oakmontlinks links july 2015.pdffrom the red tees page 4 bunker to bunker page 5 from the grounds...

OAKMONT COUNTRY CLUB JULY 2015

OakmontOakmontLinksJ U LY 2 0 1 5 | W W W. OA K M O N T C C . O R G

N AT I O N A L H I S TO R I C L A N D M A R K 1 9 0 3

Fitz’s FactsPage 3

ContentsSocial ScenePage 2

From the Red TeesPage 4

Bunker to BunkerPage 5

From the Grounds0

ummer has finally arrived inPittsburgh, which means the golfseason at Oakmont is in full swing.

We have had great participation in thematch play events for both men andwomen. Thanks to all the guys who areparticipating in the Druckenmiller, VicePresident’s and Secretary’s Cups, WorshamTrophy, and Senior Club Championshipand all the women who are participating inthe Memorial Handicap Tournament andPartner’s Handicap Competition. The men’s and women’s Member-

Member were both a great success. BillLear and Don Stoner won the men’s eventwith an incredible score of 12 in theshootout. Sue McMurdy and MitziHofmann won the women’s event for thefifth consecutive time shooting a terrifictwo-day score of 166. There are many golf events remaining at

Oakmont this year, and we hope you willparticipate. There are games for membersto play in every week whether it is theMen’s SWAT on Wednesday, Saturday,Sunday and holidays; Net Swat onSaturday; Women’s Golf Association gameon Thursday; or Ladies Swat on Sunday.Whatever game suits you, come on out andplay. You will enjoy time with existingfriends and make new ones. Our Golf Shop is stocked with great

merchandise featuring both the Oakmontlogo and the 2016 U.S. Open Oakmontlogo. We have noticed more and more ofour members wearing Oakmont shirts and

F I R S T P E R S O N

ED STACK

S hats and carrying Oakmont bags. Thankyou! Remember, a significant portion ofthe Golf Shop proceeds go toward sup-porting our Club. We appreciate your pastand ongoing patronage of Oakmont mer-chandise.A special thanks to Paul Mroz and the

Committee involved in renovating areas ofour Clubhouse. The Oakmont DiningRoom adjacent to the Champions Grill isworking out terrifically well. The modifica-tions we have made to the Living Room,and the seating areas in the front desk areahave been very well received. Paul and histeam are doing an excellent job servicingour members. We appreciate their efforts tomake time spent at our revered Club com-fortable and enjoyable.As we start Oakmont’s fiscal year, our

two-month operating cash flow has beenpositive and ahead of budget. This strongshowing has been achieved throughincreased operating revenues, improvedfood cost and cost containment through-out the Club. Thanks to all of the Club’smanagers. We appreciate all you do. Many thanks to John Zimmers, Golf

Course Superintendent, and his team as thecondition of the golf course may be thebest it has been in years. The greens arebecoming firmer, faster, and moreOakmont-like every day. The commentsregarding the condition of the golf courseduring the Member-Member were verypositive. Our goal is to keep the golf

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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OAKMONT COUNTRY CLUB JULY 2015— 2 —

By the time you read this article the closureof the Hulton Bridge will hopefully be adistant memory. The Oakmont Teamthanks all of our members who live on theother side of the river for dealing with thetraffic, detours, rush hour, and time spentdriving to get to the Club. The golf course,the lodges, the dining rooms and the poolall remained busy during the closure andfor that we are truly thankful. The Clubhouse painting project has

been completed and the company giving usour makeover did a very nice job. Theywere cognizant of the fact that our opera-tion was in full swing and were always ableto be in the right place at the right time sothat their impact on the membership waslimited. The Clubhouse was getting a bitfaded from the weather and change of sea-sons. It is now looking sharp and crispagain. Other capital projects completedrecently included repairing the gutters androof of the Gatehouse and replacing theheater for the Kiddie Swimming Pool.

