Erin Hills course guide front 9

Here it is... 7,800 yards of sheer terror...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMODwM4eV50

 

 

The 1st, 608 yards, par 5: This is no way to start your day... 608 yard par 5 with tantalising carry options. Play safe to the right and get your round off to a clean start... or cut the corner and risk carnage on the score card.

The opening hole skirts the wetland, with the fairway tilted from right to left towards it. This hole features the one green that is best approached along the ground. The cluster of bunkers dug into the right hillside some 50 yards from the green function, in effect, as greenside bunkers for those trying to reach the green in two.

 

 

The 2nd, 358 yards, par 4: 

This is a classic strategic hole where the player who is confident enough to venture towards the unseen (the left side of the fairway) is rewarded with a view of the green for his pitch. However, the smallest green on the course ensures that the challenge is far from over after a good tee shot.

 

3rd hole, 476 yards, par 4: 

The first long par 4 on the course, the 3rd completes a varied opening trio of holes. The wetland on the left and bunkers challenge the tee shot, and the central bunker can deceive golfers into under-clubbing with the approach.

Consider the different backdrops for the first three greens: the 1st green jutting out into a wetland, the 2nd green with the openness of the 3rd hole beyond and the 3rd green set against a hillside.

 

4th hole. 439 yards, par 4

The 4th could be the most demanding hole on the course. The fairway is flanked by a hillside of healthy rough on the left and a menacing bunker that juts into the fairway from the right. The large central bunkers will force many players who miss the fairway to leave themselves a long third shot. With the shallow green, the front bunker and the wetlands just beyond the green, the approach is the most demanding iron a player will be asked to play all day.

 

 

5th hole. 505 yards, par 4

With its fairway flowing over the natural contours and the surrounding openness, the 5th hole perhaps best captures the character of Erin Hills. In preparation for the 2011 U.S. Amateur, the rough left of the front-left greenside bunker was reduced to fairway height to allow a player to bounce in his approach shot from the left.

 

6th hole. 237 yars, par 3

With its large green and apparent lack of defenses surrounding it, the 6th at first seems to be a breather. While it is true that a score of worse than 4 is unlikely, a 3 is well earned. With the westerly prevailing wind from behind and a false front followed by a green sloping away from the player, getting close to a hole location on the front half of the green is especially challenging.

 

 

The 7th. 607 yards, par 5

This rolling three-shotter plays past the bell that was used to give the all clear for the former Dell Hole (RIP). Three bunkers in front and on the left visually dominate the approach, but the false front on the right is perhaps the bigger challenge. As with several greens at Erin Hills (e.g., the 3rd, 10th and 14th), the 7th green steps down from side-to-side, a refreshing change from two-level greens that have all-too-predictable front and back levels.

 

8th hole. 492 yards, par 4

With its right-to-left dogleg and left-to-right slope of the fairway, the 8th is the tee shot where the player who has the ability to shape his shots at will (in this case from right-to-left) holds the biggest advantage at Erin Hills. With the front bunkers and shallow green, the approach favors the player who can bring the ball in with a high trajectory, although the rise at the back of the left half of the green provides a helpful backstop.

 

9th hole. 165 yards, par 3

After a series of big holes, the short and precise 9th comes as a jolt to the player. With the elevated tee and exposure to the wind, club selection is a challenge. The green is a bit of a mirror image Redan, with its angle and slope from left-to-right. The treacherous back-left bunker is key as it is not visible from the tee and many players whose tee shots looked good in the air walk away with 5 or worse after finding this bunker.

Related:

The back 9...