The 2022 US Open

How to play The Country Club in Brookline

By Ben Volin, Brian McGrory, and Matt Pepin, Globe Staff

Published June 9, 2022

There is plenty of competitive golf history at The Country Club in Brookline, from an upset for the ages by Brookline’s own Francis Ouimet in 1913 that ignited a surge in golf’s popularity in the United States to a dramatic comeback by the US team in the 1999 Ryder Cup.

At the heart of it all is the course itself, and its unique features and characteristics — particularly the Roxbury puddingstone rock formations on many holes — will be on display when the world’s best golfers descend on New England for the 122nd US Open from June 16 to 19.

“For me, the most unique aspect of The Country Club is the way in which the holes were fit into the land. Holes like 3, 4, 10, 11 and 12 are great examples,” said Jeff Hall, the USGA’s managing director for rules and open championships. “I suspect there was not a great deal of earth moved. Rather, the holes were laid into the terrain. Doing so really brings to life the earth forms on these holes and I think it makes them very memorable.”

To prepare for June’s US Open, which will be the 10th to be held in Massachusetts, the Globe explored the historic course. And we want to take you along for the journey.

Whether you’re a big Tiger Woods fan (even though he won’t be there) or your golf knowledge ends at Happy Gilmore, there’s plenty to learn about TCC.

How would a golfer playing to win approach this course? What does the casual fan tuning in for the first time need to know about each hole?

Let’s find out how to play The Country Club.

Front nine

Par 35, 3,556 yds

Par 4

488 yds

Par 3

215 yds

Par 4

499 yds

Par 4

493 yds

Par 4

310 yds

Par 3

192 yds

Par 4

375 yds

Par 5

557 yds

Par 4

427 yds

Back nine

Par 35, 3,708 yds

Par 4

499 yds

Par 3

131 yds

Par 4

473 yds

Par 4

450 yds

Par 5

619 yds

Par 4

510 yds

Par 3

202 yds

Par 4

373 yds

Par 4

451 yds

Hole 1

Par 4 / 488 yards

Not an overwhelming starting hole. Dogleg left, but players can’t get too frisky cutting the corner because of a deep bunker on the left side.

Did you know?

The Country Club is one of the five founding members of the United States Golf Association.

For the golfer

The narrow green is relatively unprotected. This is one hole where you can mis-hit your approach and still run the ball up onto the green.

For the fan

This hole was originally a horse track in the club’s early days. You won't be able to tell, but it ran along the fairway.

Hole 2

Par 3 / 215 yards

They turned a short member par-4 into a sizable par-3 that is uphill, blind, and has a shallow green well-protected by front and side bunkers and craggy rough.

Did you know?

The rough will be five-and-a-half inches. Golfers will be cursing and bemoaning what TCC groundskeepers managed to do — then they'll have to hit out of it.

For the golfer

Players would much rather be short than long on this hole. There is a nice bib in front of the green, allowing for a relatively straightforward, uphill chip.

For the fan

It may be the fourth-shortest hole on the course, but this is not a par-3 you look forward to. "Don’t miss long," a TCC caddie said.

Hole 3

Par 4 / 499 yards

There’s a lot going on with this hole, which is sculpted into the landscape. Visually, the drive is intimidating, with grassy hills left and right that you want to avoid. There’s a pond on the right and over the green as well.

Did you know?

You'll see “Roxbury puddingstone" at this hole.

For the golfer

A drive that lands on the left side of the fairway canyon could have a blind approach shot into a green protected on all sides by bunkers.

For the fan

This is the kind of hole where you can stand on the elevated tee and grip it and rip it.

Hole 4

Par 4 / 493 yards

A blind tee shot over jutting mounds leads to a fairway that curves right, but it's best to avoid the right side. This is one of the most severely sloping greens, right to left and back to front.

Did you know?

This will be the fourth US Open held at The Country Club. It was also played there in 1913, 1963, and 1988.

