At Oakmont Country Club, host of the 2025 U.S. Open, some of Arnold Palmer’s spike marks have never been repaired. Nor have many imprints left behind by legends ranging from Ben Hogan to Tiger Woods. Embedded in the wooden benches of the men’s locker room, the marks double as reminders of the countless greats who have swapped their shoes inside a clubhouse as historic as the course itself.
Like the famous layout it overlooks, the green-and-white gabled building was completed in 1904. Designed by the prominent Pittsburgh architect Edward Stotz, it was meant to resemble an understated Scottish farmhouse. Henry C. Fownes, the steel magnate who founded Oakmont after falling for the game in its classic form, wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
In the century-plus since, some features of the building have been updated. But to wander the hallways, lined with gleaming trophies, sepia-toned photos, and other prized mementos from the 20 national championships Oakmont has staged, is to travel back in time. Portraits of Fownes hangs in nearly every room. It’s image of a man who’d be pleased to know that his favorite hangout has gone largely unchanged.
In advance of this month’s U.S. Open — the 125th playing of the event and the 10th time it has been held at Oakmont — GOLF.com toured every nook and cranny of the clubhouse with club historian David Moore. The video above tells the story of Oakmont, past and present, in detail as indelible as the spike marks made by giants getting ready to compete.
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