Oak Hill Country Club
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pittsford, New York |
| Established | 1901 |
| Type | Private |
| Total holes | 36 |
| Website | oakhillcc.com |
| East Course | |
| Designed by | Donald J. Ross |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 7,145 yards (6,533 m) |
| Course rating | 76.7 |
| Slope rating | 147 [1] |
| West Course | |
| Designed by | Donald J. Ross |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,649 yards (6,080 m) |
| Course rating | 72.3 |
| Slope rating | 127 [2] |
Oak Hill Country Club, located in Pittsford, New York, a suburb southeast of Rochester, has a rich history of golf. It started out in 1901 as only 9 holes on 85 acres (0.34 km2) on the banks of the Genesee River in Rochester. The clubhouse was no more than a converted farm house. However, at the time golf was a relatively new sport in America, and as popularity of the sport grew, so did the country club.
By 1921 Oak Hill had doubled in size and had a new clubhouse, so when the University of Rochester proposed a land swap in 1921 it was a tough decision for members. However, the country club decided to take the university up on their offer, and moved the club to a 355-acre (1.44 km2) plot in nearby Pittsford. This decision ended up benefiting Oak Hill, the University of Rochester, and the City of Rochester. Now with triple the land of the old country club, Oak Hill had room for two 18-hole courses. Designed by Donald Ross, they became the East Course and the West Course. Local physician and civic personality John Ralston Williams cultivated oak trees and planted tens of thousands of them among the greens on what once was a farmed-out field.[3]
The East Course - which hosts the major tournaments - has had several changes made over the years, first by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in the early 1960s and later (and more recently for the 1989 Open and 2003 PGA) by Tom Fazio and his design group. In 1941 the Times-Union, a local paper at the time posted a $5000 purse which attracted the greatest golfers in the world, including names such as Sam Snead, Walter Hagen, and Ben Hogan. This tournament, won by Snead, put Oak Hill on the national golf map. Several prestigious tournaments would be held at Oak Hill over the next 62 years, including six men's major championships.
In 2009, the East Course was ranked 11th in Golf Digest's list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses.[4]
Major tournaments hosted
All played on the East Course.
| Year | Tournament | Winner | Winner's share ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | U.S. Amateur |  Charles Coe | n/a |
| 1956 | U.S. Open | Cary Middlecoff | 6,000 |
| 1968 | U.S. Open (2) | Lee Trevino | 30,000 |
| 1980 | PGA Championship | Jack Nicklaus | 60,000 |
| 1984 | U.S. Senior Open | Miller Barber | 36,448 |
| 1989 | U.S. Open (3) | Curtis Strange | 200,000 |
| 1995 | Ryder Cup |  Europe | n/a |
| 1998 | U.S. Amateur (2) | Hank Kuehne | n/a |
| 2003 | PGA Championship (2) | Shaun Micheel | 1,080,000 |
| 2008 | Senior PGA Championship | Jay Haas | 360,000 |
| 2013 | PGA Championship (3) | Jason Dufner | 1,445,000 |
Bolded years major championships on PGA Tour.
Upon the completion of the 2008 Senior PGA Championship, Oak Hill Country Club is the only club in the United States to have hosted all six of the men's major championships that move around the country.
The course record of 63 is by Jason Dufner at the 2013 PGA Championship.[5]
References
- ↑ "National Course Rating Database: Oak Hill, East Course". USGA. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ↑ "National Course Rating Database: Oak Hill, West Course". USGA. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ↑ Marcotte, Bob (November 29, 2010). "Passion, dedication made John R. Williams a force in Rochester". Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York). Gannett Company. pp. 1B, 4B. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
- ↑ "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses/2009-10". Golf Digest. May 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
- ↑ Auclair, T. J. (August 9, 2013). "Dufner's record round surpasses his hero, Hogan". PGA of America.