ERIN HILLS

Town of Erin

At 11 years young, Erin Hills is just a pup among its mature golf-course brothers and sisters. But the kid has grown up fast, and in mid-June will become Wisconsin’s first-ever course to host the U.S. Open. Prepare for an onslaught of plaid pants, Titleist hats and unapologetic talk about Big Bertha (she’s a club used to drive the ball) as golf’s big swingers and fan armies descend.

The course sits 45 minutes’ drive from Downtown Milwaukee, close to Holy Hill, but when you get there you’ll swear you took a wrong turn into Ireland. It’s lush, with manicured green fairways framed by golden patches of meadow and rounded stretches of beach, er, sand traps.