When my friend and I were planning this trip we first booked Mammoth Dunes and Sand Valley for tomorrow, the 23rd. Since I was chasing course 1,000 on this trip we decided to add Erin Hills Golf Course, giving me some flexibility in case the weather wasn’t cooperative. This way I could have three chances in a row at a premium course for 1,000. As it worked out Erin Hills was golf course No. 998 and part of an exhausting, but memorable three rounds in Wisconsin.

We got to the course early to explore and the first thing we noticed was the Irish/Scottish theme. The buildings here give off an overseas vibe and while standing on the clubhouse patio we could see the inland-links style of the golf holes. We stayed outside Milwaukee the night before and while that area is wooded, the land that the course occupies has just a handful of trees. We played on a clear day and had good views of Holy Hill, where a beautiful Catholic church is located – maybe five miles from Erin Hills.

We joined two others on what turned out to be a perfect day for golf – about 80 degrees and sunny. It sure beat playing in the 100+ temperatures in Dallas this time of year. As I mentioned the course has a links feel and look to it. The fairways are wide with large undulations and the bunkering is dramatic. You get some unpredictable bounces, sometimes good and sometimes bad. The bunkers come in all shapes and sizes, including some tiny bathtub like bunkers that can wreak havoc on the scorecard.

Erin Hills – designed by Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry and Ron Whitten – is famous for hosting the 2017 U.S. Open, but other high-level events have been and are scheduled to be played here, such as the U.S. Mid-Amateur next month. It is always fun for me to play a course the pros have played because I can more fully appreciate their skill. We picked the green tees which are 73.3/135/6789 and the course was a challenge, even though I hit a number of quality shots.

Besides the bunkers, I thought the green complexes and many semi-blind tee shots gave Erin Hills its toughness. Some of these greens are downright scary! Many of the greens are domed with false fronts and false edges. Someone in our group chipped it across the 2nd green multiple times and someone else putted it off the 7th green and 40 yards down a slope. I managed to avoid the drama for most of the round, but my turn came on the 15th hole, doh. If you have some local knowledge there are places you can use the slopes to your advantage.

Another thing that makes it tricky is picking the right line on the tee shots. As you’ll see in the pictures you don’t always have a clear view of the best landing areas in the fairways. If you hit a good drive on the correct line then you can catch downslopes in certain fairways and have the ball run out. But, if you miss then the course plays long.

When it comes to signature holes, the par-3 9th is probably the signature hole. Some may add the par-4 15th and I wouldn’t argue. The 9th is 143 yards and plays to a heavily guarded green. Seven bunkers surround the green, which ripples in every direction. From what I learned it is actually the shortest par-5 in Wisconsin, ha. I was very happy to get out of there with a bogey after a terrible tee shot. The 15th is only 346 yards, but it can be driveable and has a fascinating, elevated green complex.

As you’d expect for an elite course, the conditions were great. The tees, fairways and greens were all in mint shape. The greens were super fast and rolled well. There isn’t a bunch of rough, but it was cut down to let it grow for the Mid-Am. I had some luck finding my ball in the fescue and being able to advance it, which was nice.

Overall, Erin Hills was a great experience and a bucket list course. Personally, it was even more special since I played it so close to playing my 1,000th course. It is pricey, but like many of the other top 100 public courses I think it is worth the splurge for the golf enthusiast.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):