Oakmont Clubhouse

Oakmont: Where History Lives and Golf Legends Are Made

Some golf clubs are famous. Oakmont is sacred.

On the eve of the U.S. Open, it feels fitting to share this image — a view many players will take in as they make their way up the final hole. This scene, from the course looking toward Oakmont’s stately clubhouse, captures the quiet power of the place. The rolling fairways are humbling, the greens are lightning-fast, and the clubhouse itself watches over it all like a sentinel of golf’s past and future.

Opened in 1903, Oakmont Country Club was the vision of industrialist Henry Fownes, who not only founded the club but also designed the course. No professional architect. No committee. Just one man’s obsession with challenging golfers. His original layout remains mostly intact — although over the years, it has been carefully and thoughtfully restored, most notably under the guidance of Tom Fazio and, more recently, Gil Hanse, who peeled back decades of tree growth to bring the wide, sweeping vistas back to life.

The clubhouse, perched proudly above the course, was completed in 1905 and expanded over the years. It’s more than just bricks and mortar — it’s a living archive of tournament moments, from Ben Hogan to Johnny Miller to Dustin Johnson. Inside, the walls carry echoes of champions. Outside, it’s the perfect stage for the toughest test in golf.

I’ve photographed Oakmont many times over the years, but this shot — with the clubhouse framed against the Pennsylvania sky — always stays with me. It reminds me that golf isn’t just a game. It’s a story, told one hole, one moment, one generation at a time.

Tomorrow, another chapter begins.

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