Imagine having a crew like that

Oakmont Country Club’s famed golf course was designed by Henry Clay Fownes, along with input from his brother William Fownes. Henry’s son, W.C. Fownes Jr., who was named after his uncle, also worked on the course. Fownes designed no other courses. Oakmont is one of a kind, a National Historic Landmark located northeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

For more than a century, hundreds of maintenance team members have cared for the grounds and the course, which officially opened for play Oct. 1, 1904. Architects Arthur Jack Snyder, Arthur Hills, Arnold Palmer, Tom Marzolf and Gil Hanse, among others, have all contributed, but the challenging spirit of Fownes remains. The original architecture has been the foundation for golf history that has proudly, oft dramatically, rolled across the Poa annua greens.

The Oakmont membership demands excellence and, since 1919, has hosted nine U.S. Opens, six U.S. Amateurs, three PGA Championships and two U.S. Women’s Opens. They are preparing to host the 2025 U.S. Open, church pew bunkers and all, and have been awarded several other prestigious events.

The 2007 U.S. Open, prepared for by an outstanding agronomy team of approximately 40 members led by superintendent John Zimmers, was won by Angel Cabrera with a score of 5 over par. Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk finished one stroke back after an intense final round. The weather and conditions throughout the tournament were good, a blessing, because the lead-up to the event was a masterclass in perseverance.

“If you want to have a successful championship, it’s before, during and after,” says Zimmers, currently the superintendent at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. “With the after, a lot of people go into a let-down or a depression. I don’t know that that has ever happened to me.

“It’s like, we got this where we were supposed to, we had a great championship, now we need to put it back together for our membership.”

Every phase of a championship has its own exigencies.

Before

Oakmont Country Club was established in 1903, celebrating its centennial in 2003, the same year it hosted the U.S. Amateur won by Nick Flanagan, from Australia. The club had already been awarded the 2007 U.S. Open, and of particular interest during the event was the pedestrian bridge installed across Interstate 76, the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Oakmont is bordered to the north by the Allegheny River and is bisected by the turnpike, with Nos. 2-8 on the east side of the property and the clubhouse and remaining holes located to the west. The new pedestrian bridge was built parallel to the original and vastly improved player and gallery flow, necessary because the crowd sizes at championships were rapidly growing.

Zimmers was hired in 1999, young but already possessing championship and construction experience. He had, and has maintained, a good relationship with the USGA from his time as Paul R. Latshaw’s assistant at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, when it hosted the 1995 U.S. Senior Open. Zimmers then became the superintendent at Sand Ridge Golf Club in Chardon, Ohio, before the first tree came down. That construction experience proved helpful.

At Oakmont, thousands of trees were removed in the lead-up to the U.S. Open, restoring the course to the appearance it had when Fownes designed it. Removing the trees did not vastly affect the difficulty of the course, though severely penal graduated rough, introduced the previous year at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, for the 2006 U.S. Open, certainly did.

The course changes heightened anticipation for the event. “Preparations begin easily two years out, including booking hotels for volunteers,” Zimmers says. “I remember the challenges. It was still close to 9/11, so security was tight and we had to do background checks. So much happens behind the scenes that has nothing to do with the championship.”

Chris Markel, current superintendent of Grove City Country Club in Grove City, Pennsylvania, was the superintendent of Oakmont East, the 18-hole public course next to the private course. Markel helped supervise the contractors who built the grandstands, tents and other elements designed for accommodating thousands of spectators. Josh Pope worked at Oakmont East before switching over to work with Zimmers in 2003.

“There will never be a turf team assembled like the one that we had in ’07,” Pope says. “It was talent stacked from top to bottom. We set the standard for U.S. Open conditions that has lasted to this day.”

Brendon Clark, previously an assistant at Oakmont and now superintendent of grounds at Inverness, agrees. “The team we had in 2007 was the best turfgrass team on the planet that year,” Clark says. “The U.S. Open was a real credit to John’s management style and the team assembled.”

