Oakland Hills' South Course Gets Gil Hanse Touch

Major championship venue in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., will reopen in July after receiving a nearly 21-month, $12 million restoration from noted course architect.

Oakland Hills Country Club's venerable South Course will reopen in July after a nearly 21-month comprehensive restoration by course architect Gil Hanse. 

Opened in 1918, the Donald Ross-designed course in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., has hosted six U.S. Opens and three PGA Championships. The course also hosted the 2004 Ryder Cup. 

The restoration project began in October 2019 after Hanse and partner Jim Wagner, along with on-site coordinator Kyle Goalby, reviewed original plans and photographs as well as a printed program from the 1929 U.S. Women’s Amateur to guide their planning for the scope of the project. The restoration, which included upgrades to course maintenance features, cost nearly $12 million. 

“Restoring the South Course at Oakland Hills was a master class in scale from architect Donald Ross,” said Hanse in a statement. “By returning the proportions of the features to the large scale of the property, we learned so much about how to create interest, strategy, and beauty. This was a truly thrilling project for us to be involved in and we are excited about the transformation that has occurred.”

Two of the more notable enhancements are the return of the 7th hole's putting green to its original location, along with the original size of the creek, which bisects this classic par 4. 

Oakland Hills' North Course is also a Donald Ross design, which opened in 1924.