Erin Hills/Whistling Straits trip - June 2014

[j hanson]

My brother and I are planning an Erin Hils/Whistling Straits trip in June of 2014. Here is our itinerary:

6/19 - Erin Hills (then drive to Kohler)

6/20 - Meadow Course in AM , Irish in PM

6/21 - Straits Course

6/22 - River Course

 

If anyone could offer any advice on things they liked/disliked about their Wisconsin trip we would appreciate it. Below i threw out some areas which we have questions. Im sure i missed some stuff. Please feel free to comment about what is noted below or anything else which you found useful about your trip.

 

likes/dislikes about the course

-caddy recommendations

-if anyone has played this time of year, weather advice and what you packed would be helpful

-what tees do you recommend (we are both around 4 index golfers)

-food recommendations. If there are restaurants around Erin HIlls, from Erin Hills to Kohler, or in the Kohler area which you would recommend let us know.

 

We are both excited for this trip. We did pebble beach 10 years ago and bandon five years ago. I threw this same post up before we did our bandon trip and it was really helpful.

[Pure716]

[quote name='j hanson' timestamp='1376429112' post='7670462']
likes/dislikes about the course
-caddy recommendations
-if anyone has played this time of year, weather advice and what you packed would be helpful
-what tees do you recommend (we are both around 4 index golfers)
-food recommendations. If there are restaurants around Erin HIlls, from Erin Hills to Kohler, or in the Kohler area which you would recommend let us know.
[/quote]

I've played the Kohler area my fair share of times.

#1 - PM me about that if you would like to know, I have NEVER had a bad caddy though. Two did go above, and beyond what is expected.
#2 - June is usually a a strong month for the area; and as you would except, obviously they will be top notch by then. If I had a choice I would lean more for late July/Early August.
#3 - The scorecard has a tee suggestions based on handicaps, a 4 would be the blue tees. That plays between 6800-7200 with the new length on the Straits. I've played Erin from the blue/black combo and that was a bit much. I would say depending on how much of a test you want: Day 1 - Green, Day 2 - Blue, Day 3 & 4 -Green
#4 - I enjoy the bar food at all the courses so that would be my pick.

Hope this helps!

[exgolfpro]

[quote name='j hanson' timestamp='1376429112' post='7670462']
My brother and I are planning an Erin Hils/Whistling Straits trip in June of 2014. Here is our itinerary:
6/19 - Erin Hills (then drive to Kohler)
6/20 - Meadow Course in AM , Irish in PM
6/21 - Straits Course
6/22 - River Course

If anyone could offer any advice on things they liked/disliked about their Wisconsin trip we would appreciate it. Below i threw out some areas which we have questions. Im sure i missed some stuff. Please feel free to comment about what is noted below or anything else which you found useful about your trip.

likes/dislikes about the course
-caddy recommendations
-if anyone has played this time of year, weather advice and what you packed would be helpful
-what tees do you recommend (we are both around 4 index golfers)
-food recommendations. If there are restaurants around Erin HIlls, from Erin Hills to Kohler, or in the Kohler area which you would recommend let us know.

We are both excited for this trip. We did pebble beach 10 years ago and bandon five years ago. I threw this same post up before we did our bandon trip and it was really helpful.
[/quote]

Sounds like a great time. I just got back from playing The Straits about 2 weeks ago. First time playing it and I was blown away. I am a 1 handicap (hit tee shots about 260-275) and played the Blue tees and it was about perfect for me. Many of the par 3 tee shots are downhill, and wind direction plays a huge factor into club selection. The only alteration to you schedule, I would recommend is on the day you play 36, to play the courses that are next to each other (River/Meadow Valley or Straits/Irish). The only reason is, Blackwolf is about 15-20 minutes drive from Whistling Straits.

As for caddy recommendations, my caddy at The Straits was "Tom"...I would rate him 10/10. He was fantastic. I shared him with a gentleman who was playing a different set of tees than me, and neither of us were inconvenienced by it. It hustled his butt off. The other caddy in our group was Phil and he was great as well. Every time my caddy gave me a 'plays like' yardage, he was dead on. He really knew his stuff.