That team extended through the administration. Tom Wallace was a fantastic general manager and very supportive of the grounds operations. Bob Wagner was critical to the championship and representing Oakmont. Zimmers also worked closely with Rob Hoffman, who has served as grounds chairman and president of Oakmont.

“Robbie is a super guy,” Zimmers says. “We worked hand-in-hand to do the bridge, tree removal, water management and more.” Throughout the preparations, relationships with the administration, the membership, the agronomy staff, the USGA and contracted professionals all had to be balanced.

Zimmers organized the team and knew hosting his first major would take extra preparation. His friend and colleague Eric Greytok was the director of golf course maintenance at Winged Foot. Zimmers flew to New York every other week to learn alongside him in the lead-up to the 2006 event.

“I would jump a flight and go up and back in the same day,” Zimmers says. “Eric was kind enough to do that. I watched how they built things and what was going on. That was a big, big help for me.”

One great observation was the necessity to carry on when the weather was poor by using plywood and mats — or whatever else was necessary. At Oakmont, there were crew members who spent weeks moving plywood around for some of the heavy machinery. This protects the grounds, extends a professional courtesy, and facilitates communication between the construction crews and the agronomy team.

Another key lesson from Winged Foot was how to integrate the graduated rough. “They had primary rough and deep rough, and I wanted to see this and understand it. I really, really did a lot of homework,” Zimmers says. “When the USGA came, there was an agreement in place. The club signed up for it and my position was, If this is what you want, how can I make it happen? How can I deliver what you are trying to do for the best championship in the world?”

So, there was the growing popularity of championships, the new bridge and the commitment to the preparations. Early on, Zimmers was also working with Marzolf, who he knew from Sand Ridge. “They did a remarkable job, helping restore the Fownes work,” Zimmers says. “Tree removal wasn’t as acceptable back then but there are things people don’t realize. We took out a lot of trees but some of them were to create areas for hospitality tents and bussing people in for security.”

Marzolf remembers being selected by Oakmont for the course work, starting immediately after Fazio Design was hired. “My job quickly became listening to the club and the USGA, helping everyone get what they want. That turned into a lot of construction,” Marzolf says. “The USGA wanted to narrow the fairways, shift the bunkers and build back tees. Some greens needed changing to create four different hole locations that were fair at high speed. We added length all over.”

The course changed a lot in a relatively short amount of time, which was tough on the membership. The changes became tough on Zimmers, Marzolf and the team, too. The process required a lot of trust from everyone because it was a hard golf course, and it was getting harder.

“The fairways had to be 25 yards wide and we had bunkers to the left and right,” Marzolf remembers. “You would pick a side and hold that line and those bunkers but then you had to move everything on the opposite side, including irrigation.” The bunkers on the opposite side would be out in the rough and disconnected so they had to be rebuilt and many were deepened.

Bob Ford, the established Oakmont golf professional, consulted on those decisions. It’s another example of how many people were involved, and how hard they worked, to collaborate for a great result. McDonald & Sons did a phenomenal job with the construction and complemented the productivity of Marzolf and Zimmers.

“Johnny is the best,” Marzolf says. “His is the best grass because he tests the soil, he does tissue samples all the time and he is helping the grass be healthy every single day. He understands soil chemistry. The place just glows.” This was especially impressive considering the weather during the lead-up.

“The summer of 2005 was very tough,” Pope says. “It was one of the top five hardest summers I have had in my career. It was so hot and so dry and we had sod everywhere. We had to keep everything alive, and perfect, to grow in for the U.S. Open.”

The following winter didn’t help. There was ice damage from the winter of 2006-07 and they had to plug greens prior to the U.S. Open. “It was crazy,” Pope says. “I remember the course being completely brown because it was desiccated from the wind and the cold weather. It was March and I was thinking, ‘Are we going to be ready?’”

“It was pretty wild,” says Bob Davis, general manager and director of golf operations at nearby Chartiers Country Club. He was an intern at Oakmont in 2005 and returned as a full-time employee in 2006. Shortly after the U.S. Open, he became an assistant. He vividly recalls the prep work.

