Oakmont Country Club
Situated in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains right outside Pittsburgh you will find the worlds hardest 18 holes of pure brute force golf. Oakmont is Tom Selleck's mustache, Arnold Palmer's forearms, and Roger Federer's forehand all rolled in to one. It is a beast of a course, with hidden ditches, tall faced fairway bunkers, and front to back sloped greens...you name something hard in golf and Oakmont has ten instances of it.
Many thanks go out to Tony for making this happen! Good Karma will be coming your way soon!
Oakmont #3
Best hole on the course, my new favorite hole in golf! Sorry Pine Valley #17 has to move down a notch. Church Pews, semi blind approach, awesome green, it has it all! The best line into the green in from the left side of the fairway which opens up the semi-blind shot. However getting to aggresive on the left brings the Church Pews in the play. The approach shot needs to played to very front of the green...a shot a little short checks up short and comes back and a ball too deep into the green bounces over into the chipping area. Strategy at every turn.
Henry Fownes set out to build a hard course in 1903. After a lot of hard work turning farmland into golf land Mr. Fownes had built a 6400 yard course with a par of 80. 100+ years later...it still feels like a par of 80.
My dad and I actually went to the US Open at Oakmont in 1994. Now 14 years later, wow has it has changed. We were standing in the left rough on 18 when Ernie Els pulled his tee shot on his final hole and made bogey to force a play off. That day he had to punch a low shot under the trees. Those trees have now all been removed. Over the past 5-10 years Oakmont has undertaken a massive tree removal project where they have taken to course back to original look, feel, and intent of Henry Fownes. At first I thought this would be a bad idea, but after seeing it in person it really looks cool and plays fantastic.
Clubhouse
Looking Down #18
Overview
Hole #1
You start right out of the gate with a blind tee shot down the hill
toward the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The
player can see the large bunkers down the right side of the fairway, but is
totally blind the ditch and deep fairway bunkers on the left side.
Second Shot #1
The approach is where the fun begins and the player really gets to see the amazing greens and green approaches Oakmont has. Keeping the ball on the putting surface required illegal square grooves or luck. Par is like making eagle.
Green #1
Hole #2
What a great short par 4. The ditch to the left and the cluster of deep bunkers to the right
really pinch in the landing area about 225 yards of the tee. The player must either lay way back off the
tee or really take a risk with the driver to hit into the far landing
area. Really a great strategic tee shot. Lay back and have a long approach or play aggressive
and challenge the ditch and bunkers for a short iron the heavily guarded uphill
green.
Green #2
The back left pin placement is a sucker pin leading to disaster long!
Hole #3
My new favorite hole in golf. This hole has it all. It requires a long and very precise tee shot that has to maneuver a mine field of disasters.
Church Pews
Anything left goes into the Church Pews where you hope to pitch out sideways.
Approach #3
If you can find the short grass you have a mid to long iron to a semi-blind green going straight up the hill.
The green slopes away from the player and has a newly installed chipping area in back that allows the player to save par (or double bogey) by having a legitimate shot at getting up and down. Simply a fantastic display of great architecture and strategy!
Hole #4
Another great tee shot, this timed framed to the left again by the famous Church Pews. A long tee shot really opens your approach / lay up into one of the best greens on the course.
Layup Shot #4
Another set of quasi-Church Pew bunkers guard the entire right side layup area.
Green #4
Another great approach that allows the player to run the
ball onto the putting surface.
Hole #5
A fully blind tee shot into a fairly generous landing area.
Approach #5
Hole #6
The first of the par 3 holes at Oakmont presents the player with a mid-iron to very fast and undulating green.
Hole #7
Complete blind tee shot over a ridge that sets up a short iron.
Approach #7
The front section of this green reminds me of Bandon Trails #17 with it false front and gathering area. Two of our approaches hit on the front section and came trickling back off the front edge.
Hole #8
The second par 3 at Oakmont is a monster in length. Bordered on the left by a Sahara bunker that sneaks out into the fairway and forces the player to clear it for any running approach shots. Luckily the putting surface is fairly flat, otherwise this hole would basically be a par 4.
Hole #9
The fourth blind tee shot in nine holes awaits the player at #9. A tee shot straight over the hill back toward the clubhouse must miss deep fairway bunkers on both the right and left sides. If you are able to miss those obstacles the player will have the opportunity to potentially reach the green in two shots.
Approach #9 - Great Cross Bunker
If the players does not find the fairway the cross bunker about 100 yards out from the green looms large. A decision has to be made on how much you want to risk with your recovery shot so that you don't end up in the same situation again.
Approach #9 - Great Risk -Reward Pin Location
Green #9
Hole #10
A semi-blind tee shot where the player plays directly down hill similar to #1.
Approach #10
Again, similar to the approach shot on #1 the player must hit a mid-iron to a green that slopes steeply away. Most approach shots end up in the back rough chipping back toward the green.
Green #10 - Looking back toward the fairway
Hole #11
Now the fifth blind tee shot in 11 holes. The player must hit a 220 yard shot to the top of the ridge to open up the heavily bunkered green.
Approach #11
Hole #12
Super long par 5 that requires the player to hit the fairway if there is any hope of reaching the green in three shots.
Approach #12
Again the cross bunker makes the lay up very interesting as the player has to decide exactly how aggressive to be on the second shot.
Close Approach #12
Green #12
Green #12 - Looking back toward the fairway
Hole#13
The third par 3 on the course and fairly straightforward mid-iron.
Semi-blind shot on a mid length par 4.
Approach #14
Hole #15
The sixth blind tee shot requires the player to miss yet another set of Church Pews on the left of the blind fairway.
Approach #15
I love the approach shot to #15. The green sticks out in to a peninsula in the bunker that looks like a natural extension of the fairway. To me this green looks like Bandon Trails #13 (minus the mature trees)
Green #15 - Looking back toward the fairway
Hole #16
The last of (I hate to say it, mediocre) the par 3 holes at Oakmont. A mid t0 long iron to an uphill green with another fantastic run in apron.
Hole #17
Drivable par 4 that lead to Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods' demise at the 2008 US Open.
Hole #18
Outstanding closing hole requires a very long and very
straight drive that must miss very large bunkers flanking the landing
area.
Approach #18
Again a very strategically placed cross bunker makes the player decide exactly how aggressive to be with in any recovery shot from a poor tee shot.
Green #18
The approach shot is directly up the hill back toward the clubhouse to a world class green with fantastic internal contours.
Green #18 - Looking back towards the fairway
Major Take Aways
- Raised lip fairway bunkers to prevent full shots to the green
- Green approaches - nearly every hole has a fantastic area in front that allows for running shots
- Strategic cross bunkers - over half the holes have cross bunkers to tease the player who hits wayward drives
- Meandering ditches (everywhere)
- Great internal green contours (#9, #18 especially)
- Mediocre Par 3s (good, but not 4 great ones)
- 210 bunkers
- Greens that slope from front to back
We had a fantastic day and throughly enjoyed the round. After the round we grabbed a few drinks and toured around the historic club house. I also had the excitement of meeting Bob Ford and chatting a few minutes ab0ut his great golf course. Another lucky day for me!
My new #2 course behind Pine Valley!
