Oak Hill Country Club
Encyclopedia
Oak Hill Country Club, located in the Town of Pittsford
, New York
, a suburb of Rochester, has a rich history of golf
. It started out in 1901 as only 9 holes on 85 acres (0.3 km²) on the banks of the Genesee River
in Rochester. The clubhouse was no more than a converted farm house. However, at the time golf was a relatively new sport in America, and as popularity of the sport grew, so did the country club. By 1921 Oak Hill had doubled in size and had a new clubhouse, so when the University of Rochester
proposed a land swap in 1921 it was a tough decision for members. However, the country club decided to take the university up on their offer, and moved the club to a 355 acre (1.4 km²) plot in nearby Pittsford. This decision ended up benefiting Oak Hill, University of Rochester and the City of Rochester.
Now with triple the land of the old country club, Oak Hill had room for two 18-hole courses. Designed by Donald Ross, they became the East Course and the West Course. Local physician and civic personality John Ralston Williams
cultivated oak trees and planted tens of thousands of them among the greens on what once was a farmed-out field. The East Course - which hosts the major tournaments - has had several changes made over the years, first by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in the early 1960's and later (and more recently for the 1989 Open and 2003 PGA) by Tom Fazio and his design group. In 1941 the Times-Union
, a local paper at the time posted a $5000 purse which attracted the greatest golfers in the world, including names such as Sam Snead
, Walter Hagen
, and Ben Hogan
. This tournament, won by Snead, put Oak Hill on the national golf map. Several prestigious tournaments would be held at Oak Hill over the next 62 years, including six men's major championships
.
In 2009, the East Course was ranked 11th in Golf Digest
s list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses.
Bolded years major championships on PGA Tour
Upon the completion of the 2008 Senior PGA Championship, Oak Hill Country Club is the only club in the United States to have hosted all six of the Men's major championships that move around the country.
The course record of 64 is shared by Ben Hogan in 1942 and Curtis Strange in 1989.
Pittsford (town), New York
Pittsford is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States and is an affluent suburb of Rochester. The population was 29,405 at the 2010 census....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, a suburb of Rochester, has a rich history of golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
. It started out in 1901 as only 9 holes on 85 acres (0.3 km²) on the banks of the Genesee River
Genesee River
The Genesee River is a North American river flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides hydroelectric power for downtown Rochester....
in Rochester. The clubhouse was no more than a converted farm house. However, at the time golf was a relatively new sport in America, and as popularity of the sport grew, so did the country club. By 1921 Oak Hill had doubled in size and had a new clubhouse, so when the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
proposed a land swap in 1921 it was a tough decision for members. However, the country club decided to take the university up on their offer, and moved the club to a 355 acre (1.4 km²) plot in nearby Pittsford. This decision ended up benefiting Oak Hill, University of Rochester and the City of Rochester.
Now with triple the land of the old country club, Oak Hill had room for two 18-hole courses. Designed by Donald Ross, they became the East Course and the West Course. Local physician and civic personality John Ralston Williams
John Ralston Williams
John Ralston Williams was a Canadian-American physician who was an instrumental figure in the public health of Rochester, New York.Williams was born in Renfrew, Ontario, Canada in 1874, one of nine children of a baker...
cultivated oak trees and planted tens of thousands of them among the greens on what once was a farmed-out field. The East Course - which hosts the major tournaments - has had several changes made over the years, first by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in the early 1960's and later (and more recently for the 1989 Open and 2003 PGA) by Tom Fazio and his design group. In 1941 the Times-Union
Rochester Times-Union
The Times-Union was a widely circulated daily newspaper in the greater Rochester, New York area for 79 years. It was published as an afternoon daily counterpart to the morning Democrat and Chronicle under the ownership of Gannett when it ceased operations in 1997...
, a local paper at the time posted a $5000 purse which attracted the greatest golfers in the world, including names such as Sam Snead
Sam Snead
Samuel Jackson Snead was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for most of four decades. Snead won a record 82 PGA Tour events including seven majors. He failed to win a U.S...
