Image courtesy Oakland Hills Country Club
The clubhouse at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Mich., was just shy of its 100th birthday, before catching fire on Feb. 17. Though 25 employees were on-site at the time, all evacuated safely and there were no injuries reported, according to reports.
Home to several major championships, some of the greatest players ever to play the game including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Ben Hogan have competed and won on the famed South Course. Firefighters were able to save many items of memorabilia that were displayed at the clubhouse, though what exactly was saved has not been disclosed.
Investigators are still determining the exact cause of the fire, but responding firefighters “dragged away propane tanks, a heater and a torch from the building,” according to police reports obtained by the Detroit Free Press.
The tennis building, pro shop, golf operations building and golf maintenance facility were spared.
The Oakland Hills Country Club board voted unanimously last week to rebuild an exact replica of the clubhouse, which could take a few seasons to complete.
Club president Rick Palmer said the club will move forward with its 2022 season despite the loss of the clubhouse.
Founded in 1916, the South Course at Oakland Hills Country Club has hosted 17 major championships including: six U.S. Opens; two U.S. Senior Opens; U.S. Women’s Amateur; two U.S. Men’s Amateurs; Western Open; the Carling World Open; the 35th Ryder Cup in 2004; and three PGA Championships — including the 90th PGA Championship in 2008.