Walking: Sun-Sat – 18 holes: $80

Riding: Sun-Sat – 18 holes: $125

Walking: Sun-Sat – 18 holes: $240

Riding: Sun-Sat – 18 holes: $285

Walking: 18 holes: $300

Riding: 18 holes: $350

When you take your first step onto the Irish course at Whistling Straits, your senses are transported from Wisconsin to another continent. Looking at the first hole as it rises up, dunes framing each side, and bunkers too numerous to count, you quickly get the picture that this won’t be your typical round of golf. From there, you wind through the rugged terrain with plenty of ups and downs to challenge your distance control. The flatter holes tend to snake back and forth, creating more of a target golf feel, while holes that have severe elevation change are much straighter. Either way, be prepared to need to cover a well-placed bunker if you want to attack a pin. There is a total of six tee setups available, but I wouldn’t mind another combo between the Blue and Green. The course uses a standard par-72 layout, with two par-5s and two par-3s on each side.

Playing off the rugged aesthetics of the land, the Irish course may leave shots that miss the fairway in less than friendly situations. Much of the rough isn’t long, but the ground is uneven and unforgiving, leaving you to hit shots from small depressions or uncomfortable stances. This is especially difficult on shots around the green. Don’t mistake these difficult lies for poor condition. The fairways looked more like carpet and, while you still might find yourself on a knob or a slant while playing from them, they are pristine and an ideal place to be. The greens feel more daunting simply by how they are framed and the pin locations. They do offer some undulation, but nothing out of control. Last playing in mid-April, the greens were not blazing quick, but every chip shot I hit tended to run out that extra couple of feet that made the putt that much more difficult. Overall they rolled pretty well, but there is a lot of delicate break that can be tough to deal with. A forecaddie would have been a nice addition to my round, as they would be more familiar with all the subtleties.

The range at Whistling Straits is large, with some good target options, framed by many of the dunes you’re going to see on the course. You are pulled away from the traffic of the clubhouse and bag check, which should allow you to focus on getting loose for your round. The problem is, every time I have played there, I have had to hit off of mats. I know they have to protect their range and I am sure they get an immense amount of play, but this is a little thing I don’t want when I am playing at a destination course. The practice green is between the bag drop and the clubhouse and is good sized, though pretty basic. I would expect a little more replication of the extreme conditions you might find on the course.

One of the best features of a top-notch golf property is an amazing clubhouse, and the one at Whistling Straits does it for me. Whether it’s the trophies. or the fire roaring on cooler days, it just brings a lot to the experience. Make sure you allow yourself some time to enjoy the clubhouse on your visit. Of course, they also offer a wide range of items (common and unique) to remember your experience.

These carts at Whistling Straits are top of the line. They have the deluxe leather seats with the amazing Whistling Straits logo staring at you every time you head back. Just another reminder of where you are. The carts are equipped with touch screen GPS, which is extremely helpful on a difficult track, because there are times when you’ll be out of position and your eyes will offer no help on where to play your next shot. The GPS has other features to help you stay current on the world of golf, which is a nice extra. I was too busy looking at all the beautiful views to play with it much, though.

Every person I interacted with at Whistling Straits was a 10. That’s what I would expect from a property like this, but it doesn’t always happen that way. The bag drop attendant was so polite and so friendly. He made sure I knew everything I needed to know. The pro shop clerk was soft spoken, but polite and knowledgeable. The beverage cart girl was also extremely friendly and courteous of approaching as I played. Other courses could learn a thing or two on how to treat their guests. I would have gotten a forecaddie for my round, but due to the timing of it, none were available.

It looks like the Irish course is going to come in around $350 for 18 this year, which is a lot for a single round of golf. It’s an amazing course – one I am happy to have played – but I don’t know that I am too interested in playing it at peak pricing. The course is missing the prestige that the Straits course has when I am thinking about value on a course that costs $300+ to play. It’s a wonderful course, but there are better values out there. If you can find a good day during non-peak times, however, the course becomes an incredible value and one you should take advantage of.

The Irish course is a difficult track, especially on the eyes. Legendary course designer Pete Dye is known for playing tricks on the golfer, and you have plenty of that here. The landscape is also so severe, it puts just a little extra pressure on you to not miss in certain areas. Figuring out the day’s wind and all the elevation changes makes picking a club difficult. Odds are that you’re going to miss some greens and you’re going to have some chip shots you haven’t played too often. Embrace the uniqueness of the design and challenge your creativity to try and pull them off.

I am a sucker for a dramatic landscape, and right away at the Irish course, you see that this isn’t going to be your typical round of golf in Wisconsin. The course doesn’t beat you up off the tees, so finding the fairway isn’t too difficult, which is a good start. Approach shots and shots around the green are where things can get especially dicey, but you have to expect those types of shots when you play here. Pulling off an awkward shot from a difficult lie is a part of the experience you’ll remember the most. Make sure you take plenty of pictures, too.

Hole 13, Blind Man’s Bluff, was the most visually stunning hole on the course, and that’s saying a lot. It’s a medium-length par-3, but it looked like they were creating some more teeing areas that would make the hole that much more amazing. The contours of the dunes and all the bunkers really drive home the point. It’s a rather large green, so you should be able to find it with your tee shot, so that’s a good thing. However, if you miss, be prepared for a chip shot you likely haven’t hit (before that day, that is.)

Hole #15 is called Frog Water, and it’s the Irish course’s number-one handicap hole as a par-4. That should say a lot. It measures as one of the longer par-4s on the course, and provides challenge every step of the way. A somewhat blind tee shot leaves you searching for the best line, knowing that there is water to the right and dunes to the left. The approach to a heavily guarded green also allows for more water trouble, as everything to the right of the green that doesn’t find a bunker will be repelled into the small creek that runs along the entire hole.

Leaving the Irish course, I don’t think there was a hole that was poorly designed or executed. Giving the title of “worst hole” to #2 is just simply how I felt after I played the hole. Not that it was a bad hole, but that it strongly encouraged you to put yourself in danger off the tee. A large pond down the left side of the dogleg left hole is your first concern, and it should easily draw your high. However, not being overly familiar with the hole, it seemed the tees pushed you to aim farther right than you need to. I hit what I thought was a good, safe shot. Turns out I nearly hit it into water to the right of the 3rd hole.

I took advantage of the early spring rate at a last-second whim, and I am very pleased I did. I hadn’t played the Irish course for over 20 years, and had really forgotten much of it. Combine the fact that the weather produced sun, only a little breeze and temperatures in the low 60s, and that there was hardly another player on the course when I played, and it couldn’t have been more enjoyable. The Irish course gets overlooked because of the notoriety of her sister course, but it shouldn’t. It’s a stunning course, giving you many of the same features you’d find on the Straits, with the added bonus of being able to ride, if you like.