George Ferguson Column: A U.S.Open in Montana: It's a romantic thought

There’s a lot of romance when it comes to the U.S. Open. And much of that romance and poetry that will be used during this week’s broadcast of the toughest tournament in golf will center around the venue — Erin Hills.

Most professional golf tournaments, the focus is on the player, the score and the drama unfolding on the course, but the U.S. Open is different. Yes, all those things matter, but the course is usually always the biggest story, and, when it comes to U.S. Open venues, Erin Hills, a first-timer built only 11 years ago, is certainly the story.

The backstory on Erin Hills is romantic itself. It was once a pristine piece of fertile farmland in northern Wisconsin. It’s officially located in Hartford, Wisconsin, a town with a population of just 15,000. Milwaukee is 40 miles to the south and Chicago is 115 miles away. So it’s not exactly set in a major metropolis. The fact that a U.S. Open venue is that far away from things like Starbucks and five-star hotels is poetic in itself.

But then there’s the reason Erin Hills exists in the first place. It was built buy a land developer who wasn’t even a golfer. That man, Bob Lang, built it for one reason — to bring the U.S. Open to Wisconsin, and to bring it to another public golf course, something that seems to be more and more popular with the USGA. When Erin Hills opened in 2006, it cost less than $70 to play 18 holes. Of course, to get the biggest golf tournament in the world there, Erin Hills had to go through many changes, many modifications, and, it no longer costs less than $70 for hackers like me to play — but, nevertheless, Lang accomplished his dream.

This week, the U.S. Open is being played in the heartland of America. During Fox’s coverage of the open, you won’t see a downtown skyline in the background, you won’t see a gated community surrounding the golf course, and you won’t see million dollar mansions with swimming pools off in the distance. Instead, you’ll see nothing but green, green grass wisping in the wind, in all directions. That’s what Lang wanted, and the USGA bought into it. It’s a magnificent and unique track and one that brings a certain romantic element to the U.S. Open.

In many ways, so many of us have that same romantic feeling about the wide open spaces here in Montana. We are proud of the beauty and splendor that is the Big Sky state, and, for those of who play golf in Montana, we love it. We have a unique golfing environment in Montana, honestly, unlike any other state if you ask me.

So that begs the question — could someone do what Lang did at Erin Hills, and bring a U.S. Open or PGA championship to Montana?

That answer is, in reality, probably a no. And the biggest reason why has nothing to do with golf. Logistics would probably negate Montana from ever hosting something like the U.S. Open. And when I say logistics, I’m talking about airport convenience, hotel space and local corporate sponsorship. I’ve been to a U.S. Open. The scale of it is enormous, and we in Montana pride ourselves on living in a state that doesn’t do enormous, unless we’re talking about mountains or the size of fish we can catch.

Having said that, there’s no doubt in my mind someone, obviously someone with a lot of money, could build a golf course in Montana that would certainly get the USGA or PGA of America’s attention.

None of Montana’s existing tracks would do the trick. Old Works is a world renowned course, yes, and ultra-private courses like Rock Creek Cattle Co. and Stockfarm are certainly great layouts. But none of them are even remotely equipped to challenge professional golfers like Rory McIlroy or Dustin Johnson, and, they couldn’t even be rebuilt or modified to not only challenge the pros, but to handle the logistics of any professional golf tournament, let alone a major.

But that doesn’t mean somebody couldn’t build one, just as Lang did in Wisconsin. A brief look on the internet at real estate in Montana, and you’ll see so many parcels of land, pristine lots of untouched beauty in all parts of this great state. So many of them with so much incredible acreage that, there’s no doubt, someone with the right money and the right dream, could turn one of those parcels into a world-class, U.S. Open worthy golf course. Yes, it’s true, with the right money, the right architect and the right vision, there are pieces of land in Montana that one could build some incredible and amazing golf courses — courses that certainly would look incredible on a high-definition television for the world to see one day.

Just imagine it. The U.S. Open with views of Glacier National Park in the background, or the Missouri River, or the high peaks of the Beartooths as Fox went to commercial. How cool would that be? In other words, it would be really romantic.

But as fun as it is to dream about something like that, to see Rory or Phil Mickelson or Dustin Johnson playing for a U.S. Open championship with the snow-capped Rockies off in the distance, I don’t think it’s something I would ever want to see in reality, and for a myriad of reasons.

For one, building golf courses, especially expensive, championship golf courses is a business that’s not exactly booming these days. In fact, even in Montana, the golf course boom has already come and gone. I would also be afraid that a developer that would try to pull something like that would do what’s already been done in Montana too many times — build a course on an incredibly majestic piece of wild Montana property that Montanan’s would never be able to enjoy. That’s been done too many times already, and while any land developer or business owner certainly has the right to do whatever he or she wants with the piece of property they own, there are already a lot of golf courses in this state that I, and almost everybody reading this, will never, ever play.

But the biggest reasons I don’t think I would want to see something like what Lang did with Erin Hills happen in Montana is I don’t want to see the land I love, the beauty I love and the state I love exploited any further that it has been already. Yes, a U.S. Open would bring a lot to Montana, at least for one week, or maybe a couple months, or maybe even a couple years after. However, the long-term effects of something like a U.S. Open being brought to Montana would probably do more harm than good.

Ever hear of the term “white elephant”? If you haven’t, do a Google search for “white elephant Olympics.” It’s not pretty.

Yes, there’s no doubt what’s going on in Wisconsin this week could be pulled off in Montana, at least the course itself. We have the land, we have the beauty and we have the space to build a U.S. Open worthy golf course, and one that the whole country would fall in love with — for that week in June anyway. There’s also no question that golf in Montana is special. Whether you’re playing Prairie Farms or Beaver Creek Golf Course right here in Havre, or the Wilderness Club all the way up in Eureka, golf is unique and different in Montana, and there’s certainly room for more.

It’s romantic and it’s interesting to think about what might be too. But, at the end of the day, I would prefer to keep Montana, and golf in Montana, just the way it is. I’ve been to a U.S. Open, and it’s amazing. It’s an incredible spectacle, and it was honestly one of the coolest things I’ve done in my sporting life.

But for me at least, If I want to do it again, I’ll get on an airplane or get in the car and drive to one. I’d rather keep Montana, and our golf, just the way it is.