Erin Hills

This place is something else. Take a min in the middle of the round and just listen, you will hear nothing other then a golfer here there. This is place is so big and off the beaten path that its just you and the golf course its awesome. The course itself is wonderful generous fairways but if you miss get ready for the knee high stuff. Greens are top notch very receptive to spin but lightening fast. The 9th hole is awesome so hard luckily the wind wasnt to bad. 14 is a great par 5 up the hill to a crazy slopping green, then you go to 15 which is a great risk reward par 4. Then that finish on 18 is amazing bunkers placed perfectly in landing zones its a brute of a finisher. We were fortunate to play with Rick Tock and a golf digest course we reviewer needless to say we heard some good stories. Clubhouse is top notch, service is terrific. Definitely recommend this to people that want to play a great challenging golf course. Well done Erin Hills!!!

Erin Hills is an absolutely remarkable golf course and destination. The views throughout the entire course are breathtaking. The course itself is a stern test of golf, first time players would do well to tee it one forward as the HIKE (and i emphasize HIKE) will kick your butt, regardless if you are a regular walker. The variety of holes and shot options make it a very memorable experience. Some highlights are the par 4 blind tee shots on 2nd 8th and 12th. The par 3s very fair and reward shots that hold the green. There is an aura to this place like you are going to church to worship. If you have a chance to play it DO IT, youll thoroughly regret it if you dont.

I was a little nervous when reading the reviews about how much walking we would need to do for this round. But it really wasn't that bad. And the reason there's a bit of walking is because they put 7 tee boxes per hole to allow the USGA a number of choices when they have the US Open. This course can be played anywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 yards. You'll read review after review about picking the right tee boxes and I can't stress that enough. I'm a 13 handicap and when the caddies suggested we play white I was a little hesitant but it was the best decision we made all weekend. It made the round more enjoyable. I was playing 6 irons instead of 4 irons, and I had the best round of the weekend. It's really a spectacular setting for a golf course. The caddies meet you on the range, ask you if you can empty your bag of all non essentials, and you're off. You have to be pretty spot on with your drives as well as your approach shots. if not, you're in the long tall grass off the tee box and in the tough sand traps around the green. I'm from Los Angeles so the setting is spectacular. I loved the feel of the course which seems like it goes on forever when it actuality it's 650 acres (which is a lot of space for a golf course). The people there were very accommodating and friendly. Our caddies were terrific and even gave me a couple tips which really helped me play better. Originally we were just going to play the Blackwolf Run courses and Whistling traits but we're so glad we came to Erin Hills. It was a truly great experience and I would highly recommend it.

Four of us just came down from playing Whistling Straits (Straits, Irish, Meadows, Blackwolf Run) to play Erin Hills to get a view of the site for next year's U.S. Open. We all carry indexes of 10 or less so we were excited to play what the pros would play. It is a beautiful layout but there are few things you should understand before you go.

When we booked our tee time, our very friendly agent emphasized that it is a walking-only facility. This was fine with us. Although we're all 60+, we are in good shape and walk and carry at our home courses. That said, when we made our reservation, we explained that 1 person would carry and the other 3 would need caddies. When we arrived, an error had been made so two of us ended up carrying and we got a caddie who double bagged the other two. We've all played in Ireland and Scotland and are familiar with most of the well-know venues where you also must walk Moreover, we had just finished walking the Straits so we felt like we were adequately prepared. Not!

Erin Hills is NOT a walking facility but rather a HIKING facility. True to its name it was extremely hilly and all must walk. There are no carts. None. Didn't see a one the entire day. Th'at was to be understood but the long-long treks were not.

Our hiking began at the parking lot where you walk a quarter of mile, if not more, up a long hill to the pro shop. But the real fun began 2-3 holes into the round. Going from a green to the next tee was a chore. You would walk down one hill--often a severe slope for our caddie who was double bagging and two of our party who were carrying--only to walk back up another hill before you reached the next tee. And the distances from greens to tees were ridiculous. Really! It reminded me of a resort course where you must have to have a cart to motor through the development to get from one tee box to another. But there were no carts at Erin Hills. Just long, long walks up and down and up and down. from one hill to another. They did provide water on about every 4th hole. The water was free. But we didn't know that when we bought some the beverage cart.

The course is beautiful and lush with heather that is knee to waste high. Gorgeous to look at but a great hiding place for golf balls. If you hit your ball in the heather, there was a 98% chance that it was lost. The fairways are generous enough that we didn't find the heather often--just one person every hole! They did have several fore caddies located at strategic locations to help you find an errant shot but they couldn't find several of our balls.

Of course, they did have U.S. open rough but that was to be expected. We wanted to see what it was like and we did!

Between the hills and the heather, we played 5 1/2 - 6 hour round. Play was terribly slow and we never saw a ranger.

As a testimonial to hiking, we had our iPhone app on which counted steps, miles and flights (of stairs). We walked close to 9 miles, over 20,000 steps and the equivalent of 30 flights of stairs. Our caddie was Joe and he did a nice job but you could tell he was gassed from double bagging up the hills.

Erin Hills is a beautiful and challenging course and I would recommend it for low handicap player and certainly not the casual golfer. However, the recommendation would come with a caveat. You should be forewarned that walking it is as much a challenge as the golf. I would definitely avoid it playing in the heat of the day.

