The Straits course along the shores of Lake Michigan needs no introduction. Annually, the Pete Dye masterpiece tops every major golf magazine annual list of best public courses. For years, I have surfed through these guides to check off the courses I have played and note the Wisconsin courses on the honor roll. I have been fortunate enough to play the Straits course a half dozen times since opening in 1998. Until recently, I have never played the Straits sister course, The Irish. Largely, because I felt if I was going to travel to the golf Mecca of the Midwest, I wanted to play the top course. A few weeks ago, the 2011 Golf Digest ratings were published, ranking The Irish course the 35th best public course. Staring at the list, I realized I needed to play the course.
I admit, driving to Kohler I wondered the following questions. If the course was 30 miles inland would it be on the list? Is it getting too much credit for being the sister course of Whistling Straits? Is it the same course as the Straits without the majestic lake views? Would I be disappointed that I didn't play the Straits course?
Walking off the 18th green, I was both in awe and disappointment. For 4 and half hours I was in golf heaven. Every hole was a picturesque post card. In a nutshell, The Irish course is a classic Dye course with risk/reward holes featuring dramatic mounding, meandering streams and acres of sand bunkers. Why was I disappointed? The disappointment was internal, that I let a decade pass before I played the course.
The Skinny 5 Tees: 7201, 6750, 6366, 5992, 5109 yards. Rate/Slope: 75.6/146 Rate: $180
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