Pittsburgh Field Club

Detailed description of Pittsburgh Field Club

Pittsburgh Field Club is a Private 18 hole golf course located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The Pittsburgh Field Club golf course first opened for play in 1915. The course was designed by Alex Findlay.

The 6,611-yard Field Club layout is a quintessential Eastern design with small, undulating greens and plenty of elevation changes.

The 1st tee next to the clubhouse sits high above the fairway. And what a view it is: Save for the par-3 18th to the left, the rest of the layout lies in a verdant valley, 12 stories below.

Players take an elevator from the 17th green to the 18th tee

Despite the hilly site, only a few holes play uphill. There are many more confidence-inspiring downhill shots, most notably off the 1st tee. Reachable par 5s like the 491-yard 3rd and 492-yard 5th, as well as two drivable par 4s, the 2nd and 13th, make the Field Club exciting.

Changes have continued over the years, and the current layout is an combination of the efforts of Donald Ross, A.W. Tillinghast, Emil Loeffler, Arthur Hills and Craig Schreiner.

Although there is no official record of Ross' work, which began in 1917, the presumption is that he redesigned holes 2 through 6, mainly by reversing them. Similarly, there are only references to Tillinghast's input and indicate he may have worked on the bunkers, which do bear his trademark depth and lips. In 1922 the club purchased 23 adjoining acres for expansion and a new back nine. This nine was designed by Emil Loeffler, Oakmont's longtime pro and greenkeeper. After the new holes opened in 1928, there remained just one more design hill to climb, so to speak. Before the age of carts, the hike up to the 18th tee, especially at the end of a round on a hot, humid day, was quite literally a killer. More than one member died of a heart attack either during the 100-foot climb from the 17th green or later in the clubhouse, leading the club to install golf's first elevator in 1938.

The club also hosted the 1959 Western Open as part of Pittsburgh's bicentennial celebration. Western Pennsylvania's favorite son Arnold Palmer was in peak form and led at the end of two rounds, while 19-year-old Jack Nicklaus topped the amateur field. Mike Souchak ended up winning after the King missed a three-foot putt on the 72nd hole.

More recently, after Schreiner rebuilt the bunkers in 2000 and removed about 100 trees, the club was the second stroke-play course for the 2003 U.S. Amateur at Oakmont. Ryan Moore tied for low round at the Field Club with a 65, but lost out on medalist honors to J.B. Holmes.

Par for the course is 71. From the back tees the course plays to 6611 yards. From the forward tees the course measures 5634 yards. The longest hole on the course is # 15, a par-5 that plays to 556 yards. The shortest hole on the course is # 4, a par-3 that plays to 138 yards from the back tees.

Watch out for # 8, a 444 yard par-4 challenge and the #1 handicap hole on the course. The easiest hole at The Pittsburgh Field Club golf course is # 16, a 202 yard par-3.