I would like to thank Jim and ColleenMeyers for sponsoring and assisting ourstaff with the creation of the Club’s firstSummer party which was held on SaturdayJune 27. This new tradition at OCC is sureto grow in popularity year after year. If youmissed it this year we will give you amplenotice so that you may attend in 2016. It was an honor to travel to Chamber’s

Bay as part of the Future Sites Committeerepresenting Oakmont Country Club.Touring and networking and being a partof the group that is currently in the on-deck circle for this amazing sporting eventis very exciting. I was able to learn moreabout the areas pertinent to our Clubhouseoperation and share with my staff all that Isaw. Our staff is very excited to work withthe USGA and the membership as we headtowards a record ninth U.S. OPEN. At thistime next year it is my team’s desire to lookback upon a most successful event as wescramble to put the Clubhouse backtogether again for our membership.

OakmontLinksFrom the Clubhouse BY PAUL MROZ Social Scene

BY LEAH SCHULTZ

We have made our waythrough the rainy and humidJune, and are hopefully on to abrighter July. I would like to firsttake a moment to thank thenearly 300 Members andguests who attended ourMemorial Day festivities. Theweather was spectacular, andeveryone in attendance got toenjoy the splendid food displayand the numerous activities forthe little ones.

The Oakmont Pool Seasonis in full swing, and Kristen andShane are very excited for thefun-filled month of July tobegin. They will host the usualline-up of Family Fridays, buton the last Friday of July wewill be debuting our “Christmasin July” theme, about which Imust say we have all been veryexcited. Also that weekendCarl will host Camp OakyDok. Please call the Front Deskto make your reservation forthis overnight camping extrava-ganza. As always, it will be anevent not to miss at the OCCPool this summer.

Hope to see everyone atthe Club soon! We are look-ing forward to a greatsummer!

First Person CONTINUED

course in this condition going forward.With that being said, there will be daysthat certain adjustments may be necessarydue to weather conditions. The fairwaycuts made at the range have been very wellreceived. We now have a facility where youcan practice hitting fairways, and we allknow hitting fairways is a premium atOakmont. The work on the Presby project,which has been under construction formost of the year, will conclude soon. Weappreciate everyone’s patience as theGrounds crew works through some chal-lenges presented by this project.On June 1 and 2, we spent time walking

the golf course with members of theUSGA staff. Mike Davis, USGA ExecutiveDirector, loved some of the changes made

at the golf course; in particular, thebunkering on hole #12 along with the fair-way cut outs leading into our bunkers. Aswe were leaving the 14th green while walk-ing the course hole by hole, Mr. Davisindicated he has not been to many placeswhere there is so little to do to get the golfcourse in U.S. Open condition. We areexcited to host the U.S. Open on June 13-19, 2016, which will provide an opportu-nity for us to showcase Oakmont CountryClub and Pittsburgh to the world.We are off to a great start of the season

here at Oakmont. The Board of Directorsand all of our staff look forward to seeingyou enjoying our Club throughout the restof the year.

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When were the Church PewsInstalled?

Our Famous Church Pews havean interesting history.Starting with a cropped out

section of Hole #3 in 1925AERIAL (A) – no pews – justseven bunkers. (outlined)Next we go to a sketch titled

“Layout of course 1927 to1935” (B). Still separatebunkers. Following this is another

sketch (C) which is not identi-fied but at the top of the sketchis written “Willie Turnesa 1938Champion.” Now the questionis was this unmarked sketchactually made for the 1935 U.S.Open or was it done for the1938 Amateur?

The Church Pews

BY JOHN FITZGERALD, ARCHIVE CHAIRMAN

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Fitz’sFacts

B

C

A

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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OakmontLinksBY CAROLYN MOLINGOWSKI

Congratulations to our two Western teamson a successful season of matches. TheChampionship Division team finished 2nd.We congratulate Sewickley Heights, as thewinner of our division, on a fantastic sea-son. The Division IV team finished 5th intheir division. Thank you to everyone whoparticipated—we have a strong field ofwomen and are privileged to be able tofield two teams consistently each year. The WGA Member-Member occurred

