Wisconsin golf basks in glow of U.S. Open
TOWN OF ERIN - For a week, Wisconsin has been the golf capital of the world.
Like a circus rolling into town and putting on a big show beneath a big top, the U.S. Open at Erin Hills has provided spectacle and drama as the best players compete for a coveted championship.
But what happens when the U.S. Open champion is crowned, the tents come down and the golf show moves on to another town? Wisconsin will still buzz from the Open effect. “The spillover will last for years, maybe forever,” said Andy Barrett, the head golf pro at Brown Deer Golf Course.
Wisconsin tourism officials are delighted with the coverage of the U.S. Open at Erin Hills. The sights and sounds of golf in the American heartland have reached viewers, and golfers, around the world.
One job of tourism officials is to keep Wisconsin on the global golf map. Golfadvisor.com placed Wisconsin No. 1 as the top golf destination to visit in 2017.
“The bottom line is the video footage has been so incredible and the coverage of the event itself, why, literally we cannot pay for this kind of advertising,” said Stephanie Klett, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
Tourism staffer David Spiegelberg has been selling Wisconsin golf at big trade shows in the United States and Germany. In a crowded travel landscape, every state and city yearns to show something special to lure big tour operators.
“What differentiates Wisconsin is just these world-class golfing events we’ve seen over the last 10 to 15 years,” Spiegelberg said.
The U.S. Open isn’t the first major to come to Wisconsin and likely won’t be the last.
Ever since the PGA Championship was first played in 2004 at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wisconsin has been vaulted into golf’s top tier.
The PGA returned to Whistling Straits in 2010 and 2015, and in 2020, the course will host the Ryder Cup, a Europe vs. USA golf showdown.
Other tournaments have popped up. This week, Steve Stricker will host the American Family Insurance Championship at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison.
The Thornberry LPGA Classic will be held July 3-9 in Oneida.
“I think the more big golf events that come here the better for the state and the better for just the awareness of golf and maybe getting people to try it out and to play,” said Rory McIlroy, the No. 2ranked golfer who failed to make the cut at the Open. “Obviously the golf season here isn’t quite as long as other parts of the country. You can only play for probably four or five months. Hopefully bringing tournaments — big tournaments and the best players in the world to this part of the country — can inspire kids to take up the game and try to emulate some of us.”
Wisconsin has long been ranked among the top states in the nation for the number of golfers in relation to the overall population.
Of course, the woes to hit golf after the Great Recession didn’t spare Wisconsin. At one time, during golf’s so-called Tiger Boom, when Tiger Woods rose to prominence, there were upwards to 60,000 members of the Wisconsin State Golf Association. Membership declined in recent years but has since ticked up to 40,000.
There are around 500 golf courses in the state, including par-3 executivestyle courses, said Rob Jansen, WSGA executive director. There are courses at all price points, from twilight specials at $11 a round to more than $400 to play 18 at Whistling Straits, plus a caddy fee.
“I only see positives coming out of this Open,” Jansen said.
Bill Linneman, WSGA director of rules and competition, has been part of the rules committee at the U.S. Open and has heard nothing but praise for Wisconsin golf.
“Erin Hills has been portrayed wonderfully,” he said. “The entire state has been portrayed wonderfully as the great place it truly is. I’ve had several people from around the country and world say how nice everyone is they come in contact with.”
Several local courses reported a boost in business from the U.S. Open, with some spectators playing golf before heading out to the tournament. Brown Deer even took a reservation from golfers from Japan.
Course managers are hoping a burst of activity follows the tournament.
“We all agree looking forward that this will get people golf-oriented and excited about golf,” said Ali Schaefer of familyowned Storm’s Golf, which operates a range and course and manages another course.
Kettle Hills Golf Course in Richfield is 10 miles from Erin Hills and is on a route to the tournament.
“I expect we’ve reached a few people we hadn’t reached before,” said Kettle Hills pro Nick Tarasoff.
Tarasoff has also noticed in the past couple of years that younger people are taking up the game.
“I see a lot more people in their late 20s and early 30s playing the game,” he said. “For a long time, I hadn’t seen that.”
As he made his way through the first three rounds of his first U.S. Open, Jordan Niebrugge of Mequon couldn’t help but see a lot of kids following the action.
“It’s pretty cool to see them,” he said. “They followed me today and called me, ‘Mr. Niebrugge.’ I was a little kid one time and came out to Whistling Straits for a couple of PGA Championships. And it inspired me to get where I am today. I’m sure it’s doing the same to those guys.”