Your Guide to the Ryder Cup host course Whistling Straits at Destination Kohler

It’s finally here.  We’ve had to wait an extra year to get it, but we are finally getting our latest installment of the Ryder Cup and it will be be hosted at one of the greatest golf courses in the country: The Straits at Whistling Straits

If you’ve never had the pleasure of making it to this Wisconsin legend, then you should definitely get it on your radar as The Straits at Whistling Straits is one of Pete Dye’s best designs, and that’s saying a lot considering his body of work. The links-style design that sits along the shores of Lake Michigan gives you the feeling of playing “across the pond” all from the comforts of the Midwest.

We’re providing you with a breakdown of the course so you can be equipped with all you need to know about each hole to enhance your viewing pleasure of the matches.

No. 1 – Outward 

The opening hole of the course is no pushover, but it’s certainly a little softer than some of the holes players will encounter throughout their round.  The fairway is wider than most and features a series of bunkers down the left that can come into play if players try to take off too much of this dogleg left.  The approach shot will require the proper weight as it is surrounded by ample bunkering and it provides golfers with their first reveal of Lake Michigan in the distance behind the green.

No. 2 – Cross Country 

Hello Lake Michigan!  The lake runs all the way down the left side of this long par-5, and players will want to favor the left side of this fairway in order to avoid a blind second shot here.  Bombers can potentially get home in two, but pot bunkers and a narrow green await creating a difficult approach shot in. 

No. 3 – O’Man 

The aptly named third hole is the first par-3 golfers will encounter on what is arguably the best collection of par-3s in the country.  With Lake Michigan to the left, golfers are faced with a difficult approach to a tiered green that severely runs off on any shots short and left down into a steep lie in the rough or a deep pot bunker.  The green funnels to the left on all approach shots, so you’ll see a lot of players keeping their balls to the right of any pin here. 

No. 4 – Glory 

Ranked as the number 1 handicap hole on the course, it becomes immediately evident that you’re in for a difficult hole when you step onto the tee of the massive par-4 fourth hole.  There are no bailouts here as there is massive mounding on both sides of the fairway with Lake Michigan looming on the left.  Golfers will face a long second shot in to a slightly elevated green where we’ll likely see par being a perfectly fine score during each match.

No. 5 – Snake  

The winding par-5 fifth hole at the Straits Course is typically a three-shot par-5 for most golfers.  The course has now moved slightly inland from Lake Michigan, yet players will find water up both the left and right sides of this hole requiring an accurate tee shot.  If golfers decide to go for the green in two here, they will be faced with a long carry over the water to a narrow green that doesn’t leave you much room to bail out anywhere.  Don’t be surprised if we see a lot of layups and wedges into this beast of a par-5.

No. 6 – Gremlin’s Ear 

With the coolest name of any hole on the course, this short dogleg right par-4 demands an accurate approach shot as there is a devious little pot bunker that guards the middle-front portion of the green that has been known to ruin a round or two.  It’s a difficult up and down if you miss long, short, or right here, so this could be a fun hole to keep your eye on. 

No. 7 – Shipwreck 

This jaw-dropping par-3 that hugs the shores of Lake Michigan is one of those holes that makes golfers realize this course is worth every penny that they charge you.  The long and narrow green is surrounded by a series of bunkers on all sides, and players will need to parciularly keep an eye out for the devious back right hole position that looks like a postage stamp on a hole that tips out at 221 yards, and that’s to the middle of the green.

No. 8 – On the Rocks 

Holy bunkers! The blind landing area on this tee shot will force golfers to keep their ball left to avoid the steep drop-off that features sand dunes, bunkers, thick rough, and Lake Michigan on the right, but there is also a set of strategically placed bunkers in the left rough where many tee shots end up that players will need to avoid as well.  The green is open in front making front pin positions a bit easier here, and there’s one particular deep pot bunker in the left-center of the green that players will need to avoid with their second shot. 

No. 9 – Down and Dirty 

The closing hole on the front nine is a manageable par-4 that requires players to hug the left side of the fairway as the ball tends to funnel right when it lands.  If a tee shot ends up too far right, players will be faced with a difficult second as there is a large tree about 100 yards short of the green that they will have to work around which is no easy task.  The green is well protected by sand dunes and bunkers, and a severely errant shot right can find its way to Seven Mile Creek. 

