Oakland Hills Country Club

The South Course at Oakland Hills was laid out by Donald Ross in 1918. The standout hole is the 498-yard 18th, a par 4 for the pros and a par 5 for lesser lights.

When the US Open came in 1951, Robert Trent Jones was brought in to sharpen the South’s teeth, so that Ben Hogan boasted that he had « brought this monster to its knees » All the challenges are out in the open, though, and it is a great pleasure to play where golfing greats have trod. Oakland Hills’ first club pro was Water Hagen, winner of five PGA Championships.

The 18-Hole North Course was opened in 1915 and has hosted 16 top tournaments, among them half a dozen US Opens, three PGA championships, a Ryder Cup and one each of the US Men’s and Women’s Amateurs and a pair of US Senior Opens. The North Course opened in 2007 and has been designed by Rees Jones, Donald Ross and Keith Evans.