Erin Hills

Erin Hills sits amongst gently rolling farmland and woodland to the northwest of Milwaukee. The undulating landforms hereabouts were originally shaped by receding glaciers, as part of Wisconsin's Kettle Moraine region. Now the tumbling terrain, with its mounds, ridges, kettles and wetlands, is home to one of the most talked about new courses in America. The USGA were sufficiently impressed with this linksy big-dimension layout, they awarded it the 2017 U.S. Open Championship.

The layout at Erin Hills is open and undulating, stunningly natural and ruggedly handsome. No houses or roads will disturb your round. The most notable structure you'll see (besides the onsite Lodge and clubhouse) is the imposing twin-towered basilica that sits atop Holy Hill, a few miles to the east. At the long par-5 18th you play back to the stone-built luxury Lodge, with the basilica giving the hole a wonderfully memorable backdrop.

All 18 excellently crafted holes provide a visually arresting and authentic links golf experience (albeit without Sir John Betjeman's "seaweed smells" and "Atlantic waves"). A sense of space and openness is ever-present. The fast-paced good-width fairways roam across the undulating fescued dunes in two nine-hole loops. A plethora of rugged-looking bearded bunkers will need to be avoided as you progress to the often elevated putting surfaces. Around the greens you'll find a testing mix of deep fescue grass, plenty of bunkering and slick roll-off areas.

Erin Hills is one of a number of high-profile public-access "retro-links" courses to hit the headlines in recent years. Although its peers (including the likes of Whistling Straits, Arcadia Bluffs, Chambers Bay and Bandon Dunes) are all scenically located oceanside or lakeside, the absence of a waterside setting doesn't detract from the pleasures and challenges of Erin Hills.

Stay&Play at Erin Hills: luxury onsite accommodation available, see Where2Stay section below.