Experience two soon-to-be classics in Wisconsin |
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Wisconsin lost its favorite adopted son in Brett Favre but the state may have surpassed its own expectations of being home to two of golf’s most spectacular layouts; both universally believed to be headed for greatness. While Pete Dye’s Whistling Straits will celebrate its 10th anniversary this coming July, nearby Erin Hills is just beginning its journey that may end with the course hosting a U.S. Open. The Straits course opened on July 7, 1998 and received critical acclaim much like Erin Hills has shortly thereafter. The daily-fee golf facility located along Michigan’s western shore approximately 60 miles north of Milwaukee, quickly caught the attention of the PGA of America, landing the 2004 PGA Championship and the 2007 U.S. Senior Open. The Straits course has also been selected to host both the 2010 PGA Championship and 2015 PGA Championship. In 2020 the course will play host to the prestigious Ryder Cup. While the PGA of America is going steady with Whistling Straits, there has been some serious flirting going on between Erin Hills and the USGA and the courtship could land the newcomer one of the premier events in golf. In less than three months Erin Hills will host its first USGA event, the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, which the course was awarded before it was even seeded. The course will also host the U.S. Amateur in 2011. Erin Hills rests on a 652-acre site in the small town of Erin, thirty-five miles northwest of Milwaukee. In January of 2007, Golf Magazine rated Erin Hills “Best New Course of the Year”. The course weaves through natural wetlands, fescue grasses and pine trees, gliding along hills and swales formed by glaciers millions of years ago. Much like Whistling Straits, which magnificently hugs the shoreline of Lake Michigan down the road, Erin Hills is another one of those courses that appears impossible on the mostly dull flatlands of the Midwest. The best part about the two virtuosos of the America’s Dairyland – they are located just 71 miles apart, making it possible to experience both during a trip to Wisconsin.
And while the prices may be somewhat steep, you can play both the Straits Course and Erin Hills for about the cost it would take you to play one round at Pebble Beach. |
