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Paul Richards

  • Karma: +0/-0
Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« on: August 06, 2006, 10:52:40 PM »
Is it for real?


Is it not??


thoughts???
"Something has to change, otherwise the never-ending arms race that benefits only a few manufacturers will continue to lead to longer courses, narrower fairways, smaller greens, more rough, more expensive rounds, and other mechanisms that will leave golf's future in doubt." -  TFOG

Steve_ Shaffer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #1 on: August 06, 2006, 10:55:54 PM »
"Some of us worship in churches, some in synagogues, some on golf courses ... "  Adlai Stevenson
Hyman Roth to Michael Corleone: "We're bigger than US Steel."
Ben Hogan “The most important shot in golf is the next one”

Geoffrey Childs

Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #2 on: August 06, 2006, 11:12:12 PM »

John Foley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2006, 08:48:44 AM »
Integrity in the moment of choice

Adam Clayman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2006, 09:47:02 AM »
the usga awarding this course an event smacks of matters the entity should avoid.

plus Paul, It all depends on what your definition of it is.
"It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing your whole life." - Mickey Mantle

Dan Moore

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2006, 11:17:08 AM »
Just heard second hand from someone who played there last Friday that the greens are soft and slow and you need to roll it in the fairways to get a decent lie.  I'm sure last week's heat required a fair amount of water and didn't help them on the grow-in, maintenance side of things.  
« Last Edit: August 07, 2006, 11:36:02 AM by Dan Moore »
"Is there any other game which produces in the human mind such enviable insanity."  Bernard Darwin

bakerg

Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #6 on: August 07, 2006, 12:42:52 PM »
I played the course on Thursday.  At this point the course is in a bit of rough shape as they are still growing in a lot of spots.  They were tweaking the first hole so there was a lot of construction there.  There were a couple of bunkers that still needed sand added.  And there were a couple areas that had been sodded that the sod did not take, so there were strips of dead grass near a couple of greens.

Regardless of that there are some very unique holes.  Number 2, 9A, 10, & 18 I thought were among the best out there.  

As for all the hype that this course was generating before it opened,  I don't think it deserved it.  This is an average course in my opinion.  I thought the bunkering and finishing work on the course was amateurish.  I couldn't understand why they didn't use Dan & Dave as they had in the past on this course.  The greens are fine but don't expect Friar Head's type movement.  

They did a great job with the routing but I just thought they came up short in too many other areas.  I would put this course behind Wild Horse in my personal rank of courses.  Maybe I played it too early, but I doubt I will go back.  For that amount of money ($169) I would rather go play Blackwolf in the off-season.  

peter_mcknight

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #7 on: August 07, 2006, 01:11:58 PM »
Can anybody post a scorecard of the course, both from the 7800 back tees and the 7100 middle tees so I can have a yardage in mind when reading the comments about the course--that would be most appreciated. Their website doesn't have the scorecard and/or routing on it yet.

tlavin

Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #8 on: August 07, 2006, 01:43:20 PM »
I turned down an invite to play it today after seeing the photos posted here a week or so ago.  The turf looks like it is not really ready for play, so I figured I'd wait til next season...It looks enticing...

JR Potts

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #9 on: August 07, 2006, 03:28:09 PM »
I just cancelled my September 13th tee-time.  I will rebook in May.

bakerg

Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #10 on: August 07, 2006, 03:39:30 PM »
Peter- I didn't grab my scorecard before I left.  Otherwise I would post the yardages for you.  They also are using a temporary scorecard for now until they get the actual ones printed.  


Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +3/-1
Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #11 on: August 07, 2006, 05:49:51 PM »
I was there a few days before the opening, so I didn't play.

Here are the yardages:

1st 624/574
2nd 351/333
3rd 501/451 par 4
4th 412/372
5th 503/443 par 4
6th 236/188
7th 201/184  (Whitten's Dell)
8th 482/472
9th 496/450

10th 652/624
11th 414/315
12th 468/432
13th 216/193
14th 615/505
15th 360/345
16th 181/170
17th 481/445
18th 631/614

Out 3806/3467
In   4018/3643

Tot 7824/7110 par 72

I'm not sure how to rate some holes where the back tee seems clearly just there to boost the overall yardage.  The only comment I have for now is that it looked too early to judge the course and therefore too early to open it.

Matt_Ward

Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #12 on: August 07, 2006, 05:52:53 PM »
Have to wonder if opening the course this soon is really to capitalize on the press contingent that will be relatively nearby with the PGA Championship in Illinois ?

Opening a course too soon is akin to pushing a Broadway musical before the dancers / singers are ready for curtain call time.

The potential negative spins can clearly make an impact on how people will react.

PThomas

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #13 on: August 07, 2006, 05:52:58 PM »
they built an "extra" set of tees as "insurance" in case the pros starting hitting it even farther someday
199 played, only Augusta National left to play!

Paul Richards

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #14 on: August 07, 2006, 10:39:48 PM »
I've heard from a 'good source' that this course deserves to be in the top 40-50 in the US.

Anyone who's played it agree?

 ???
"Something has to change, otherwise the never-ending arms race that benefits only a few manufacturers will continue to lead to longer courses, narrower fairways, smaller greens, more rough, more expensive rounds, and other mechanisms that will leave golf's future in doubt." -  TFOG

bakerg

Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #15 on: August 07, 2006, 11:22:28 PM »
In the World where Rich Harvest and Trump Whatever makes those lists nowadays I say sure.  

But in reality it does not deserve Top 40 anything.  I don't think at this point its Top 5 in the state.  

But I could have been jaded having played it after Ballyneal.
« Last Edit: August 07, 2006, 11:23:10 PM by bakerg »

Adam Clayman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #16 on: August 07, 2006, 11:22:41 PM »
I guess not!

Quote
I played the course on Thursday.  At this point the course is in a bit of rough shape as they are still growing in a lot of spots.  They were tweaking the first hole so there was a lot of construction there.  There were a couple of bunkers that still needed sand added.  And there were a couple areas that had been sodded that the sod did not take, so there were strips of dead grass near a couple of greens.

Regardless of that there are some very unique holes.  Number 2, 9A, 10, & 18 I thought were among the best out there.  

As for all the hype that this course was generating before it opened,  I don't think it deserved it.  This is an average course in my opinion.  I thought the bunkering and finishing work on the course was amateurish.  I couldn't understand why they didn't use Dan & Dave as they had in the past on this course.  The greens are fine but don't expect Friar Head's type movement.  

They did a great job with the routing but I just thought they came up short in too many other areas.  I would put this course behind Wild Horse in my personal rank of courses.
"It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing your whole life." - Mickey Mantle

bakerg

Re:Anyone play Erin Hills yet?
« Reply #17 on: August 07, 2006, 11:23:59 PM »
You beat me to it Adam.