Zach Reineking & The Rise of Erin Hills

Foreword

This article on Zach Reineking and his team from Erin Hills’ preparations for the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open was written for the Wisconsin Golf Course Superintendents Association and Grass Roots Magazine, which I have written features for over the past several years. It was published in the April/May/June 2025 issue that arrived in members’ mailboxes around June 9, 2025.

Zach Reineking’s leadership and excellence has since been further recognized as he was promoted to Co-General Manager of Erin Hills along with Kris Schoonover (formerly General Chair of the U.S. Women’s Open, Director of Operations and Assistant Competitions Director), on May 23, 2025.

From Stakes to Cathedral: Zach Reineking & The Rise of Erin Hills

In the shadow of Holy Hill, Zach Reineking and the Erin Hills turf team are preparing one of America’s most revered public venues for the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open, further cementing its place among the USGA’s elite cathedrals of championship golf.

Championship Season Returns to Erin Hills

Later this month, Erin Hills will host the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open – the most prestigious championship in women’s golf – joining Pebble Beach and Pinehurst No. 2 as the third public golf course in the country to host both the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open.

It’s a remarkable feat for any course, let alone one so young. In just 20 years, Erin Hills will have hosted four USGA championships, with six more on the calendar through 2035 – including all four of the association’s flagship events, a distinction shared by just 13 venues nationwide. 

As USGA CEO Mike Whan noted:

“When I came around the corner, it reminded me of the Field of Dreams. This feels like the Field of Dreams for golf – if you build it, they will come.”

More than 1,900 women from around the world attempted to qualify for this year’s championship, competing for the field’s 156 spots. It’s a testament to both the prestige of the event and the venue’s magnetism.

At the heart of Erin Hills’ rise is Zach Reineking, the course’s longtime Senior Director of Course Maintenance, whose professional journey has unfolded alongside the property’s growth. 

From his early days interning at Whistling Straits to leading turf preparations for multiple national championships, Reineking has helped shape not only the physical identity of Erin Hills but the culture and care that make it one of the world’s best public golf destinations.

“Our goal is to make this look easy,” Reineking says. “And I’ve got full confidence that by the time the first ball is struck, we’ll be exactly where we want to be.”

From the Caddy Shack to Hallowed Grounds

Like many in turfgrass, Reineking’s journey began with a bag on his shoulder. At 13 years old, he started caddying at Pine Hills Country Club in Sheboygan, following in his older brother’s footsteps. 

After growing up in Sheboygan Falls, he attended UW–Madison with an initial interest in landscape architecture. Zach loved the outdoors, though, and within two years he realized that sitting at a drafting table was not his calling. 

A conversation with fellow Evans Scholar Steve Houlihan redirected him toward the university’s Turf Management program, and after a single meeting with Professor Wayne Kussow his schedule – and future – were rewritten. Within days, Reineking had a roadmap to graduate with a degree in Turfgrass Science.

Internships at Blackwolf Run (2003) and Whistling Straits (2004 PGA Championship) introduced him to mentors like Jeff Wilson and Dave Swift, who guided him toward a unique new construction project on a largely untouched property near Hartford, Wisconsin.

That project was Erin Hills.

“I toured the property in January, and it was still just stakes in the ground,” Reineking recalls. “They had put in some mainline and irrigation, but mostly just stakes in the ground where tees, landing zones and greens would be.”

Zach joined the team in June 2005 as an Assistant Superintendent, and from those early days walking a raw landscape with little more than a map, he’s helped shape Erin Hills’ rise from concept to championship venue.

The Evolution of Erin Hills

Bob Lang’s original vision for Erin Hills was modest: to develop one of the top daily-fee courses under $100. But that all changed when Golf Digest’s Ron Whitten and USGA Executive Director David Fay toured the site.

“All of a sudden it went from being a low-budget facility to a potentially championship-hosting one,” Reineking says. “And it’s been an evolution. What you see now – after changes in ownership, infrastructure, turfgrass and even the routing – is a course that’s finally become the championship-caliber facility we envisioned.”