As for food, we did not eat at the course, but there are good restaurants at each location. Also, Kohler itself didn't seem to have a lot of food options, you will probably have to spend your time in Sheboygan to get the food.

[oldpalchamp]

Make sure you get a brat at the halfway house at Erin Hills. The best brat I have ever had!

Oh, and enjoy yourself. Sounds like a great trip. The restaurants at the American Club and at their courses are all great. From burgers to nouvelle cuisine, they have something for everybody. Erin Hills is in the middle of nowhere, though, but has a pretty nice restaurant.

If you have time for one more course while in the Kohler area, The Bull at Pinehurst Farms is an excellent Nicklaus design and is very close.

Have a great time!

[johnnylongball]

You will have a great time. Kohler has become my group's default location for our annual trip. I don't know where you are planning on staying but we really like the Inn on Woodlake. Restaurant reco's for you:

- The restaurants at both Whistling Straits and Blackwolf are very good. There is a nice upstairs bar at Whistling Straits that we missed the first time we were there.
- Horse & Plow - try the cheese curds
- Firehouse Pizza
- Legend Larry's (sports bar, good wings)
- Duke of Devon (English style pub)

None of these are too expensive.

Also, drink Spotted Cow. Great local brew.

One other place...Big Jimmy's. Total dive bar. You'll get some real local culture in there.

[j hanson]

Excellent...thanks for all the input...keep the suggestions coming. We only get to do trips like this every so often so we try to make the most of them. Thanks for the responses.

[mattsam]

I did this exact trip

I would recommend the following:

Play the Meadows and then the River course the same day. It's a good drive between whistling and blackwolf. You can shower and eat at both locations. You can easily get to your hotel from blackwolf and get back but it's twice as far from whistling and back.
Saying that walking straits and Irish will be a tough day.

You could easily play Erin Hills your first day, and also play Meadows in the afternoon.

Then you could play River Course and Irish the same Day.

Then leave the Straits for a whole day.

That way you walk 18 max each day, you get to go see the Straits course when you go to the Irish. That will pump you up.

It's a great golf trip!
Get a forecaddy at river course.

Erin Hills is a great place. Take your time to get a drink and rock on the back porch.

[QuarterTank]

I just did this trip 2 weekends ago with 3 buddies. it's an awesome golf destination. we did not get to play meadows. here's how we did it:
-arrived milwaukee early friday am, little over an hour drive to erin hills. afternoon round at erin hills (last group off, finished 18 in beautiful twilight). I also birdied 17 and 18 to salvage a poor round and win our press.
-stayed friday night at the lodge at erin hills -- small number of rooms on property, dinner in the dining room that night was excellent.
-sat mid-morning round at erin hills. lunch, then drive up to kohler.
-sumday: 18 at Irish (walking w/caddy); 27 at river course
-monday: 18 at Straits, depart milwaukee that afternoon

this worked out well,though it got a little cramped with some flight issues but everything worked out in the end. i strongly suggest 36 at erin hills if possible. that was my favorite of all the courses (from a golf perspective), staying overnight there worked out really well, it's very relaxed--the restaurant was great and that back porch is an awesome setting to relax and enjoy a drink after the round. The straits is pretty awesome, especially from a scenery perspective on top of the golf. but i think the layout at erin hills is so awesome, playing it twice is def worth it, imo. i'm sure the meadows course is nice, but i think you can safely leave it out for an extra round at EH.

edit: we also stayed at the inn at woodlake in kohler which was great. but in all honesty, we were in the rooms only to shower and sleep. while the american club may be nicer, i see no reason to spend any more on a room than woodlake.

[mattsam]

The Holiday Inn (I think) is a great alternative to the places on property

[STEWM 67]

I have a question. Do you have to stay on property at both of these sites to play the course? Would it be cheaper to do an off site hotel if you didn't have too. My foursome is looking at this trip next year too.

Thanks

Stew M

[johnnylongball]

[quote name='STEWM 67' timestamp='1376679390' post='7689138']
I have a question. Do you have to stay on property at both of these sites to play the course? Would it be cheaper to do an off site hotel if you didn't have too. My foursome is looking at this trip next year too.

