American Club Resort - Whistling Straits - The Irish

I don't have a ton of shots from the Irish course, because in true Irish fashion it rained hard for 17 holes.  Our poor caddy did a fantastic job, but I could tell he was miserable.  My dad and I were all smiles.  

A couple of shots of the clubhouse and first hole after the jump. My take on the course is forthcoming.

American Club Resort - Whistling Straits - Straits

Of the four courses at Kohler, the Straits Course is probably the best and most well known.  Straits has hosted several PGA, most recently the 2010 PGA Champtionship.  For my money it is one of the more memorable PGA's in recent history due to the penalty incurred by Dustin Johnson for grounding his club in a waste bunker..  It is also due to host the PGA Championship this year (2015), as well as a Ryder Cup in 2020.  This is not a mistake.

The Straits Course takes you right out to the bluffs overlooking the Western side of lake Michigan, and is either on the water or one hole removed the entire round.  The bunkers are deep. The waste areas are wasted.  The wind is windy.  It is a hell of a challenge, and for the most part a little unfair; but it is so beautiful that you just don't notice.

On this course, more so than other Dye courses I've played, the penalties for mis-hits are just too extreme.  By mis-hits, I don't mean shanking one into the cabbage fifteen yards out of bounds.  I mean three feet off the green.  Hole after hole includes drop-offs and deep bunkers that force you to hit shots that you just can't practice at home.

One of the joys of playing Kohler is that is attracts passionate golfers.  The guys that my dad and I were paired up were another father and son team from the East coast that had traveled all over the country playing courses together.  It was great to hear their perspective on different tracks around the country - they definitely planted a seed for me to start my own journey playing great golf courses.

More Pictures after the jump!

Kohler

"Little bit of color" - Bob Ross

I played The American Club Resort Courses,
more commonly referred to as "Kohler" in Summer 2012.  Of the Pete Dye courses I've played, Kohler is, in my opinion, the best example of Dye's imagination and dominance of the landscape.

Think of Pete Dye as what happens when Donald Ross meets Bob Ross.  Dye has his own signature features and classic looks, but each hole seems a little too idyllic - each dune in the perfect place; each tree sketched in just the right home.

Kohler is a perfect example of this.  Dye took a relatively flat area of Wisconsin (a blank canvas if you will) and sculpted a golf course in earth, grass, and air.

Kohler has four courses.    I've organized my pictures and experience here: Straits; here: Irish; here: Meadow Valley here; and River.