How hard does the wind need to blow at Erin Hills for a stern U.S. Women's Open test?
'You're driving out here and you kind of keep driving and you go, maybe I missed it,' said Whan during a pretournament press conference at the 80th U.S. Women's Open.
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'Then you take the left into this property, and it's, if you build it. It just feels – my parents are from Iowa, so it reminds me of the Iowa drive and then you pull in. It's just majestic.'
What the blue coats love most about the place is its ability to test players in every facet. It can be stretched out into oblivion, if necessary, but a deft short game and creativity are crucial to tackle the green surroundings – especially if the wind kicks up. It's a long walk. The recommended time to play a casual round of golf out here is 4 hours and 55 minutes. The target time to finish Rounds 1 and 2 this week is 4:54, but good luck.
Mother Nature didn't show up when the men played the U.S. Open here in 2017 and scores were, for many, frustratingly low with Brooks Koepka's winning score 16 under. The forecast, which has changed a bit already this week, calls for rain on Wednesday and Thursday and gusts up to 30 mph on Friday as potential thunderstorms roll in.
'It tests every part of your game,' said world No. 1 Nelly Korda. 'It's very demanding. It's firm. It's fast, as well. Even if you think you've hit it good, you just can never – you can exhale when you see it stop. I would say even the weather plays a big role with the shots out here, with the putts.
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'I think it's a great big hitter's golf course, but it's just demanding in every aspect.'
The grounds crew at Erin Hills endured a particularly challenging winter and matters weren't helped last week when a storm dumped a good deal of rain on Thursday and hail the size of a quarter.
Zach Reineking, who has been at Erin Hills since the beginning and was recently promoted to the role of co-general manager, joined the Golf Channel Live From set on Tuesday afternoon to talk about the behind-the-scenes prep.
'It takes a small army, to be honest,' said Reineking. 'We've got our own staff of about 35 people and in addition to that, we've got 85 either superintendants or assistants, people that are in the industry who all came out to volunteer for us. A total of 110, 120 total staff members.'
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As for the hail, Reineking said the impact wasn't as significant as a ball mark, but they did have depressions on the greens. After the full staff watered the greens excessively, they brought in a ton-and-a-half asphalt roller to iron out the greens, and they're now back to pristine condition.
As was the case in 2017, ownership shut down the course back in October to get ready for this week.
The biggest difference, of course, is that this championship is taking place two weeks earlier than the U.S. Open's traditional mid-June dates. That means the fescue that lines the fairways of Erin Hills hasn't quite made the transition yet from a green hue to amber.
But, if Mother Nature cooperates, there will be wind. How much does it take, exactly, to get the true Erin Hills test?
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'We always joke, if it says five to 10, it's all a 10,' said Reineking. 'If it says 10 to 15, it's all 15. There's just no place for the wind to actually slow down. So you, if you can get winds that are 15 miles per hour, sustained, and then some gusts of 20, which I think we might see on Friday, it'll play a factor.'
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: How hard does the wind need to blow at Erin Hills for true major test?
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