, Walter Hagen
Walter Hagen
Walter Charles Hagen was a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of eleven professional majors is third behind Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods . He won the U.S. Open twice, and in 1922 he became the first native-born American to win the British Open, which he went on...
, and Ben Hogan
Ben Hogan
William Ben Hogan was an American golfer, generally considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game...
. This tournament, won by Snead, put Oak Hill on the national golf map. Several prestigious tournaments would be held at Oak Hill over the next 62 years, including six men's major championships
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
.
In 2009, the East Course was ranked 11th in Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
s list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses.
Major tournaments hosted
| Year | Tournament | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | U.S. Amateur | Charles Coe Charles Coe Charles Robert "Charlie" Coe was an American golfer who is considered by many to be one of the greatest amateur golfers in history. A two-time U.S... |
| 1956 | U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
Cary Middlecoff Cary Middlecoff Emmett Cary Middlecoff was a dentist who gave up his practice to become a professional golfer on the PGA Tour in the 1940s.... |
| 1968 | U.S. Open | Lee Trevino Lee Trevino Lee Buck Trevino is an American professional golfer. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex". He won six major championships over the course of his career.-Early life:... |
| 1980 1980 PGA Championship The 1980 PGA Championship was the 62nd PGA Championship held from August 7-10 at Oak Hill Country Club, East Course in Rochester, New York. Jack Nicklaus won his fifth PGA Championship, second major title of the year, and 17th major title of his career by seven strokes over Andy Bean... |
PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
Jack Nicklaus Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a... |
| 1984 | U.S. Senior Open United States Senior Open The U.S. Senior Open is one of the major championships in men's senior golf. It was first played in 1980 and is administered by the United States Golf Association and is recognized as a major championship by both the Champions Tour and the European Seniors Tour... |
Miller Barber Miller Barber Miller Barber is an American professional golfer who enjoyed significant success on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s, and a greater degree of success on the Senior PGA Tour in the 1980s.-Career:... |
| 1989 | U.S. Open | Curtis Strange Curtis Strange Curtis Northrup Strange is an American professional golfer. He is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. He spent over 200 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between their debut in 1986 and 1990.-Early years through college:Strange and his... |
| 1995 1995 Ryder Cup The 31st Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York.The European team won the competition by a margin of 14½ to 13½ points to win back the Cup.-Format:The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point... |
Ryder Cup Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe... |
Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... |
| 1998 | U.S. Amateur | Hank Kuehne Hank Kuehne Henry August "Hank" Kuehne II is an American former U.S. Amateur champion and professional golfer who enjoyed some success on the PGA Tour.... |
| 2003 2003 PGA Championship The 2003 PGA Championship was the 85th PGA Championship held from August 14-17 at Oak Hill Country Club, East Course in Rochester, New York. Shaun Micheel won his first major by two strokes over Chad Campbell.-First round:-Second round:-Third round:... |
PGA Championship | Shaun Micheel Shaun Micheel Shaun Carl Micheel is an American golfer who is best known for his surprise victory in 2003 in one of golf's major championships, the PGA Championship.... |
| 2008 | Senior PGA Championship Senior PGA Championship The Senior PGA Championship is one of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both the Champions Tour and the European Seniors Tour. It was formerly an unofficial money... |
Jay Haas Jay Haas Jay Dean Haas is an American professional golfer.Haas was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Belleville, Illinois. He attended Wake Forest University and was a member of the NCAA Championship team of the middle 1970s with Curtis Strange and Bob Byman that Golf World has called "the... |
| 2013 | PGA Championship | TBD |
Bolded years major championships on PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
Upon the completion of the 2008 Senior PGA Championship, Oak Hill Country Club is the only club in the United States to have hosted all six of the Men's major championships that move around the country.
The course record of 64 is shared by Ben Hogan in 1942 and Curtis Strange in 1989.