Erin Hills bunkers leave Rory McIlroy and Co trembling at the US Open

Rory McIlroy said earlier this week that he had never ‘seen an entire golf course with bunkers like this in my life’.

Well Rory, welcome to Erins Hills.

While the golf course in Wisconsin may not boast the same eccentric number of bunkers as Whistling Straits – which has no fewer than 1,000 sand traps – the 138 is does contain will rightfully cause concern to the field this week.

These are not the fluffy-white-cloud-like sandy bunkers from your games console, oh no... these are viscous hard-nosed, geometric nightmares.

Known as ‘erosion bunkers’ they are cut from an uneven landscape forged from a glacial deposits left in the area.

The sand itself is different, too; a special composite mixture including ground granite.

Mike Davis, the executive director of the United States Golf Associate commented that there are “lots of nooks and crannies where a ball could get where you’re uncomfortable”, while one of the course architects said it can really wind the players up.

“You’re going to see shots this year out of the bunker that you’ve never seen before, and comments from pros that you’ve never heard before either – some of which won’t be complimentary,” Michael Hurdzan told usopen.com.

This week should certainly be eventful!