Whistling Straits - Irish Course

Going on vacation to the Kohler area next week and will be playing the Whistling Straits Irish Course. I'm a new golfer but my father/brother-in-law are avid golfers and want to play the course. I'm going to go along for the enjoyment - with fairly low expectations of my performance. Has anyone here played this course? Thoughts?

Sure, I have some thoughts. You're about to play one of the premiere courses in the world - a course that is one the "bucket list" for thousands of golfers. There really isn't much anyone can tell you other than congrats and enjoy every second of it!

I have played both the Straits and the Irish course. Not surprisingly, the Straits is far more memorable to me, but I don't have a bad word to say about the Irish course either. My only advice would be to get a caddy - they will earn their weight in helping locate potentially lost balls alone. But beyond that, most of them have worked at Kohler for decades and know the history of the place inside and out.

From a playing standpoint, try to keep it straight off the tee (wild drives can be pretty punitive out there) and work on your low wind shots. During the afternoon, the wind can pick up pretty significantly off the lake. It affects the Straits course more due to proximity, but the Irish course is no picnic either. That said, take lots of pictures and enjoy the experience.

Enjoy yourself!! The Irish course is among the best value golf for what you're playing in the country! Keep it in play and have fun!

Nice at $400+. Hello Lotto, need help.

I caddie at Whistling Straits. Best advice is to stay in the fairways. The second cut is hell and anything past the second cut is pretty much a pitching wedge back to the fairway.

Most importantly, just have fun. It's a fantastic course. If you're having a bad round, take a look around at the scenery and think about where you are.

Hope you enjoyed it!

Good to hear from people who have played the courses at Whistling Straits.

I'm playing all 6 of the Top 100 Public Courses in the Sheboygan area in a couple weeks, and couldn't be more excited.

Has anyone played the other courses in the area (Blackwolf Run courses, The bull, Erin Hills) and have opinions on them?

With Blackwolf Run, be prepared for lightning fast greens with four breaks in each putt...not exaggerating. I highly, highly recommend taking a caddie or forecaddie as you will most likely be pretty lost without one. They both have a bunch of blind shots, the River has more, which can be daunting when you automatically assume there is a Dye pot bunker on the other side. As with the Whistling Straits courses, stay on the fairway or you're in trouble. Both the River and Meadow Valley courses are awesome. 99% of people golf pretty bad their first time out, so don't be discouraged.

I don't have much experience with Erin Hills, so I can't say much about it. Just be prepared for a long and tough walk. Very long. The caddies there are more relaxed and informal because they are less restricted on rules (employed by Erin Hills and not an outside company). A lot of elevated tee boxes so you will be able to drive the ball pretty far.

I've only golfed The Bull once about eight years ago. I remember that I wasn't that impressed with it, but maybe that's because it was high school and I was golfing bad that day. It's still a pretty great course.

Most importantly, have fun.

Thanks for all the feedback man!

I hadn't heard about all the blind shots, so maybe I'll rethink the idea of not having a caddy :)

Really looking forward to it, I don't think I'll be able to go too far wrong with any of these courses.

No problem man. Make sure you get a cookie and granola bar from Whistling and Blackwolf courses. Homemade and incredible.

I don't want to get OT here, but what do you mean that you're "more restricted" as a caddie from an outside agency? What sort of rules? I caddied for several years back in the day. It's flat out working for a living! :beer:

The difference between Erin Hills and an outside company is like a family business to a chain.

Erin Hills employs caddies on their own. This allows them to make their own rules, like being able to change out bags whenever they want or even have a drink on the course.

I work for a caddie company that is contracted (right word for that?) for Whistling Straits. This is a chain business that supplies caddies for courses around the U.S. and with rules made by a headquarters or whatever you would call it. That means no drinking, no change bags unless their isn't a stand, have a punch clock for keeping pace and a bunch of other rules. We need the same image upheld at Whistling Straits as Pinehurst, Scottsdale, and Augusta.

Not sure if that made sense or not...

And yes, it is flat out working! It's not just a walk on the golf course...