June 11-12. Congratulations to our win-ners: Low Gross champions Sue McMurdyand Mitzi Hofmann (78-88=166) and LowNet champions Cynthia Houck and JoannaMeyers (66-72-138). Sue and Mitzi havenow been our Member-MemberChampions for 5 years in a row!!! It was a

hot and humid two days, with fast greensand hard fairways. It was by far the mostchallenging elements we have faced so farthis year. Thank you to Laurin Moore forchairing the event, as well as Bob andDevin for greeting us on the first tee, andalso John and Rick for their assistance. The Nine Hole Mixed Twilight was

held on June 13. Congratulations to Tomand Sandy Usher and Tom and KathyO’Brien who won with a net score of 64.The format was one best ball of the menand one best ball of the ladies. Despite twolightning delays, everyone was able to fin-ish all nine holes. After the event a 6-holeputting contest was held, ending in a tie.The tie was broken with a sudden-deathplayoff between Jack and Sue Schilling and

Mark and Rosemary Studer,with the Studers coming out vic-torious. Each player had oneputt off of the porch to the 9thhole pin to determine the win-ner. Thank you to everyonewho played in this event, andcongratulations to our winners!Please be sure to review the

Red Book calendar, and thenvisit the locker room to see themultiple sign-up boards forupcoming events. Also, pleasemark Friday June 26 on yourcalendar as a special 9-hole eventto celebrate our OCC MemberWeekend. See you on the RedTees!

However, it signifies thechange, as shown with D, E &F, but no Church Pews. Thebunkers are gone, now we haveSnake Mounds. The Archives Committee

requests our readers to crank upyour computers and confirm apositive date of 1935 or 1938?While you are at it, please findout when they renamed it the“Church Pews.”

Fitz’s Facts CONTINUED

D

E F

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BY BOB FORD

Thank YouThe Golf Committee thanks all the participants who were able toplay in the 2015 Men’s Member-Member. Special congratulations toDon Stoner and Bill Lear for winning the overall championshipwith a winning score of 4-under (12) in the playoff. With June behind us be sure to mark your golf calendars for theupcoming events in July. Hope to see you at the club soon!

July Events ScheduleJuly 4 Long Drive 1st Tee 5:00 July 8 Senior 2-Ball Championship 8:30 Tee TimesJuly 9 WGA Ladies’ Invitational 8:00 Shotgun Member 3-Guest Play 1:00-2:50 Tee TimesJuly 10-11 Junior Club Championship 2:30 Tee TimesJuly 12 Mixed Couples Championship 12:30 Tee TimesJuly 17 Kiltie Invitational 8:00 Tee TimesJuly 18 Kiltie Invitational 8:00 Tee Times July 19 Round 3 Club Tournament Match DeadlineJuly 23 Queen Bee Round One 8:00 Tee TimesJuly 25 Parent Child Championship 2:30 Tee TimesJuly 30 Queen Bee Round Two 8:00 Tee Times

2015 Member-Member Champions

Member-Member Champs Bill Lear & Don Stoner

2015 WGA Member-Member Champions

WGA Low Gross Champions Sue McMurdy & Mitzi Hofmann

WGA Low Net Champions Joanna Meyers and Cynthia Houck


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OakmontLinks

George Gittes and Larry Young Steve Leone and Brad Bauer

Bernie Marcus and Dan Biondi David Nicholson and John Henne

Graig O’Shane and Tom O’Shane Joe Schmidt and Greg Steliotes

2015 MEMBER-MEMBER

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Norm Stephen and Don Ziegler

Jamie Stilley and Craig Tillotson

Bill Lear and Don Stoner

John Stilley and Greg Shepard

Win Smathers and Tom Delaney

Alan Citron and Gene Pecci

2015 MEMBER-MEMBER

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OakmontLinks

2015 CHAMPS

Justin Miller & Gary Miller Bob Murray & Colin Murray

Russell Livingston & JoAnn Livingston

Courtney Smith & Bill KunsmanCasey King & Dave King

Jonathan Nigro and Nicki Nigro

Father/Son ChampionshipFINAL RESULTS

Gross 1st PlaceGary Miller & Justin Miller 682nd PlaceJeff Bergman & Brett Bergman 693rd PlaceGrant Mellon & Spencer Mellon 70Net 1st PlaceBob Murray & Colin Murray 64 2nd PlaceJim Sullivan, Sr. & Jim Sullivan, Jr. 653rd PlaceDavid Muir & Grant Muir 66Putting Contest 1st PlaceGary Miller & Justin Miller 152nd PlaceSteve Summers & Mark Summers 15

