The U.S. Open is the hardest test in golf because the USGA likes it that way. Eight-inch rough, tucked pins, glassy greens, par as the winning score. It's been played 122 times since 1895, and the rota of host courses reads like a tour of American architecture's greatest hits.

scratched.io's atlas has 17 U.S. Open venues mapped with cover photos. Grouped by era:

The founders (pre-1920)

• Newport Country Club: hosted the very first U.S. Open in 1895, alongside the first U.S. Amateur the same week. William F. Davis routing, restored by Gil Hanse.
• Shinnecock Hills: hosted the second U.S. Open in 1896 and has been back four times since (1986, 1995, 2004, 2018). The 2018 setup is still debated.
• Inverness Club: Donald Ross 1919. Hosted the U.S. Open in 1920, 1931, 1957, and 1979.

The Golden Age venues (1920-1960)

• Pebble Beach: opened 1919 by Neville and Grant. Six U.S. Opens to date (1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010, 2019), with another scheduled. The 7th hole and the closing stretch along Carmel Bay are inarguable.
• Winged Foot: A.W. Tillinghast 1923. Six U.S. Opens, most recently 2020. The "Massacre at Winged Foot" 1974 and Bryson DeChambeau's 2020 win are bookends.
• Baltusrol: A.W. Tillinghast Lower Course. Seven U.S. Opens between 1903 and 1993.
• Oakmont: Henry and William Fownes 1903. Ten U.S. Opens, more than any other course. Returns in 2025.
• Oakland Hills: Donald Ross 1918, "Monsterized" by Robert Trent Jones for the 1951 U.S. Open. Six U.S. Opens through 1996.
• Merion East: Hugh Wilson 1912, famous wicker basket pins. Five U.S. Opens including Bobby Jones's 1930 Grand Slam clincher.

The modern rota (1990s onward)

• Olympic Club Lake: hosted the 1955, 1966, 1987, 1998, and 2012 U.S. Opens. Famous for upsets (Ouimet, Casper, Simpson, Webb).
• Hazeltine National: hosted in 1970 and 1991. Trent Jones routing.
• Pinehurst No. 2: Donald Ross's masterpiece restored by Coore & Crenshaw in 2010. Hosted 1999, 2005, 2014, 2024.
• Bethpage Black: A.W. Tillinghast 1936 muni. The first U.S. Open played on a public course was here in 2002. Back again in 2009.

The new venues (2010s+)

• Chambers Bay: Robert Trent Jones II 2007 on Puget Sound. Hosted in 2015. Fescue everywhere, no trees, divisive.
• Erin Hills: 2006 by Hurdzan, Fry, and Whitten. Hosted in 2017 with Brooks Koepka winning at -16.
• Los Angeles Country Club: George Thomas 1921, restored by Hanse 2010. Hosted its first U.S. Open in 2023 (Wyndham Clark won).

The full list

The atlas filters can show you every championship venue in one view. Combine with state or designer filters to plan a trip around the historic ones.

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