How to play Oakmont Country Club even if you don’t know a member

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It may not be easy, but there are ways you can play Oakmont Country Club without a member connection.

Q: I have always wanted to play Oakmont Country Club, but I don't know any members. What's the best way to play there?

A: The best private golf courses in the world are nearly impossible to gain access to. Oakmont is certainly one of them, but we know some techniques to help you play there.

You won't, however, have much luck trying to go through the front door. The Oakmont golf course is not only one of the finest in the world, it is also one of the most exclusive and some might say sadistic. The greens at Oakmont run so fast that they had to be slowed down for the 2007 US Open (won by Angel Cabrera who was a walking advertisement for how smoking cigarettes can help your golf game).

If you want to get a sense for just how fast the greens are on the Oakmont golf course, try putting in your bathtub and getting the ball to stop before it gets to the drain.

Thankfully, there are ways to play Oakmont without a member connection.

One option is to play in a charity golf outing. While I don't have the complete list, I do know that there are a number of annual charity golf outings held at Oakmont Country Club. For example, St. Anthony's school holds an outing there every year in late April.

Are you sure you want to play Oakmont Country Club? The greens had to be slowed down for the 2007 U.S. Open.

At times, there are special events held at Oakmont Country Club as well. For example, American Express cardholders had the opportunity to play Oakmont prior to the 2007 US Open. By sheer coincidence, it so happened that Tiger Woods was practicing there the very same day as the AMEX event!

Have you played Oakmont? Tell us all about your experiences playing it in the comments below!

Craig Better

Craig Better is one of the founding editors of Golf Vacation Insider. In addition to traveling to 15 foreign countries, he has twice traveled across America to play golf courses in all 50 United States. Prior to joining Golf Vacation Insider, Craig was a freelance writer who contributed to GOLF Magazine, Travel + Leisure Golf, Maxim Magazine, USAToday.com, and co-authored Zagat Survey’s book, America’s Top Golf Courses.