Erin Hills is a
golf course
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...
in the
north central United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, located in
Erin, Wisconsin, in
Washington County, northwest of
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...
. The course officially opened in 2006. It hosted the 117th
U.S. Open in
2017.
The announcement was made in 2010. It was the first
USGA regular men's event ever awarded to a course owned by an individual. The 2011
U.S. Amateur, won by
Kelly Kraft, was also held at Erin Hills.
[
]
History
Erin Hills was built by Wisconsin developer Bob Lang, who used his own money to fund the course. Designers included Dr. Michael John Hurdzan and his business partner Dana Fry, and Ron Whitten. Determined to bring the U.S. Open to Erin Hills and at the suggestion of USGA officials, Lang made many changes to the layout of the course, dramatically changing several holes. Lang's ultimate goal of bringing the U.S. Open forced him to sell the course, due to financial
Andrew Ziegler purchased the course in 2009; as part of his commitment to upgrading the conditioning of the golf course, he said that Erin Hills would be operated on a "walking-only" basis starting in 2010. Unlike most modern courses, Erin Hills was not outfitted with paved cart paths. The average elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...
of the course is approximately above sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...
, about higher than Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...
to the east.
Grounds
The course includes a manor home specifically built as a hotel that includes a pub, and a refurbished barn available for private events. The grounds have been upgraded to include cottages for overnight stay. About to the east on higher ground is the landmark Holy Hill shrine, visible from
Erin Hills' Irish-themed clover
Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...
was inspired by the old bell on the course imported from Europe. Each petal was inspired from the iron art on the bell. The logo was designed by Brenda Williams, a competitive golfer from Minnetrista, Minnesota.
Major tournaments hosted
Scorecard
Source:
Video
You Tube
– 2011 U.S. Amateur at Erin Hills recap
References
External links
*
{{U.S. Open golf venues
1999 establishments in Wisconsin
Buildings and structures in Washington County, Wisconsin
Golf clubs and courses in Wisconsin
Sports in the Milwaukee metropolitan area
Sports venues completed in 1999
Tourist attractions in Washington County, Wisconsin