Turf Innovation on Display: Erin Hills Hosts 2025 U.S. Women's Open

This year’s venue, Erin Hills Golf Course just outside Milwaukee, is a publicly accessible facility with a reputation for minimalist design and natural challenge. Built on glacial terrain, the course features wide fairways, dramatic elevation changes, and minimal artificial hazards—just five trees and a single water feature. Its primary defenses are natural: wind, native fescue rough (3½ inches), and 132 strategically placed bunkers.

But behind the visual beauty is a turf story worth spotlighting.

In 2020, Erin Hills undertook a major fairway turf transition. The original fine fescue fairways, while true to the course’s aesthetic and playability goals, struggled with surface drainage and seasonal variability due to the region's dense, clay-based soils.

Rather than opt for a full kill-and-reseed approach—which would have required closing the course for an entire season—the Erin Hills agronomy team, led by Superintendent Zach Reineking, implemented a high-risk, high-reward overseeding strategy.

Here's what they did:

• Step 1: Turf Suppression - The crew scalped the existing fine fescue and applied plant growth regulators to inhibit regrowth.
• Step 2: Overseeding - They heavily seeded the fairways with a custom mix of DLF’s Flagstick and 007 Creeping Bentgrass, chosen for their density, wear tolerance, and heat performance.
• Step 3: Topdressing - A substantial topdressing program helped create optimal seed-to-soil contact and aided establishment while maintaining playable surfaces.

With ideal summer weather and the support of advanced bentgrass genetics, the bentgrass gradually outcompeted the suppressed fescue. The course was closed for just one week—a remarkable turnaround for a conversion of this scale.

Today, the result is a more uniform and manageable playing surface that handles moisture better, offers improved surface consistency, and fits the demands of a high-profile event like the U.S. Women’s Open.

Additional Agronomic Notes:

• Topdressing Strategy: Erin Hills' fall topdressing program was a key factor in maintaining surface integrity and plant health through the driest January on record and a cold, delayed spring.
• Sustainability: The course is Audubon-certified, irrigates selectively, and manages over 150 acres of un-mowed fine fescue, emphasizing low-input turf management and ecological stewardship.
• Design Philosophy: Built over two decades ago, the course was shaped with minimal earthmoving. Its design preserves the glacial contours of the site, which naturally direct water, enhance drainage in playable areas, and reduce reliance on artificial shaping.

Broadcast Schedule (All times ET):

• Thursday, May 29
  • USA Network: 12–6 p.m.
  • Peacock: 6–8 p.m.
• Friday, May 30
  • USA Network: 12–6 p.m.
  • Peacock: 6–8 p.m.
• Saturday, May 31
  • NBC: 3–6 p.m.
  • Peacock: 1–6 p.m.
• Sunday, June 1
  • NBC & Peacock: 2–7 p.m.