There are only two venues in American golf that the USGA considers ready to host a major at any given point in time. This means that if something were to happen to a championship venue at the last moment, there are only two places that could jump in to save the day. These two courses are Shinnecock Hills and Oakmont Country Club. Given the amount of preparation required to host a major, this says a great deal about the everyday conditions and capabilities of these two golf courses. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait for disaster to strike as both Oakmont and Shinnecock are in regular rotation for future US Opens. On June 12-15 of 2005, The US Open comes to Oakmont and I got a chance to preview the golf course on behalf of Lexus a month before the world’s finest golfers arrive.
The most important thing to remember when visiting a high caliber country club like Oakmont, besides removing your hat in the clubhouse, is to arrive in style. I chose the 2025 Lexus ES but any of the vehicles ini the Lexus lineup will get you past security.
62 degrees and Oakmont. #USOpen #LexusGolf pic.twitter.com/dvcozXCl0S
— Patrick Koenig (@patrickjkoenig) May 6, 2025
After a heavy haul in the golf shop, our large group of influencers went off in a shotgun start. I was paired with the fine fellas over at Golficity and the perpetually bubbly Cailyn Henderson. Even with a stacked field of the finest YouTubers and social media influencers in the world of golf, I declared that we had the strongest grouping at Oakmont that day.
Consistently ranked in the top 5 American golf courses, Oakmont excels in every single aspect of golf course design. However, the greens and surrounding hazards stand out as truly exceptional. The surfaces slope just about every which way and range from small to truly massive. Most importantly, they provide a plethora of strategic pin locations. The greens are so exceptionally strategic that the wise golfer should consider the pin location before playing their drive from the tee box. In many cases, the angle of attack from the fairway will play a large part in determining your success on the golf hole.
A mis-executed approach or an improper angle will leave even the best of golfers with a truly difficult task to save par. With the greens running at US Open speeds, there are plenty of green-side positions where making a 30 foot putt will be your only chance at getting up and down. A challenge like this makes for compelling competition and entertaining television.
The most unique aspect of Oakmont is undoubtedly the church pew bunkers that come into play on both the 3rd and 4th fairways. They are certainly iconic and more importantly, they are emblematic of the problems that lie just off the edge of the perfectly manicured fairways. The majority of the golf holes at Oakmont offer penal fairway bunkers and grassy creeks that will punish the slightly wayward tee ball. Even if you manage to avoid the hazards off of the fairway, the deep US Open rough will make your approach to a tucked pin a wildly difficult endeavor.
Generally speaking, I detest when a highway intersects the middle of a golf course. Unless that highway is Interstate 76 in Pennsylvania. After a uniquely sloped opening hole, the golf course heads across a dramatic bridge that rises high above the highway. Seven glorious golf holes await the golfer on the other side. The highway is tucked so far below the surface level of the golf course that there is no intrusion on the Oakmont experience.
The best golf courses in America always have a strong finishing hole and Oakmont is no exception. Measuring a stout 478 yards from the back tees, two great shots are required on the 18th hole if you would like to have a look at birdie. Just like Dustin Johnson in 2016, you are gonna need nerves of steel to seal the deal in 2025. I hit my drive into the right fairway bunker and I was forced to wedge out and play a 7 iron into the green in order to save my par. I can only hope that the US Open will find similar drama on June 12-15.
As is the case with any memorable round of golf, the company is always the most important variable. Cailyn and the Golficity boys delivered the good stuff as we worked our way across the historic land. It was truly a round to remember. For the normal golfer, the challenge that Oakmont presents should be relished and the double bogies that will inevitably be made should be laughed away. If you manage to take yourself too seriously, you run the risk of tarnishing a spectacular walk. For the professionals, the US Open will be the most challenging event on the golf calendar.
If you are interested in attending, you can get your tickets to the US Open here. Just be sure to show up in a Lexus. As for my US Open predictions… The cream almost always rises to the top at the very best golf courses and Oakmont will thoroughly test all aspects of a player’s game. If dry conditions prevail, only six players will finish under par with a winning score of -3. Rory by two shots over Scheffler.