Resort course · Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Whistling Straits Weather by Month & Best Time to Play
By OverUnderWeather Research Desk
Monthly rain, wind and temperature to help you pick your dates, the resort's walking, caddie and rain-check rules, and the next four days of tee-time weather. This page covers the Straits Course on the Lake Michigan shore; the Irish course shares the property but is not measured separately.
Whistling Straits (April–October) at a glance
Climate sample · 2021–2025Regional ERA5 estimates, not measurements on the course. A low wet-day average does not mean rain is unlikely on your tee time.
Whistling Straits forecast: next four days
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Best time of year to play Whistling Straits
On the Lake Michigan shore, the real choice is between cold, windy shoulder months and calmer, warmer, busier midsummer. In our 2021–2025 model record, daytime wind averaged 8 mph in July against 11 mph in April and 11 mph in October. August and September had the fewest wet days of the warm months. The resort's policy page doesn't publish opening or closing dates, so check the booking calendar for the current season.
June–August · warmest and least windy
Average highs ran about 71–76°F, and daytime wind was the lightest of the year. July was the wettest month by total (3.4 in, 10 wet days); August had fewer wet days (7.2) with similar warmth.
September · the usual sweet spot
September averaged 7 wet days, the fewest of any month from March to December, with highs near 71°F and wind (9 mph) still close to summer levels. It's the month to look at first if you want warmth without peak-summer rain.
April–May and October · cold air off the lake
Average highs were about 49°F in April, 59°F in May and 60°F in October, with 11.8 and 10.2 wet days in April and October. Combined with stronger wind, it feels much colder than the number suggests on an exposed bluff. Pack a warm layer, winter gloves and a hat; see our cold-weather golf guide.
Walking only, with caddies
The resort's 2026 policy page says the Straits Course is walking only and golf carts are not allowed. Caddies are highly recommended but not required, and the course is a double-bag facility. The caddie fee is $90 per person, with a recommended $70 gratuity per bag. Use a single-strap carry bag under 24 lb, or you may be asked to switch to a provided bag. Walking caddies for twilight times on the Straits must be booked in advance. In wind and cold, that walk is longer than it looks on the map, so dress for four-plus hours outside.
Rain checks and twilight rates
Under the resort's rain-check policy, in bad weather you can cancel up to your tee time. Rain alone may not close the course. If you stop partway, you get a prorated rain check for the holes you didn't finish, and it doesn't expire. Twilight rates are 30% off rack rate starting 4.5 hours before official sunset, and super twilight is 45% off from 2.5 hours before sunset. The page doesn't publish the rack rate itself. Rates and policies can change, so confirm on the official rates and policies page (checked 2026-11-10).
Whistling Straits weather by month
These are five-year averages for 2021–2025 from ERA5 reanalysis, requested at our Whistling Straits course point. ERA5 is a coarse regional model; the nearest grid point is 43.75°N, 87.75°W, a cell that mixes Lake Michigan with the shoreline. Treat these figures as a regional guide, not an on-course weather station or 30-year climate normals. Winter months are shown for completeness, not as a sign the course is open.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Precip. | Wet days | Daytime wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29°F / -1.4°C | 20°F / -6.4°C | 1.4 in | 6.4 | 11 mph |
| February | 31°F / -0.3°C | 18°F / -7.6°C | 1.3 in | 6.8 | 11 mph |
| March | 41°F / 4.9°C | 29°F / -1.5°C | 3.1 in | 10.6 | 11 mph |
| April | 49°F / 9.2°C | 38°F / 3.4°C | 3.3 in | 11.8 | 11 mph |
| May | 59°F / 14.8°C | 47°F / 8.6°C | 2.8 in | 9.0 | 9 mph |
| June | 71°F / 21.6°C | 60°F / 15.4°C | 3.0 in | 9.0 | 9 mph |
| July | 76°F / 24.7°C | 66°F / 19°C | 3.4 in | 10.0 | 8 mph |
| August | 76°F / 24.3°C | 65°F / 18.6°C | 3.3 in | 7.2 | 9 mph |
| September | 71°F / 21.4°C | 60°F / 15.5°C | 2.3 in | 7.0 | 9 mph |
| October | 60°F / 15.8°C | 50°F / 9.9°C | 2.5 in | 10.2 | 11 mph |
| November | 47°F / 8.4°C | 37°F / 2.8°C | 2.1 in | 8.2 | 12 mph |
| December | 37°F / 2.6°C | 27°F / -2.7°C | 1.9 in | 9.2 | 12 mph |
Wet days are the average number of days per month with at least 1 mm of precipitation (rain or melted snow), not your chance of rain on a given day. Wind is the average speed at 10 m during daytime hours, not gusts or wind at ball height.
