Oakland Hills’ Rebuilt Clubhouse on Pace for 2026 Grand Opening

When the 264 competitors arrive at iconic Oakland Hills Country Club for the playing of the 76th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship they will encounter a world-class venue that has hosted six U.S. Opens, two U.S. Senior Opens, three PGA Championships, a Ryder Cup and a pair of U.S. Amateurs.

Virtually all of the game’s greats have walked the fairways of the renown South Course, a Donald Ross gem that underwent a major restoration by Gil Hanse and reopened for play in 2021. World Golf Hall of Famers Ben Hogan (1951 U.S. Open), Jack Nicklaus (1991 U.S. Senior Open), Arnold Palmer (1981 U.S. Senior Open), Gary Player (1972 PGA Championship), Padraig Harrington (2008 PGA), Gene Littler (1961 U.S. Open), David Graham (1979 PGA), Ralph Guldahl (1937 U.S. Open) and Glenna Collett Vare (1929 U.S. Women’s Amateur) have all won titles at Oakland Hills, and many more legends, including Tiger Woods, Bob Jones, Tom Watson and Walter Hagen have competed there. Hagen, in fact, was the club’s first head professional (1918-19).

Unfortunately for the U.S. Junior Amateur players, they will only hear about Oakland Hills’ tremendous pedigree. On Feb. 17, 2022, a fire destroyed the 90,000-square-foot, C. Howard Crane-designed clubhouse that not only served as a respite for the club’s 800 members and guests, but was a living, breathing museum that showcased Oakland Hills’ championship legacy. Everything from trophies to memorabilia to scorecards were housed in the two-story structure.

Some valuable items were lost in the flames, while the quick work of first responders saved some of the precious pieces. In all, this horrific chapter in the club’s history cost a significant amount in damages.

But soon the tragedy will be replaced by triumph.

This past Dec. 20, Oakland Hills officially broke ground on a multi-year construction project that it is calling “The Next 100 Project.” Passed in a vote by the membership, the $96.5 million project will be funded by insurance money along with member assessment and dues.

On July 9, just 6½ months after the Groundbreaking Ceremony, the membership held a Topping Out Ceremony as the final steel beam was installed to complete the framework of the new clubhouse. The project also includes a new greens and grounds facility along the northern side of the South Course, tunnel and lower level storage to benefit club operations and renovations to the driving range.

The final of the three ceremonies for the rebuilt clubhouse will be the Grand Opening sometime in the spring of 2026.

“It was truly a member-driven effort from the beginning,” said 20-year member Mark Bowman, one of the two Oakland Hills board members on the Construction and Design Committee. He joined Oakland Hills shortly after the 2004 Ryder Cup Matches. “We wanted to make sure of that. We tried to involve as many members as possible, and we’ve had quite a number of committees to cover different aspects. There have been close to 100 members who have had some level of participation.”

Neumann/Smith Architecture, a local firm from Southfield, won the bid to design the clubhouse, and Lansing-based Clark Construction Company is handling the construction portion of the project.

When completed, the new clubhouse, at least from the exterior, will look very familiar to the one that burned, replete with the white pillared columns. A balcony will also be added to the front to allow for spectacular views of the South Course. The club’s Donald Ross-designed North Course, which will serve as the stroke-play co-host for the U.S. Junior Amateur, is across the street from the club’s parking lot and clubhouse site.

While the inside of the new clubhouse will still house locker rooms, dining areas and a ballroom, it will have a similar layout and grand feeling as the building which was lost – with a few notable changes. The ballroom is being moved to the second floor to allow for vaulted ceilings, and the first floor will house member dining/lounges. Both the men’s and women’s locker rooms are being expanded as well.

But the big project, which is being overseen by the club’s Heritage Committee and curator Andy Mutch, who once oversaw the USGA Museum & Library in Liberty Corner, N.J., will be the displays showcasing the club’s championship pedigree that dates to the 1922 Western Open won by Mike Brady through the present day. The club also has to accommodate for eight additional championships through 2051 that includes a pair of U.S. Opens (2034 and 2051), two U.S. Women’s Opens (2031 and 2042), a U.S. Amateur (2047), U.S. Women’s Amateur (2029), U.S. Girls’ Junior (2038) and this year’s U.S. Junior Amateur.

For the Heritage Committee, it’s a major homework assignment. Some items were recovered, but Bowman said the club has sought golf memorabilia auctions, member sources and past champions to obtain artifacts that are important to the club’s championship history.

“The enthusiasm of the staff and membership about this project is extraordinary,” said Oakland Hills general manager Matt Dossey. “We revered our last clubhouse but are elated to share the new version with our local, national and international friends who have reached out to assist.”

The club dates to 1918 when Ross completed the layout for the South Course. He designed the North Course six years later. Crane, an early member of Oakland Hills, had designed a number of key structures in Detroit, including the Fox Theater and Opera House.

If he came back in 2026, he probably would recognize the outside of the new clubhouse but would notice a modernization of the interior with touches of the past.

Because the club is starting from scratch, it can have more say in how the exhibits are displayed. Bowman said the architects, Mutch and the Heritage Committee are working closely to design the interior with those displays in mind.

On the stairway up to the second floor, the club will continue to honor all of its head professionals, from 11-time major winner and first pro Walter Hagen to current head man Steve Brady, himself a solid player who has qualified for two U.S. Opens and three PGA Championships. At the top of the stairwell, a glass display will house all of the replica trophies from the USGA championships conducted at Oakland Hills. The rest of the second floor will be dedicated to the more recent majors/championships held at the club.

“Thankfully, we are one of the clubs that have had such a great and long relationship with the USGA,” said Bowman. “To hold championships at each level of a player’s career (USGA Juniors to Senior Opens) to what some call the cathedrals of golf is a lot of fun. That’s exciting.”

Added Matthew Schmidt, the club’s vice president and board liaison to the Construction Committee: “Our vision statement notes that we are dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the legacy established by our founders for hosting state, national and international championships.  Our members are great stewards of our history and look forward to future championships, and our new clubhouse that will be a centerpiece for enhanced member and guest experiences and iconic championship moments.”.”

In the meantime, Oakland Hills and its members have been able to thrive despite the lack of a main clubhouse. A large four-season pavilion has been erected to support functions such as dining for the upcoming U.S. Junior Amateur. The makeshift pro shop now is housed in the First Tee Building that did serve as a place to store clubs. The club’s administrative staff is working out of a home that was recently purchased by the membership that sits near the third hole. Members have also adjusted to not having a permanent locker room or dining/lounge area.

In a couple of years that will all be past history. And in 10 years when some of the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur competitors come back for the 134th U.S. Open, they’ll get the chance to see what they missed.

A living, breathing ode to some of the game’s illustrious history.

David Shefter is a senior staff writer for the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.