Whistling Straits - Irish course: A pictorial!!! (18th hole posted)

[Kyle Henderson]

#8:  555 yards. Par 5.

A gently cutting drive down the right side is optimal.


Poor drives will force some difficult decisions. Laying up to either side of the creek requires precise matching of line and length due to the various diagonal hazards in play.


A central bunker greatly inhibits the success rate for long approach shots, though there is some room beyond it to allow for a running shot.


Failed attempts to reach the green will force the dreaded long bunker shot.


The left green-side traps are a commonly-visited, unpopular destination.


Looking back over the heavily undulating, diagonally-oriented green.

[Kyle Henderson]

#9: 484 yards (409 from the Blue tees). Par 4.

Twice traversing a stream, the 9th requires careful plodding.

   
Bombers that can fly their drives 260+ yards or more should carry the creek down the fairway’s left side for the optimal approach angle. Short hitters must lay-up from the tee or try to carry (~220 yards from the tips) the creek farther to the right. A draw down the right may ride the fairway slope back towards the center.


The green is quite deep, so there is little reason to flirt with its front edge… ever.


A retrospective view of the expansive 9th green.

[Adam Clayman]

Kyle, Thanks so much for showing me a course I've never seen.

[Matt Kardash]

Ive never played the Irish but based on pics and the aerial of the course I always thought the 9th was probably one of the better holes.

[Sean_A]

Kyle or anybody

Looking at the pix I get a sinking feeling that much of this course reminds me of Kiawah.  Can anybody comment on this? 

Ciao

[Matt Kardash]

Kyle or anybody

Looking at the pix I get a sinking feeling that much of this course reminds me of Kiawah.  Can anybody comment on this? 

Ciao

Really? I don't get that vibe at all. I find this course reminds of his course at Barefoot resort in Myrtle Beach.

[Kyle Henderson]

De nada, Sir Clayman.

Sir Kardash, the 9th is good but I prefer holes like the 5th and 8th. On those, the position of the drive and winds conditions will greatly alter the remaining shots to the green. On #9, I suspect the adventure is more consistent from round to round.

Sir Arble, I've never played a PETE Dye course outside of Wisconsin. It's certainly unlike any of the Roy, Perry and PB Dye tracks I've experienced.

[Kyle Henderson]

#10: 398 yards.


Though it does play a bit longer due to its steadily climbing nature, this hole is short enough to negate most of the advantage reaped from successfully challenging the left side of the fairway with one's drive.


Tee shots must leak a long way to the right to find a bad lie.


Approach shots should favor the green’s right half to avoid the port-side trouble.

[Kyle Henderson]

#11: 208 yards.

The 11th tee offers a stimulating view, with Lake Michigan off to the right, a manmade dune rising dozens of feet into the air on the left, and a larger waste bunker interrupted by turf bagels leading one's eyes to the green.


The green is 50 paces deep and generously wide as well. Surrounding the putting surface, horrendous lies abound.


Recovery from a slight push into the sand should be easily accomplished, while a pull onto the high dune can induce hair loss (even for me).

[Kyle Henderson]

12th hole: 413 yards.
Clinging to a manufactured hillside, the 12th requires more deft execution than strategic planning.


Perhaps more than any other on the course, this fairway is not one to be missed to either side.


The hay may not be thick, but it is very uneven and unpredictable.


Short and right is the safe miss when approaching the green while left is death.

[Kyle Henderson]

#13: 183 yards.

While it may not be the best hole on the course, the 13th will certainly be the most memorable for many. Manmade landforms are rarely this bold in scope.

From the upper tees, the mammoth green (on the order of 14,000 sq feet) is totally blind.


After a short stroll forward, the green’s enormity and undulating nature are visualized.


By contrast, with a left pin, the lower tees transform the hole into a pitch and putt over the edge of a stream bed.


This day’s pin can be reached with a club or two less than the stated yardage (the green’s center is farther off behind the right hillside).


A birdie for me, with the hole set up in its most generous guise.

[Matt Kardash]

Takes guts to build a man-made blind par 3!

[Kyle Henderson]

Takes guts to build a man-made blind par 3!

The dude has big stones and ample prestige.

