Hosting the U.S. Open is worth the disruption to Oakmont Country Club members

With the U.S. Open coming to Oakmont Country Club next week, members can still schedule tee times for themselves — at other area courses.

“The reciprocal courtesies kindly extended to Oakmont members during the U.S. Open allow for plenty of options,” said club member David Hickton, a former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania and founder of the Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security at the University of Pittsburgh.

This, the 125th U.S. Open, will be the 10th played at the prestigious Oakmont Country Club. Oakmont also has hosted the Women’s U.S. Open.

Leading up to and during the tournament, clubs such as Allegheny Country Club in Sewickley Heights, Fox Chapel Golf Club and the Pittsburgh Field Club in Fox Chapel will accommodate Oakmont members looking to play a round. Oakmont Country Club helps with scheduling tee times at the other clubs.

They pay the greens fee, which is the charge to play the course, according to honorary Oakmont member Carol Semple Thompson of Sewickley Hills, a well-known local amateur golfer.

She chaired the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont and was a starter at the Women’s U.S. Open this past weekend in Wisconsin.

“The other clubs are friendly,” said Semple Thompson, a seven-time USGA champion, who represented the U.S. on 12 Curtis Cup teams and served as team captain for winning squads in 2006 and 2008.

The United States Golf Association declined to comment, as did Oakmont Country Club officials.

Semple Thompson said the most recent time she played at Oakmont, some areas of the course were sectioned off because the club didn’t want players creating divots if they hit from those spots.

If their ball came to rest in one of those areas, they would have to do a ball drop, without penalty, outside the area.

Despite the interruptions to their normal routines, most members enjoy having the U.S. Open at their home course, Semple Thompson said.

“I think having the U.S. Open here is great, and most of the members of Oakmont understand because they love golf,” she said. “They appreciate it. We get a chance to see the best golfers play right here.”

While there may be a few members who are annoyed by the disruption the tournament poses, they know that every decade or so Oakmont will host the championship.

Some members even get involved in the event, Semple Thompson said. The USGA reaches out to club members to see if they are interested in volunteering.

Thomas Dinnin Jr., a club member and Oakmont Chamber of Commerce president, will serve as one of many marshals for the event.

The responsibilities of marshals are to “assure that players are afforded a quiet and uninterrupted opportunity to compete and move freely around the golf course,” as described on the USGA website.

Marshals signal the gallery to be quiet as players address the ball and follow the path of each player’s ball. They help spot stray balls to maintain proper pace of play and are responsible for managing spectator grandstands.

“I know I won’t get to play the course during this time but I am excited to be marshaling,” Dinnin said. “It can be a little bit of an annoyance from a golf standpoint to not be able to play during this time. But it’s worth the sacrifice because it’s a fun event.”

Hickton agreed that hosting the prestigious international event is worth the inconvenience.

A member of Oakmont Country Club since 2002, he attended every day of the 2016 U.S. Open at the club. As U.S. attorney at that time, he also assisted with security. This year, he will be entertaining house guests during the event who plan to attend the tournament with him.

“I am proud to be a member and to play one of the best, and maybe the toughest, course in the world,” Hickton said. “I love the fact that Oakmont is a regular destination for the U.S. Open, and the short-term restrictions on member access and play are well worth it.”