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The Clubhouse at Erin Hills
A few things I took notice of while finishing the front nine were: the routing brought you back to
the clubhouse ( I prefer that over places like Pebble & Bethpage where the 10th green is the
furthest point out), OB doesn't exist on Erin Hills (they are not short on land, therefore boundaries
are not an issue, also there is no water hazard to speak of (this is very similiar to Bethpage Black
in that respect).The greens are the purest surfaces that I've ever putted on, period (almost as
quick as Seminole, but much more consistent and true . . . Seminole often deals with salt water/air
erosion).They are not tricked up, with mostly subtle breaks(aside from a few holes). The course is
very tough . . . but strike it well, and you will be rewarded.It reminded me somewhat of the Black
Course at Bethpage . . . brutal, beautiful and about as fair as any course can be.
One of the truly unique sights at EH, is a striking structure that sits off in the distance along the
horizon of Erin Wisconsin. That structure is Holy Hill Basilica Shrine of Mary. This Basilica is a 450
acre spiritual utopia, that is visited by thousands each year. This mecca was pronounced a shrine
by Pope Leo XIII in 1903.
Holy Hill
After a visit to Sally Pandl who runs the halfway house (we loaded up on refreshments),
we started our trek towards the inward nine. As we strolled up the tenth tee, I looked
towards the clubhouse and realized that this place is still a bit of a hidden secret, but
once the Amateur and U.S Open come here . . . this place will be a global golf destination.
I couldn't wait to see the back nine, and then the 504 yard par 4 tenth (476 blue tees)
showed itself. After a solid tee shot into the cross wind, it took 3 wd to have a shot at
reaching this elevated green. The approach found a cragy sand bunker (that resembled
a ditch) just right of the green, then a debacle ensued: 2 explosions and 2 putts later a 6 was
recorded on the card . . . . . not good for the quest Murph and I were workin on. Four over
thru 10
The Long Par 4 tenth
One of best things that happens during a round like this, other than the perfect weather
and beautiful surroundings (especially while walking), is the people you get to meet. One
such person, was our playing partner on this day: Tim Rayer. Rayer is a solid player and
resident of Philadelphia, where he is the co founder of a company called Prosthetic
Solutions. When Tim was playing ball in college, one of his teammates became ill with
cancer in his leg, and ended up needing a prosthetic after amputation. A short time later,
Tim's friend lost his battle with cancer, but this tragedy inspired Tim to help others through
the memory of his friend.Tim went on to make prosthetics his profession,to learn more
about Tim Rayer and his company visit Pro Limb.com .
The short eleventh produced a routine par, but the magnificent twelfth is a sweeping
left to right hole with huge knolls that hide most of the downhill green on your approach.
A drive into the left rough produced bogey, and the quest was starting to take a hit .
The Rolling par4 twelfth hole
The thirteenth is a 215 yd downhill par 3 that runs away from the player and is all about
club selection, it's one of those pick your poison holes: long is the safe play here, it's
an easier up and down. Anything short will roll all the way down the slope, just make 3
here and get outta dodge.After making the safe play off the tee, an up and down was
managed for the par.
par 3 thirteenth
The fourteenth is a 614 yd par 5 that will take three solid strikes to have chance
at birdie, the green is elevated and partially blocked from view because of the
large mounds fronting the putting surface.Rayer stiffed a wedge here and made
the putt, another par for moi, kept the quest alive.This is a sweet golf hole, I believe
this stretch from 12 thru 16 is the best on the course.
The par 5 fourteenth
Fifteen was my favorite design on the layout. From an elevated tee (photo below),
this right to left short par 4 is reachable for the monster hitter. Scotty and I played
it the conventional way, stiffed our wedges and walked with feathers.At 4 over through
15, the quest was on schedule.
The view from the elevated tee on the short par 4 fifteenth
The dramatic par 3 sixteenth
On the best par 3 on the course, the sixteenth, Baker hit his best shot of the day,
nearly holing out on the fly . . . but unfortunately the ball released through the green
into a gnarly spot and a bogey result. To add insult to injury, my whiffed 4 iron
skanked its way to just short of the surface, where a 2 putt from 60 ft resulted in a
par. This game is truly unfair, and as we walked off that green, I knew I had just
dodged a bullet and my friend had just taken a stray one to the medulla oblongata.
He couldn't catch a break, and I seemed to be carrying a pocket full of four leaf
clovers . . . all you can do is acknowledge it and move on.
Seventeen is a pedestrian looking hole, but it is a sleeper. At 481 from the tips
(445 from the Blue tees), it is a tough hole especially if you hit it sideways from
the tee box, we all drove into the right cabbage and did nothing relative to par.
Murph and I (he has to share the blame) missed a 7 ft putt for par, and we went to
the home hole 5 over.
The swan song at Erin Hills is the longest on the course at 660 yds from the tips
(637 from the blue tees), Tim Rayer and Scotty B were in the "Mayor's office"
(down the middle) . . . I was not.If you look at the photo below you can see where
you don't want to be, and yes my golf ball was in there.After a deliberation with
Murph, he gave me the reluctant green light on hitting rescue club from the craters
of doom (after all, I still had 350 yds plus to the putting surface).The best strike
of the day resulted in a towering shot that got a small assist from a bunker rake
to put us in position A.The three of us all hit the green with decent chances at pay
dirt, after 2 putting Rayer and Scotty were in with pars. I had about a 10 ft left
to right slider that just slid by the right edge and refused to drop.Murph and
I had accomplished our goal-77 wasn't bad considering it was our maiden voyage
on the venue named Erin Hills.This place had instantly become one of my favorite
courses, and is without a doubt a must play. Thanks again to Ben Fahrenholz for
hosting us at Erin Hills.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the recent renovations and new ownership at
Erin Hills. Andy Ziegler purchased Erin Hills and instantly got to work on the
renovations the USGA required in order to secure both the the U.S Am next year
and the U.S Open in 2017. The course was closed for 8 months and reopened on
August 1st 2010.I read a review by Matt Ginella of Golf Digest last year and from
a few others who were not inspired by what they saw and played. You owe yourself
a favor to return and experience the place now.
The finish at Erin Hills
After saying our goodbyes to Murphy, we muddled about the pro shop for a few minutes.
Soon after Rayer, Scotty and I headed to have a drink on the back patio behind the
clubhouse.What a place, the sun was goin down, the temperature was dropping
(fire pits burning on the patio), and I thought to myself " Can tomorrow at Whistling
Straits, be as good as today was?" We were about to find out . . .
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