Oakmont’s greens are already known for being next-level oversized, however, when the historic track hosts its record 10th U.S. Open next summer, they will be even more massive in size.
Today, the western Pennsylvania course announced that it has restored more than 24,000 square feet of green surface over the past two years as part of a restoration project managed by renowned golf course architect Gil Hanse.
At first, Hanse was contracted to work on Oakmont’s bunkers but during visits to the course, he came across old photos from the early 20th century (1920s-1930s) and noticed, over time, the greens had dramatically shrunk in size, mostly due to natural erosion but also as part of course improvement tradeoffs.
“The greens are the No. 1 defense on the course,” said Mike McCormick, Oakmont’s course superintendent. “Oakmont, in today’s world, it’s not a crazy-long golf course. There are several holes out here the players will be hitting wedges into and it puts even more of an emphasis on [the greens].”
For the 2025 U.S. Open, the course will stretch to 7,372 yards and play as a par 70. During the 2016 edition of the U.S. Open, when Dustin Johnson claimed his first major title, the course played to 7,219 yards – about 150 yards shorter.
As part of Hanse’s project, Oakmont also rebuilt every hazard and overhauled the course’s nearly 200 bunkers. They also modernized the drainage system.
“The bunkers had deteriorated significantly from 2016 to 2022,” said McCormick. “There’s a lot of newer technology and ways to drain bunkers and hold sand and limit contamination.
“So the club had an opportunity to make sure that the performance of the playing surfaces [remained consistent].”
According to Scott Langley, the USGA’s senior director of player relations, Oakmont remains one of golf’s stiffest tests because it limits a player’s shot options off the tee and to the green.
“By and large, Oakmont is you hit a good shot or you don’t. And if you don’t, the penalty is pretty uniform,” said Langley.
The U.S. Open will be contested at Oakmont Country Club, just outside of Pittsburgh, PA, June 12-15, 2025.
Associated Press content used to produce post.