[Kyle Henderson]

#14: 564 yards
Mature trees populate the stream bed along the left while man-planted specimens occupy the artificial ridge line bordering the right.

A drawing drive will yield a green-reaching position from the best approach angle.


This creek crossing necessitates careful deliberation for lay-ups.


From behind, Dye’s draw-fade motif is plain for all to see.

[Kyle Henderson]

#15: 479 yards.

The drive favors a fade and aggression will be rewarded with much shorter approach shots when playing this stout par “4.”


Missing the fairway to either side will cause some difficulties, but most will be able to find and advance their ball after miscues.


Front/left flag positions are most easily accessed.


Recovery from around the well-guarded greens can be very challenging.

[Kyle Henderson]

#16: 474 yards. Par 4.
Shaped in a “z” configuration, the 16th asks for a fade first.


Players should favor the right side of the fairway to achieve an ideal approach vector.


There’s plenty of room for a long approach from here. From farther left, the greenside pot bunker will be more influential.

[Matt Kardash]

The more I see this tour the more I have no idea why anyone would choose to play the Irish over the Straits. Probably the only reason I'd want to play the Irish is for the blind par 3 13th. To me the Irish kind of reminds me of the Dye course at Barefoot, which costs half as much to play...and actually might be more interesting. Keep in mind I have not played the Irish.

[Kyle Henderson]

The more I see this tour the more I have no idea why anyone would choose to play the Irish over the Straits. Probably the only reason I'd want to play the Irish is for the blind par 3 13th. To me the Irish kind of reminds me of the Dye course at Barefoot, which costs half as much to play...and actually might be more interesting. Keep in mind I have not played the Irish.

The Straits is the star, but it also asks for a double-sized green fee, a mandatory caddie (w/ fee), and a 5 hour commitment. This might be enough to sway some inland.

 

[Kyle Henderson]

#17: 375 yards
The 17th is surrounded by synthetic hazards, with a pond left and dunes right.


Stay right, as there is little incentive for challenging the water on such a short hole.


In fact, a deep drive to right-center will set up an approach down the green’s axis with no water to carry.

[Kyle Henderson]

#18: 558 yards
Drives should be placed on line with the pictured mower to set up a shorter path to the green while avoiding the lake on this dogleg right par 5.

With their second shot, most players will be best served staying short of the creek crossing.



The green site is rather intimidating, falling away on all sides to shrug off careless  approach efforts.


Mercifully, the green is ample in size and mildly contoured. Make a par, win the match, and head in for a sausage plate.

[Adam Clayman]

Just from the photo tour, you can sense how Pete built the tension. The back nine seems to go places the front doesn't. All the par 3's look special. Way more interesting than those on the Straits that pulls at the heart strings of those easily influenced by water views..

So I will take the opposite of Matt's view.  But I've played neither.

[Kyle Henderson]

Just from the photo tour, you can sense how Pete built the tension. The back nine seems to go places the front doesn't. All the par 3's look special. Way more interesting than those on the Straits that pulls at the heart strings of those easily influenced by water views..

So I will take the opposite of Matt's view.  But I've played neither.

That's a fair assessment. The Irish has more obvious highs and lows. Conversely, the Straits has more challenging and visually spectacular holes, but as a set they seem more homogenized.

[Matt Kardash]

Just from the photo tour, you can sense how Pete built the tension. The back nine seems to go places the front doesn't. All the par 3's look special. Way more interesting than those on the Straits that pulls at the heart strings of those easily influenced by water views..

So I will take the opposite of Matt's view.  But I've played neither.

Honestly, the par 3's seem to be generally the best thing about the Irish. Then again, the par 3's on the Straits are pretty awesome themselves, though I admit a little similar.
Adam, so are you saying that based on pics you would think the Irish course is the better of the two courses?

[Ronald Montesano]

The Irish, in my estimation, is a terrific 16-hole course. 17 and 18 are totally out of character with the other holes and 18 is nearly unplayable. It makes the 18th at Straits look traditional by comparison.

[Matt Kardash]

The Irish, in my estimation, is a terrific 16-hole course. 17 and 18 are totally out of character with the other holes and 18 is nearly unplayable. It makes the 18th at Straits look traditional by comparison.

Maybe 15 hole course, as I am sure you will agree the 2nd is just as out of character as the 17th.