Inside the Ropes and Under the Surface: What Erin Hills Reveals About the Modern Golf Course Superintendent

If you walked Erin Hills during the 80th U.S. Women’s Open, you likely noticed two things right away. First, the course did not feel manufactured. It felt discovered. Second, the operation behind it felt different than most championship venues. Less segmented. Less territorial. More aligned.

For the everyday golfer, Erin Hills was another bucket-list stop hosting a major championship. For those of you who work in turf, operations, or golf facility leadership, it offered something deeper. It showed what happens when a Golf Course Superintendent is not isolated to the maintenance yard, when agronomy and operations stop functioning as parallel tracks, and when leadership trusts the people closest to the ground.

This was not just a tournament story. It was a case study in how a golf course can function when silos are removed and when the superintendent role is allowed to expand without losing its core purpose.

A Course That Refuses to Be Overmanaged

Erin Hills sits on land shaped long before any architect arrived. Kettle moraine terrain, glacial outwash, rolling valleys, and exposed ridgelines define the property. The design philosophy was simple in theory and difficult in execution. Move as little dirt as possible. Let wind, slope, and firmness define the challenge. Accept inconsistency as part of the test.

Related: All-Star Team to Create Kettle Forge in Ashippun, Wisconsin

For a Golf Course Superintendent, this kind of property demands restraint. You are not correcting nature. You are responding to it. The soil profile includes sand and small rock. Drainage is natural. Firmness is not forced through aggressive inputs. It is earned through understanding moisture, traffic, and timing.

That approach showed during championship week. Fairways played tight without feeling stripped. Greens held speed without appearing stressed. Bunkers functioned as strategic penalties rather than visual hazards. None of this happened by accident. It required trust in the land and trust in the superintendent team to say no when outside pressure suggested more.

Ask yourself where your course fits on that spectrum. Are you shaping conditions to meet expectations that no longer apply, or are you working with what the site gives you? Erin Hills suggests that restraint, when backed by confidence, can scale all the way to the highest level of competition.

When the Superintendent Is No Longer on an Island

One of the most overlooked developments at Erin Hills had nothing to do with mowing heights or green speeds. Days before the championship, General Manager Andy Bush stepped into a new role as company President. Day-to-day leadership shifted to Co-General Managers Zach Reineking and Kris Schoonover.

Reineking is known across the industry. He was one of the youngest superintendents to host a U.S. Open in 2017. Schoonover came up through operations and served as General Chair for the U.S. Women’s Open. This pairing mattered.

Instead of maintenance answering to operations or operations working around agronomy, leadership crossed paths daily. Reineking spent more time inside the clubhouse and guest spaces. Schoonover spent more time at the turfgrass facility. That cross-pollination changed how decisions were made.

For the Golf Course Superintendent, this model raises an important question. How often are you included in conversations that shape the guest experience beyond the course? Food and beverage flow affects pace. Lodging schedules affect morning maintenance windows. Shuttle routes affect wear patterns. When you are invited into those discussions early, problems are solved before they reach your crew.

Many facilities talk about collaboration. Few restructure leadership to force it. Erin Hills did.

Agronomy at Scale Without Losing Precision

Championship golf exposes weaknesses quickly. Weather shifts magnify them. Traffic amplifies them. Media attention removes any margin for error.

The agronomy operation at Erin Hills functioned under constant observation. Camera crews followed volunteers and staff. Maintenance schedules were visible. Decisions were questioned in real time.

The response was not to tighten control. It was to trust process.

Volunteer crews started before sunrise and returned well after sunset. Tasks ranged from fairway blowing at 4 a.m. to walk mowing greens late in the evening. Precision mattered, yet the tone remained steady. Mistakes were addressed without panic. Adjustments were made without ego.

This is where experience matters. A Golf Course Superintendent who has lived through weather swings, tournament pressure, and staffing shortages understands when to push and when to protect the surface. Erin Hills played firm because the team allowed it to. They accepted that some shots would bounce away. They accepted that par was often the right score.

You have likely faced similar choices during member-guest events or qualifiers. Do you chase perfection or protect consistency? Erin Hills showed that consistency wins.

Women in Turf and the Reality of Representation

One of the most visible stories at the championship involved the volunteer agronomy team. Thirty-one of the seventy-five volunteers were women. That number matters because women represent roughly two percent of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America membership.

This was not a symbolic presence. These women worked the same hours, handled the same equipment, and carried the same expectations as everyone else. They were assistants, head superintendents, technicians, and interns. Many traveled across states and countries to be there.

For the Golf Course Superintendent reading this, the takeaway is practical. Visibility changes pipelines. When younger staff see people who look like them in leadership roles, they stay longer. They apply for promotions. They raise their hands for championship assignments.

If your crew lacks diversity, ask where your hiring process narrows unintentionally. Are job postings written in ways that discourage applicants? Are internships structured to support growth or simply fill labor gaps? Erin Hills did not solve this issue in one week, yet it demonstrated what happens when opportunity is shared openly.

Superintendent Decision Making Under Championship Pressure

The 80th U.S. Women’s Open demanded patience from players and from those maintaining the course. Wind shifted directions. Firmness changed hour by hour. Greens had to remain consistent across long days.

The superintendent team leaned on data and observation rather than reaction. Moisture meters informed hand watering. Traffic patterns guided rope placement. Setup choices reflected weather forecasts rather than television expectations.

This approach mirrors what many of you face daily, just on a different scale. Tournament pressure exists at private clubs, public facilities, and resorts. The names change. The stakes feel personal.

Ask yourself how often your decisions are driven by fear of complaint rather than confidence in agronomy principles. Erin Hills reinforced that trust in fundamentals holds up under scrutiny.

The Superintendent as a Connector, Not Just a Manager

One theme surfaced repeatedly during championship week. The superintendent role expanded without losing its identity.

Reineking described the opportunity to remove silos and evolve Erin Hills. Schoonover spoke about unifying golf, lodging, and food service under one guest experience. Finance leadership was strengthened with the addition of a Senior Director role to support long-term planning.

For a Golf Course Superintendent, this evolution raises important questions. Are you positioned only as a cost center, or are you viewed as a strategic leader? Do you understand how your decisions affect revenue, staffing, and retention? Are you comfortable stepping into conversations that go beyond turf?

Erin Hills suggests that the modern superintendent cannot afford to stay isolated. You do not need to abandon agronomy expertise. You need to translate it.

What This Means for Your Course

Most facilities will never host a major championship. That does not make these lessons irrelevant.

Erin Hills showed that collaboration improves efficiency without relying on buzzwords. It showed that firm conditions can coexist with fairness. It showed that superintendent leadership strengthens when it extends beyond the maintenance fence.

Take inventory of your own operation. Where do silos still exist? Where does communication break down between course and clubhouse? How often are decisions made about the course without your input?

You do not need a national spotlight to justify change. You need clarity, trust, and a willingness to engage beyond your comfort zone.

A Course That Reflects Its People

Erin Hills remains memorable because it reflects restraint, patience, and respect for land. Those qualities showed not only in the playing conditions, but in how the operation functioned.

The Golf Course Superintendent was not hidden during this championship. The role was visible, respected, and integrated. Volunteers felt ownership. Leadership encouraged collaboration. Decisions were made with long-term impact in mind.

As you walk your course tomorrow morning, consider what kind of operation you are shaping. Not just through mowing lines and moisture levels, but through how people work together.

Courses change. Expectations shift. The superintendent role continues to expand. Erin Hills offered a clear reminder that when you trust fundamentals and invite collaboration, the course speaks for itself.

And when that happens, you are no longer just maintaining turf. You are shaping the future of the profession.

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