouts, but we would be remiss to not also stress how enjoyable all of the other courses here are as well. When you’re booking your trip here, try to make sure you can stay onsite long enough to enjoy all of the great golf that Destination Kohler has to offer.