Tag: Oakland Hills

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Far-reaching planning: venue for the 2051 U.S. Open has been determined

The USGA's plans for the U.S. Open extend into 2051. (Photo: Getty)
The USGA's plans for the U.S. Open extend into 2051. (Photo: Getty)

In a press conference with those responsible for the Oakland Hills Country Club, the USGA announced that the 2034 U.S. Open will be held in Oakland Hills. But that’s not all. The second U.S. Open date already set for Oakland Hills is to be in 2051. That’s a schedule that stretches nearly 30 years into the future.

We already know which golf club we’ll be looking at in 2051

It seems the USGA and PGA Tour can hardly fill their schedules soon enough. The DP World Tour and R&A also like to plan their schedules several years in advance, but their U.S. counterparts go one better. Recently, the USGA announced new dates for the U.S. Open in a press conference. The planning for the Major now reaches almost 30 years into the future, so we already know which golf course we will be looking at at the Major in 29 years. If you don’t want to miss the tournament, you can already keep the corresponding weekend in almost 30 years free.

The site of the 2051 (and 2034) U.S. Open will be Oakland Hills Country Club, which gratefully agreed to host more championships. The future of the golf club looked uncertain a few weeks ago when the clubhouse went up in flames.

Oakland Hills has had a rough couple of weeks

On Feb. 17, 2022, the previously newly renovated clubhouse went up in flames. It was almost completely destroyed, and firefighters had little chance against the blaze. Demolition work is already underway, building plans are being drafted and building applications submitted. The plan to continue to host major championships is to play a decisive role in the construction of the new clubhouse.

In a press conference, the president of Oakland Hills Country Club expressed confidence. He said the team led by Rick Palmer wanted to rebuild the clubhouse to be future-proof – just as they have already invested in the golf course and its future. With full confidence in the approximately 200 members who will decide the process, Palmer said, “I have no doubt that our membership will step to the plate, and we will have very soon a state of the art, beautiful iconic clubhouse.”

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Venue of 14 Majors: Clubhouse in Michigan burns down

Even the fire brigade was unable to extinguish the fire in time. (Photo: Twitter/@PeterFinchGolf)
Even the fire brigade was unable to extinguish the fire in time. (Photo: Twitter/@PeterFinchGolf)

At 10 a.m., a fire broke out for unknown reasons in the clubhouse of the Oakland Hills Country Club in the US state of Michigan. Despite a large-scale firefighting effort, the fire could not be extinguished in time and the roof collapsed. Several hours after the fire broke out, a firefighter described the clubhouse as “almost a total loss”.


President Rick Palmer: “A painful day for Oakland Hills”

Oakland Hills Country Club has hosted 14 golf majors in the past, including six men’s U.S. Opens and two U.S. Senior Opens. With such a history of the club, irreplaceable golf tournament memorabilia as well as artwork accumulated in the clubhouse, all of which has now sadly been destroyed with the uncontrollable fire. The clubhouse was completed in 1922 and was the pride and joy of the golf club. The next two U.S. Women’s Opens are planned for 2031 and 2042 at the Oakland Hills Country Club, for which the South Course was even recently renovated by the two architects Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner.

“This is a painful day for Oakland Hills. While we know that none of the members or staff were injured, we have lost our iconic clubhouse,” Club President Rick Palmer said of the burnt clubhouse. Despite the sad incident, he said he was looking forward and wanted to pay special tribute to all those involved in the construction and maintenance of the building. Architect Gil Hanse also mourns the loss of the iconic Oakland Hills Country Club clubhouse. “This is a truly sad day for the history of American golf,” Hanse emphasised. Former professional golfer Andy North describes the situation as “unbelievable”, but is sure that a “great clubhouse” will be built again at the traditional golf course.


The clubhouse before the fire:

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The clubhouse during the fire: