An Open Conversation
In any arena, a champion must make change.
There are few venues that are themselves champions. Oakmont is one of those places. Its evolution over time has come to define it. The long-debated and widely discussed trees—and their removal—have been the center of attention for decades. Now players and patrons will welcome a renovated design to the conversation.
We spoke with Grant Muir, Oakmont member and frequent player in the SWAT, who knows a thing or two about how the course has changed over the years. This Open conversation should provide a glimpse into how the recent Gil Hanse renovation in 2023 has impacted member play—and what spectators can expect this year for the 125th U.S. Open.
RKL
Oakmont has hosted the U.S. Open a record nine times—the tenth being this week. The course is constantly evolving. Do you think that it loses some of its iconicism on individual holes because of the changes, compared to other classic venues like St. Andrews, Augusta, or Pebble Beach?
GM
I don't think so, because it has features like the fescue ditches The Church Pews and Big Mouth that are sort of eternal. People really gravitate to those. They are landmark features of the golf course. I don't think people watch a lot of footage from the '83 or '94 U.S. Opens when there were a lot of trees. I think most of the highlights you're gonna see are from '07 and '16—and there aren’t many trees in either of those events.
RKL
So you don’t rewatch Larry Nelson in '83?
GM
I have certainly watched the Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie playoff from 1994. There's one more guy in there that I always forget…Loren Roberts, who shot 64 on Saturday that week. But no, I don’t think that Oakmont loses any of its iconic looks, despite tree removal and renovation. Eighteen is an iconic hole. Regardless of when you’ve watched the Open there, the clubhouse in the background and the bunkers have largely remained the same.
RKL
Eighteen is timeless.
GM
I think if you look at the most famous picture from the 1962 U.S. Open, the year Jack Nicklaus beat Arnold Palmer, there’s a photo from the 11th tee facing the turnpike with Arnie smoking a cigarette. That’s iconic. And I just think there are enough features at the golf course that went unchanged that it definitely has identifying characteristics that have lasted the test of time.
Image courtesy of Oakmont Country Club
RKL
Is the turnpike an Oakmont feature?
GM
I think so.
RKL
What are some of the other famous road holes in golf?
GM
The 17th at St. Andrews—I mean it’s called the Road Hole.
RKL
There’s a road at the Golf Club here in Pittsburgh. The Field Club, too.
GM
Number two at Merion is a road hole that I think is pretty integral to the course and how people remember it.
RKL
Pennsylvania golf courses… have roads. Got it.
GM
The turnpike’s a central feature at Oakmont because it's such an integral part of the routing.
RKL
In the way that it's a point of no return?
GM
In the way that on number eight, the green had to be moved 30 yards left at one point for the turnpike in the 40’s, like right after World War II.
Image courtesy of Golf Digest
RKL
What are some changes we’ll notice right away on television or in the stands this year?
GM
I think one of the best shots you'll see from a camera standpoint is the new tee on 11. It's right up against the turnpike. That’s much further right than the rest of the tee boxes. And I think watching that tee shot from the top of the hill—seeing people tee-off a mere 5 feet from the turnpike fence—that’s unique. I think one of the things Gil Hanse did was remove any visibility of the cart paths and he also lowered the tee boxes to ground level. Which is, again, a restorative alteration.
RKL
Do you think that players will try to drive the green on 11? How far back is the tee?
GM
Eleven is uphill into the prevailing wind. The carry over the ditch from that back tee is monstrous. But I do think players will try to drive the green on number 10.
RKL
They'll just try to carry the cross?
GM
I think the big hitters will be able to carry the new cross bunker, yes. There are a couple of factors at play here. When the tee on 12 is on the back of the 10 tee box, the tee on 10 has to be near the monument, which is down by the member tee. That means to carry the cross is probably 300 to 310 yards—downhill, downwind on most days. I'm assuming at least one or two of the four days it’s gonna be windy… that's gonna be a factor. There's no doubt in my mind they'll try to carry the cross ditch. A kick, a dribble, and a roll and you’re on the doorstep of the green, especially with how that fairway is pitched.
RKL
Players at Oakmont have always been tempted to blast their tee shots on 11 up into 10 fairway. We saw that cross-country style played at the U.S. Amateur in 2021. Do you think we’ll see that this year?
GM
There’s a new bunker left of 10 fairway that deters players from going up 10 from 11 tee. It’s really difficult to play cross-country golf with the new changes and the rough up to 5 inches. Oakmont in general is typically really responsive to the events they host. Consider that H.C. Fownes used to sit on the porch and watch play everyday, and place new bunkers where he saw players miss and escape without penalty. I think that new bunker on 10 is a response to cross-country golf that was becoming more and more popular by both pros and members alike.
RKL
What are some changes that Gil Hanse implemented that matter for members but won’t matter for the pros?
GM
They've moved the blue tees back on 15, and now nobody can carry all the trouble on the right off the tee. That’s changed. The longer members could carry those right bunkers with a little wind in years past. A similar change has taken place on 3 with the extension of two extra church pews towards the green. That, along with routinely placing the tee further back, has prevented a lot of players from blowing it over the pews. But the championship tees are always long enough that you rarely see length eliminate trouble in the US Open.
RKL
People talk a lot about the length of the rough and the speed of the greens at Oakmont. Personally, I think that the short par fours at Oakmont are sneaky hard… and I think that's what makes them great holes. 2, 5, 11, 14, and 17… I think a lot of players walk on the tee thinking they're going to make three but they wind up making five. Do you think that that is an accurate statement from a non-member?
GM
Yeah, I think if the longer players in the field hit good drives on 2,14, and 17 they will generate scoring chances... pars on those holes will feel like bogeys for the elite drivers of the ball. If you think about 11 and 5, and depending on what shot you choose to play on 17 tee… I mean, those are virtually the only forced carries on the golf course.
RKL
On your second or on your first?
GM
So on 17 it’s on your first, but for 5 and 11, on your second. And that might not matter for the pros, but it does matter in terms of where they drive the ball. But I can tell you, as a member, the hole that probably gives me the most fits—outside of the obviously brutal holes like 1,3, 10, 15, and 18—is number 2. They will move the box up on 2 to try and bait guys into going for it. That’s a lock.
RKL
Is there a pin position that you think is worth it to try to go for it? Other than obviously the front-front right… I guess the real question is, is there a scenario where you think it’s appropriate to go for it on 2?
GM
That's a good question. More than anything, you just have to worry about going long. If it's a back-left pin, as long as you don't go way left or long, you're fine. If it’s on the right, the only place you can't go is long. Because if the pin’s on the right and you're right, you can still use the slope to the left of the pin and you'll still be working up the hill. I think if you're chasing the lead and you're driving the ball well, in most cases you should probably go for it. The only one that I would say no to is if the pin is tucked up against the bunkers on the left. That’s a hard pin to access if you go for it.
In a championship of such great magnitude, it can be easy to miss the forest for the trees. Green expansions, renovation, new bunkers, furrowed bunkers, old bunkers, ditches, drains, and divots will all have their moment this weekend. Restoration and tree removal are worthy topics and influential factors. The golf world will follow closely for narratives that are generated from this iteration of the golf course.
However, the through line that splits this event like the Pennsylvania turnpike is the demand it places on the participants. Every shot is a challenge. The golf course, no matter what version, forces you to execute one difficult shot after another. The field will have no choice but to put their best on display. There are no bailouts. There are no good misses. The only way is through. Those who shine will demonstrate preparedness, confidence and guile. It’s required at a place where one’s game can only be as strong as its weakest link.
“At Oakmont, a shot poorly played, is a shot irrevocably lost.”
