It's just not links
It looks like Ballybunion but it plays like the K Club. It's just a shame Whistling Straits is not a links
Herb Kohler, owner of Whistling Straits and multi-millionaire King of Bathroom Accessories had a dream. He woke up, gave a wheelbarrow full of dollars to course designer Pete Dye with a brief to bring an Irish links to the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin. At first glance, it is mission accomplished.
But if you look closer, something doesn't sit quite right. It looks like Ballybunion but it plays like the K Club. It's just a shame it's not a links. Shots are played in the air to plop on soft greens rather than bumped along the ground.
"Esthetically, and visually, it does look like a links course, but it just doesn't play like one," Rory McIlroy said. "Even with all the rain, you wouldn't find a links course in Ireland playing soft like this."
Outside the ropes, there are gravel paths, huge dunes for spectators to dot and wispy grass to slip down and twist your ankle or worse - like spill your ice cream down your shirt (it's was $5, too - the ice cream, not the shirt). Whistling Straits looks like a long lost cousin of Royal St George's, Royal Birkdale, Ballybunion and Kingsbarns.
"I love it," Paul Casey said. "I'd come and play it with my mates. It's Kingbarns on steroids." And the drugs do work. It is one of the most spectacular courses I have ever seen. I reckon I could break 100, too. If I only play the front nine.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
-
What Is Nelly Korda's Net Worth?
How much is the 10-time LPGA title winner worth? We take a look at the fortune she has amassed
By Alison Root Published
-
'I Made Four Birdies In Seven Holes And Helped Pay For My First Car' - Justin Thomas Shares Awesome Michael Jordan Story On The Late Show
The pro golfer told host Stephen Colbert a story about the time he teamed up with Jordan for the final part of a round aged just 15
By Jonny Leighfield Published