MOSEL, Wis. – Whistling Straits’ Straits Course, home of the Ryder Cup on Sept. 24-26, is one of the most dramatic visual treats in golf.
Built by Pete Dye on the shore of Lake Michigan, the formerly flat site once housed a military base before the legendary designer trucked in some 13,000 loads of sand to shape an incredible vista of flowing dunes, fescue grass and incredibly difficult golf shots.
Golfweek’s Gabe Gudgel has shot aerial drone videos of each hole to get you ready for the Ryder Cup. Video of one hole will be released each day for 18 days. Today’s hole is No. 4, which will play as a 489-yard par 4 for the matches between the U.S. and Europe.
Mike O’Reilly, the golf operations manager at Whistling Straits, has provided commentary on each hole. He began his career at Destination Kohler’s sister club, Blackwolf Run, as a caddie before Whistling Straits even opened, and he has had a front-row seat to all the action in three previous PGA Championships. His insights are invaluable.
The Straits will play as a par 71 at 7,390 yards for the Ryder Cup. It’s normally a par 72, but the par-5 11th will be shortened to a par 4 for the event. The Straits ranks as the No. 1 public-access course in Wisconsin on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list, as well as No. 8 among all of Golfweek’s Best Modern Courses in the U.S.
And for more golf in Wisconsin, check out this road trip that played the top five courses in a surprisingly strong golf state.
MOSEL, Wisconsin – Whistling Straits’ Straits Course, home of the Ryder Cup on Sept. 24-26, is one of the most dramatic visual treats in golf.
Built by Pete Dye on the shore of Lake Michigan, the formerly flat site once housed a military base before the legendary designer trucked in some 13,000 loads of sand to shape an incredible vista of flowing dunes, fescue grass and incredibly difficult golf shots.
Golfweek’s Gabe Gudgel has shot aerial drone videos of each hole to get you ready for the Ryder Cup. Video of one hole will be released each day for 18 days. Today’s hole is No. 3, which will play as a 181-yard par 3 for the matches between the U.S. and Europe.
Mike O’Reilly, the golf operations manager at Whistling Straits, has provided commentary on each hole. He began his career at Destination Kohler’s sister club, Blackwolf Run, as a caddie before Whistling Straits even opened, and he has had a front-row seat to all the action in three previous PGA Championships. His insights are invaluable.
The Straits will play as a par 71 at 7,390 yards for the Ryder Cup. It’s normally a par 72, but the par-5 11th will be shortened to a par 4 for the event. The Straits ranks as the No. 1 public-access course in Wisconsin on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list, as well as No. 8 among all of Golfweek’s Best Modern Courses in the U.S.
And for more golf in Wisconsin, check out this road trip that played the top five courses in a surprisingly strong golf state.
MOSEL, Wisconsin – Whistling Straits’ Straits Course, home of the Ryder Cup on Sept. 24-26, is one of the most dramatic visual treats in golf.
Built by Pete Dye on the shore of Lake Michigan, the formerly flat site once housed a military base before the legendary designer trucked in some 13,000 loads of sand to shape an incredible vista of flowing dunes, fescue grass and incredibly difficult golf shots.
Golfweek’s Gabe Gudgel has shot aerial drone videos of each hole to get you ready for the Ryder Cup. Video of one hole will be released each day for 18 days. Today’s hole is No. 2, which will play as a 593-yard par 5 for the matches between the U.S. and Europe.
Mike O’Reilly, the golf operations manager at Whistling Straits, has provided commentary on each hole. He began his career at Destination Kohler’s sister club, Blackwolf Run, as a caddie before Whistling Straits even opened, and he has had a front-row seat to all the action in three previous PGA Championships. His insights are invaluable.
The Straits will play as a par 71 at 7,390 yards for the Ryder Cup. It’s normally a par 72, but the par-5 11th will be shortened to a par 4 for the event. The Straits ranks as the No. 1 public-access course in Wisconsin on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list, as well as No. 8 among all of Golfweek’s Best Modern Courses in the U.S.
And for more golf in Wisconsin, check out this road trip that played the top five courses in a surprisingly strong golf state.
MOSEL, Wisconsin – Whistling Straits’ Straits Course, home of the Ryder Cup on Sept. 24-25, is one of the most dramatic visual treats in golf.
Built by Pete Dye on the shore of Lake Michigan, the formerly flat site once housed a military base before the legendary designer trucked in some 13,000 loads of sand to shape an incredible vista of flowing dunes, fescue grass and incredibly difficult golf shots.
Golfweek’s Gabe Gudgel has shot aerial drone videos of each hole to get you ready for the Ryder Cup. Video of one hole will be released each day for 18 days. We start today with No. 1, which will play as a 364-yard par 4 for the matches between the U.S. and Europe.