“It was my first real experience with an extensive, broad renovation,” Davis says. “Our day-to-day was dragging a hose to keep sod alive. It was hard work but gratifying. Everyone worked long hours and no one really complained.”

The tees and fairways were a Poa-bent mix and the rough was primarily Kentucky bluegrass. “There was a focus on the playing surfaces, but I remember spending time identifying where those graduated rough lines were going to be,” Davis says. “How were they were going to tie into the bunkers? How were we going to mow the different areas? The solution was a combination of riding mowers at different heights and push-mowing around bunker banks.” They figured it out.

Many players became familiar with the rough. “The quality of turf and the roughs was particularly important to John,” Davis says. “We spent time testing soil and focusing on fertility. When you have a plant at U.S. Open rough height and want it to stand up upright, it’s difficult. That rough was so dense, so thick. It was remarkable.”

The success of the course reflected the leadership that developed it. “I give a lot of credit to John,” Davis says. “He was cool, calm and collected. That rubs off on people. It was one of the best-conditioned golf courses that I can recall.”

From airport runs to volunteer schedules to equipment rentals and meals and so much more, the logistics were going well. The members were proud — and so ready — to host friends and family at Oakmont for the 107th U.S. Open.

During

It’s a week of world-class golf, joyful conversations and creating history. Faster than a 14 on the Stimpmeter, it’s over. But “tournament week is the easiest week because the hard work is already done,” Pope says. There are lots of hands ready to help cut cups, mow, roll, trim, fix bunkers and divots, and polish the course for play.

“We had years of investment in the golf course,” Clark says, “and it played lights out during the championship.” He helped liaise with the USGA about the conditioning and was responsible for gathering and organizing the volunteer information, from accommodations to shirt sizes. He also managed schedules for the staff and approximately 125 volunteers.

“It was good,” Zimmers says. “It was one of the nicest, easiest championships in terms of weather. We had a little rain Wednesday afternoon, so the practice rounds ended and the players left around 4 p.m. With the grounds empty we were able to easily prepare for Thursday.” The course was everything it could be. Was Zimmers ready?

“The first one is really special,” Zimmers says of hosting a major. “You’re nervous and you want everything to go the way you hope it goes. You don’t want to make mistakes. It went fantastic.”

Played June 14-17, the event concluded on Father’s Day. Aaron Baddeley started the final round in the lead by two. Woods struggled on the greens and double-bogeyed No. 3, a difficult par 4. Furyk, seeking his second major title after lifting the trophy in 2003 at Olympia Fields Country Club in suburban Chicago, was cheered on as a hometown hero. The conditions were firm, fast and thrilling.

The atmosphere was tremendous. Cabrera was smoking — figuratively and literally — hitting big drives and putting and puffing his way into the clubhouse lead. No one caught him and the trophy was presented. The competition was over but there was more to do.

After

“What I take away from that week is how everybody came together to support each other,” Davis says. “We walked the golf course during play and spent time watching at the volunteer tent. Seeing all these people come back as volunteers — I am still fascinated by that network, that camaraderie.”

Zimmers notes that “at the end of the day, you get judged on the golf course.” For all the time putting up infrastructure, it comes down quickly.

“They are trying to get out of there as fast as they can and you are trying to put the course together for your membership,” Davis says. “It was an eerie feeling the next day, like, Wow. It was weird.”

Morale is tricky after events. “It was a huge letdown, the day after the U.S. Open,” Pope says. “I remember watering the greens that Monday and thinking, ‘Man, it’s over already?’ The demands of Oakmont are perfection every day so we were back at it real quick.”

“The crosswalks were relatively dry during the championship, so they weren’t too bad,” Davis says. “We aerified them and vented the greens that week. It had been limited play for the membership leading up to the event and then it’s the beginning of the summer. You have a whole season ahead of you.”

