Whistling Straits is not an old golf course. Built by Pete Dye in 1997, the Straits Course ranks No. 8 in the United States on Golfweek’s Best rankings of Modern Courses and has hosted three PGA Championships. This September, the course will be the site of the Ryder Cup.
Its relatively young age doesn’t mean things haven’t changed at the Wisconsin resort. Especially when it comes to technology. Perfect example: GPS allows any of the golf staff to know where every player and caddie is on the course and to head off potential slow-play problems before they begin. This helps Whistling Straits stay ahead of its business.
Mike O’Reilly started at the Destination Kohler resort in 1996 as a caddie at Blackwolf Run, and he is now the Golf Operations Manager for all four of the resort’s tracks plus the new Baths par-3 course. On all sides of the business, he has seen how technology has changed the game.
