Oakmont vs Olympic Club! The thought crossed my mind this year as I was able to play Oakmont CC for the first time. Having played Olympic Club last year for the first time, I thought about which course I liked better.
Everyone has favorites and comparing courses can be tricky but for fun, let’s have a go at it.
Tale of the Tape:
Yardage listed on the scorecards for the back tees shows Oakmont CC at 7024 yards, rated 75.3 with a slope of 139. Olympic Club at 6934 yards. Rated 75.1 with a slope of 139. Both courses are par 71.
For the 2016 US Open held at Oakmont the yardage stretched to 7254 and played as a par 70. The 2012 US Open at Olympic played 7170 and a par 70.
History:
Oakmont has hosted 9 US Opens, 3 PGA Championships, 2 US Women’s Open and 5 US Amateur’s
Olympic has hosted 5 US Opens, 2 PGA Championships and 2 US Amateur’s
Layout:
This is the fun part. I feel judging a layout is very subjective. Many factors can come into play when a golfer is thinking about the layout of the course: the type of holes, the scenery, the up, the down, the dogleg rights, the dogleg left. Depending on your shot shape different courses will fit your eye better and thus probably affect how you rank them.
At the Olympic Club I found the layout to be one of the most enjoyable features of the course. The first few holes (1-5) you playing down the side of a hill until you work you way to the flat area of the course. The 6th hole is fairly flat and then you start back up hill for 7 and 8.
Oakmont Scorecard
Olympic Club Scorecard
After going back downhill from the 9th tee, the back nine remains in the flat area until you reach the 17th hole. Working back up the hill, 17 is a good par 5 with a tough green and 18 is one of the a great finishing holes in golf.
The other factor in the layout of Olympic that I thought was unique is that on the other hillside sat building from the city of San Francisco. I have never quite play in an environment like that. The course was quite like most golf course yet not to far away sat the hustle bustle of city life for you to look at when walking the fairway. I have played other course in city environments but something about Olympic was unique and unusual in my mind.
The layout at Oakmont is more traditional in my mind. Obviously major Championship tested, I found it to be similar to many other major championships venues like Oak Hill, Oakland Hills and others. Two features at Oakmont CC come to mind when thinking about the layout. One is the famous church pew bunkers. Placed in the left rough of the 3rd hole and again in the left rough on the 4th hole, this bunker is 100 yards long and is truly a one shot penalty should your ball find it.
The other interesting part of Oakmont is that the Pennsylvania turnpike runs through the course. I have never played a course when a major freeway bisects the course. You really don’t hear any noise from the freeway until you are walking across the bridge from hole 1 to hole 2 and then back from hole 8 to hole 9. The turnpike sit down below the course so you really don’t see it when playing. None the less a somewhat unique feature that I have not seen at other courses.
Best Finishing Hole:
Oakmont CC finishes with a long yard Par 4. Strecthing from 410 yards all the way to 496 for the 2017 US Open. It require a long straight tee shot and then an uphill 2nd to a large but very undulating green.
Olympic’s 18th is just the opposite. Playing anywhere from 310 yards to 347 yards, it played the same yardage at 2012 US Open that it did at the 1955 US Open. A testament to the design of the hole with standing the test of time. The hole plays uphill from the 2nd shot. A tee shot in the left rough will leave you little chance to reach the green. Once on the green, you will need to stay below the hole to have good chance at a 2 putt.
Verdict:
Well there you have it. A brief informal look at two of the great golf course in the USA. I find Olympic to be my favorite of the two. I know others will chose Oakmont CC. That’s the great thing about golf. So many courses to choose from and so many different layouts. Something for everyone.
Have some thoughts on Oakmont and Olympic? Contact me at Jeff@ 1000awesomethingsaboutgolf.com or leave a comment in our forum. HERE