Erin Hills end of year sale comes early, changes announced.

[John Kavanaugh]

http://tinyurl.com/5c7hhc

One of the great golfing days of my 40's was spent last year playing Erin Hills on their last day of operation.  I don't get the Bobby Jones logo, hope that is not copyrighted, but am interested in what people think about the following changes outlined on the above link or what else they might know:

• Enlarging the #2 and #3 greens
• Lowering the front third of #10 green
• Re-figuring the eskar in front of the #17 green.
•  Strategic bunkers will be added
•  #18 fairway will expand about 20 yards to the south

[Tom_Doak]

The special end-of-season rate is $115 ??  What's the regular green fee?

[Richard Choi]

C'mon Tom, you can afford it 

[John Kavanaugh]

Regular rates...


Green Fee

$160*

Golf Car

$32/bag

Pull Cart

$10

Rental Clubs

$50**

Loaner Shoes

$10

Replay Rate

$95

Dana Fry autographed score card

$37.50

[SPDB]

The caddy is $45 and the recommended gratuity is $40

[John Kavanaugh]

The caddy is $45 and the recommended gratuity is $40

Before I comment would you care to tell me why you don't post under your real name?

[Tom_Doak]

John:

How much is the scorecard with Ron Whitten's autograph?  Or does his contract with GOLF DIGEST prohibit that?

[Ronald Montesano]

Wait, you mean I can't just mail my scorecard to Columbus for a signature?  Why the heck not?

[John Kavanaugh]

Would it help if I apologized for Ron Whitten saying Gillette Ridge is better than Wintonbury Hills?  Did anyone notice on the 2008 USGA calendar Whitten's picture and name was omitted as a contributing architect.  Can't we get past this petty crap and get on with enjoying a great course.

[CHrisB]

Sounds like they're eliminating some of the quirk to ready the course for hosting USGA championships.

I would have lowered the back part of the 10th green instead of the front.

#2 can still be a great hole without it's tiny green--we'll see what they come up with.

#3 green didn't seem to be receptive to a long-iron shot so enlarging it might work well.

I don't know what direction south is on #18 so I can't envision how the new fairway will look and play.

At least they'll leave the dell hole alone...although that hole probably won't see any action in a USGA championship anyway (too bad).

It's a great golf course and well worth the fee to play there. Going back-to-back at Erin Hills and Lawsonia was a great experience.

[John Kavanaugh]

Did the girls play the dell in this years junior am?  I hate the bye hole more than any hole in golf where I have only taken 2 strokes.  Do you have any idea what it does to a guys mindset to make a birdie in the middle of a round that does not count.  Since I made a 7 on 18 my score on the first 18 holes I played was a full 5 shots better than the "regulation" 18.  I love the dell hole and believe given the wit of Davis it will be in play.

[CHrisB]

John K,
Yes, the girls skipped the dell hole. Played #6, then walked the length of the dell hole and over to the 337-yard tee at #8 (actually there probably was a shuttle but you get the idea).

[John Kavanaugh]

The caddy is $45 and the recommended gratuity is $40

You might note that the caddie fees at Bandon are at similar if not more and the walk is easier and consists of one less hole.  Not to mention the lack of range time at Bandon.  I do not understand why anyone would complain about caddie fees at a course that rents push carts.

http://www.bandondunesgolf.com/caddie_fees.cfm

[RJ_Daley]

I'd say that folks should try to get out there to play it this year before the changes, in order to understand what the objectionable things are that apparently now even the owner and archie feel the need to modify.  Some would say it doesn't merit changes and it is great the way it is.  I'm not in that camp.  Definitely, IMHO, #2 needs the reconfiguration of the green, if not only to make it nearly 1.5X the square footage it is now.  If they kept the turtleback nature of the green, at 1.5-2X, it would be less objectionable, and then the quirk of it being blind to anything in the driving trough short of the big bombers LZ, would be palateable.  Maybe cut the hill blocking the view to the green about 4ft....

I also agree that the problem on 10 is the back, not the front of the green.  

I don't see where they want to add more "strategic bunkers" and think the place has enough of them now...

I don't have a problem with 3 or 17.  

I beleieve it is 12s second shot blindness into native on both sides of the pregreen was objectionable to me.  Particularly as a long par 4 where it is highly likely you aren't going to make the green in 2 anyway.

