Breaking down every hole at Oak Hill Country Club for the 2023 PGA Championship

The 2023 PGA Championship will take place at the East Course at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. Teeing off on May 18, the best players in the world will gather at this challenging course in search of the Wanamaker Trophy. This is the fourth time that the Championship will be played at Oak Hill, and the first since 2013.

The first and 18th holes are some notoriously tough bookends to this course, and the 500-yard par-4 sixth hole has become a bear in itself after recent renovations.

Here, we take a hole-by-hole look at the course that lies between the field of golfers and a major victory. Check out this video below and our descriptions of the course.

1st Hole

Distance: 460 yards

Handicap: 5

This par-4 may be one of the most challenging opening holes in the country. The tee shot is elevated and includes a dogleg left, but head too far in that direction, and you’ll hit one of three bunkers lining the fairway.

2nd Hole

Distance: 405 yards
Handicap: 11

This is a shorter par-4 than the first hole that requires some precision with a narrow, bunker-lined fairway. The green slopes from back to front.

3rd Hole

Distance: 230 yards
Handicap: 5

This par-3’s green also slopes back to front, and features three bunkers in front of the green that the ball can easily slide towards with a too-short approach.

4th Hole

Distance: 615 yards
Handicap: 13

This par-5 is a bunker-ridden precision test with trees lining the left side of the approach.

5th Hole

Distance: 180 yards
Handicap: 17

This par-3 hole is a real challenge with its green lifted on a small mesa and surrounded by four bunkers. This requires a very accurate shot off the tee.

6th Hole

Distance: 500 yards
Handicap: 1

This par-4 hole has a slight dogleg right, but go too far in that direction, and you risk hitting water on the right side of the fairway.

7th Hole

Distance: 460 yards
Handicap: 3

This par-4 requires precision off the tee as well, with heavy trees and Allen’s Creek lining the fairway. This is one of the more challenging greens of the course.

8th Hole

Distance: 430 yards
Handicap: 9

The 8th hole features a generously large green and fairway on a par-4, but more bunkers line both areas.

9th Hole

Distance: 480 yards
Handicap: 7

This par-4 hole features an uphill dogleg right with a narrowing fairway and plenty of tree overhang that puts golfers at risk of hitting out of bounds.

10th Hole

Distance: 430 yards
Handicap: 8

This par-4’s fairway slopes back downhill, with Allen’s Creek cutting through it. The green has two guarding bunkers and a runoff area, but if you hit toward the middle, it’s one of the flattest greens in the course.

11th Hole

Distance: 245 yards
Handicap: 16

This long par-3 sees three more bunkers surrounding a large green. Allen’s Creek cuts right in front of the green, as well.

12th Hole

Distance: 400 yards
Handicap: 10

This par-4 slopes uphill with a green that slopes back to front that has bunkers guarding the front.

13th Hole

Distance: 595 yards
Handicap: 2

This par-5 heads back upwards and is considered by many to be the course’s signature hole. With Allen’s Creek cutting through its path at 325 yards, golfers need to be careful on their tee shots, often choosing to pull up to avoid hitting water.

14th Hole

Distance: 320 yards
Handicap: 12

This short par-4 has bunkers galore. If a golfer lays up short, they have to miss the three fairway bunkers on the right and left. If he aims for the green, he has to miss the three surrounding bunkers.

15th Hole

Distance: 160 yards
Handicap: 18

This par-3 features a multi-tiered green with a steep runoff area directly in front of it.

16th Hole

Distance: 460 yards
Handicap: 6

This par-4 offers a straight shot provided you can stay in front of the green. The fairway has a generous slope that guides a good tee shot toward the green.

17th Hole

Distance: 500 yards
Handicap: 14

This hole is a par-5 for members but a par-4 for the PGA Championship, requiring a long tee shot and some very accurate putting on an undulating green.

18th Hole

Distance: 490 yards
Handicap: 14

This par-4 makes for a tough finish with a narrow fairway and a back-to-front green surrounded by tree line and four bunkers.