Liguori: Whistling Straits Owner Kohler Talks Demanding Course, PGA Championship
By Ann Liguori
» More Columns
Herb Kohler's legend has expanded beyond the kitchen and bathroom manufacturing business. The 76-year-old billionaire is a favorite in the golf business and his Whistling Straits links-like course, located in Kohler, Wisconsin, just north of Sheboygan, is hosting its third PGA Championship this week.
I caught up with the charming businessman and here are some highlights from my interview:
Liguori: I know your grandfather founded the company in 1873. You were CEO until recently when your son, David, became CEO. How has the transition been going?
Kohler: "I'm in transition. I think I'm working harder now than I did before! There are a lot of things popping."
Liguori: Talk about your business which you and your team grew, transforming into a multi-billion dollar company.
Kohler: "I took over when it was a $100 million company in 1972 at the age of 33. I became chairman and CEO. I was like a duck on a big sea, with big waves, paddling like hell and finally making everything come together. We improved our product lines, tried to be on the leading edge of design and technology, both product and process, with all of our product lines and services. We developed a furniture group; we developed a hospitality group; we rebuilt the American Club, which used to be a dormitory for immigrants. We had Pete Dye design four courses for us, and from the start our target was to host major golf championships. And we're now on our sixth major and after the PGA Championship this week, we're looking forward to the Ryder Cup in 2020."
Liguori: Kohler made reference to hosting six majors. They were: 1998 U.S. Women's Open at Blackwolf Run; 2004 PGA Championship, Whistling Straits; 2007 U.S. Senior Open, Whistling Straits; 2010 PGA Championship, Whistling Straits; 2012 U.S. Women's Open, Blackwolf Run and this year's PGA Championship, Whistling Straits.
Liguori: So you're not slowing down at all! Are there a lot of similarities running Kohler and then getting into the golf business? If you had to pinpoint the secret of your success running all of these businesses, what would it be?
Kohler: "The most important principle is being on the leading edge of design and technology and product and process and doing it consistently with all of our product lines. And then, secondly, backing it up with a level of quality, regardless of price point. That's an interesting concept if you can do it. You have differences in price based on design detail, differences in function and materials but not because of quality. Quality is a constant and we try to make it very consistent. Now you combine that with the leading edge and that really establishes our reputation. And you apply that no matter what the product, no matter what the country, eventually you produce some pretty solid economics."
Liguori: How did you originally connect with golf architect Pete Dye? Of all the architects, you were set on Pete Dye.
Kohler: "The original architects were hired for three days and we turned around and fired them. Then we went out and looked around for a half of a dozen more, and this time we had some pretty big names and out of this bunch came a very interesting character by the name of Pete Dye. He always wore khakis; he always wore tennis shoes, no matter what the event, no matter what the occasion, even receiving a Doctor's degree, it was his suit of armor. Pete Dye walks his five miles every day. He doesn't own a computer. He doesn't even own a cellphone! But here's a man with a terrific imagination. He creates his courses by simply walking the land and being a project manager once a week and then he repeated it and repeated it and you end up with a gemstone of a course."
Liguori: What can we expect from Whistling Straits this time around for your third PGA Championship?
Kohler: "You can probably expect a playoff at the end of the journey. It tends to produce some pretty exciting times at the end of the tournament because three of the last four holes are the hardest holes on the course. So if you have a little bit of wind on that Sunday, you're probably going to have a playoff as we've had the first two PGA's."
Liguori: Talk about geographically where Whistling Straits is located and what people can expect if they are going there for the first time.
Kohler: "We're about 60 miles north of Milwaukee on the Interstate. It's very easy to get to. It's less than an hour's drive from Milwaukee and we're less than an hour south of Green Bay. All the parking is on the course or adjacent to the course and we have shuttles from the parking lot to the course so it's rather easy access. What you're going to find is a dune scape. There are three layers of dunes looking out over Lake Michigan, two miles wide. Most people from either coast think it's the ocean. But it's all fresh water, but in many respects it behaves like the ocean without tides. Wind changes direction rather frequently and in any given day, it can do a 180, possibly a 360."