The turf needed to be nurtured but the agronomy team was one step ahead on recovery, having put down seed in the pedestrian areas throughout the championship. Those areas began to recover quickly. “We had to cut down the rough slowly because it was pretty gnarly,” Pope says. “We had sod work wherever we couldn’t put seed, from grandstands and other structures.”

Jason Hurwitz, senior project manager with the Mazzella Partnership, worked as an assistant at Oakmont from 1999 until 2006 and returned to volunteer in 2007. “A course’s culture is hard to ignore and this is especially true at Oakmont,” he says. “We were working toward something special and our efforts showed. We knew we were penning a chapter in Oakmont’s legendary storybook.”

Zimmers foresaw what would happen after the event. “This was something you build for and you are prepared to lose some people. It’s part of the process and a terrible business plan,” he jokes. “You hire people, train them to do real well and they leave. There are so many of them that went on to do great things and they are still doing great work.”

Zimmers deserves the praise he receives. “John has been the most influential person in my career,” Hurwitz says. “What is most impressive about John is that there are dozens of other successful people in this industry that can say the same thing. His leadership style taught me that there is no substitute for hard work or for leading by example.”

“John is my mentor,” Clark says. “What I learned from him is truly extraordinary. I would not have the opportunities or knowledge I have today without him. He teaches you to succeed in any environment, personally and professionally.”

“If you know John, you know what he drives on,” Davis says. “Do the fundamental things, the ordinary things, and do them well every day. Pick up the trash and focus on the details because they add up. Even though technology and our arsenal of tools has grown, the need to do the fundamental things right doesn’t change.”

Oakmont is so involved in championships that Dave Delsandro, who was an assistant at Oakmont from 2006 to 2010, returned to work in a newly created position as the director of U.S. Open operations and projects from 2013 to 2017. Delsandro worked as superintendent from 2017 through 2022, followed by Mike McCormick. McCormick is ready to lead the team at Oakmont, for his first major, just as Zimmers did.

Pope went to work at The International in Bolton, Massachusetts, with Dick Bator after spending six years at Oakmont. McCormick was an intern at The International at the same time. Pope then became a superintendent of The Old White at The Greenbrier, which suffered a devastating flood during his tenure. Pope is now the superintendent at The Olde Farm in Bristol, Virginia. The pressure and learning at Oakmont has been a foundation for many stellar careers.

“I would have never gotten through that flood if I hadn’t worked at Oakmont,” Pope says. “The mental toughness, the pressure that we were under every day — it was my time at Oakmont that got me through that.” Pope has volunteered and given back to Oakmont at all of its big events.

Beyond everything that happens on the course are the personal networks of support. Zimmers will tell you how helpful his wife, Tracey, has been and is in coordinating various efforts and organizing friends and family. “She is such a big influence and part of everything I do,” Zimmers says. “She also has a big impact on the staff that works with us.”

One of those staff members has been Jason McPhail, currently the senior assistant at Bull’s Bridge Golf Club in South Kent, Connecticut. He is also the younger brother of Zimmers, and part of that support system who worked at Oakmont and returned to volunteer in 2007. Their mom was there too, and she hasn’t missed any of Zimmers’ big events.

“We have a tight-knit family,” McPhail says. “I couldn’t ask for a better boss, mentor, friend or brother. John’s always just a phone call away. I have lifelong memories from working and volunteering at Oakmont. Everything ran so smoothly. No one would have guessed how many people were helping.”

Zimmers and McPhail have more events in their future and there is something poetic about the U.S. Women’s Open being contested at Inverness in 2027 and Oakmont in 2028. Both clubs have so much history and their own chapters with Zimmers leading, but events are about more than one family or person.

These spectacular events happen because of bridges — bridges across turnpikes for the players and the gallery to share; bridges between architects and the land they shape for greatness; bridges among the members, the USGA and the agronomy teams that execute the vision. Historically, bridges span from one event to another as anticipation and wonder builds.

Which people will develop into great leaders? Who will become a champion at Oakmont?