Whistling Straits: Where Ryder Cups Are Won and Lost
Whistling Straits Golf Course in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, is Pete Dye's most ambitious American project — a course built on the banks of Lake Michigan that replicates the visual language of Irish and Scottish links golf on Wisconsin farmland. It has hosted four major championships and the 2021 Ryder Cup. It is also the site of the most discussed rules incident in PGA Championship history: Dustin Johnson's grounding of his club in a bunker on the 72nd hole of the 2010 PGA, which cost him a penalty stroke and, ultimately, the championship.
The Course
Dye designed Whistling Straits in 1998 by moving approximately 13 million cubic yards of earth — importing thousands of tons of black soil, planting fescue grasses, and manufacturing the bunkers, ridgelines, and pot hazards that give the course its links character. The 960 bunkers placed across the property are the most on any course in America. The Lake Michigan shoreline is visible from much of the routing, producing the visual drama that links courses in Britain and Ireland derive from the actual ocean.
The Major Championship History
The 2004 PGA Championship (Vijay Singh wins in playoff over Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco), the 2010 PGA Championship (Martin Kaymer wins; Dustin Johnson loses the playoff he would have been in), the 2015 PGA Championship (Jason Day, his first major), and the 2021 Ryder Cup have all been held at Whistling Straits.
The 2021 Ryder Cup — the United States' dominant 19-9 victory, the widest margin in Ryder Cup history — was the most recent major event. The American team, captained by Steve Stricker, performed at a level that the format rarely allows. Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Cantlay, and Xander Schauffele all went undefeated or near-undefeated in their matches.
The Dustin Johnson Incident (2010)
Dustin Johnson hit his tee shot on the 72nd hole into what he believed was spectator overflow. He grounded his club to play his shot. The area was designated as a bunker — one of the course's 960 — and grounding in a bunker carries a two-stroke penalty. Johnson was informed of the ruling after completing his round and had to settle for a playoff spot he no longer occupied. Martin Kaymer won the subsequent three-man playoff. The rules incident produced a significant discussion about course marking and player communication that led to rule clarifications.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Whistling Straits open to the public?
Whistling Straits is a resort course accessible through Destination Kohler, the resort property that includes The American Club hotel in Kohler, Wisconsin. Tee times are available to resort guests and, on a more limited basis, to day visitors. Green fees are among the highest in the Midwest.
Where is Whistling Straits?
Whistling Straits is located in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, approximately 60 miles north of Milwaukee and 90 miles north of Chicago. It sits on the Lake Michigan shoreline near the town of Haven.