I finally played Erin Hills yesterday. I find the turning of the word in the article a distortion of a true comparison between these two courses.
All credit to Dan Moore who perhaps coined the best term, "glacial links". As such, the terrain, has no credible association with links golf, in my view. The land does not drain like a links, and I can say that because we played after moderate rains, the course was closed to motor carts, and the conditions were pretty soft, no roll-out, and with the severity of the rolling fairways in the depth of bowls and humps and hillocks, goes beyond what a links offers in being able to estimate or know where to play the rolling ball to advantage. To me, that tends to render the use of the ground more of a thrill seekers crap shoot at EH than a game of clever players hitting shots to use the ground with effect. The graded and shaped humps and hollows at Chambers make sense, are estimatable or calculable, placed properly; where as the natural severe humps and hollows at Erin tend not to be so to its detriment. Those factors work in terrain that rolls like sand hills but don't seem to function where the glacier rolled through to create deep abrupt kettles, morraines, drumlins and eskers, IMHO.
I also feel that the following is a bit of misdirection by implication and perhaps too cute of the turn of words.
Chambers Bay is owned by Pierce County, Wash., making it a true public course. The site has 600 acres, plenty of room for onsite parking, and decent access for autos. It's rugged in the Whistling Straits sense, so spectators will have lots of vantage points, but it also has stacked piles of sand that can give way and twist ankles.
I walked pretty much all of the Chambers Bay course, and went up some of those stacked piles of material on fescue planted hillsides. I have played, walked, and spectated at Whistling Straits. Upon my one walk at ERin Hills, if Mr. Whitten is implying some lesser challenge of walking about for spectators, I think he is fudging greatly. There are places that if spectators may go walking about that they won't be found again along certain FWs of EH! Yes, there is plenty of "grounds" room for the big show tents and stuff upon entrance to EH, but absolutely no advantage over CB's extensive extra room. Twisted ankles in deed. I'd rather have the concession stand for orthopedic first aid and heat prostration at EH than CB.
As stated, we were relegated to walk with carts at EH. I like to walk, but it is probably the hardest course I've ever walked. Sand Hills and Ballyneal are pussycats to walk compared to EH. Even Whistling Straits is a stroll compared to EH.
At Erin Hills, we went with bent grass greens with subtle movements so they can be sped up to 13 on a Stimpmeter and still be puttable. Over at Chambers Bay, designers Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Bruce Charlton opted for fescue greens, which will putt slower, but their greens have more contour in them, so they'll putt slower uphill and faster down hills.
I'd say that the above is off base. Even thought the greens at EH are already putting very true. But, subtle they are not! Many at EH would have good putters degreening themselves fairly often like from back to a front pin on 15 across hogs back ridges. There are several mid green severe hogs backs that at 13stimp might be beyond the pale, IMO. My take on the greens at EH are that they are really a mixed bag of "fun" like a carnival. I like the carnival in small infrequent doses. But, I couldn't take all the fun house mirrors, whirly vomit rides, and bearded ladies on a steady diet, I'm afraid. Most of the EH greens are fair at about 10, but some seem that they would be off the chart over the top at 13. I'd say we played them at about 10.5. At 13, the turtle back 2nd would get to be goofy, I think. And, the superfluous size of 10 is of no merit because it is wasted space for more than 1/2 of the emense green, IMO. I played a similar sized green that was on the same principle as EH 10, at Bull's Bay. BB "faux Biarritz" makes perfect sense and is designed with all of its vast space having some golf sense and pinable logic. EHs 10th does not have that, I don't believe.
This little missive only addressed some of the article of comparison of EH to CB found on the first page.
I'm already rambling, and will try to find someplace to inject many of my positive thoughts of EH. It is definitely fun, challenging, a place you ought to go and play wild and ball busting golf. But, the article itself has riled me because I just don't think it is a fair assessment of a comparison between the two.
If I were on a committee awarding a major championship, this isn't even close, IMHO.