Winged Foot Golf Club (West)

A.W. Tillinghast's West Course in Westchester: long par 4s, deep greenside bunkers and pitched greens that have produced some of the highest winning scores in U.S. Open history.

Members of the New York Athletic Club founded Winged Foot in 1921, taking the name and logo from the club's emblem, and both courses opened in June 1923. Tillinghast designed the West and East; the West is generally considered his best work. The clubhouse by Clifford Charles Wendehack and the courses were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019 and named a National Historic Landmark in 2024.

The West sits on wooded, fairly ordinary ground, so the challenge comes from the holes themselves: ten par 4s over 400 yards, bunkers tight to the greens, and putting surfaces with steep slopes. The closing stretch starts with a long par 3 at the 13th and finishes with five demanding par 4s. Gil Hanse restored the course before the 2020 U.S. Open. The West has hosted six U.S. Opens, including the 1974 'Massacre' won by Hale Irwin at seven over and Geoff Ogilvy's five-over win in 2006, plus the 1997 PGA Championship. A seventh U.S. Open is scheduled for 2028.

Holes to know

10

Par 3 · 214 yd

A long par 3 regularly cited among the best one-shot holes in the world.

12

Par 5 · 633 yd

One of the longest holes in major championship golf, stretched past 630 yards for the 2020 U.S. Open.

18

Par 4 · 469 yd

A long par 4 often called one of the finest finishing holes in American golf.

Championships

• U.S. Open 1929, 1959, 1974, 1984, 2006, 2020
• PGA Championship 1997
• U.S. Amateur 1940, 2004
• Walker Cup 1949

Design history

• 2016–17: Gil Hanse restoration ahead of the 2020 U.S. Open