Mother/Son ChampionshipFINAL RESULTS

Gross 1st Place Nicki Nigro & Jonathan Nigro 45Net 1st Place JoAnn Livingston &

Russell Livingston 34

Father/DaughterChampionshipFINAL RESULTS

Gross 1st Place Courtney Smith & Bill Kunsman 40Net 1st Place Casey King & Dave King 31 Putting Contest 1st Place JoAnn Livingston &

Russell Livingston 15 T-2nd Place Kerie Meyer & Bob Meyer 16 Gabriella Bucci & Buck Bucci

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ElectronicDevicePolicy


The Board of Governors hasdecided to relax the OCC electronic device policy byallowing the discreet, silent useof electronic devices in theClubhouse or anywhere on thegrounds on a trial basis. Anacceptable electronic device isdefined as one no larger thanan iPad approximately seveninches in height or width. Nolaptops please.

“Ringing” of devices is notallowed in any case – all devicesmust be placed on "silent".

Placing and receiving phonecalls and listening to voice messages is still restricted to thephone booth, locker rooms andinside cars in the parking lot.

Chambers BayThe USGA hosted a handful of Oakmont members and staff at the 2015 U.S.Open at Chambers Bay. Over the week, they met with several key USGA staffmembers as well as Chambers Bay committee members in order to enhance theirunderstanding of their area of responsibility for next year at Oakmont.“We had a great trip reviewing the course setup and sincerely appreciated the

time spent around all of the off-course setup. It was very informative and will certainly pay dividends for our preparation.” – John Zimmers & Dave Delsandro“While there weren’t many similarities between the two golf courses, the

Future Site trip to Chambers Bay was most rewarding. Our committee leaders aswell as professional staff were not only exposed to their particular areas of 2016responsibility, but also were given an in-depth behind the scenes tour of the championship infrastructure. I continue to be overwhelmed by the magnitude ofthe U.S. Open support system. I’m very confident that Oakmont C.C. will easilymeet the expectations of the USGA in 2016 and produce yet another stellar championship.” – Robbie Hofmann

Volunteer UpdateFinal committee assignments and volunteer invoicing began this month. If youapplied and were accepted as a volunteer for the 2016 U.S. Open, the USGArecently mailed you some important information – keep an eye on those mailboxes!If you have not applied and are still interested in volunteering, please contact theUSGA Championship Office as soon as possible at 412.235.6140 [email protected].

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OakmontLinks

The 2015 golf season is in full swing andthe Grounds Department is working dili-gently to provide firm, fast conditions andenhanced golf course playability. In addi-tion, we are working on several projectsand U.S. Open related items.

Golf Course ProjectsEast Course – The East Course project isprogressing very well. We worked with ourproject contractor Trumbull this spring toaddress a few areas of winter damage onthe newly graded site. Since then, we havebeen performing thorough grow-in main-tenance on the site. In addition, Trumbullwill be returning in the coming weeks toremove a large sediment/erosion pond perpermit regulations. Also, we will be assist-ing the USGA with security fence installa-tion. Our goal is turn over a fully grassedsite to the USGA for U.S. Open prepara-tion in late summer/early fall.Presby Road Widening Project – After alengthy delay, work has resumed on widen-ing the road behind the range tee. We willcomplete all drainage, paving, landscaping,fence installation, etc. as soon as possible.We appreciate everyone’s patience regard-ing this project and we assure you that wehave and will continue to do everything in

our power to expedite the completion ofthe work.#7, #11, #12 Restoration/Fescue Grow-in –Following last season’s tree clearing, earth-work, and mound installation, we are con-tinuing to work on all of the seeded andsodded fine fescue areas along theTurnpike. Due to the juvenile nature of theturf, it is unlikely we will experience thesignature golden brown look of the fescuethis season. Our current focus is to providea dense crop of pure fescue that will pro-vide soil stability and provide an aesthetical-ly pleasing look next season.

USGA Site VisitMike Davis, Executive Directorof the USGA, and his teammade a site visit the first week ofJune to review course setup forthe 2016 U.S. Open. Mike andseveral USGA officials touredthe golf course during their visitand reviewed numerous itemsrelated to the upcomingChampionship. Overall, theUSGA was very pleased with thestatus of preparation and isexcited to be returning toOakmont.