What emerged was a layout that embraced the land’s natural drama, from the unique greens sites to fairways that ebb and flow. They were mostly there, waiting to be discovered.

“They were able to use the terrain in incredible ways. Most of the green sites were on the natural topography, like the little, elevated turtleback green on hole two. Everybody thinks that was man-made, but it was already a landform in that valley.”

Many of those landforms, like the raised green on hole two and the dramatic contours of the 12th, 14th and 15th holes – weren’t shaped by machines but by glaciers. An adjoining 40-acre parcel was purchased to bring holes 15-17 into play, including the iconic volcano green on 15.

“There are only 13 courses in the country that have or will host all four of the USGA’s marquee championships,” Whan reminded the media. “And this one will do it in under 30 years.”

Building a Culture That Lasts & Inspires at Erin Hills

At Erin Hills, championship turf isn’t just about agronomy. It’s about people.

“This job is supposed to be fun,” Reineking says. “We’re asking people to show up at 4:30 or 5 in the morning and do jobs that aren’t always glamorous. So you have to create an environment they enjoy being a part of.”

Many staff members return year after year, even when pursuing careers elsewhere. Some forego internships in their own fields to be part of something meaningful at Erin Hills, and Reineking sets the tone:

”I would never ask a staff member to do something I haven’t already done. I’ve done it all. I’ve dug plenty of holes and raked plenty of bunkers. I’ve done every horrible job you can do on a golf course and every great job you can do on a golf course,” he said. “And because of that, we’ve got an appreciation for what our staff does. 

I’m extremely fortunate to have an incredible supporting staff around me, including John Jacques, Bryan Fenney, Adam Wagner and Ryan Erdman. John is our Superintendent, and he’s been with Erin Hills since 2010. He’s seen a U.S. Amateur and has been through a U.S. Open and it’s been great to rely on him and his knowledge base as we prepare and set up for this tournament. Bryan was one of those kids who was dropped off at Erin Hills by a school bus as a high schooler to pick stones out of the fairways. He ended up going to school for turfgrass, interned with us, left for Geneva National and Ozaukee Country Club and came back. He’s got an intimate knowledge of the property. Our mechanics have been so influential, too. Jeff Borowski and Alan Knoblauch are the unsung heroes, keeping our equipment running at peak conditions. At the end of the week, they’ve touched each reel dozens of times.” 

Championship Turf: A Different Kind of Prep

With Wisconsin’s spring slow to start, prepping Erin Hills for a late-May championship has required urgency and creativity.

“There’s more pressure this time,” Reineking says. “We’re trying to get the golf course to respond as quickly as we can coming out of a really tough winter.”

In 2017 (for the U.S. Open), much of the turf was fine fescue, a playable grass type but one that struggles with poor drainage. Erin Hills’ clay loam soils didn’t always cooperate and after several challenging winters and patchy recoveries, the team made the strategic move to bentgrass fairways. The results have been transformational – more uniform playing surfaces, better resilience and fewer headaches during winter recovery.

“In 2017 we covered almost seven acres of fairways to help them get through the winter. In 2025 [with bentgrass] those concerns are not the same. Our concern now is how fast we can get the native grasses to pop up, and how quickly we can get the golf course up to the caliber expected by the USGA.”

But 2024-25 presented its own test: a dry, wind-whipped winter with virtually no snow cover that left parts of the course exposed to desiccation. 

“We’re still nursing some spots in the fairways and greens,” Reineking admits. “You wish you could map out or plan the perfect set of circumstances, but out here, we have no way to slow down the wind. We’ll cover our greens and apply heavy top-dressing on fairways to mitigate those concerns, but if the wind howls in the winter, and we don’t get a blanket of snow, then we’re on pins and needles.”

And then there’s the aesthetic. Erin Hills is at its visual peak from mid-June to mid-August, when seed heads on the native grasses and fescue turn golden and create postcard-worthy contrast. In late May, they’ll still be emerging.

