Golf Home Course: Oak Hill Country Club

Photo courtesy of Oak Hill Country Club

Oak Hill Country Club, selected three times as the site of the U.S. Open, is the home course for the University of Rochester. The connection is a long-standing one.

Rochester's River Campus occupies the original site of Oak Hill Country Club. In 1924, the club traded 90 acres of riverfront property to the University in exchange for more than 300 acres of farmland and a substantial cash grant for course and clubhouse construction. The club relocated to the town of Pittsford in 1926.

One year later, University president Rush Rhees broke ground for construction of the River Campus and the Medical Center.

Oak Hill's current courses (East and West) were designed by Donald Ross in 1926. The East Course is characterized by subtle, contoured greens which are located mostly on plateaus and measures 6,902 yards with a par of 70. The West Course is marked by large, undulating greens which are often elevated. Water hazards are few. From the back tees, the West Course measures 6,649 yards with a par of 71.

The U.S. Golf Association has staged its Open Championship at Oak Hill in 1956, 1968, and 1989, and its Senior Open Championship in 1984. Oak Hill hosted the PGA Championship in 1980 and 2003, and the Ryder Cup Matches in 1995. It hosted the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1949 and 1998.