Erin Hills.

Date Played: 10/18/25

Location: Hartford, WI

Yardage: 6,801 yards, 73.3/135

Architects: Michael Hurdzan & Dana Fry

Greens Fees: $375 without caddie, $55 fee for caddie (excluding tip)

Today was the day. I finally checked the box on my biggest bucket list course. I'll be honest, after Lawsonia was a touch underwhelming, I was a bit worried that maybe I was setting myself up to be let down by Erin Hills. I was unsure that Ireland/Scotland style golf was my cup of tea, and that I may not end up enjoying the course as much as I'd hoped. I'm happy to report that I was wrong. Erin Hills was everything I dreamed it would be, and then some. I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face all day.

Let's start with the first thing that often stands out for most: the price tag. Simply put, playing Erin Hills is a luxury and is going to hit you hard in the wallet. As long as you know that going in and accept it, I promise you will feel like you got your moneys worth. When you arrive, you are greeted at the front gate by someone to confirm your tee time. The woman who greeted me couldn't have been nicer. She told me how excited she was that I was getting to play the course and how much I would love it. One thing that stood out clearly to me throughout the day is that everyone who works at Erin Hills truly loves and appreciates that place immensely. They are incredibly proud of the course and are thrilled to get to share it with you. It was really cool to see and it set the tone that you were somewhere special and about to have a day to remember.

You then drop off your clubs at the caddie barn and head into the clubhouse/pro shop to pay. Simply put, I could've spent my entire 401k in that pro shop if I had enough time. The clubhouse features a cool little restaurant where a lot of people were eating breakfast, but overall is fairly understated. I should also mention the course has lodging on site, all designed to look like cottages you'd find in Ireland and named after the famous golf courses of Ireland. I went over to the range to hit some balls, where I was greeted by Ben, my caddie for the day. Ben is a Wisconsin native who works as a logistics manager during the week, and caddies at Erin Hills on the weekends. He was around my age and was very easy to talk to, and we hit it off well. He began watching me hit balls on the range to get a feel for my game. He asked questions about what type of shots I like to hit, what are my favorite clubs in the bag, and anything else he could think of that would make it as easy for us as possible out there. I made sure to tell him I was not worried about my score, I really just wanted to soak in the venue and enjoy the day as much as humanly possible, even if it meant shooting a 110. Luckily for me, I ended up playing pretty well regardless.

We were paired up with a few others, including a late 30's husband/wife combo from Chicago, and a younger kid who played college golf. The college golfer decided he wanted to play the tips at 7,800 yards, despite the caddies warnings. Obviously he had no business playing them, but I understand the appeal of wanting to see how the course played for the pros in 2017 at the US Open. It was a fun group overall, and Ben made our lives much easier all day.

I won't write a recap for every hole, but will highlight a few that really stood out to me.

Hole 1: Par 5, 525 yards, x handicap

As we walked up to the first tee, a 525 yard par 5 into the wind, I surprised myself at how few nerves I felt. I had this overwhelming sense of awe, like there was no place on the planet I'd rather have been in that moment. Starting on a relatively tame par 5 (by Erin Hills standards) is a nice way to ease into the round. It's one of the few par 5's that you can potentially get there in two if the wind is cooperating. We were into a slight wind, so all of us had to lay back. The hole contains multiple fairway bunkers up the right side of the fairway, but they are mostly out of play. The left side is completely flanked by thick fescue, which the caddies refer to as "Prov V1 Pond".

The round started about as well as I could have ever hoped, sending one about 260 right down the center of the fairway. From there I hit a perfect 4 hybrid down the middle of the fairway, laying back to about 80 yards out. I hit flipped a wedge to about 10 feet and had a legitimate birdie look on the first hole. I literally could not have scripted a better start, and it reminded me why I love this game so much. What else on earth can bring someone that level of joy and satisfaction? But not all perfect starts have perfect endings, and I missed the birdie putt and settled for a tap in par. But we were off and running.

Hole 2: Par 4, 336 yards, 13 handicap

Hole 2: Tee Shot. Line is over the left hill, where it opens up significantly

xx

Hole 3: Par 4, 402 yards, 7 handicap

Hole 3: Tee. Line is dead center, 260 to carry left bunkers
xx

Hole 8: Par 4, 415 yards, 5 handicap

I was down in the right fringe, 125 yards out. Downwind, hit to 30 feet and 3 putted.

Hole 9: Par 3, 147 yards, 17 handicap

Hole 9: Side view from right, looking back to the clubhouse

xx

Hole 13:

13th tee: Par 3, 170 yards. Nearly made an ace here.
Hole 13: Par 3 I nearly dunked

Hole 14: Par 5 into the wind, slightly left off the tee. Hit hybrid to about 40 yards next to left side bunkers. Forced to hit blind pitch shot over large mound, rolled off false front and into the apron. 3 putted from there to make bogey.

Hole 18: Long as hell but downwind, so played maybe 20-30 yards shorter. 100 yards out on my 3rd and hitting to a tucked pin over left bunkers. Came up 5 yards short of landing area, and ball funneled off the green and into the front bunkers. Made bogey from there.

Scorecard:

Layout: 10/10. Every hole was unique and fun. You can play the course a number of different ways.

Condition: 10/10. The most pristine course I have ever played. Every green was perfect.

Amenities: 10/10. For the price tag, it's expected, but they just do everything right.

Value: 7/10. The only knock on Erin Hills is the price tag, but I believe the experience justifies it.

Total: 37/40. It's my favorite course I have ever played and I cannot wait to go back.