Chamber’s Bay U.S. Open VisitDavid Delsandro and I had thepleasure of visiting Chamber’sBay on Friday, June 12 andSaturday, June 13, 2015 asguests of Charlie Howe and theUSGA. It was a great visit as wewere able to walk the golfcourse and review the setup. Wealso had the opportunity towork with the Chamber’s Baystaff along with Mike Davis, JeffHall and their USGA team onSaturday to help review holelocations and teeing ground

From the Grounds BY JOHN ZIMMERS, GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT

2015 U.S Open hole locations

East Course sediment/erosion pond CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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AUGUST C A L E N D A R O F E V E N T S

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1

42 3 5 6 7 8

119 10 12 13 14 15

1816 17 19 20 21 22

2523

30

24 26 27 28 29

31

DieboldMatches

Kids SportsBanquet

MemberMonday

MemberMonday

MemberMonday

Happy Hour4-7 p.m.Family Friday

Pro-JuniorScrambleHappy Hour4-7 p.m.Family Friday

Happy Hour4-7 p.m.Family Friday

MixedCouplesInvitational

WGA ClubChampiohship

WGA ClubChampiohship

WGA

WGA Happy Hour4-7 p.m.Family Friday

Camp OakyDok/Swim &Sleep

2015

MemberMonday

Aerification – Course Closed

Practice Facility Closed

Aerification – Course Closed

OpenPractice Facility

OpenPractice Facility

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OakmontLinks

OakmontLinks

10% Recycled Post-Consumer Fiber

is published nine times a year formembers and employees.

OAKMONT COUNTRY CLUB1233 Hulton RoadOakmont, PA 15139412-828-8000www.oakmontcc.orgCOMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR

Michael Brunner

From the Grounds CONTINUED

yardages for the Championship. Lastly,Charlie Howe gave us a comprehensivetour of the entire off-course setup (ven-dors, main entrance, hospitality, practicefacility, etc., etc.). This portion of the tripwas very helpful as it allowed us to envisionhow the newly graded East Course proper-ty could be utilized for the 2016 U.S.Open. The trip was very informative andwill certainly aid in our preparation for theChampionship next season.

StaffingAlthough we experienced above averageturnover during the past few seasons, weare very proud of the current staff that hasbeen assembled. Our group represents adiverse collection of very talented, drivenindividuals from turf universities all acrossthe United States, as well as individualsfrom Canada and England.

Golf Course Etiquette RemindersAs a friendly reminder, the GroundsCommittee and Grounds Departmentwould like to ask for your help with thefollowing golf course etiquette items:Bunkers: After playing from a bunker,

please rake the bunker smooth as this has adirect impact on the playability of thebunker. To help preserve aesthetics and

playability pleasedo not walk up thebunker faces whenexiting. Also, pleaseknock the sand from your shoes beforewalking across the green upon exiting abunker. Lastly, please replace the bunkerrake in the turf adjacent to the bunker. Divots: Please replace your divot after

hitting a shot from the fairway or tee. Ifyour divot is irreplaceable, please use thedivot mix provided at the par 3 tees, or askyour caddy to fill the divot with the mixthey are carrying. Lastly, please do not usethe provided divot mix to fill divots in theintermediate grass surrounding the fair-ways. This is a different type of grass andcan lead to contamination. Also, we would

like to take this opportunity tothank the Golf Shop staff andthe caddies for their help andcooperation regarding the divotprogram.Broken Tees: Please pick up

your broken tees after teeing offand place them in the garbagecan located near the tee boxesor place them in the roughwhere they will naturally biode-grade. Please do not throwthem next to the tee markers. Range Tee Divot Etiquette:

In an effort to enhance Memberexperience at the practice facility,please obey the posted signsregarding proper divot patternwhile practicing on the rangetee and short-game area. Also,we thank the range team fortheir help filling range divots ona daily basis.As we approach the heart of

the 2015 golf season, theGrounds Department is focusedand committed to providing thebest possible conditions on adaily basis. We appreciate every-one’s support and look forwardto seeing everyone on the golfcourse.

2015 Tennis Camp

Nora Bryan Grady Bryan Patrick Bryan

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