Lake wind, your tee time and the Tour study
Morning vs afternoon wind at Whistling Straits
From May to September afternoons were slightly windier than mornings, by under 1 mph. From November to March mornings were marginally windier. The gaps are small next to the month-to-month swing: spring and late-autumn days averaged about 3–4 mph more wind than midsummer in either period.
July: afternoon mean 0.8 mph higher
- Morning · 08:00–12:59
- 7.8 mph
- Afternoon · 13:00–17:59
- 8.6 mph
2021–2025 ERA5 regional estimates of mean 10 m wind, not gusts or measurements on the course. All hours use America/Chicago, with historical daylight-saving adjustments. Each period contains 9,130 hourly readings across 1,826 days; monthly means combine all five years. These fixed periods are not full-round exposures, tournament waves or a forecast of your day. The live forecast above uses different fixed periods (07:00–11:59 / 12:00–16:59); compare its hourly details for your actual tee time.
This separate wind snapshot uses UTC inputs converted to local time; its figures need not exactly average to the older daytime climate table. Hourly source data · Frozen 2026-11-02.
The Straits runs along an open bluff above Lake Michigan. The weather model can't measure how exposed each hole is or the wind at ball height, so we don't label holes as into or down the wind. For a specific round, use the hourly wind, gusts and temperature in the live forecast above, and our golf wind calculator to see roughly how a headwind or crosswind changes a shot's carry.
Whistling Straits hosted PGA Championships and the 2021 Ryder Cup but has no regular PGA Tour event, so we don't have scoring history for it. For a sense of scale, our Tour wind and tee-time wave study found about 0.93 extra strokes per player for each 10 km/h of extra wind between waves at regular Tour events. That's for Tour pros at other courses, not Whistling Straits or amateur rounds.
Sources and method
- Course point: OpenStreetMap way 205111637 centre (Whistling Straits golf property) (43.8498725, -87.7346441). The outline covers both Whistling Straits courses.
- Reproduce the monthly weather inputs (Open-Meteo ERA5 archive, 2021–2025, Central time).
- Official Destination Kohler golf rates and policies and Straits Course page (checked 2026-11-10).
More public course weather guides
OverUnderWeather Research Desk
Independent data analysis on public sports and weather records. Studies match historical game outcomes to archived game-window weather, apply pre-set sample and significance rules, and publish null results when that is what the data show. Editorial policy and corrections log.
Frequently asked
What is the best month to play Whistling Straits?
For most visitors, September. In the 2021–2025 ERA5 model sample, September had the fewest wet days from April to October (7), with highs near 71°F and wind close to summer levels. June to August were the warmest and least windy; April, May and October were much colder and windier.
Can you ride a cart at Whistling Straits?
Not on the Straits Course. The resort's 2026 policy page says it is walking only and golf carts are not allowed. Caddies are highly recommended but not required; the caddie fee is $90 per person plus a recommended $70 gratuity per bag. Carts are allowed on the Irish course.
What happens if it rains on my Whistling Straits tee time?
Per the resort's rain-check policy, in bad weather you can cancel up to your tee time, and rain alone may not close the course. If you stop partway, you receive a prorated rain check for the unplayed holes, and it does not expire. Check the current policy before you travel.
How high is Whistling Straits?
About 190 m (623 ft) above sea level at our course point: Open-Meteo/Copernicus gives 188 m and USGS gives 192 m. Lake Michigan itself sits around 176 m, so the course is only a few dozen feet above the water. Altitude barely changes ball flight here.