whistling straits golf course - straits and irish

The course was top notch. You obviously get what you pay for and being a golf fanatic I definitely think its worth the price. The course was in great shape, fairways and greens were immaculate. I am a low handicapper and found this course to be extremely difficult. If you miss the fairways say hello to a double bogey. The fairways are extremely tight and with the wind can be difficult to hit. We were treated well and our caddie was great.On our trip we played Both Straights courses, Erin Hills, and Black Wolf Run. Would have played more but the weather was cold and rainy in August. I honestly preferred Erin Hills over the Straights course.The negative about the course which I did not read in other reviews is the amount of nats. The swarms were so large you could hear them and they were on every hole. They were immune to any bug spray.

We were staying at the American Club and took the shuttle over which on this foggy night was a good decision. We had a half hour prior to our reservation and had a beverage upstairs.Bradley was our bartender nice young man and does well with an old fashion. As you would expect the meal was tasteful, fresh, and wonderful presentation. I would highly recommend the Rack of Lamb a signature dish you will not find to prepared any better.The atmosphere and dress is relaxed resort casual, Well worth the trip and the experience

We visited in November, on a very windy day so there wan't much golf going on. We had a lovely breakfast- pretty good food, but excellent service. It was pretty quiet so we got a tour of the building, and it was a wonderful experience, very pretty!

I went to Whistling Straits Golf Course in Sept '14. It was an incredible experience and I highly recommend it to other golf addicts.The resort is approximately 1.5 hours from Milwaukee. We rented a van because there were 6 golfers. We drove up and stopped at our hotel, he Inn at Woodlake. We dumped our bags and took the shuttle to Blackwolf Run. It is located close to the hotel. We played the River course. It was a very nice course with some gnarly rough areas. The next day we played the Irish course in the morning. You can take a cart, but it is cart path only. Based on how much walking you do even with a cart, I would say that a cart isnt really worth it except that you dont have to push or carry your bags. The Irish Course was in incredible shape and easily rivals its sister Straits Course save for the lake views. In the afternoon, we played the Straits Course. It was in superb shape.The views along the lake are incredible. It is walking only. We had two caddies for our threesome. They were really good and added to the experience. The clubhouse was incredible and we ate in the upstairs pub. I highly recommend this and I feel that it is a must do golf destination.

Whistling Straits!!! Place it on your golf bucket list. Real hard course but what a walk..1st class caddies, accommodations fantastic, and transportation to all the courses. Loved the Irish course. Seeing those fly fisherman fishing for spawning salmon pretty cool. Eight guys nothing but fun.

First off, Whistling Straits is not the name of a golf course, but the area where two of The American Club Resort's four courses are located. The other two are at Blackwolf Run which is also not the name of a golf course. I learned this the hard way when I posted a review of the Meadow Valleys course at Blackwolf Run and then when I tried to review the River course at Blackwolf Run, Trip Advisor told me I had already reviewed it. I felt terrible because I rated Meadow Valleys as Very Good, but when combined with the River course the rating should have been Excellent.I will not make that mistake with the two courses at Whistling Straits and so both are described in this review.The Straits course is probably among the most ambitious golf projects ever undertaken. Herb Kohler essentially gave Pete Dye an open check book and told him to build the best golf course possible. Considering that the site was a flat industrial wasteland when Dye started it is almost unbelievable to stand on the first tee and see what he created. In places there are dunes up to sixty feet high that seem to be natural, but of course, are man made.Everything about Whistling Straits exudes world class golf. The cut stone clubhouse looks like it belongs in Scotland and not Wisconsin. There are no cart paths, but rather narrow walkways that lead to the fairways - they look more like sheep trails than human pathways and in the case of the Irish course that is exactly what some of them are. Caddies are mandatory, although one caddy will carry two sets of clubs as long as they are transferred to light weight bags first. Our caddy for both courses was Scott Scheurell #92 and he was not only invaluable in directing where to aim off the tee and reading the greens, but a veritable fountain of information and stories about the courses. He was more than worth his caddy fee and tip.While other reviewers have complained that the Straits is not a true links course, that made not a wit of difference to me as it is a truly unique course that does not need to be compared to any other type of course.Played from the proper tees and relying on the caddy's advice both the Straits and Irish courses are manageable - difficult for sure, but also fun to play and almost every hole on both courses is visually stunning. As expected the courses are in terrific shape and the greens fast and tricky.Many people have seen the great holes on the Straits course from watching the two PGAs that were played here and it is even more fun to actually play them. It will also make watching the 2015 PGA all the more interesting as it returns for a third time.Yes, the bunkers are a bit nuts, but 90% are for visual effect only and only a few are truly diabolical. The level of service at all the American Club facilities is unimpeachable, but we received a real surprise when playing the Irish course. Since we were playing fast and had nobody behind use Scott led us up a goat path to the highest point on both courses where there was a fantastic panorama of the Straits course and Lake Michigan. A hole earlier we had asked the cart girl to put in any order for three brats. As we were standing on this high point along came the delivery guy who followed us all the way to the top, handed off the food and marched back down again without even waiting for a tip.The finishing hole at the Straits is amazing and it was fun to stand in the bunker where Dustin Johnson blew the PGA because he allegedly did not know it was a bunker. It seemed plausible on TV, but not when you actually see the bunker which is no different than the other 900 or so on the course.Whatever you do don't come just to play the Straits course as the Irish course is almost it's equal. Again, to repeat what most other reviews say, it is expensive, but it's worth every penny and I plan to come back as soon as I can.