Mike O’Reilly, the golf operations manager at Whistling Straits, has provided the commentary on each hole. He began his career at Destination Kohler’s sister club, Blackwolf Run, as a caddie before Whistling Straits even opened, and he has had a front-row seat to all the action in three previous PGA Championships. His insights are invaluable.
The Straits will play as a par 71 at 7,390 yards for the Ryder Cup. It’s normally a par 72, but the par-5 11th will be shortened to a par 4 for the event. The Straits ranks as the No. 1 public-access course in Wisconsin on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list, as well as No. 8 among all of Golfweek’s Best Modern Courses in the U.S.
And for more golf in Wisconsin, check out this road trip that played the top five courses in a surprisingly strong golf state.
KOHLER, Wis. – Destination Kohler in Wisconsin, home to golf clubs at Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run, is in for a very big year. Aside from being a booming destination with four full-size golf courses and a overflowing menu of top-tier amenities on or near the shore of Lake Michigan, the Straits will welcome one of the game’s largest events as the Ryder Cup tees off in September.
But the small things matter too, and Destination Kohler recently opened a compact golf experience that promises big fun. The Baths of Blackwolf Run – a 10-hole, par-3 course sitting on 27 acres at Blackwolf Run – promises laughs and a few cold ones in a fantastic setting, complete with a 2-acre putting course, an events patio, a firepit, even an old claw-foot bathtub that pays tribute to the Kohler brand of plumbing supplies.
Pete Dye built the four big courses at Kohler, and his protégé, Chris Lutzke, built The Baths with a focus on playability for any level of player. There are formal tees, but golfers are encouraged to tee it up from whatever length they like on a given hole – just find a flat spot and swing away.
“Play it from wherever you want, whatever you want to do,” said Mike O’Reilly, the golf operations manager at Destination Kohler. “There’s some recommended tee boxes out there, but you can do whatever you like. That’s really all about fun.”
A rendering of the par-3 course at The Baths at Blackwolf Run at Destination Kohler in Wisconsin, host resort of the 2021 Ryder Cup. Photo courtesy of Destination Kohler
O’Reilly said he has taken his young sons to the course, and they can play from different distances to make the holes right-sized. His 9-year-old plays from about 60 yards, while his 11-year-old plays from about 100. A similar approach can work for new players of any age, allowing accomplished players to hit a few longer shots while their newbie friends experience the course at a manageable yardage.
“You build fun into a short course by making it flexible,” O’Reilly said. “Almost every one of the holes, you could play from about 60 yards, and then the longest one, you could play from about 175 yards. If you play the proper tee boxes, they’re all going to play between 80 and 170 yards.
“So, you build fun into it by making it not terribly penal. … You just make it a little more playable and give those options for proper tee boxes.”
It makes it a perfect respite from the resort’s larger courses, especially the Straits, which ranks as No. 1 on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list for Wisconsin and No. 8 on Golfweek’s Best Modern Courses list for all layouts opened in or after 1960 in the United States. The Straits is beautiful, one of Dye’s masterpieces and the site of three PGA Championships, but it’s a major test without a lot of shots that allow a player to relax.
At The Baths, maybe have a drink, make a few putts, enjoy an easy stroll across the 10 holes, scorecard optional.
“We’re going to be serving Spotted Cows like crazy up there,” O’Reilly said of the Wisconsin-brewed ale. “I think people are going to come out to play and find themselves hanging out for two hours after they’re done playing.”
Golfweek videographer Gabe Gudgel flew his drone over The Baths shortly before it opened, and the video shows the dramatic landscape and holes that promise to welcome players of all abilities.
Destination Kohler is prepared to pivot again if needed, but the rescheduled Ryder Cup in Wisconsin plans for full fans and hospitality.
Fingers crossed, the COVID-19 pandemic will have eased considerably before fall of 2021, and the rescheduled Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin will be able to welcome 40,000-plus fans each day.
That’s the plan as of now for operators of Destination Kohler, home to the Straits golf course and three other highly ranked layouts.
“The original plan is what we’re with right now (with) 40,000 to 45,000 spectators on site per day,” Michael O’Reilly, the director of golf operations at Destination Kohler, said Thursday in a virtual conference with reporters. “Right now, that’s what we’re planning for. Obviously, the PGA of America and Kohler Company, we’re going to adhere to state and local guidelines and recommendations.”
The Ryder Cup, normally a biennial event that pits American PGA Tour players against the best from Europe, had been scheduled for September 2020 but was pushed back to Sept. 24-26 this year because of the pandemic.
