The U.S. Open’s Public Legacy, Private Reality

The U.S. Open has long been synonymous with accessibility. From its first American-born champion to its unique qualification process that gives amateurs the opportunity to compete alongside professionals, everything about the tournament, except the venues, feels built for the people.

In 2025, the championship returns to Oakmont Country Club, a storied course with a famously exclusive reputation. With a reported $200,000 initiation fee, annual dues exceeding $10,000, and a waiting list for membership, Oakmont is anything but public.

This creates a stark dichotomy: the most democratic of golf’s majors is often held at venues that are fundamentally undemocratic. While the Masters and PGA Championship reflect their elite fields, composed largely of top-ranked professionals and invitees, through similarly exclusive venues, the U.S. Open’s open qualification process stands in contrast to many of the courses chosen to host it.

Take Augusta National, home of the Masters, widely regarded as one of the most exclusive clubs in the world. Rumors persist of prospective members being blackballed for simply asking about membership. Yet, in spirit and in practice, Augusta mirrors the Masters’ selective invitation list.

The U.S. Open, often dubbed “the people’s championship,” has the opportunity to align its venues more closely with its inclusive ethos. Encouragingly, a look at the last decade shows progress. Half of the past ten U.S. Opens have been held at publicly accessible courses: Chambers Bay, Erin Hills, Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines, and Pinehurst No. 2.

Go further back, however, and the percentage of public venues declines, indicating that while the trend is positive, it remains incomplete.

Frequent returns to Pebble Beach and Pinehurst No. 2 ensure some continuity of public access. But to shift the balance meaningfully, the USGA could expand its rotation to include more championship-caliber public courses. Venues such as Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits, Spyglass Hill, French Lick’s Pete Dye Course, and Indiana University’s Pfau Course could offer both the accessibility and challenge that define the U.S. Open.

The U.S. Open has always offered a rare bridge between golf’s elite and its grassroots. Matching its venues to its mission would not only be symbolically powerful—it would be a win for the game.