Shipwreck - Hole #7

Getting To Know: Whistling Straits

An Insightful Interview With Michael O'Reilly, Head Golf Professional

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Michael O'Reilly who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
The Straits Course is built along two miles of the Lake Michigan shoreline. 8 of the 18 holes hug the shore while all holes have views of the lake. The course designer, Pete Dye, utilized the Lake and added almost 1,000 bunkers to design one of the world's best courses. The course is fair and playable for players of all skill levels but will certainly test your shot making ability.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
The Straits Course at Whistling Straits is a "must-play" for the golf enthusiast. The breath taking views, amazing design, history, and overall golf experience are tough to beat. If you make your way to the Kohler area and don't play it you will regret it!

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
I am often asked what tips I have for playing the Straits Course and I almost always respond with this... Your tee shot is the most important shot on this golf course. If you miss the fairway, unless you are 100% sure that you can advance the ball, get the ball back to the fairway and move forward. The dunes and bunkers are very severe and playing a second or third shot from can be very challenging. Take your "medicine" and move on to your next shot. If you don't, a bogey can turn into a double or triple very quickly.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
Best Public Golf Courses in Wisconsin Golf Magazine 7/12 Whistling Straits - Sraits Course #1

Top 100 Courses You Can Play Golf Magazine 7/12
Whistling Straits - Straits Course #4

Best Summer Golf Destinations Golf.com 6/12
The American Club Resort #1 in the Midwest

Best Courses You Can Play Golfweek 5/12
Whistling Straits - Straits Course #4

Top 10 Northern U.S. Golf Resorts Conde Nast Traveler 4/12 The American Club Resort #3 - Reader Score: 87.8

Platinum Award Golf Magazine 3/12
The American Club Golf Category Score: 95.60

Top 10 Toughest Courses in the U.S. Golf.com 2/12
Whistling Straits - Straits Rating: 77.2 Slope: 152

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
I would have to say the 17th hole is probably the most photographed hole. All 4 par 3's are adjacent to the Lake but the 17th is especially dramatic as there is a large drop off to Lake Michigan on the left side. Several bunkers will catch most balls that go left but some will make their way all the way into the water. The right side of the green is also protected by a large pot bunker which visually intimidates many players. The hole is stunning, challenging and amazing!

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
My favorite hole on the Straits Course is the 6th hole. I like it for many reasons but the main reason is that it's a short par 4 that requires the player to make a decision off the tee. You can hit driver and will be rewarded if you are successful but if you are off little bit, trouble lurks. You can also play it safe with a three wood or hybrid off the tee to but you will have a slightly longer shot into the green. A large put bunker separates the right and left portions of the green. The right pin can be a challenge!!!

I recommend playing this hole with a three wood or hybrid off the tee. For the second shot, i advise you to take enough club to get to at least the middle of the green. If you are long it's a tough up-and-down but short is even worse. Play it smart and hit enough club to avoid the bunkers short.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
A Guinness. What else should you have when you are playing a course designed after the links courses of Scotland and Ireland?

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
The course record was set during the 2nd round of the 2010 PGA Championship. Wenchong Liang shot a 64. Now that's playing golf!

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage:
Slope: 152
Rating: 77.2

More Information
Whistling Straits
N8501 County Road LS
Sheboygan, WI, 53083
920.565.6050
www.theamericanclubresort.com

More Information »

Revised: 02/11/2013 - Article Viewed 37,164 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.