Oak Hill (East)

oak hill
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Oak Hill (East)

  • Course Type

    Private
  • GOLF Top 100 World Rank (2023-24)

    69
  • Year

    1921
  • Architects

    Donald Ross, 1921 / Andrew Green, 2020
  • Par

    70
  • Yardage

    7390

Course Overview

Championship golf is a double-edged sword. Hosting major events on a regular basis confers prestige and pride to any membership. Conversely, many sites deemed worthy were built approximately a century ago when hickory-shafted clubs were the norm. Immense pressure is placed on clubs to have their course evolve to handle equipment advancements. One banal way? Increase the use of penal water hazards. Such happened at Oak Hill in the late 1970s. Much to its credit, the club reversed course, recognizing that Donald Ross’s work should be brought back to the greatest extent possible. Among other things, Andrew Green saw to it that the incongruent water features were removed and made sure that the mighty East Course was once again a cohesive Golden Age masterpiece without blemishes. Two of the game’s best ball-strikers (Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland) battled it out here for the 2023 PGA Championship title. The bruising par-4 6th with its winding creek proved to be one of the sternest holes the players faced all year. (Photo: Evan Schiller)

3 things to know

  • Hole everyone talks about

    No. 13, par-5, 595 yards: Oak Hill’s signature hole is a three-shot test that heads back uphill toward the clubhouse. Allens Creek bisects the hole midway through the fairway, while well-placed fairway bunkers 125 yards out will snatch up any mis-struck lay-ups. And with a natural amphitheater surrounding the green, there are plenty of places to watch the drama unfold.
  • Best non-golf amenity

    Oak Hill’s restaurant employs a veteran sommelier who specializes in elevating your meal with the perfect wine pairing.
  • Insider tip

    Keep the ball in the fairway. If the pros showed us anything at the latest PGA Championship, it’s that the thick stuff at Oak Hill is unforgiving.