Liguori: Strong and changing winds, varying weather conditions.
Kohler: "And those who come should probably wear their golf shoes."
Liguori: What are your thoughts about Rory McIlroy playing? (McIlroy sustained an ankle injury on July 4 while playing soccer with some friends and missed the British Open and last week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational)
Kohler: "I think Rory is going to give it a heck of a try. But you don't know how badly he's been wounded in that ankle. He needs to understand the dunes and the sand and the ups and downs on this course, the firm ground and the loose sand -- all that puts a strain on that ankle. My guess is he'll do his very darndest to play the first two days and if he can make the cut, and if he's reasonably comfortable ... He's a great competitor."
Liguori: Talk a little bit about all the bunkers on the property. There are over 1,000 bunkers on Whistling Straits
Kohler: "Maybe a few more, Ann," he said with a laugh.
Liguori: The last time Whistling Straits hosted the PGA Championship in 2010, Dustin Johnson, with a one-shot lead in the final round, grounded his club in a bunker on the 18th hole, not knowing that it was a bunker. It cost him two penalty strokes and what could have been his first major win. All he needed to win it would have been the par that he originally thought he scored before being informed that it was indeed a bunker that he mistakenly grounded his club in.
Kohler: "Do you realize if you watched the British Open at St. Andrews a few weeks ago, do you realize that there are actually fewer bunkers in play at Whistling Straits than there were on the Old Course at St. Andrews?
"I'm saying that there are slightly more than 100 bunkers in play at Straits, not the 1,100 that I just talked about. The 1,100 are there for the psychology of the thing, just to scare people. Occasionally we'll get some very strong winds which will take the ball off line and into one of those wild bunkers but not very often."
Liguori: The bunker that Dustin Johnson had his problems with has been covered up this year by a viewing area.
Kohler: "I'll tell you what, I'm going to go out and look at it today."
Liguori: When Tiger Woods won the British Open at St. Andrews in 2000, he didn't hit a single bunker the entire four days. To control the roll of the ball on those hard links courses like that is an incredible statistic.
Kohler: "His caddie must have taken some awfully good measurements!"
Liguori: Who are your picks to play well at Whistling Straits based on weather conditions and the kinds of course it is?
Kohler: "Well, everyone around here loves Jordan Spieth. I mean, who doesn't? He's a remarkable young man. He lost the Open only by a stroke. He comes in very strongly. Obviously he's a favorite and so is Dustin Johnson. People would like to see Dustin Johnson be able to finish a tournament on top."
Liguori: What does a player have to do to win here?
Kohler: "Let me tell you about Vijay Singh. Vijay was our first champion in 2004. He was in a playoff (we've had playoffs in both 2004 and 2010). Here we are in 2004, a three man playoff on holes 10, 17 and 18. Vijay out-foxed the other two on the very first hole on the very first shot. He took a chance, put in a powerful drive that flew to the very front of the green. Very difficult to do, a lot of hazards to overcome. But he was able to fly it, land it and settle close to the green and he had an easy chip onto the green, not over any bunkers to get to the pin. And he ended up with a birdie on the hole, while the others parred.
"They all parred the last two holes and Vijay won the championship based on that little piece of strategy on the first playoff hole. Vijay has been out here for days practicing. He's very determined to make an excellent showing."
Liguori: You really have to have a smart game plan and strategy. So much about winning at Whistling Straits is having a strong mental game and making the right decisions.
Kohler: "And Pete Dye loves to fool you!"
Liguori: What's the most rewarding part of being involved in the golf business with your fascinating career?
Kohler: "The most rewarding part for myself and my wife are the people you meet. It's really quite extraordinary how suddenly you have this new set of friends. You sit back and wonder how this has happened. You just don't pick up friends, willy nilly.
"But there's something about the people in golf, especially in tournament golf, that are grounded in values that other people in this world are not. They have a very high respect for integrity and conducting themselves accordingly."
Liguori: You mean a great deal to the world of golf, Herb Kohler. Thanks so much for spending time with me.
Kohler: "Thank you Ann. You're a delight."
Follow Ann on Twitter at @AnnLiguori