Comparing PGA Championship Venues to 1990s and 2000s Bands

Over the past several years, the USGA has established a new, strict rota of courses for the U.S. Open, booking the likes of Oakmont, Pebble Beach, and Pinehurst No. 2 all the way out to the 2050s.

The PGA of America hasn't been as aggressive in scheduling venues: at the moment, it has announced PGA Championship sites only from now until 2035. Yet partly because the USGA has locked down many top American courses for the foreseeable future, the PGA has recently settled into a loose rota of its own, primarily consisting of venues that could host a U.S. Open but won't anytime soon. A USGB circuit, if you will.

So let's take stock of the emerging PGA Championship rota by comparing each course to a band I heard frequently on the radio in the 90s and 00s. (Does this seem like a deeply random thing to do? Whatever, just roll with me here.)

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Quail Hollow (2017, 2025) — Coldplay

My colleague Cameron Hurdus suggested this one in Slack, and it's perfect. Coldplay is not a bad band. "A Rush of Blood to the Head" is an excellent album. But Coldplay's music does not demand, or particularly reward, attention. It's just... nice.

Aronimink (2026) — Weezer

Weezer's first two albums are first-ballot hall-of-famers. But in recent years, they've struggled to recapture their early magic in the midst of a changing game.

The Olympic Club (2028) — Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters are highly proficient at the one thing they do, and they do it over and over. A chugging rocker with quiet-loud contrasts is to Dave Grohl and company as a reverse-camber par 4 is to Olympic Club.

PGA Frisco (2027) — O-Town

O-Town was a corporate concoction that never felt like more than a rote exercise in a withering genre, in spite of robust financial backing and individual talent.

The Ocean Course at Kiawah (2012, 2021, 2031) — Green Day

You may forget about Green Day for extended periods of time, but whenever they pop up on the radio or in your Spotify algorithm, you're happy to hear them. And if you end up listening to "Dookie" all the way through, you might find yourself wondering if anybody made a better straight-ahead, commercial rock album in the 90s.

Whistling Straits (2010, 2015) — Blink-182

Blink-182 is very good. "Enema of the State," fantastic. But they're not better than Green Day.

Southern Hills (2022, 2032) — Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Tom Petty's songs are rather ordinary on the surface, but if you listen to them closely, you’ll realize how well crafted they are. This is timeless American music and, in my opinion, easily the class of this list.

Bethpage Black (2019, 2033) - Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses were a badass rock band in their day, and "Appetite for Destruction" is an undisputed classic, but the live-concert experience has become notoriously dodgy in recent years.

Oak Hill East (2013, 2023, 2035) — Oasis

Oasis is well-loved and has enjoyed a major resurgence in the 2020s. I gotta be honest, though: I don't get it. Just not for me.

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Congressional Blue (2030) — Stone Temple Pilots

Stone Temple Pilots are a solid group, worthy of respect, but I find a lot of their stuff slightly anonymous.

Bellerive (2018) — Bush

Bashing Bush feels redundant at this point. They've taken plenty of beatings from the critics already. But think about it: can you sing more than three words of any Bush song to yourself? If so, you have a better memory than I do.

TPC Harding Park (2020) — Dave Matthews Band

I'm glad Dave Matthews Band exists. All of the band members seem cool and nice and skillful at their instruments. But I just don't need this music consistently in my life.

Baltusrol Lower (2016,2029) — Metallica

No one doubts Metallica's greatness, but by the early 00s, they had become something of a joke. All of the guys seem in decent shape at the moment, though. Primed for a comeback?

Valhalla (2014, 2024) — Spin Doctors

Whenever I hear that Spin Doctors song (you know the one), I think to myself, "I guess this was cool in the 90s?"