Erin Hills on course to change hands soon

Oct 22, 2009 (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- ARUKF | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Erin Hills Golf Course, which has earned a national reputation since opening in 2006 and is scheduled to host the 2011 U.S. Amateur Championship, will have a new owner, possibly as early as Friday.

Andy Ziegler of Mequon, the co-founder and CEO of Artisan Partners Limited Partnership, has reached an agreement to purchase the course from Bob Lang.

"I'm buying it individually," Ziegler said in a telephone call from London. "There are no Artisan partners involved. We may close as early as Friday of this week. I will be the 100% owner of the golf course."

Lang, who bought the property in the Town of Erin in 1999 and exhausted his resources in a passionate quest to build, maintain and improve Erin Hills, has agreed to a 10-year consulting arrangement.

"After 11 years as the owner and developer of Erin Hills, I welcome and support Andy Ziegler, who has the commitment and resources to take Erin Hills to the height of her potential," Lang said in a statement.

The purchase price was not disclosed.

Ziegler said he would be the chairman of a newly established board of directors but would not be involved in the day-to-day operation of the course. Jim Reinhart, a former vice president of the United States Golf Association and a former minority partner in Erin Hills, will serve on the board, Ziegler said.

Kent Instefjord, the director of golf, and Zach Reineking, the superintendent, will continue in those positions.

"We've got a terrific management team out there and that management team will run the day-to-day operations of the golf course," Ziegler said. "I've got another business I'm responsible for and I'm not going to be running a golf course. With some financial support from me and direction from a board of directors, we think those guys are perfectly capable."

Erin Hills, located 3 miles west of Holy Hill, was designed by Dana Fry, Mike Hurdzan and Ron Whitten. It was named America's "Best New Course" by Golf Magazine in January 2007 and hosted the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship in 2008.

The 18-hole public course is routed over dramatic glacial features on a 650-acre tract in the Kettle Moraine.

It is considered a front-runner to land the 2017 U.S. Open. No golf course in Wisconsin has ever hosted a U.S. Amateur or a U.S. Open.

"There haven't been any decisions made about bringing a U.S. Open to Erin Hills," Ziegler said. "In some ways, the drumbeat of speculation about an Open has overshadowed how exciting it's going to be to have a U.S. Amateur in the state of Wisconsin.

"The Amateur is the USGA's oldest national championship. This is a really, really big deal for the state of Wisconsin. I'm hoping we can get people excited about the Am. That's where our focus is right now."

Lang's vision for Erin Hills was that it would be a no-frills, public-access championship course known for its desolate beauty and extreme challenge. Ziegler said he shared that vision.

"We think it first and foremost should be developed as a championship venue," he said. "We think public access is very important. I think we're going to try to enhance that; we're going to try to create a junior play program out there so that juniors can have access to the golf course. We're every bit as committed to public play as Bob was."

Lang oversaw a renovation that involved USGA-suggested changes to most of the holes and resulted in the course being closed last fall. It didn't reopen until July 1. A late-summer drought negatively impacted the growing-in period, and some golfers complained about the quality of the conditioning.

Ziegler said one of his top priorities was to improve the turf conditions at Erin Hills. He said the course probably would not reopen until next summer and that motorized carts no longer would be available.

Erin Hills has fescue fairways, similar to the grasses found on courses in the British Isles; fescue is easily damaged by carts.

"The conditioning of the golf course has to improve dramatically," Ziegler said. "We will improve the conditioning. The fescue in the fairways and rough and the natural areas will look better. We're going to let it heal up from the construction that was done last year.

"I understand some people will be disappointed, but it's just imperative not to have carts on that course."

Ziegler, a Madison native, started Artisan Partners with his wife, Carlene, in 1995. He had previously been president of Strong Capital Management, which he joined after working as one of the firm's outside lawyers from his practice at the Milwaukee law firm of Godfrey & Kahn.

Artisan is headquartered in Milwaukee and has investment offices in San Francisco, Atlanta and New York. It manages more than $45 billion for its 11 no-load mutual funds and individual, endowment, pension and other accounts.

Ziegler is a member at Milwaukee Country Club and called himself "kind of a typical bad 6-handicap."

"I love golf," he said. "For me, this is really not a business investment. It's almost a philanthropic investment, if that doesn't sound odd. It's a chance to do something good for the state and the local community and to give back something to golf, a game I really enjoy."

Kathleen Gallagher of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

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