Ask New Yorkers, and they’ll tell you: the golf there is good. Like, really good. And Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., host of this week’s PGA Championship, is just another reason why.
When GOLF released its most recent ranking of the Top 100 Courses in the U.S., 15 of them were in New York, the most of any state and three more than the next-highest state (California, with 12). Tenth on that best-in-N.Y. list is Oak Hill’s East Course, the one they are playing for the PGA Championship, and it ranked 37th overall in GOLF’s Top 100 in the U.S.
Like many New York gems, it’s a private course, so it won’t be easy for just anyone to get a tee time.
As for a membership (yes, we knew you were curious), according to a GOLF.com source, the initiation fee is $70,000, with $800 in monthly dues and a $300 monthly charge for capital dues. (There’s no food or beverage minimum.)
While that initiation fee will dent your wallet, the one needed for a junior membership won’t. The initiation fee for a junior membership (ages 18-35) is $5,000 and monthly dues are roughly half the price.
There’s also a global membership for those who live a specific mileage away from the club, and their initiation fee drops down to $40,000. Their dues are roughly half as well, although the club caps their number of rounds played per year.
The club, which has around 850 members, was founded in 1901. Besides its East course, which has hosted several U.S. Amateurs, majors and a Ryder Cup, it also has an 18-hole West course.