COURSE · HYBRID · BUCKET LIST · TIER S
— · The Cruel Squirrel
The most demanding examination in American golf — a century of punishing greens, furious bunkers, and broken majors records.
01 · Overview
~2 min read
Oakmont Country Club has hosted more U.S. Opens than any other course in the world — ten as of 2025, with an eleventh scheduled for 2028. Built by industrialist Henry C. Fownes in 1903 on 191 acres of western Pennsylvania farmland, it was conceived not as recreation but as ordeal, a course where only the most precise and patient golfer could survive.
Fownes described his philosophy as Darwinian: a shot poorly played should be a shot permanently lost. He installed 168 bunkers, groomed greens to speeds no one at the time thought possible, and furnished the course with features — the Church Pews, the Sahara, Big Mouth — whose names suggest theology, geography, and anatomy in roughly equal measure. The 1990s tree-removal program, controversial at the time, restored much of Fownes' original open, wind-swept character. The Tudor Revival clubhouse, a National Historic Landmark designed in 1904 by Edward Stotz, watches over proceedings from a small rise near the 1st tee.
Playing Oakmont means confronting greens of extraordinary speed and complexity. A course rating of 78.1 and a slope of 150 are not abstract numbers; they reflect a layout where par-70 is stretched to 7,372 yards, where the two par-5s measure 611 and 632 yards, and where a 200-yard par-3 can still feel like a reprieve. The Pennsylvania Turnpike bisects the property, separating seven holes from the rest of the course, and the low growl of interstate traffic is an ambient feature of the outer loop.
The scorecard is littered with U.S. Open legend. Tommy Armour in 1927. Ben Hogan by six strokes in 1953. Jack Nicklaus ending Arnold Palmer's era in a 1962 playoff. Johnny Miller's Sunday 63 in 1973 — the first final-round score of that number in major championship history — coming from six back to win on the most hostile course the USGA has. Each decade adds a new chapter to an argument that no venue in American golf so reliably separates the merely excellent from the genuinely great.
THE BUNKERS
Henry Fownes built his bunkers to punish, not merely inconvenience. From the 100-yard Church Pews to the cavernous Big Mouth on 17, sand at Oakmont is a strategic and psychological weapon.
THE GREENS
Oakmont's greens are among the fastest anywhere in championship golf, often Stimpmeter readings in the 14–15 range for U.S. Opens. Contours are severe; the wrong tier routinely turns a birdie putt into a bogey scramble.
THE LENGTH
At 7,372 yards off the championship tees, Oakmont extracts every yard from its par-70. The two par-5s average over 620 yards; three of the par-4s exceed 480 yards. Relief is almost never available.
THE WIND
The great tree removal project of the 1990s restored Fownes' vision of an inland links exposed to the prevailing western Pennsylvania winds. Without the tree cover, club selection becomes a live variable on almost every hole.
02 · The Holes
5 of 5 · tap any hole to watch creators play it
Six holes carry more of the course's weight than the other twelve combined — and the creator vlogs that prove it.
HOLE 3 · par 4 · 462y · 2 vlogs
The left side of this mid-length par-4 shares the most iconic non-green feature in American golf: 12 parallel grass-covered ridges set within a vast sand bunker stretching 100 yards alongside the 3rd and 4th fairways. The pews punish anything tugged left and defy conventional sand play.
462 yards · The Church Pews bunker complex is shared between holes 3 and 4, making both fairways feel narrower than they measure.
HOLE 8 · par 3 · 289y · 1 vlog
One of the longest par-3s in major championship history. A massive bunker — the Sahara — guards the left approach, and the green sits beyond it at a distance that demands a full, committed strike. Proximity to the hole is rarely the first objective; finding the green is.
289 yards · At 289 yards, it rivals the longest one-shot holes ever played in U.S. Open history.
HOLE 12 · par 5 · 632y · 2 vlogs
At 632 yards, the Monster earns its name through sheer mass. Deep cross-bunkers punish the cautious lay-up and the ambitious second alike. Reaching in two is a fantasy for most; making par requires three precise shots and at least one excellent putt on a green that gives nothing back.
632 yards · Among the longest par-5s ever contested in a U.S. Open.
HOLE 17 · par 4 · 312y · 1 vlog
A short par-4 that tempts the long hitter to drive the green, but the deep bunker known as Big Mouth guards the front with menacing authority. Respect it too much and a long birdie putt awaits on a sloping surface; ignore it and the escape shot becomes the defining memory of the round.
312 yards · Big Mouth is widely regarded as the deepest single bunker on the course.
HOLE 18 · par 4 · 502y · 1 vlog
A 502-yard closer playing uphill toward the Tudor Revival clubhouse, ranked among the finest finishing holes in American golf. The fairway narrows as the green rises, and bunkering on both sides leaves no comfortable miss for a player already needing a number to win.
