It’s nothing like its sibling course, The Straits. There are none of the excessive elite status of the more famous course, but the Irish Course of the Whistling Straits Golf Club has its own merits that even its more ‘fabulous’ sibling could not topple. And that is its being well loved for playability and its undeniable versatility. When the Straits become too overrated to create a leisurely golf vacation, the discreet one is the best choice for a Wisconsin vacationer. And the surprises just keep pouring.

The Irish Course, like the Straits, is a Pete Dye marvel. Whilst the world is dying to try on the Straits for its PGA Championships reputation, this humble golf vacation destination just is not as simple as it presents itself. More critics actually find this a more interesting course – an inland layout of varying difficulty from one hole to another. The sand dunes and waste bunkers, among the must-watch-out-for features of a Dye course – are maintained rather minimally, to create a time-and-weather shaped hazard. And from the looks of it, and the reviews of it as well, everything they have done and have been doing with the course is effective.

When the Straits make use of the lake for its natural hazards, the Irish Course uses the ponds, deep ravines and little streams to give its punch more power. And power it is – it has created a name for itself as one of the favorite sites for golf trips. And with its length of 7,201 yards from the longest tees, par 72, the course is not merely as overwhelming as the Straits. Rising up to its own merits, this course will most easily pass up a rival for its own sibling course – in beauty, challenge, and fame.