Oakmont Country Club

Henry Fownes' lone design, east of Pittsburgh: 168 bunkers, the Church Pews and fast greens that tilt away from the player. A record ten-time U.S. Open venue.

Henry Fownes founded the club in 1903 and spent a year building the course with about 150 men and two dozen mule teams on old farmland above the Allegheny River. It opened to members in the autumn of 1904, playing 6,406 yards to a par of 80, and was the only course he designed. The Pennsylvania Turnpike now separates holes 2 through 8 from the rest of the layout.

Oakmont has almost no water and, since the 2007 tree removal, almost no trees. Its defenses are 168 bunkers, thick rough, and large greens kept extremely fast. Several greens, including the 1st, 3rd, 10th and 12th, tilt away from the player. The Church Pews bunker, about 100 by 40 yards with grass ridges running through it, sits between the 3rd and 4th fairways. The club has hosted ten U.S. Opens, more than any other course, from Tommy Armour in 1927 to J.J. Spaun in 2025, with more scheduled for 2033 and 2042. Its consistent difficulty under championship setup is the main reason it stays in the national top five.

Holes to know

3

Par 4 · 467 yd

Played alongside the Church Pews bunker, a 100-yard field of sand broken by grass ridges.

8

Par 3 · 293 yd

One of the longest par 3s in championship golf; it played 300 yards in the final round of the 2007 U.S. Open.

12

Par 5 · 663 yd

The longest hole on the course, stretched past 660 yards for recent U.S. Opens.

17

Par 4 · 317 yd

At 317 yards from the back, short enough that long hitters can consider driving the green.

Championships

• U.S. Open 1927, 1935, 1953, 1962, 1973, 1983, 1994, 2007, 2016, 2025
• PGA Championship 1922, 1951, 1978
• U.S. Women's Open 1992, 2010
• U.S. Amateur 1919, 1925, 1938, 1969, 2003, 2021

Design history

• Late 1940s: 8th green shifted left to make room for the Pennsylvania Turnpike
• 1994–2007: Thousands of trees planted in the 1950s–60s removed, with 5,000–8,000 cut in 2007 alone
• 2023–24: Gil Hanse & Jim Wagner restoration