Whistling Straits (Straits)
Pete Dye's Lake Michigan links and a 2021 Ryder Cup stage. 1998, par 72, walking only.
The questions golfers search
Short, sourced, dated blocks. Every number comes from posted rounds, so as this course fills in, these answers exist nowhere else.
Is Whistling Straits (Straits) hard?
Yes. Off a slope of 152 and a rating of 77.2 from the tips, it is one of the sterner tests a public golfer can book. It is walkable, but it is a full day.
Can anyone play Whistling Straits (Straits)?
Whistling Straits (Straits) is a resort course, open to the public with a tee time and, at most, a resort stay. The resort does not publish rack rates; peak-season Straits green fees are reported around $645 per person for 2025-26, plus a $90 caddie fee, and advance tee times generally require Destination Kohler lodging.
The SimplyStroke Scoreboard
Score distribution · all posted rounds
Hardest holes · strokes over par as played
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Enter what you shot at Whistling Straits (Straits) and see where you land against everyone who has posted here.
Best rounds at Whistling Straits (Straits)
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| # | Golfer | Tees | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben Walsh | 85 | +13 | |
| 2 | Carl Nguyen | 87 | +15 | |
| 3 | Dave Ellis | 87 | +15 | |
| 4 | Greg Tanaka | 90 | +18 | |
| 5 | Sean Murphy | 92 | +20 | |
| 6 | Brett Cole | 95 | +23 | |
| 7 | Nate Brooks | 96 | +24 |
Playing Whistling Straits (Straits)
Whistling Straits stretches along two miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, and Pete Dye built it in 1998 to look like a windswept Irish links dropped onto Wisconsin. He reshaped flat farmland into towering dunes and rugged, sandy chaos, then let sheep wander the grounds for effect. From the Black tees the Straits Course runs 7,790 yards, par 72, rating 77.2 with a slope of 152, one of the longest championship courses in the country.
The Straits has held three PGA Championships, in 2004, 2010, and 2015, and the 2021 Ryder Cup, where the United States routed Europe 19 to 9. It also hosted the 2007 U.S. Senior Open. The 2010 PGA turned on a bunker, when Dustin Johnson grounded his club in one of the countless sandy areas and took a penalty that cost him a playoff spot, a reminder that the whole property plays as a hazard.
Like Dye's other links, the Straits is walking only, with caddies looping every round and no carts allowed. That makes 7,790 yards along an exposed shoreline a full day's work, so the wind off the lake is a constant opponent. The resort does not post rack rates, but peak Straits rounds have been reported around $645 plus a $90 caddie fee, and tee times generally require a stay at Destination Kohler.
Tees, ratings & hole-by-hole
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
| Black | 493 | 597 | 188 | 494 | 603 | 409 | 221 | 506 | 442 | 3953 | 391 | 645 | 163 | 402 | 396 | 503 | 568 | 249 | 520 | 3837 | 7790 |
| Blue | 405 | 533 | 180 | 451 | 563 | 378 | 205 | 470 | 412 | 3597 | 376 | 563 | 138 | 389 | 360 | 464 | 545 | 223 | 487 | 3545 | 7142 |
| Green | 370 | 521 | 166 | 414 | 543 | 360 | 185 | 429 | 384 | 3372 | 334 | 544 | 118 | 364 | 346 | 429 | 535 | 197 | 424 | 3291 | 6663 |
| White | 361 | 508 | 154 | 404 | 527 | 352 | 172 | 405 | 371 | 3254 | 320 | 519 | 99 | 336 | 332 | 402 | 513 | 165 | 420 | 3106 | 6360 |
| Red | 325 | 447 | 111 | 354 | 459 | 282 | 132 | 355 | 347 | 2812 | 304 | 479 | 89 | 319 | 271 | 367 | 412 | 131 | 380 | 2752 | 5564 |
| Handicap | 15 | 7 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 2 |
Scorecard and tee ratings from the course’s published card and the USGA course rating database. How we compute these stats →
Contact, rates & amenities
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Course info
Course details change: fees go up, phone numbers move, hours shift with the season. If anything on this page looks wrong, tell us and we will check it.
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Whistling Straits (Straits) FAQ
What does the average golfer shoot at Whistling Straits (Straits)?
Across 7 rounds posted by SimplyStroke golfers, the average 18-hole score is 90.3, about +18.3 to par. The lowest posted round is a 85.
Is Whistling Straits walkable?
The Straits Course is walking only, and carts are not allowed for regular play. Every group takes a caddie, which is part of the links experience Pete Dye intended. At 7,790 yards from the Black tees along the open Lake Michigan shoreline, it is a long and often windy walk, so pace yourself. A $90 caddie fee applies on top of the green fee.
How much does it cost to play Whistling Straits?
Destination Kohler does not publish rack rates for the Straits Course. Peak-season rounds have been reported around $645 per person for 2025 and 2026, plus a $90 caddie fee. Advance tee times generally require a stay at the Destination Kohler resort, so most visitors book golf as part of a lodging package. Prices vary by season and availability.
What championships has Whistling Straits hosted?
The Straits Course has held three PGA Championships, won by Vijay Singh in 2004, Martin Kaymer in 2010, and Jason Day in 2015. It also staged the 2007 U.S. Senior Open and the 2021 Ryder Cup, where the United States beat Europe 19 to 9, one of the most lopsided results in the event's modern history. It is one of Pete Dye's most decorated venues.
Who designed Whistling Straits?
Pete Dye designed the Straits Course, which opened in 1998 for Herb Kohler's Destination Kohler resort. Dye transformed flat lakeside farmland into a rolling, dune-covered links in the Irish mold, complete with deep, sandy hazards scattered across the property. The Straits shares its site with the Irish Course, a second Dye layout, and stages Kohler's biggest championships, walking only by design from the day it opened.