Erin Hills was an overall fantastic golf experience. The hour plus car ride from Kohler area was well worth it. Site of the 2017 US Open, naturally that attracted my name to the tee sheet. The grounds are spectacular, the clubhouse and facilities are a 10. The course is beautiful and situated on a fabulous property with natural rolling hills and fescue. While I think Mike Davis' comparison to Shinnecock (keep in mind I have not played Shinnecock) is a huge stretch for this golf course, I still enjoyed it. Highly recommend taking a caddy, it's a very long and hilly walk and unless you want to be tired on the back nine, pony up the extra money. If in the area again, I would go back but not before playing The Straits or Irish at Whistling Staits or River Course at Blackwolf Run (I was in town for the 2015 PGA).

Played 2 consecutive days with group of friends and stayed on-site. Fairly pricey, but it's a destination course that you need to play if you are in the Great Lakes.

Give yourself plenty of time and experience the entire day - from the driving range where you meet your caddy to the 19th hole that serves up some pretty good food and drink. Oh yeah, the golf course is pretty darn good, too.

Course properly rewards good shots and penalizes not-so-good ones. Nothing tricked up to the course. It's all right there in front of you.

LISTEN to your caddy. He will not steer you wrong.

Erin Hills was conceived as a "poor man's Whistling Straits," but the result turned out to be so brilliant, the USGA immediately pegged it for a championship course: 2011 US Amateur was here, and 2017 US Open will be here. Rates went up in response to that, so it's now beyond many golfers' budgets. A few blind shots in the original layout were altered at USGA request, but substantial land was moved only on 3 holes. It's a natural, free-flowing, course with acres and acres of natural fescue and only 8 trees. Simply gorgeous rolling landscape, esp. in mid-late summer when the fescue turns sort of purple. Huge greens that perfectly true and easy to read -- especially with your caddie's help. Fescue has been thinned a bit from past years: can usually find balls, but hitting them out is a whole different story. Such a solid, lovely course that won't give up many great scores, but won't beat you up too badly, either -- if you pick the right tees and if the wind isn't howling. If the wind is up, though, can turn into a monster. Lodge is charming, clubhouse food is spectacular (try the duck sliders!). Just a special, special place.

I am a PGA Professional and took some of my key staff and four members to golf Erin Hills. From the moment we drove in until the time we left the experience was outstanding. Course was an excellent test of golf, caddies were great, and to top it off had a great meal after the round. We stayed on site and had a great time and a very good night sleep as well.

A must play. Very difficult course. Fairways are fairly generous, but missing the fairway is penal...even pros will lose golf balls with the high fescue rough.

Definite bucket list course. Pace of play was a little brutal given difficulty of course.

After playing this course, I'm most anxious to see the best in the world tee it up here in 2017 for the U.S. Open. It'll be interesting to see how far back they set the tees, which will probably depend somewhat on weather. We played it after a storm rolled through in very windy conditions. Keeping it in fairway is almost impossible, which means scoring is impossible. Despite the difficulty, this is one of the most beautiful and unique golf courses in America. It's links off the tee, but traditional into the greens for the most part, making it a most interesting hybrid. The views on the horizon never stop, there are elevated tees everywhere, and you'll never get bored. The ninth, though not overly long, is one of the most difficult par 3s you'll ever play, and the 18th, even as a three-shotter will be a tough par even for the pros.

Erin Hills is a very special place for me: I grew up on neighboring property long before the course was ever imagined at the "still standing" Erin motel and restaurant. As an adolescent, I spent many long days riding dirt bikes in gorgeous rolling hills on what is now Erin hills...lots of great memories riding with friends seeing Holy Hill in the back drop. My golf day started by have breakfast with my best childhood friend at my childhood home: the Erin motel and Restaurant, which is a must visit little country cafe where they treat you like family. We next drove to the course, passing my old school (Erin elementary school) near the entrance to the massive property of Erin Hills. We were treated like we belonged from the first moment on property which included settling into the first class locker room, warming up on the beautiful practice area and being treated at the the first tee. The golf? ... It was inspiring! It seemed like we had this walking only property all to ourselves and the 4.75 hr pace was perfect! As a 10 index, I played possibly the round of my life and shot a 84, staying out of the daunting fescue roughshod all day (almost). Using one of the excellent caddies is highly recommended as there are a few shots where a sight line is critical, and reading the lightning fast greens is a challenge. A Post round shower, followed by beers and wings at the Irish pub over looking he expansive property seared in the memories of the day making it the greatest golf day of my life. Play Erin hills for golf the way it is meant to be played!

I played here with fellow GC announcer Scott Walker a few years back while we were in the Milwaukee covering the old Greater Milwaukee Open (or whatever it was called at the time).

Driving out into rural Wisconsin from Milwaukee makes you wonder how in the world there's a golf course out here that is receiving such rave reviews, and then you see it and you experience a bit of a Field of Dreams moment. The clubhouse was small and very much looked like it once belonged on a farm, however, once inside, it was extremely nice.

The course looked massive on the drive in, as well as on the score card, and it was only the second Hurdzan/Fry design I'd ever played. I really didn't know what to expect. My lasting impression is that it just might be the golf course of the future. It was designed in a way that will defend it against technological advances for generations to come simply based on distance from the back tees. But more impressively, it wasn't a giant emerald green pasture of finely manicured watered turf. Rather, it looked more like a pasture than a world class golf course. The reason for that is that all the grass on the course absent the putting surfaces, was native grass. It looked much more like it belonged in Scotland than Wisconsin, and it played as golf seems to have been intended when it was invented...firm and fast. And those native grasses were a shear delight from which to play. Even though the color was multidimensional, it played just like any other firm course.

The design is masterful in my opinion as it provided plenty of room to play tee to green, but after close scrutiny, it required tee shots to be hit to certain areas in order to have a slight chance to get it close to the pin on the somewhat extreme greens. Funny part was, the greens don't look extreme, but the subtleties made them that way in hindsight.

Erin HIlls is a course that I think I could play everyday and not tire of it.