Erin Hills, located around 35 miles from Milwaukee in Wisconsin, is a relatively young course, having only opened in 2006, but it hasn’t taken it long to become established as one of the best in the US.
The course was built by a local developer and, over time, the ambition to bring the US Open to the venue grew. Just 11 years after it opened, that was realized when the Major was held at the course for the first time, when Brooks Koepka won the title.
However, that wasn’t the first big tournament to be held there, with test runs in the form of the 2008 US Women’s Amateur Public Links and 2011 US Amateur.
Five years after Koepka’s maiden Major triumph, it hosted the US Mid-Amateur, while in 2025, the US Women’s Open will come to the course for the first time, where the likes of Nelly Korda, Jeeno Thitikul and Lydia Ko will tee it up in a star-studded field of 156.
But what is it about the course that has already attracted some of the game’s most famous events?
The course is a links-style layout, which, if you didn’t know better, might trick you into thinking you were in Ireland or Scotland rather than the US Midwest. Even though it is inland, there are several elements that certainly resemble the famous links courses of those countries, including wide, treeless fairways, fescue and natural rolling terrain.
When Koepka won the US Open at Erin Hills in 2017, he equaled the US Open’s lowest winning score of 16 under, leading some to suggest the course didn’t offer a test stern enough for a Major typically known for its brutal difficulty, but one of the reasons was that the wind was generally low that week. However, anyone wishing to play the course shouldn’t expect similarly calm conditions.
Whether benign weather tames the course or wind allows it to bear its teeth, it is open to the public. Reservations can be made online, with 2025 green fees ranging from $375 to $455, depending on the time of year you play. Meanwhile, it is $265 for active or retired military personnel, with the cost for juniors set at $195.
The base service fee for a caddie is $55 with a suggested gratuity of $75, while a forecaddie is $55 for a group with a suggested gratuity of $35. Golf clubs can be rented for $85 per player.
There are also options to stay at Erin Hills, with a night in it’s Irish country-inn style accommodation, The Lodge, costing between $250 and $1,360 depending on time of year and suite chosen. There are also cottages with costs ranging between $2,000 and $2,350.
Those staying overnight will be charged a $375 green fee with a $190 fee for a second round at the course.
Erin Hills Green Fees
Player |
June 7 – September 28 |
September 29 – October 18 |
Adult |
$455 |
$375 |
Military (active or retired) |
$265 |
$265 |
Junior |
$195 |
$195 |
Erin Hills Guest 1st Round |
$395 |
$395 |
Erin Hills Guest 2nd round |
$190 |
$190 |
