- Whistling Straits, routed above Lake Michigan will win the PGA in 2010
They’re playing the PGA Championship this year at Whistling Straits of the American Club at Kohler, Wisconsin. Vijay Singh won the PGA here in 2004 with a 4 over 280, besting Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco, but not the golf course. There’s actually two golf courses at the American Club on Lake Michigan, both designed by Pete Dye, the “Irish Course” and the “Straits” course, routed over land once used by the U.S. Army as an artillery range. The Irish course plays like an inland links whereas the Straits course is along the shores of Lake Michigan. You can save a bit on airfare by not going to Ireland and playing these two courses. They may seem a bit contrived, much like Kingsbarns or Doonberg, not natural like St Andrew’s Old or Royal County Down, but then they haven’t been around for 200+ years. All in all a great experience and well done challenging set of holes, but very expensive. The Irish plays to 7,201 yards from the back tees with a 146 course rating, and opened in 2000. The Straits Course is 7,288 yards, a 76.1 course rating and a 151 slope, and opened in 1998. The fairways and the greens run fast and hard, and are bordered by tall fescue grasses on rolling linksland type terrain, and is as natural of a setting as you will find. The wind was a big factor when we last played here, much like it is on the links courses of the British Isles. And the bunkers, well there must be 500 of them, and I seemed to be in at least half of them. Yes, many are located where you shouldn’t be and are cosmetic, but the others, way too many for my tastes.
Pete Dye was up to his old tricks when he designed Whistling Straits
When you look out on the course from the first tee, you realize just how immense the course is. It is huge, ginormous, looks rugged and wildly beautiful. I believe for the sheer golfing beauty this is the greatest course I have ever played, but I haven’t played in the UK. The course isn’t firm and fast, so there’s no real ground game, the bump and run. I found there to be a wasted amount of cosmetic bunkers which just don’t come into play with fescue grass up there in the dunes would be much better from any point of view. All those strange bunkers just make the course look artificial than it actually is. Otherwise, enjoyable layout, you can see why they’ve decided to hold major tournaments here. Stunning scenery throughout the course, play in the late afternoon for a real treat, and be sure to take a caddie.