No. 10 – On the Rocks 

Holy bunkers! The blind landing area on this tee shot will force golfers to keep their ball left to avoid the steep drop-off that features sand dunes, bunkers, thick rough, and Lake Michigan on the right, but there is also a set of strategically placed bunkers in the left rough where many tee shots end up that players will need to avoid as well.  The green is open in front making front pin positions a bit easier here, and there’s one particular deep pot bunker in the left-center of the green that players will need to avoid with their second shot. 

No. 11 – Sand Box 

The eleventh hole is a beast of a par-5 that features a multitude of deep bunkers off the right side of the fairway that players will want to avoid at all costs.  Left isn’t great either as there is a massive bunker that has all sorts of little fingers in it that can create difficult lies as well, but it tends to be less penalizing typically.  The bunkering is extensive all the way down the hole with a massive, deep bunker that can swallow up errant lay-up shots, and players are left with an approach to an elevated, crowned green making this a hole where a five can be an acceptable score even for the best players in the world.

No. 12 – Pop Up  

Part of the epic combination of par-3s on The Straits, the twelfth hole is the shortest par-3 on the course, tipping out at 163 yards.  The small green features a series of elevated pot bunkers long and left on your approach shot, and any shot right will tumble down to either a pot bunker, thick dunes, or all the way down to Lake Michigan.  The green is extremely undulated, and this will be a fun hole to watch all week. 

No. 13 – Cliff Hanger  

This par-4 is not overly long, and all of the trouble is right here as players will work their tee shots left to right in order to avoid the massive system of bunkers down the right side of the hole.  There are bunkers down the left side of the hole also, but they are off to the side and easier to avoid.  A mid-to-short iron is all that’s left into this infinity green where any shots long and right will make their way down to Lake Michigan. 

No. 14 – Widow’s Watch  

This short par-4 plays under 400 yards where you’ll find players often hitting a fairway wood or long iron to lay up as far as they can on the right side of the fairway to avoid a blind second shot as well as the deep and massive bunkers on the left.  The green is well guarded by a couple of deep pot bunkers for any shots that come up short and right or long and left.

No. 15 – Grand Strand

Here’s where things can get very interesting as this is one of the best finishing stretches of four holes in golf that you will find anywhere.  This par-4 tips out at over 500 yards where golfers will look to favor the left side of the fairway to avoid the massive bunkering system that runs up the right side of the hole.  The bunkers up the left side start out wide, but they narrow in the further your tee shot goes.  The green is wide open in front which is nice as players are often left with a long second in here. 

No. 16 – Endless Bite 

The 16th hole is likely to be the scene of a lot of drama in the Ryder Cup.  As the shortest par-5 on the course, bombers can take advantage of their length much like we saw Jason Day do in the 2015 PGA Championship where his bombed tee shot help him secure his victory over Jordan Spieth.  Lake Michigan looms on the left along with a massive bunkering system.  The hole has a massive drop-off to the left all the way down the hole and you can expect to see a lot of birdies and possibly even some eagles here to shake up the Ryder Cup.

No. 17 – Pinched Nerve  

One of the best and most difficult par-3s on the planet, this visually stimulating hole tips out at 249 yards and features a table-top green on the left side that showcases a massive drop off down to a series of bunkers and thick dunes making getting up and down virtually impossible, and that’s including hoping your ball hasn’t gone too far left all the way down to the lake.  There isn’t really any room to bail out right either as there’s a pot bunker perched up on the middle-right side of the green as well as a steep hillside filled with gnarly lies that leaves golfers with a chip shot that runs away from them towards all of the previously mentioned trouble left of this green.  We have a feeling that we will see a lot of matches won and lost on this epic par 3. 

No. 18 – Dyeaboloical  

Sometimes, a name really does say it all.  The 18th hole on The Straits is an enormous 520-yard par-4 that features a massive system of bunkers down the left forcing players to carry it over 270 yards to go over them, and for longer players a system of bunkers on the right can come into play as well (think Dustin Johnson in the 2010 PGA Championship).  Seven Mile Creek makes its presence felt from the midpoint of this hole as it runs clear across the fairway with a steep drop-off down and continues to run up the left side of the hole all the way up to the green.  Bunkers abound by the green especially for any shots long and right or short and left, and this large green has three distinct zones (short left, short right, and long right) that completely change the strategy for a player’s approach shot.  Expect to see a lot of drama on any matches that make it to eighteen. 

Recommendation

This is going to be an incredible venue for a Ryder Cup.  The Straits at Whistling Straits is one of the best golf courses in the United States, and we are in store for a captivating battle as players from each side are going to need all facets of their game firing on all cylinders on this Dye-designed masterpiece.