Erin Hills Golf Course: Home of the 2017 US Open
Erin Hills Golf Course in tiny Erin WI, was recently awarded the 2017 US Open. It is unprecedented for the USGA to award their premier event to a course that is so new and relatively unknown.
They are currently preparing to host the US Amateur in 2011. Erin Hills originally opened in 2006, and then underwent extensive renovations beginning in the fall of 2008, and finishing in 2010 in order to satisfy USGA requirements. They reopened for play on July 31 this year. Living only about an hour away, and having never played a US Open course, I wanted to check it out. I played on Labor Day, Sept. 6, 2010 and came away from it amazed at the challenge that Erin Hills presents.
For some reason, I decided to play from the Black tees, which measure 7,820 yards, and feature no par 5s under 600 yards, and only four of the 10 par 4s are under 460 yards.
There is another set of tee boxes behind the Black tees, but the yardages are not listed on the scorecard, and I assume that the course has not been rated from those tees. I would guess that, from there, the course would play 8300+ yards. On the day we were there, it actually played longer due to heavy rains the night before. The terrain is very hilly, and the result is numerous uneven lies in the fairways.
It is a challenge to walk (no carts are allowed), and will reinforce the fact that Tour players are indeed athletes. Conditioning will be a major factor at the 2017 US Open for sure. I was sore for three days and I can't imagine walking this course under tournament conditions for four straight days, plus practice rounds. Despite the hills, there are not many blind shots, which is a great design feature in my opinion, and makes the course play fair. Wind will be a significant factor during the 2017 open, as the course is exposed and unprotected from the winds.
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