Erin Hills is the sight of the 2017 U.S. Open. It opened in 2006 after 2 years of construction. It was funded and built by Robert Lang whose goal was to create a course to host the Open.
Opened to spectacular reviews it quickly catapulted into the list of top public courses in the country.
The course includes a "manor house" which serves as a hotel and pub. The property has also bee upgraded to include cottages for guests with namesakes of great courses from around the world. It is neat to see the sign posts for Ballybunion one way and Lahinch the other.
My stop was very quick- just long enough to see how great the amenities are and cause me to long to get back here.
A unobtrusive sign welcomes you to the course as you drive the rural Wisconsin highways leading to the course. Incidentally, this is a marvelous area to drive through if you are here in the fall.
Once you turn into the course drive, you are not offered any view of the course. You drive through a perfectly flat field before you glimpse the clubhouse in the distance.
The clubhouse sits atop a small rise and is very its grandiose appearance gives a hint of the terrific amenities you will find once you step inside.
To either side of the main clubhouse are the guest cottages you can rent for your stay. Each of these cottages is unique. The cottages all offer 4 bedrooms with king size beds. Rates to stay in these aren't cheap, averaging around $1300-1400 a night.
To the left of the clubhouse and cottages is the main parking area. Adjacent to the lot is the massive range. Obviously with the design intent to host a major, the range was designed to accommodate enough players in the field. It has two sets of tees set up in a L shaped configuration.
The second area for practicing at the range can be opened to accommodate a full field
Stepping inside the clubhouse you find a very old-school English hunting lodge ambiance with plenty of dark wood, roaring fires and beamed ceilings. The pro-shop is to the left and the pub is straight ahead.
Even the bathrooms are worth a glance. They are probably the nicest I have ever seen in a clubhouse, with flat panel TVs, gleaming chrome and pristine white marble everywhere.
The pro shop has a lot of top of the line merchandise with a mix of premium brands and more affordable offerings.
Out back of the clubhouse is the deck that overlooks the opening hole of the course, along with the guest house and practice green situated down the hill.
The "manor house" lodge and the putting green adjacent.
Behind the manor house is the only real glimpse you have of the course, with the first hole stretching out to the left and the 10th hole playing off to the right. Most of the course plays out away from the clubhouse.
If you look at the course on Google maps you can see how well spaced the holes are- perfect for accommodating all of the spectators that will be here for the Open.
While Erin Hills is not blessed with the terrain of something like Whistling Straits or other iconic seaside links, this is one special place. Hopefully next year I will get a chance to play here. Judging by the quick visit I payed it, it would be one heck of a great time!
Also, in the lot I happened to spy a first for me, a ~$900,000 Porsche 918 Spyder. Yozas!