Thanks

Stew M
[/quote]

No, Stew, you don't have to stay at the resort. However, they do offer package deals including lodging so you may come out ahead by staying on property vs. staying offsite. You also may be able to book tee times further in advance by staying with them. I'd say price it out both ways.

[BobsBugsBeGone]

Headed there next month. Lots of god info in this thread. How long is thr drive from O'Hair to Erin Hills?

[mattsam]

[quote name='BobsBugsBeGone' timestamp='1376710671' post='7692078']
Headed there next month. Lots of god info in this thread. How long is thr drive from O'Hair to Erin Hills?
[/quote]

I would say 3 hours maybe?
Its 30-45 min from Milwaukee airport

[atn86]

[quote name='QuarterTank' timestamp='1376567456' post='7680544']
i strongly suggest 36 at erin hills if possible.
[/quote]

Agree with the above recommendation. I have played every course that the OP will be playing besides the Meadows Valley Course. IMO Erin Hills involves the most "local knowledge". There are a lot of blind shots off the tee where you are pretty much clueless about the which was the hole goes and what the proper line is. The caddy definitely helps you define the proper line. Don't get me wrong, WS definitely has a ton of local knowledge, but I think EH is tougher in this regard. I'd venture to say that I could shave 5-6 shots of my score at EH the second time playing it solely from knowing the course a little better.

As far as caddy recommendations, I had Sean at WS. He was great. Had him for 36 holes that day, playing both the Straits and Irish.

Food options at the American Club are pretty solid. The continental breakfast at the Inn at Woodlake is great, so if you are staying there, opt for that. At EH, the food in the grillroom is also solid.

You'll have a ton of fun. Enjoy!

[jrw588]

If I could recommend any one restaurant it would be Gosse's in Sheboygan. Order the cheese steaks as they are pretty much cheeseburgers with better meat and enjoy. Whenever I'm in the area I have to stop there to get a meal. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays if I remember right so keep that in mind for the planning. Only other thing to remember is they are cash only if you're like me and rarely carry it.

PS you're cholesterol will be at an all time high after this meal but it's so worth it.

[duffer987]

Me and a friend were there in May and we had a very similar sched to you:
- Erin Hills
- Straits | Meadows
- Irish | Straits
- River

The drive between the Kohler courses really is negligible. There's not exactly a lot of traffic. Yes it may be nice to just hang out in the clubhouse instead of loading up the car and driving 15mins, but not enough to change a schedule for.

Both set ups are awesome and the golf is fantastic.Having both the lakeside faux links and then the parkland courses really gives you great variety. Yes Whistling Straits is not true linksland golf, but still the Straits course is now one of my favorite tracks. The par 3's there have to be one of the best collection of par 3's anywhere. The River course some say is harder and if it is not really blowing on the Straits, then they may be right. We played the greens 6500-ish length as an 11 and a 4 and were suitably challenged. My friend could likely have gone back a set, but for me the greens were spot on. Reckon you guys would find the next set back the same, assuming you are good for everyone of those yards off the tee and with accuracy of course

Erin Hills didn't amaze us the way we thought it might. Yes it is good, but we put it on par with a course like Bayonet (which is a fabulous course I am lucky enough to play a few times a year) in Seaside, CA for shot values, design, and difficulty; however the green fee is of a course that should be better than that. In our opinion it didn't measure up to the Straits or River course. Ranking it as a Top 20 public course in the USA is setting expectations far too high.

Anyhoo, enough rambling from me. Keep looking forward to that trip, it will be loads of fun!

[mattsam]

[quote name='duffer987' timestamp='1377238213' post='7730052']

The par 3's there have to be one of the best collection of par 3's anywhere.

The River course some say is harder and if it is not really blowing on the Straits, then they may be right.

Erin Hills: Ranking it as a Top 20 public course in the USA is setting expectations far too high.

[/quote]

I agree with the first two. But Erin Hills is very close to a top 20, I'd say its just outside the top 25

[npbtour]

I am planning a trip for July 2014... What are the conditions this year? I agree with others that you want to keep replays on the same course. Straits/Irish and River/Valley.