And to add one more thing, the second shot of hole 1, left and over the top of the clearance tree on the left, needs to somehow have that slope moderated so that a shot clearing it, will stay in play and not bound down to unplayable wetland.  It won't be easy to modify that area either... IMO. 

[John Kavanaugh]

And to add one more thing, the second shot of hole 1, left and over the top of the clearance tree on the left, needs to somehow have that slope moderated so that a shot clearing it, will stay in play and not bound down to unplayable wetland.  It won't be easy to modify that area either... IMO. 

What, you don't want the golfer who goes for the green in two penalized.  The upper right lay up area is most generous, sorry if it is a bit blind.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Is there a Rod Whitman signed scorecard available... he did a lot of shaping out there after all 

[SPDB]

The caddy is $45 and the recommended gratuity is $40

Before I comment would you care to tell me why you don't post under your real name?

Because I prefer my initials (and they are my real initials) and I've been posting under them for nearly the entire life of this site and before you came on the scene under the moniker JakaB.  I have a brand to protect and you'd have me dilute it. You know my name. Many on this site know my name. So, there you have it. Please comment.

[Brad Swanson]

One round there full boat (caddy and all) for an in state resident is half of my annual dues up at Marquette.  I'll pass until the fees drop below a Benji for at least some point of the year.

Cheers,
Brad

[Mike McGuire]

http://tinyurl.com/5c7hhc


• Re-figuring the eskar in front of the #17 green.

How do you re-figure an esker? Disfiguring a rare landform formed by a glacier does not seem to be minimalism. Some dirt is better than other dirt.

from Wikipedia

Most eskers are believed to form in ice-walled tunnels by streams which flowed within and under glaciers. After the retaining ice walls melt away, stream deposits remain as long winding ridges. Eskers may also form above glaciers by accumulation of sediment in supraglacial channels, in crevasses, in linear zones between stagnant blocks, or in narrow embayments at glacier margins. Eskers form near the terminal zone of glaciers, where the ice is not moving as fast and is relatively thin (Easterbrook, 1999).

[Ari Techner]

I am definitely going to make sure I get back there this year before they make any changes.  Put me in the camp that thinks they should have left the course as is. 

[Dan Moore]

# 2 Green

The zit green needed to be expanded for wear and tear reasons if nothing else.  Note wear mark at exit point on second photo.




#3 Green
Not sure what the problem with this green is.  Perhaps there is too much back to front slope for
tournament green speeds and pin locations.



#10 Green
No photos of the green.  As I recall the green surface is blind from certain approaches with the
front being higher than the rest.  Back needs expansion for more pin positions.  This will be a fun
green for those who can get there in two. 

#17 Esker
I’m with McGuire on this one.  Why disfigure the Esker?  The only reason is to eliminate the
perceived unfairness of a blind approach.  Hit to the right in the fairway and you can see plenty of
green.  A beautiful hole with its own character.  Save the Esker!!


#18
I like this idea of expanding the fairway on the right with the right hand bunkers surrounded by fairway.  This will add more options provided the left is not narrowed. 


#18 from the Tee


And the fairway landing zone. 


And two for fun.

#12 from behind the green in June


#15 on an early November afternoon

[Ryan Farrow]

# 2 Green

The zit green needed to be expanded for wear and tear reasons if nothing else.  Note wear mark at exit point on second photo.

What in gods name is that?

[John Kavanaugh]

?

Ryan,

I'm the guy in the white pants and blue blouse.  Using my fat ass as a sense of scale you can see the green is of adequate size for a sub 100 yd approach.

[Mike Hendren]

This golf course was over-hyped and is over-rated in my modest, one-play opinion.   It's a clumsy golf course on a clumsy site. 

Loved the dell hole - that's about it.

Mike

[John Kavanaugh]

This golf course was over-hyped and is over-rated in my modest, one-play opinion.   It's a clumsy golf course on a clumsy site. 

Loved the dell hole - that's about it.

Mike

Mike,

The day I played is shown in the above pictures.  It is the last day the course is opened for the year, November in Wisconsin,  notice that the fescue is cut low, the weather is perfect and I was lucky enough to play with some great guys for free that set up our round with a perfect set of tees for maximum enjoyment.  With all that said - I see it as the finest modern course outside Ballyneal I have ever played.