502 yards · Has witnessed more U.S. Open championship moments — and collapses — than virtually any finishing hole in the country.
05 · In Their Words
4 on-camera verdicts · spoken while filming here
Probably, they say, the hardest course in America.
This is one of the spots that have been around a long time. The architecture is special.
This place is penalized. It'll be okay, but it sucks all the way down there.
This place is a bear. She's really, really hard.
06 · How to Play Here
3 routes to a tee time
Member Play · members only
Oakmont Country Club is a private club; full access is reserved for members and their invited guests. Tee time arrangements are managed through the member's portal or the Pro Shop.
Initiation Fee Estimated $150,000 - $200,000
Accompanied Guest · single
Guests must be invited and accompanied by a current member. All guest play is at the discretion of the club and the host member.
Estimated Guest Fee $200 - $300
On-Site Lodging (Gatehouse/Pros Cottage) · hotel package
Members may reserve on-site lodging for guests (Gatehouse, Pool House, Pros Cottage). Lodging reservations do not include or guarantee unaccompanied tee times; rounds must still be arranged by a member through the Pro Shop.
Room Rate (Seasonally Variable) From $200 (Single) to $1,700 (Gatehouse)
07 · History
13 US Open · since 1922
1903
Industrialist Henry Fownes purchased 191 acres of western Pennsylvania farmland and, with 150 men and 24 mule teams, began hand-digging what he called a Darwinian test of golf — one where poor shots would be permanently punished.
1927
Tommy Armour won in a playoff after no player in the field broke 300 for 72 holes. His winning total of 301 remains the highest in the modern era of the championship.
1935
Local club pro Sam Parks Jr. won a U.S. Open that broke the field. Spectator Edward Stimpson was so struck by the green speeds he began developing the Stimpmeter, the device that would standardize green-speed measurement worldwide.
1953
Ben Hogan won the U.S. Open at Oakmont by six strokes, part of a historic season in which he also claimed the Masters and The Open Championship — three of the four majors in a single year.
1962
A 22-year-old Jack Nicklaus defeated hometown hero Arnold Palmer in an 18-hole playoff to claim his first professional major, marking a widely acknowledged generational shift in American golf.
1973
Johnny Miller fired a final-round 63 — the first such score in major championship history — to come from six shots behind and win the U.S. Open. It remains one of the most celebrated single rounds ever played.
1990
In a move that divided opinion at the time, the club began removing thousands of trees to restore Fownes' original open, links-style exposure to wind and sky — a process that continued across subsequent decades.
2016
Dustin Johnson won the U.S. Open despite a controversial final-round penalty stroke assessed for a ball believed to have moved at address on the 5th green. The episode prompted a subsequent USGA rule clarification regarding player intent.
2025
J.J. Spaun won the 125th U.S. Open as Oakmont became the first course in history to host the championship ten times. The club is already confirmed to host an eleventh in 2028.
08 · Common Questions
7 questions · sourced from 8 vlogs
Oakmont is a private club and does not offer public tee times. Access is reserved for members and guests they personally invite and accompany. If you are not connected to a member, there is currently no public path to play the course.
Guests must be invited and accompanied by a current member on the day of play. Guest fees are estimated at $200–$300 per round, though these are set at the club's discretion. On-site lodging in the Gatehouse or Pro's Cottage is available for guest bookings arranged through a member, but a lodging reservation does not guarantee or include unaccompanied tee times.
As of 2025, Oakmont has hosted ten U.S. Opens — more than any other course in the world. The most recent was won by J.J. Spaun at the 125th U.S. Open. The club is scheduled to host again in 2028.
The championship setup carries a course rating of 78.1 and a slope rating of 150 — among the highest of any course in the United States. Par is 70, and the layout stretches to 7,372 yards from the back tees.
The Church Pews is a single massive bunker complex positioned between the 3rd and 4th fairways. It features 12 parallel grass-covered ridges — the 'pews' — set within approximately 100 yards of sand. Balls caught in the ridges are nearly unplayable with a conventional bunker shot, making it one of the most distinctive and feared hazards in golf.
For U.S. Open championships, Oakmont's greens are typically prepared to Stimpmeter readings in the 14–15 range, making them among the fastest in tournament golf. The greens' speed was historically linked to the invention of the Stimpmeter itself — spectator Edward Stimpson was reportedly inspired after watching the 1935 U.S. Open at Oakmont.
Walking is the traditional mode of play at Oakmont, in keeping with the club's character and history. Caddies are strongly associated with the club culture, particularly during championship preparation. Specific caddie and cart policies for member and guest play are managed through the club's Pro Shop.
10 · The Library
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