[Chilidog]

We went last year in July and it was awesome....low 80s and windy. Our itinerary was:

Friday: afternoon on Erin Hills
Sat: morning on Irish, afternoon on Straits
Sunday: morning on River, afternoon on Straits
Monday: morning on River and had the afternoon booked for Irish but we all liked Erin Hills so much that we drove back there for our afternoon round
Tuesday: were scheduled to fly that morning but were coerced by the Erin Hills staff to play another morning round for a reduced rate and went standby for flights later which wasn't a problem.

Had a blast. Erin Hills has to be the best match play course we've played in our 20 years of guy trips. Didn't seem like a hole could be halved with either birdie or bogey in play a lot. Too much fun.

[bbarclay]

I'm not sure that Erin Hills warrants the negatives listed. I played it a few years back, and thought it was tremendous. We made two decisions that really made the round special --

(1) take a caddy. Mine was tremendous, had caddied for both PGA and Web.com tour players, and his input meant the difference in several shots. The aim lines off of the tee are not always obvious, so I just tried to hit it where I was told. This was generally a great idea;

(2) use the appropriate tees. Erin Hills is REALLY LONG. The very back tees are almost ridiculous, and probably won't be used even during the upcoming US Open. We played several set forward (still about 6700-6800 yards) and it really made a difference. Of course, your mileage may vary...

Enjoy the special trip....

B

[npbtour]

Has anyone played Erin hills or the Straits course this year? How was it?

[Pure716]

[quote name='npbtour' timestamp='1401752035' post='9417187'] Has anyone played Erin hills or the Straits course this year? How was it? [/quote]

I played very early on this season for a reduced rate. The greens were punched and the fairways weren't lively, however, it was still a great experience playing my favorite course in the country. I did, however, play the Meadow Valley course today and it was in fantastic condition.

[SilverBullets]

Heading here in a couple weeks with my Father. Can't wait. Hitting Erin Hills on Thursday, the River Course on Friday, Straits and Irish on Saturday then driving home on Sunday.

[jschwarb]

I'm also taking this trip with my Dad. Leaving Indy on Father's Day morning to drive to Miller Park for a game, then Monday is River course, Tuesday is Straits, Wed. is Meadow Valleys and drive back to Indy. We're staying at American Club on a package deal. I've never been so excited for a golf trip. Hope my game is up to it!

[exgolfpro]

[quote name='jschwarb' timestamp='1402000619' post='9437875']
I'm also taking this trip with my Dad. Leaving Indy on Father's Day morning to drive to Miller Park for a game, then Monday is River course, Tuesday is Straits, Wed. is Meadow Valleys and drive back to Indy. We're staying at American Club on a package deal. I've never been so excited for a golf trip. Hope my game is up to it!
[/quote]

You will have a blast. i played Whistling Staits last year and my wife and I are going up June 29th-July 3rd. Gonna play Erin Hills on 6/30 and The River Course on 7/2. (wife doesn't play, so this is not a 'golf only' trip.)

[Sconnie Hacker]

[quote name='npbtour' timestamp='1401752035' post='9417187']
Has anyone played Erin hills or the Straits course this year? How was it?
[/quote]

Just played it Friday. It was awesome. Had the conditions turned up to US Open stuff (as they are gonna do ever week of the open now for the next couple years). Lots of tough pins. It was worth every penny

[Sconnie Hacker]

[quote name='Sconnie Hacker' timestamp='1402796884' post='9497603']
[quote name='npbtour' timestamp='1401752035' post='9417187']
Has anyone played Erin hills or the Straits course this year? How was it?
[/quote]

Just played it Friday. It was awesome. Had the conditions turned up to US Open stuff (as they are gonna do ever week of the open now for the next couple years). Lots of tough pins. It was worth every penny
[/quote] erinn hills, obviously

[Czervik n Smails]

Jhanson,

You are going to love these courses. I will also recommend Lawsonia Links. It may be out of your way for what you intend but it is a great course. Enjoy your trip and let us know what you think.

[SilverBullets]

heading to Erin Hills and WS on Wednesday.. EH Thursday morning, BWR River Friday, and Straits/Irish on Saturday,.. i can't wait!

[DavePelz4]

Color me jealous Bullets! Such an awesome trip! Have a great time and update on the results of your trip.