From the pix, I am not getting a sense of a course which really makes a statement. It almost seems as though it was built to please as many folks as possible rather then perhaps taking what the land had to offer, but then that is a double edge sword which can be debated until the end of time.
Ciao
It would be nearly impossible to take "what the land had to offer" since the original land was a flat Air Base. From my understanding of the history, substantially all landforms you see were created by Dye. When you drive from the Kohler Resort to the Whistling Straits complex, it really hits you over the head. You drive across 7-8 miles of dead flat farmland, and when you cross the gate onto the property, you are suddenly in the middle of massive dunes and dramatic elevation.
Personally, I was just in awe of the transition, and really didn't care that it was artificial. They went all in with the landscape, so much so that you could get lost in it and suspend belief for a few hours.
Matt -
I guess the Irish was just a continuation of the faux dunescape at the Straits. However, with a few streams and non-Great Lake hazards thrown in, the Irish has more of a disjointed feeling than the Straits. The weakest hole (to many) at Straits is the 5th, when it turns away from Lake Michigan and you play a very odd Z-shaped par 5 around an artificial lake. The Irish just has more of those "odd" feeling holes and doesn't enjoy the continuity provided by Lake Michigan.
In a way, the Irish landscaping provided an extra "buffer" zone to preserve the illusion of the Straits landscape. While you would often catch glimpses of the farms and flatlands from the Irish, the only real point on the Straits where that happens is from the monster tees on #15.
Overall, I enjoyed the Irish, even with its weaknesses. There is enough variety and fun challenges to make it worth your time. As indicated by Kyle's favorite holes, the middle of the course is really the strength, and you do get pretty excited during that stretch. Personally, I would add that #1 is also a great opener, but that just reinforces how out-of-place #2 feels and #17 just smacks you in the face after what you have been through.
Unfortunately, when you get through 16 (ball buster), 17 (out of character) and 18 (awkward 5 with bad 2nd shot options), it can take some of the luster off from the great stretch before that.