Erin Hills Golf Course

Course Date
Location Wisconsin America
Yardage 7800 yards Par 72
Course Rating 77.9
Playing Date September 7, 2016
Designer Michael Hurzan, Dana Fry, and Ron Witten
Opened 2006
Caddie Yes
Golf Cart No
Rating
Overall Rating
5.00
Course Layout
5
Difficulty Level
6
Greens Condition
5
Fairways Condition
4
Landscaping & Views
5
Level of Satisfaction
5

The Erin Hills Golf Course is a hybrid course on the rolling hills between links and farmland. There are no trees to separate holes in this very natural layout set on a rugged landscape, and the views throughout the entire course are breathtaking. The fairways and greens are firmly protected by fescue grasses and/or a series of bunkers. The greens are huge and highly undulating. When you are on some of elevated teeing grounds or greens, you can see 360-degree views of the surrounding course. Erin Hill is a large-scale, wild, and windswept course. Although the course appears quite orthodox, each hole is very long & quite challenging, and the course offers each player a stern test of golf. This course hosted the Nationwide Amateur Open in 2012, and was selected as the 2017 US Open.



A view from clubhouse

A view from 4th tee

A view of 8th green

Scorecard

 
Hole 1 Par 5 608 yards

The opening hole is a par five that bends left twice. Players should avoid the deep Fescue roughs that run alongside the left side of the fairway. The second shot needs to be cleared a left fairway bunker followed by the downhill third shot. The green slopes to left.

 

Hole 1 Par 5 608 yards (3)

Hole 1 Par 5 608 yards (2)

Hole 1 Par 5 608 yards (1)
 
Hole 2 Par 4 358 yards

Hole 2 Par 3 358 yards (2)

Hole 2 Par 3 358 yards (1)
A short par four with a slight dogleg to the right. Unless players hit long enough on the tee shot, they may end up with a blind second shot. The green is elevated and small.

 

 
Hole 4 Par 4 439 yards

Hole 4 Par 4 439 yards (2)

Hole 4 Par 4 439 yards (1)
The fourth hole is a straight hole. Players should pay attention to the fairway bunker on the right off the tee. The second shot is gentle uphill, and players have to avoid the bunkers that guard the green’s front and front left sections. The green is shallow and its backside slopes downwards, so players should avoid going long and over the green at all costs.
 
Hole 6 Par 3 237 yards

Hole 6 Par 3 237 yards (2)

Hole 6 Par 3 237 yards (1)
The sixth hole is a par three with quite some distance. The green is elevated and is guarded by a bunker to its right. The green is 48 yards deep, and slopes downwards from the green’s front to the end.
 
Hole 7 Par 5 607 yards

Hole 7 Par 5 607 yards (2)

Hole 7 Par 5 607 yards (1)
A par five with a dogleg that bends to the left. The tee and second shots are slightly downhill. Positioning and accuracy on the second shot is important since there are several bunkers are positioned around is landing area. The third shot is uphill. The green is two-tried and is split between left and right. Players should also note that the green tilts towards the right.
 
Hole 9 Par 3 164 yards

The ninth hole is a relatively short par three. The green is deep, elevated and is surrounded by seven bunkers. The green strongly slopes from the center to the right. There are many three-putts on this hilgy undulating green.

 

9th green

Hole 9 Par 3 164 yards (2)

Hole 9 Par 3 164 yards (1)
 
Hole10 Par 4 504 yards

Hole10 Par 4 504 yards (2)

Hole10 Par 4 504 yards (1)
The tenth hole is a long par four with a dogleg that bends to the right. Although the tee shot is blind, the ball will probably land safe since the fairway is quite generous. Long hitters will get an extra bonus, as they will be able to hit long enough to catch the downhill fairway. The green is wide and is double-tired. Approaching becomes difficult when the pin position is on the right, as two guard bunkers placed in right front of the green will come into play.
 
Hole 12 Par 4 464 yards

A long par four with a dogleg that bends to the right. The tee shot is a gently uphill over the fescue rough. The fairway is heavily undulated. The green is vertically long, with the front two-third sloping from back to front, and the back one-third sloping vise-versa.

 

Hole 12 Par 4 464 yards (3)

Hole 12 Par 4 464 yards (2)

Hole 12 Par 4 464 yards (1)
 
Hole 14 Par 5 613 yards

Hole 14 Par 5 613 yards (1)

The fourteenth hole is a par five with a double dogleg which first bends slightly to the left, and then to the right. Off the tee shot, players should pay attention to a bunker that’s placed in the center of the fairway. The second shot will have a narrow landing area and both the second and third will require the ball to be hit over an uphill fairway. The green is tiered, steeply slopes to the right, and is guarded by a bunker on the right. Unless players hit accurately and use solid course managment, it will be quite difficult to save a par on this demanding par five.


Hole 14 Par 5 613 yards (4)

Hole 14 Par 5 613 yards (3)

Hole 14 Par 5 613 yards (2)
 
Hole 15 Par 4 370 yards

Hole 15 Par 4 370 yards (2)

Hole 15 Par 4 370 yards (1)
A short par four with a left dogleg bend. It is important for players to avoid the seven fairway bunkers that are spread up all the way out to the green. The green is a strongly elevated with a ridge running through the middle. The backside of the green surface tilts downward.
 
Hole 18 Par 5 663 yards

The finishing hole is a par five that is straight for the first 400 yards followed by a dogleg to the left for the last 200 yards. This is a very long and difficult hole. The fairway on the second shot slopes to the left, and the third shot is uphill. If players hit towards the left side of the green, they may find their balls rolling down to the bottom of a long slope. There are six bunkers that protect the green’s front side.

 

Hole 18 Par 5 663 yards (3)

Hole 18 Par 5 663 yards2 (2)

Hole 18 Par 5 663 yards (1)
 
Hole 19
In order to get to Erin Hills, it is an hour by car from Milwaukee and 2 hours 15 minutes from the Chicago O'Hare Airport. A public course. It is also 15 minutes by car from the AmericInn Hotel & Suites Hartford. There is a lodge available in the course. The meal at the golf course restaurant is good.


Lodge

Restaurant

Lunch

In 2016, this course was chosen as the 3rd best in Wisconsin State by the golf review website, the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World (top 100 golfcourses.com). There are about 500 courses in all of Wisconsin.


AmericInn Hartford

AmericInn Hartford

AmerciInn Hartford

The course was co-designed by Michael Hurzan, Dana Fry, and Ron Witten.Their famous works are Calusa Pines GC, FarmLinks GC, Shelter Harbor GC and Ledges CC in America, and Devil's Paintbrush GC in Canada.