“We’re still pushing up some really juvenile grass right now, so you’re not going to get the same level of contrast as in 2017,” Reineking says. “By the time we get to the U.S. Women’s Open, there will be a seed head emerging, and it might be six to eight inches tall and still growing, but it won’t be as far along as in 2017 and won’t provide quite as much contrast.”

Tournament infrastructure, meanwhile, has been steadily rising around the course. Grandstands, rope lines, broadcast towers and hospitality tents have all gone up in recent weeks. Working around that buildout and forklifts and trucks coming in and out adds another layer of complexity.

In total, the tournament prep window stretches months in advance – but the most intense work happens in the final four to six weeks. It’s a logistical, emotional and physical marathon.

“Every day matters,” Reineking says, “and we’re constantly adjusting.”

Collaboration with the USGA

Compared to 2017, preparations for the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open have focused more on strategic tweaks than infrastructure overhauls.

“We have a great, established rapport with them,” Reineking says. “Most of the heavy work was done already.”

Teeing options, fairway widths and greens surrounds have already been refined to suit the elite precision of the LPGA Tour. And while Erin Hills isn’t currently among the USGA’s U.S. Open anchor sites, Reineking remains optimistic.

“If you look at the courses where the U.S. Open will be played over the next 10 years, they were all constructed pre-1940s. These are historic cathedrals, but the USGA has left some opportunities for daily fee and resort-style courses. We’re optimistic we could still get another opportunity and our established relationship with the USGA helps support that.”

Volunteers, Tech & Tools of Tournament Week

To execute tournament week, Erin Hills is relying on:

• 30 to 35 full-time turf staff members
• Dozens of returning caddies temporarily helping the grounds crew
• 80+ volunteers from across Wisconsin and beyond
• 30 volunteers from Women in Turf – a group of professionals who have helped with Open preparations since 2021

New technology is also making a major impact, including the USGA’s GS3 ball. The GS3 and Greenskeeper app now allow turf teams to measure and predict firmness, speed and smoothness, and to understand how the levers they pull will help them bring conditions in line with the USGA’s standards.

“With the GS3 it’s been easier to dial in greens speeds and firmness for championship play,” Reineking says. “We can now take accurate on-course readings and align directly with USGA expectations. If we’re softer than target, we know whether to add a topdressing, roll more or adjust moisture. These tools have brought science into our industry.”

The Meaning of the Moment

“To do it with this golf course only being 20 years old is absolutely incredible,” Reineking says.

The 2025 U.S. Women’s Open will mark Erin Hills’ fifth USGA championship, with five more scheduled through 2039 – placing it among the most trusted venues in America.

“This is the 80th U.S. Women’s Open,” Whan noted. “And we’ve been around longer than the LPGA, longer than the NCAA Championships, longer than the women’s tours. That’s why it’s the one they all want to win.”

And they’ll be chasing that title on a course designed for it.

“The announcement was special to all of us,” Reineking says. “It helped solidify that the 2017 U.S. Open was a success. For the USGA to come back and say, ‘We want to host more championships here,’ made all of us – especially the turf staff – feel like the work we put in paid off. It made everything feel worth it.”

The Final Touches: What Spectators May Never See

Come May 29, 2025, Erin Hills will look effortless. But it won’t be.

“I don’t think anybody will know how much hard work and effort our entire staff has put in, and our late days and early mornings every day, all the weekends that these guys will work to get to that point. I don’t think there will be an appreciation for it. And that’s kind of what our profession does.”

From long days to quiet Sundays, from refined fairways, to aligning mowers down to the millimeter, every detail is intentional.

“I think by the time we get to that first day, we’ll be able to be very proud of the golf course that we’re presenting and all the efforts that went into getting it there.”

Erin Hills: A Championship Cathedral

Erin Hills was carved for championship golf. But it’s not just the land that elevates it – it’s the people.

Zach Reineking and his team don’t just maintain Erin Hills, they honor it. Through brutal winters, tight timelines and tireless preparation, their commitment to excellence has helped transform this once-humble property into one of the USGA’s most trusted and treasured stages.

For More WiscoGolfAddict Content on Erin Hills, check out the Following Resources

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