Oakmont Country Club, hosting the 2025 U.S. Open, is uniquely divided by the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a major highway that splits the golf course into two sections.
The course, established in 1903, initially had a railroad running through it, which was later replaced by the turnpike in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Golfers start on the west side for the first hole, cross a footbridge to play holes two through eight on the east side, then return west for the remaining holes.
We’ve all seen golf courses that have a road running through them now and again. But they are usually slow, less-traveled roads.
A six-lane highway passing through, however, must be a sight to see.
@joepompliano This is wild 🤯 #golf #golfing #golfswing #golftiktok #golftok #golftips #golfcourse ♬ original sound – Joe Pompliano
The Story Behind the Oakmont Country Club and the Highway
The turnpike, part of Interstate 76, stretches from Philadelphia to the Ohio border and is known as “America’s first superhighway.”
In the 1930s, Pennsylvania officials planned the turnpike to cross the Appalachian Mountains, gaining approval through FDR’s Works Progress Administration.
The highway’s construction in 1940, following the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Act of 1937, used eminent domain, leaving Oakmont with little recourse to oppose it.
To manage crowds during U.S. Open events, Oakmont built a second, wider pedestrian bridge in 2003, funded by Stan Druckenmiller, an Oakmont member and Wall Street hedge fund expert.
The turnpike’s presence is mitigated by a 25-foot retaining wall and an additional eight-foot wall to reduce noise, making it barely noticeable from the course.
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It’s a Tough, Tough Course
The Oakmont Country Club layout, with seven holes separated from the clubhouse by the turnpike, remains one of the toughest and most distinctive in golf.
It’s proving that once again through the first round of the 2025 U.S. Open. The projected cut right now is +3, where some of the world’s best golfers – like last year’s Open champ, Bryson DeChambeau, and PGA Championship winner and world’s number one golfer, Scottie Scheffler – are sitting after 18 holes.
The legendary Arnold Palmer once noted of Oakmont, “You can hit 72 greens [in regulation] in the Open at Oakmont and not come close to winning.”
The course’s unique configuration and historical adaptation to the turnpike add to its charm and challenge for the 2025 U.S. Open.
Whoever wins the tournament will surely deserve all of the accolades that come with it.
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