Although it is very expensive, whistling straits is one of the great golf destinations....and it easier to get to than pinehurst or bandon dunes. Both courses (Straits and Irish)are fun to play. They look harder than they (assuming you hit the ball reasonable straight, that is). The "infinity greens" on the straits course - they appear to drop off into the lake - are fun, fun, fun.Both courses are a fair test of golf. Better than the River Course at Blackwolf Run, which are impossible (though the course itself is beautiful)Tip - the Irish Course is cart paths only. Spring for a caddy, and walk. Caddy with numbers under 100 have the most experience.

Had an awesome time playing the Straits course. Best caddie ever. Ask for Matt if you go. It is everything and more. However for this area the price is a bit steep. Glad I went as w guest.

I have played around the world, I have played many a links course, this is a course that looks like a links course but is not a links course. The fairways are look alikes, but not play alikes. The bunkers are the biggest joke in the world. This summer I played links in Scotland and in Nova Scotia, yes in NS (Cabot Links), and no where in the world do they have stupid and unplayable bunkers like Whistling Straits. Having said that, the other courses there that hardly get a mention are wonderful. Even the Irish, a cousin to the Straits, has bunkering that is not too stupid. Anyway, go make your mind up on your own, the course is fine to play, but if you think you are going to have an Irish or Scottish experience, forget it. Try Bandon Dunes or Cabot Links, or better yet, head to Ireland or Scotland.

The Straits and Irish courses are both excellent tracks, and deserve the many accolades they have received. Excellent, challenging designs (especially in the wind), well-run, very good condition. However, I would propose that the greens fee of $370 + caddie fees for the Straits course is more than a bit excessive. You get just about as much at the Irish course (without the lakeside holes or PGA/Ryder Cup distinction) for about half the price. Play it, you'll talk about it. You may also talk about the cost.

Caught the Straits course on a wicked windy day. Even the caddy couldn't believe how windy it was. It's all you can handle on a calm day, so when the wind blows off the lake, hold on to your knickers. Great experience from start to finish. Everything is top shelf. Check your ego at the door and play the right tees for the proper experience.

A totally unique experience. We played both courses, Straits one day with caddies and Irish the second day with carts and fore caddies.The Straits course is absolutely beautiful. Views of Lake Michigan on almost every hole and unbelievable topography. I understand that it was almost totally manufactured, but it really feels like you are on the coast in Ireland. The course was in great shape in mid September. Our caddie told us there were 980 bunkers on the course. Seemed like 2000 to me! I would definitely recommend playing up a set of tees from where you usually play as shots out off the fairway are going to result in some goofy lies. There is a lot of topography and interesting sight lines, but I don't think there is anything unfair about the course. Do listen to your caddie's reads on the putts, there are some huge breaks that you would not expect. We were all a bit worried about walking the course because when you look at it, it looks like the moon. I usually walk my course at home and actually found this course to be easy to walk as there is little green to tee walking. This is rated as the toughest course in the US so I was expecting to lose a lot of balls and shoot a big score. As it turns out, I shot right at my handicap and only lost 3 balls.As for the Irish course, if I had not played the Straits the day before, I would have thought it was the coolest golf course ever. It is similar, but does not have the views of the Lake. It is still spectacular. I know that they prefer higher handicap groups to ride on this course, but I wish we had walked. Carts are limited to paths, so I think you walk as much anyway and since it is not a course you play often, it is hard to determine what club to bring. Walk if you can. Like Straits, the walks from green to tee are not long and there is a shuttle at the 18th to bring you back to the clubhouse. There is more water in play on the Irish course, especially on the back nine.The overall experience is different from the typical resort courses. The clubhouse is very understated; designed to look like an old Irish farmhouse. Inside it is very well-appointed in a rustic sort of way. The shop is well-stocked and lockers are available in a very nice locker room. The is a quaint pub on the second floor and a dining room and patio on the first. The food is good and the service is very friendly if a bit slow.Even the design of the grounds it unique. They have bermed the parking lot so you don't see any cars, and they did the same with the cart staging area for the Irish course so that you don't see any carts from the Straits course. It is amazing what you can achieve with an unlimited budget!If I had one round left to play, I think I would choose to play it on the Straits followed by the double bratwurst and a couple of the local Spotted Cow beers on the patio.Put this place on our bucket list!

First class operation. Great staff and caddies. The course is a monster - ya gotta stay on the fairway. Awesome sights along the lake. The caddies( Jason and Fletch) were great, very helpful and made you feel quite comfortable on this intimidating course

well worth the trip. Thought I was back in Ireland. Caddies are great... enjoy it! Play white tees if tou are higher than a 9

We were here with a business sponsored weekend trip. Our tee times were screwed up because of some error in the number of players. We were supposed to tee off at 10:40 and we were told that they did not have our names on the list. They claimed that there were two slots short on the tee time reservations. This was rectified after we told them that we had planned this ahead of time and were in a group of 20 players all under one business group. They got us on 30 minutes later and it was heaven from there on. The course is gorgeous, challenging and every hole is better than the next . Spectacular views everywhere you look. You better bring your A game or you will get eaten up by this place. No matter, you will still have a great time and enjoy every minute of your high score. Caddies are required and they are a welcomed asset to have on your side playing here. I can't get over the beauty of this place. It seems like golf heaven. When you are done, make sure to complete the day with a pint of Jiggers Ale in the bar. Ask the bartender about this beer and he will clue you in on the very limited concoction. Overall, costly but you can't put a price on golf heaven in Haven, Wisconsin.