Whistling Straits - The Irish

Pete Dye opened The Irish at Whistling Straits in 2000, an inland grass-and-dune layout at the Kohler resort, paired with the Straits Course (its more famous sibling along Lake Michigan). The Irish plays 7,201 yards at par 72 with a course rating of 75.6 and slope of 146. Sheep roam the course in the summer, a Pete Dye signature touch. Golf Digest ranks the Irish #65 on America's 100 Greatest Public Courses (2025) and #11 in Wisconsin (2025). Golfweek ranks it #87 Best Public Course in America (2025) and #9 Best Public Course in Wisconsin. Golf Magazine places it #17 in Wisconsin (2024). Golfweek's Best Resort Courses has it at #77 (2026). Historically, the Irish was ranked #45 on Golf Digest's 2017-18 America's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses, a peak that it's held close to for two decades.