Where to Play During The 2017 U.S. Open

Your Golf Guide Around Erin Hills

By Brian Weis

Whether you are making the pilgrimage to Wisconsin to watch the 2017 U.S. Open, or are you planning to play Erin Hills in the future, the following is a golf course guide to help you find the right course(s) to fill out your journey.

Notable Courses

Erin Hills
Well, unless you qualify to play in the U.S. Open, the course is currently closed and will not reopen until after the 2017 event (late June). The tee sheet is filling up fast for the 2017 season, so make your plans ASAP. Not able to get a tee time? Do not rule out early/mid fall. Autumn golf in Wisconsin offers amazing fall colors and best of all...no mosquitos.

Why should Erin Hills be on your bucket list? Well, in the 117 years of the U.S. Open, only six host courses are open to the public.

1) Bethpage Black, 2002, 2009
2) Pebble Beach, 1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010, 2019
3) Chambers Bay, 2014
4) Torrey Pines, 2008, 2021
5) Pinehurst #2, 1999, 2005, 2014, 2024
6) Erin Hills, 2017
http://www.erinhills.com

Washington County Golf Course
Located less than 15 minutes away from Erin Hills, Washington County GC is a must play! Arthur Hills built a gem that is consistently ranked as one of the Top 25 Municipal Courses in the nation. Washington County is offering exclusive packages for golfers during the U.S. Open including meals and transportation.
http://www.golfwcgc.com/rates/

The Bog
Until Erin Hills was built, this Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course was the #1 ranked public golf course in the Metro Milwaukee area. The Bog is located roughly half way between Erin Hills and Whistling Straits and is a great course to play if making that loop. The Bog is located approximately, 25 minutes north of downtown Milwaukee and 40 minutes from Erin Hills.
https://www.golfthebog.com

The Bull
Wisconsin's only Jack Nicklaus Signature Course is rated #70 in nation by Golf Digest. Located 60 miles north of downtown Milwaukee in Sheboygan Falls, WI, The Bull is easily accessible on I-43 north.
http://www.golfthebull.com/

Brown Deer Golf Club
Brown Deer Golf Course is the former site of The Greater Milwaukee Open and US Bank Championship, a PGA TOUR stop from 1995-2008.
http://milwaukeecountygolfcourses.com/golf/proto/milwaukeecountygolfcourses/brown_details/brown_details.htm

Whistling Straits/Blackwolf Run - Destination Kohler
Whistling Straits hosted the 2004, 2010, and 2015 PGA Champion and is the future home for 2020 Ryder Cup. Blackwolf Run Whistling Strait's sister property has also hosted a number of professional championships including the Andersen Consulting World Golf Championships in 1995, 1996, and 1997 as well as the U.S. Women's Open in 1998 and 2012.
http://www.americanclubresort.com/

Sand Valley Golf Resort
New golf course/resort alert! Sand Valley, a Coore and Crenshaw design, will be in the conversation for best new course in 2017. If you want to cross it off your bucket list you will need to drive approximately 2 hours north of Erin Hills. A second course, Mammoth Dunes, is scheduled to open in 2018.
http://www.sandvalleygolfresort.com/

Play Where The Locals Play

Kettle Hills
Located just 10 miles east of Erin Hills on Holy Hill Road (HWY 167/HWY O). With 45 holes you should have no issue getting a tee time. During the U.S. Open week, tee times start with cart at $50 four 18 holes and $30 for 9 holes. They are now accepting tee times and they must be paid for in advance.
www.kettlehills.com

Fairways of Woodside
Located within 20 miles southeast of Erin Hills, Fairways of Woodside is a tale of two nines. The opening nine has birdie opportunities galore with shorter holes and wide open terrain. The back nine lengthens and plays through the Kettle Moraine forest.
www.fairwaysofwoodside.com/rates/

Hartford Golf Club
A semi private club located less than 7 miles from Erin Hills, Hartford Golf Club is a throwback course that opened for play in 1929. The layout is highlighted by the par-3 17th that features a huge tree 30 yards directly in front of the putting surface. The course also has a three hole practice facility.
www.hartfordgolfclubwi.com/

Broadlands Golf Club
40 minutes south of Erin Hills resides The Broadlands, one of the state's most popular public courses. The layout features a mix of wide open spaces, stunning elevation changes that lead to spectacular shot vistas throughout.
www.broadlandsgolfclub.com/

Morningstar Golfers Club
Simply put, Morningstar Golfer's Club rests on one of the finest pieces of land in the state. Every style of hole from links to north woods is apparent on this stunning layout built on an abandoned quarry. Thirteen of their 18 holes are visible from their impressive clubhouse.
www.golfthestar.com/

Private Clubs Offering Limited Tee Times During 2017 US Open

Watertown Country Club
Located 20 minutes due west of Erin Hills, Watertown CC is offering tee times to traveling golfers. Enjoy the full amenities of a private club. Watertown CC has hosted several US Amateur Qualifiers and WSGA State events.
www.watertowncc.com

West Bend Country Club
West Bend Country Club is opening its golf course to a select number of guests during the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills. This is a unique opportunity for guests to enjoy a memorable round of golf at one of Metro Milwaukee's finest country clubs. U.S. Open special rate is $225.00 Green Fee Per Player (Includes golf, cart, range use, locker room use, lunch & tee gift).
https://westbendcc.com/golf/us-open-golf

Map

Revised: 04/18/2017 - Article Viewed 113,672 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.