Whistling Straits’ Straits Course at Destination Kohler in Wisconsin (Courtesy of Destination Kohler)
“Unlike other major sporting events that are played in existing stadiums, we had to make a decision now about building facilities to host the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits,” PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh said in July when postponing the event from 2020. “It became clear that as of today, our medical experts and the public authorities in Wisconsin could not give us certainty that conducting an event responsibly with thousands of spectators in September would be possible.”
The PGA Tour missed almost two months of action in 2020 because of the pandemic before restarting play in May. The PGA of America, which conducts the Ryder Cup, was able to play its PGA Championship in August after the restart, but the Ryder Cup already was delayed by then.
The PGA Tour has continued since that 2020 restart, with several players having tested positive for COVID-19. O’Reilly said the PGA of America and Destination Kohler will continue to monitor the situation and learn everything available to keep fans and players safe.
“There’s a lot of golf tournaments to be played between now and late September, including the PGA Championship, which is in May down at Kiawah,” O’Reilly said. “We have the opportunity … to learn a lot along the way, and as things change and evolve, for us to pivot. But as of right now, that’s what we’re hoping for, full attendance and full corporate hospitality.”
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The Straits Course at Whistling Straits, built by Pete Dye on the shore of Lake Michigan north of Sheboygan and opened in 1988, is ranked No. 7 on Golfweek’s Best Modern Courses list for all U.S. layouts built in or after 1960. It also is the No. 1 course in Wisconsin on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list for public-access tracks, and it is No. 5 in the U.S. among all resort courses. It has been the site of three PGA Championships (2004, ’10 and ’15) as well as the 2007 U.S. Senior Open.
“It’s an amazing golf course on television, really shows itself well, and it’s an amazing golf course in person,” O’Reilly said. “I think for the Ryder Cup, for the spectators, it’s going to be really, really good. We’ve made a few small changes here and there to help with the spectator flow, to make sure the spectator experience is as good as it can be. There’s a lot of bluffs, a lot of hills, a lot of spaces people can go to watch multiple holes of golf. … We’re set up in a good position to make it the best experience possible.”
The Wisconsin resort, host to this year’s Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, plans to open a fun new par-3 course in June.
Count Destination Kohler in Wisconsin as the latest top resort with plans to add what promises to be a fun par-3 course.
The resort – host of this year’s Ryder Cup in September at Whistling Straits – plans to build The Baths of Blackwolf Run, a 10-hole course near the resort’s Meadow Valleys layout. The Baths also will include a 2-acre putting course, food and beverage service, and special event capability. The Baths course is scheduled to open in June in Kohler.
The par-3 layout is being constructed on 27 acres between the first and 11th holes of Meadow Valleys and will feature holes between 60 and 160 yards long across the glacier-carved terrain of Blackwolf Run.
A rendering of the par-3 course at The Baths of Blackwolf Run at Destination Kohler in Wisconsin, host resort of the 2021 Ryder Cup (Courtesy of Destination Kohler)
The new course is named The Baths because of four water features, but players won’t face a forced carry unless they want to. The course can also be played as a three-hole, six-hole or 12-hole experience, the resort said.
Chris Lutzke, a Pete Dye protégé, is designing The Baths course. Lutzke has spent two years preparing the resort’s Whistling Straits course, built by Dye and opened in 1988, to host the Ryder Cup.
A map of the par-3 course at The Baths of Blackwolf Run at Destination Kohler in Wisconsin, host resort of the 2021 Ryder Cup (Courtesy of Destination Kohler)
“As a global leader in golf and prominent member of the Wisconsin golf community, it is our responsibility to support the growth of the game,” Dirk Willis, vice president of golf for Kohler Co., said in a media release announcing the new amenities. “The Baths of Blackwolf Run is focused on fun. The par-3 course, putting course and stone food and beverage terrace with firepit overlooking the north Bath are designed for playing, learning, hanging out and refreshing in The Baths after a game.”
Herb Kohler, executive chairman of Kohler Co. and founder of the resort, served as co-designer of The Baths, the resort said.
A rendering of the par-3 course at The Baths of Blackwolf Run at Destination Kohler in Wisconsin, host resort of the 2021 Ryder Cup (Courtesy of Destination Kohler)
“The par-3 and putting courses will provide a dynamic experience for our international guests and local community,” Kohler said in the media release. “It is important for these courses to aid in our continuing efforts to grow the game by creating opportunities for players of all skill levels. The Baths will do it with the Kohler touch to create a unique experience.”
Destination Kohler is home to four highly ranked 18-hole layouts. There are two courses at Blackwolf Run, the River and Meadow Valleys, not far from the resort’s campus and main hotel, the American Club. The Whistling Straits and Irish courses are several miles away on the shores of Lake Michigan. Each of the four courses is ranked in the top 10 on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list for public-access layouts in Wisconsin.
