Whistling Straits  

It features nearly 1000 bunkers, though many are just eye-candy. It was built on a 560-acre, abandoned military airfield that hugs the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin. It is part of the American Club– the only AAA five-diamond resort in the Midwest (Since 1984) and owned by a leading name in plumbing fixtures who also happens to own the Old Course Hotel overlooking the famous Road Hole at St Andrews.

A public course (this year all the majors are played on courses open to the public), a round costs $300 with an additional fee for a caddy. Some believe it gives Pebble Beach a run for the money. It replicates the ancient seaside links course of the UK and Republic of Ireland. It’s signature hole, the 223-yard, Par 3 called “Pinched Nerve” features towering sand dunes, bunkers that fall 20 feet below the green level, and the lake to the left.

It is Whistling Straits -- one of the most interesting courses on the PGA Tour and home of the 92nd PGA Championship, which takes place August 12-15, 2010. The Par 72, 7507-yard course is also the longest of the four Major courses this year.

Whistling Straits, located in Kohler, Wisconsin (two hours north of Chicago, one hour north of Milwaukee and one hour south of Green Bay), hosted the 2004 PGA Championship, which was won by Vijay Singh (he defeated Chris DiMarco and Justin Leonard in a three-hole aggregate score playoff, making a birdie on the 10th hole – his only birdie of the day). The course is already slated to host the 2015 PGA Championship and the 2020 Ryder Cup.

Designed by Pete Dye (and his wife, Alice), Whistling Straits emulates the great old seaside links courses of the British Isles, invoking an image of the game founded more than 400 years ago. The Straits Course is open with rugged and windswept terrain. A more mature course than one would expect, golfers encounter huge sandy areas, deep pot bunkers, grass-topped dunes, big and undulating greens and majestic views of Lake Michigan from each of its 18 holes. There are nearly 1000 bunkers.

The Course

Whistling Straits is an ample challenger to Pebble Beach in many ways. It has stunning visual appeal and “an inspired artistic quality.” Jaime Diaz of Golf Digest noted that it is “wonderfully paced, with an ebb and flow of shifting strategies.” There are all sorts of options for shaping shots and trajectories depending on the direction and force of the wind.

According to Jim Richerson, Group Director of Golf for the Kohler Company, “The length, wind conditions, pin locations and design layout will all play factors in the Championship.” He noted, in an interview that appeared at PGA.com, that "The stretch of holes 15 through 18 is arguably the toughest finishing stretch in Major Championship golf. Those who navigate the finishing holes best will likely come out on top."

Richerson believes the following holes will likely pose the largest challenges for the players at the 92nd PGA Championship:

No. 4 "Glory"

This 489-yard, Par 4, is a long and visually intimidating hole with large mounding down the right side of the fairway, which tends to make the players favor the left side. However, most shots also bounce left towards the bunkers and dunes that drop-off quickly toward Lake Michigan. The green hangs on the edge of Lake Michigan's bluffs and will force players to favor the right center of the green, making par a good score.

No. 17 "Pinched Nerve"

This 223-yard, Par 3, has a green which is guarded on the left by monstrous sand dunes and bunkers that fall 20 feet below the green level as well as the coastline of Lake Michigan. Tee shots straying right will find more sand dunes and bunkers on a steep hillside protecting the right side of the green. This hole will be a pivotal part of the Championship.

No. 18 "Dyeabolical"

The finishing hole is a 500-yard, Par 4 that requires a precise tee shot. If hit too short, the golfer is forced to play it safe -- short of the green. Hit it too far, the Seven Mile Creek comes into play. The double fairway and clover shaped green creates intimidating hole locations making it a true risk-reward option for the players.

“Whatever possessed a human being to design something like that, I will never know,” said PGA Tour player, Mark Calcavecchia.

Pete Dye Gets the Call

That Calcavecchia and others have expressed frustration is no surprise to Pete Dye who felt more urgency that ever before to truly test the limits of what a modern player can do. According to a Golf Digest story (August 2004), Dye believed that advances in the golf ball over the years have marginalized some of his most fearsome courses.

Dye has a reputation for being a master of illusion – hiding targets and bailouts while directing the player’s eyes toward trouble. It has been said that Whistling Straits demands a higher level of tee-to-green skills. It requires players to hit longer and more controlled tee shots and approaches. Penalties are severe for any mistakes.

Herb Kohler, president of the Kohler Company (he made a fortune on plumbing fixtures), approached Dye in the late 1990s to take an old abandoned airbase and convert it into a championship course. With unlimited budget and something like 13,000 truckloads of sand, the mission was accomplished.

“Pete Dye has always made the most of the glorious possibilities that the land affords,” said Kohler in an interview with GolfChannel.com in 2004. “He is nature’s best collaborator and this time he has truly outdone himself.”

Whistling Straits has been described as having the treachery of the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass and the raw, natural hazards of Kiawah’s Ocean Course (both Dye-designed course).

One thing worth noting is that while it is true that Dye has created a challenging course for PGA Tour Pros, he also always builds five tees. The forward ones are very considerate for amateurs. As for the back ones, as Kohler remarked in another Golf Digest interview:

“Pete’s always screwing around with the mind of the professional and he does it in an amazing way.”

It will be interesting to see how the Pros adapt this time around.

New for the 2010 PGA Championships

The 92nd PGA Championship at Whistling Straits has introduced the Straits Skyboxes, an on-course hospitality experience unlike anything seen at previous PGA Championships.

The Skyboxes will be located adjacent to the ninth and 18th holes, with the ability to expand to the 16th and 17th as demand dictates. Companies can purchase individual sections of a skybox, which can accommodate up to 24 people. The Skyboxes are open-air, and include theater-style seating with televisions, and they are fully inclusive of food and beverage.

While the Skyboxes are a nice option for viewing, Michael Lee, Manager of Golf Maintenance, Blackwolf Run & Whistling Straits, and Chris Zugel, Whistling Straits Golf Course Superintendent offered their thoughts on the best place to catch the action during Championship week during an interview with PGA.com:

Lee said his favorite location is the mounds behind the green of Hole 6, "Gremlin's Ear." This site offers a close up of a very dynamic boomerang putting surface and mid-distance views of the lakeside par-3 third hole, "O'Man" and Hole 7, "Shipwreck."

Zugel recommended watching from the bleachers above the green on Hole 15, "Grand Strand" for regular play throughout the week. Not only is it the start of some of the hardest holes on the course, but it also allows you to can see action on Hole 11, "Sand Box," Hole 12, "Pop Up" and the tee on Hole 16, "Endless Bite."

He also said that for the final day, the best spot to be is by the green on Hole 17, "Pinched Nerve." From there you can see Hole 17 and Hole 18, "Dyeabolical," hopefully catching a sight of the winner coming back into the clubhouse to capture the trophy.

In general, the design of the course enables people to catch action on multiple holes from many locations since the holes run side-by-side.

Conclusion

Fortunately for PGA Tour players the heavy winds that earned the course its “Whistling” name won’t come as much into play. August is normally the calmest month in coastal Wisconsin, with winds rarely exceeding 10-15 mph. Clearly, the name on the mind of the players will be Dye’s – his reputation alone will cause fits.

“You’ve got to think so much it gives you a headache,” said one player.

No doubt, Dye is smiling away. He knows that all the equipment upgrades in the world won’t help a golfer on a course he’s designed.

It is time to embrace the challenge and accept that par golf just might be what it takes to win.