Don’t Freak Out If You See Rough Mowers at Oakmont

Oakmont Country Club founder Henry C. Fownes wanted to build his own course after he decided his nine-hole club, Highland Country Club, was too easy. Since its inception, the famed course in the Pittsburgh suburbs has been all about producing the firmest, fastest, and most penal conditions possible.

“We're constantly trying to set the standard in the world of golf conditioning and playability,” Oakmont superintendent Mike McCormick told our Andy Johnson on the Fried Egg Golf Podcast.

The rough next week at Oakmont will certainly meet U.S. Open standards. The maintenance staff starts prepping the grass a year in advance and has been spoon feeding the rough with different nutrients on a weekly basis since April. On top of that, an Oakmont member helped the staff build custom mowers that cut the grass at a higher length than typical machines are capable. So if you see the rough being cut during the U.S. Open, don’t freak out. It’s not making the course play any easier.

For more on what makes Oakmont's agronomy different, check out Andy Johnson’s interviews with superintendent Mike McCormick and consulting architect Gil Hanse on the Fried Egg Golf Podcast. Listen on Apple or Spotify.