Oakland Hills Country Club is one of the world's mainline golf courses. Since its very beginnings in the early 1920s, Oakland Hills has made its mark in the annals of golf history.
It was at the 1951 US Open that it received its nickname, "The Monster." Only two players that year had rounds under par. Ben Hogan's 287 total won the Open and caused him to exclaim his joy at having "brought this course, this monster, to its knees."
One thing about this course is the way the fairways get narrow right where a well hit
ball will normally land (about 250 - 280 yds). This creates a huge challenge if you
play on the Champ level (at least for me). One click off on the bottom of the snap, and
you are in the rough, guaranteed. I also like the fact that a lot of the greens are
elevated. Makes it difficult to reach the par 5's, and a short tee shot on a par 3
could mean disaster. A great challenge. It is the site of Ben Hogan's memorable final
round of 67, when the average score of the rest of the field was 75.2. Ben "tamed the
Monster" in 1951. On the 5th hole is where the famous double-kiss of T.C. Chen occured.
He double hit a chip from the rough, incurred a penalty stroke, lost all concentration,
and left the hole with the dreaded snowman (8). Since that moment, a double-kiss has
been known as a T.C. Chen, and to some as the Two Chip Chen. The seventh hole is a
dogleg right, with water right, a fairway that slopes to the right, and trees and
bunkers left. A miss off the tee is trouble everywhere. The last 5 holes are known as
the Fearsome Fivesome, or the Five Uneasy Pieces. The 13th is a nice par 3, that
personifies target architecture, with sand protecting every possible hole location.
Target golf here, for sure. Some of the longest par 4's are here, including the 473
yard 14th. The 15th is a par 4 with a very interesting feature: A bunker in the middle
of the fairway, about 250 yards from the Champ tees. The easy thing to do is go left of
the bunker, but if too far left, the approach may include going under trees. The green
on this hole is one of the toughest. One of my favorite holes in LS. The approach on
16 is a beauty, and also the signature hole. Tiger Woods had a quadruple bogey on his
opening round of the 96 US Open on this hole. The 18th is a 486 yd par 5, and is
considered by many as the "toughest finishing hole in golf." There was some controversy
when Access created this course for LS. When the Pro's played the US Open here, the
18th played as a very long par 4. Personally, I would've liked Access to do the same.
Still a great finishing hole to a great course.
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