PITTSBURGH — It’s nine months and counting until the Pittsburgh area takes golf’s center stage.
When the world’s best golfers play the U.S. Open at Oakmont in June, they’ll find new challenges in every corner.
Last year, the course underwent significant renovations, using decades’ worth of blueprints to bring it as close as possible to its original layout, while catering to the modern game.
“Some of the more modern features of the golf course that had been added over the years were taken out, and a lot of the features that were there 100 years ago got put back in,” said Oakmont grounds superintendent Michael McCormick.
While Oakmont is getting back to its roots, designers had to be sure one of the toughest courses in the country stayed that way.
They also added about 300 yards of length to and revamped the bunkers.
“The championship next year will really be the true test of how this restoration project will be viewed,” McCormick said.
To ensure the course passes that test with the game’s best next year, the USGA will spend the coming weeks meticulously determining hole placement.
Senior Director of Player Development Scott Langley said it’s a process that took 60 to 70 hours at other courses but may take longer on the redesigned course at Oakmont.
“What that process looks like is four or five of us moving very slowly around this golf course and spending quite a bit of time on each putting green, rolling putts, hitting pit shots, recovery shots, bunker shots, getting an understanding of what the greens do, how they behave.”
It’s all about striking a balance to make sure the action on the course meets the high expectations for the event.
“Finding that middle ground of challenging, but fair, difficult, demanding, but right. That’s why we spend so much time and effort and thought going into this process and making sure we just present Oakmont in its very best way.”
To maintain the course for the event alone, McCormick says about 200 groundskeepers come in from all over the country, including volunteers and former Oakmont employees with knowledge of the course.
The focus is putting together the most experienced team possible to help Oakmont shine on the national stage.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW