Oakmont Country Club has hosted more major championships than any other course in the United States apart from Augusta National and finds itself on the bucket list of many players.
It is considered among the more challenging championship golf courses that are open to the public.
Oakmont is located in western Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Henry C. Fownes created the club in 1903, and it remained the sole course he designed. Fownes and a crew of workers hand excavated the course, which opened for membership in the autumn of 1904 and measured 6,406 yards with a par of 80.
The course itself is renowned for its large and fast greens, and the famous “Church Pews” bunker which is placed to punish any wayward drives on the 3rd and 4th holes.
Oakmont has proven to be a world-class golf course with a rich and storied history, steeped in tradition, and will undoubtedly continue to be so for a long time to come if the current excellent management continues.
The lightning-quick greens had to be slowed down for the 2007 US Open and Oakmont has the reputation of being an almost sadistic layout.
It is a challenging track indeed but just having a decent handicap won’t be enough to get you into the door.
Can anyone play Oakmont Country Club?
The top private golf courses in the world are almost always difficult to visit. Oakmont is surely one of them, but we have some tips to assist you to play there.
You will, however, have little luck trying to enter through the front entrance. Oakmont is not only one of the best in the world, but it is also one of the most exclusive.
The easiest way to get a round at Oakmont Country Club is to be in contact with a club member or be a member yourself.
That isn’t the only way that someone might get out onto its hallowed turf.
One alternative is to participate in a charity golf outing. While we don’t have a comprehensive list, it is well known that Oakmont Country Club has several yearly charity golf days which will allow non-members to tee off under certain conditions.
Oakmont also hosts special events from time to time. For example, American Express cardholders were able to play Oakmont prior to the 2007 US Open. By pure serendipity, Tiger Woods was practicing there on the same day as the AMEX tournament, giving those players a special treat.
