Site of nine U.S. Opens (with number 10 coming in the summer of 2025), six U.S. Amateurs, two U.S. Women’s Opens, and three PGA Championships, Oakmont is the most decorated championship golf course in the United States. Difficulty has always been at the heart of Oakmont; founder Henry C. Fownes set out to build his own course after deciding his nine-hole club, Highland Country Club, was too easy. When Oakmont opened for play in 1904, it measured 6,406 and played to a par of 80. 

The property features two high ridges that feed into a central basin where the Pennsylvania Turnpike now sits. The routing explores the property in a compelling way, playing straight up and down slopes, as well as along and across them, with each hole always working in a slightly different direction than the last. The speedy fairways are draped across the slopes, forcing players to execute properly worked shots to keep balls from running into poor positions. The greens, which can regularly top 13 or 14 on the Stimpmeter for member play, feature heavy natural cants and stout internal contours.

Although Oakmont was originally the vision of Henry Fownes, his son William was instrumental in the evolution of the course, consistently making adjustments to the site, especially after the death of his father in 1935. He took the punitive nature of the course to a new level, adding approximately 200 bunkers, including the now-famous Church Pews; digging deep, grassy ditches; and pushing the limits of green speeds at the time. William finally resigned from his position at Oakmont in 1946.

Shortly after William’s death in 1950, the club began a “beautification” initiative that eventually entailed the planting of over 5,000 trees. Over the next few decades, the property, which had been a treeless tract of farmland before the course was built, became segmented into narrow corridors. Unsurprisingly, turf conditions declined. In the 1990s, Oakmont embarked on an ambitious tree-removal program. Gradually the course regained its vast, open feel, which suited the British links aesthetic that Henry Fownes initially sought to create. The club hired architect Gil Hanse to complete a major renovation project in 2023, including green expansions, ditch restoration, and the reconstruction of every bunker. -Cameron Hurdus

Take Note…

Making way. The infamous par-3 eighth hole, which can be stretched to around 300 yards, had to be changed when the Pennsylvania Turnpike was constructed. The green, which once sat close to where the current crossing bridge now starts, was moved about 10 yards to the left. -CH

The lost hole. The long par-3 16th originally played to a green back and left of its current position, and much closer to the 17th tee. Stretching to 226 yards for the 1927 U.S. Open (which Tommy Armour won with a score of 301), the hole featured a massive bunker extending from short right of the green back towards the tee, as well as a long trench bunker that protected almost the entire left side of the hole. When the club relocated the 16th, the 15th green was moved to the right, turning No. 15 into one of the greatest par 4s in championship golf. Recently, as an homage to the original 16th, Hanse built a trench bunker that wraps around the left side of the green. -CH

Fownes vs. Darwin. William Fownes was one of the greatest players of his time, winning eight Western Pennsylvania Amateur titles and playing in 19 U.S. Amateurs, with a victory in the 1910 edition. In 1922, Fownes captained the U.S. Walker Cup team and found himself playing a singles match against the 45-year-old golf writer Bernard Darwin, who had taken the place of the British team’s captain after he fell ill. Darwin, who was only supposed to be covering the event as a writer, lost the first three holes but eventually flipped the match, beating Fownes, 3 and 1. -CH

‍Arboreal drama. When the agronomy team at Oakmont began removing trees in the mid-1990s, it did so in secret. While the club’s leaders — including the grounds chairman, board, superintendent, and head professional — endorsed the program, not every member was on board. So maintenance staffers took pains to conceal their work: they would cut down trees and cover up the evidence in the early hours of the morning, before members started their rounds. Eventually, caddies noticed the missing trees, and word spread through the club. Threats of petitions and lawsuits ensued, but over the years, Oakmont’s members grew to appreciate the improved views and turf conditions. Today, almost no trees remain standing in the interior of the course. -Garrett Morrison

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