For the golfer

If you're going to miss the green, miss left into the rough or a bunker. This is the toughest green on the course – significantly downhill, right to left. Downhill putts can fly off the green if you aren't careful.

For the fan

Simply put: This hole requires more accuracy than distance. It's the trickiest green on the course. Length isn't an issue, but putting may be.

Hole 5

Par 4 / 310 yards

That classic short par-4 that gives personality to every course. You climb a hill the entire way. Some pros will go for the green. Those who don’t need to avoid the fairway bunkers lining the right side.

Did you know?

Hamilton's Myopia Hunt Club, Brae Burn in Newton, and Worcester CC have all hosted US Opens in Massachusetts — all before 1926.

For the golfer

A driveable par-4, and probably with only a 3-wood, it’s uphill most of the way, with a lower plateau in front of the green protected by several bunkers.

For the fan

Watch for this: Most pros probably will go for it. Let's see how they deal with the consequences.

Hole 6

Par 3 / 192 yards

Classic par 3 — elevated tee, elevated green, deep bunkers, and a putting surface that is among the most undulating on the course.

Did you know?

According to one source familiar with the layout, every tree on the property received “a haircut” in preparation for the Open.

For the golfer

A signature hole and a very difficult par-3. There are bunkers in the front right and left, downhill behind the green, and dramatic undulation on the green.

For the fan

Not to oversimplify it, but you have to hit it in just the right spot. (That said, a TCC caddie said it was the hardest hole on the course.)

Hole 7

Par 4 / 375 yards

Gorgeous ribbon fairway on this downhill then uphill par-4. This hole should give golfers a bit of a break to swing away.

Did you know?

If you're in attendance, meander over to the concessions on the ninth green and grab a “Lemon Wedge” — Dewars Scotch with fresh lemonade and soda water.

For the golfer

A forgiving par-4 after a difficult hole. The elevated tee plays into an uphill fairway, and players need to avoid the fairway bunkers on the right.

For the fan

The green is right in the middle of the action here, just off the practice range and in between the eighth and 10th tee boxes — a great place to settle in for the day to watch.

Hole 8

Par 5 / 557 yards

One of only two par-5s, this one is likely reachable, but up a steep hill to a false front that can send shots 50 yards back down the fairway.

Did you know?

The USGA had 9,265 players apply to compete in the US Open. The field was whittled to 156 through exemptions and qualifying.

For the golfer

An uphill chip shot into the green could see your ball roll all the way back and end up farther away than where you started if you don’t get enough of it.

For the fan

Hole 14 (that's the other par-5, we'll get to that in a bit) might not do many favors to these pros, but this one should. Expect more than a few birdies.

Hole 9

Par 4 / 427 yards

The first hole from the Primrose Course, a beautiful, downhill par-4 with a pond on the right that may cause pros to reach for something short of a driver.

Did you know?

Lucas Glover (2009) was the last player to win the US Open after going through the qualifying process.

For the golfer

Definitely not a driver hole for the pros, and a tee shot to the right of the fairway could end up trickling into the pond.

For the fan

The pond is a bigger concern for your second shot than off the tee.

Hole 10

Par 4 / 499 yards

This could be the club’s signature hole, a member par-5. Pros will hammer tee shots over the massive mounding, but they need to be wary of the wispy brook that crosses the entire fairway. It’s another blind shot to an uphill green that is well-protected by rough that looks as if it has been growing for all of time.

Did you know?

The magnificent mansion that sits with a view of this hole was built by Reebok founder Paul Fireman in the late 1990s. Fireman sold the home for $23 million in 2020.

For the golfer

A long par-4 with a blind uphill approach shot and six bunkers by the green, including five on the left side. An errant tee shot could end up rocketing wildly off one of the several exposed rock faces on either side of the fairway.

For the fan

Greg Norman found hidden danger on this hole during the 1988 US Open, when it was the layout’s 9th hole. The “Shark” didn’t see a partially-buried rock under his ball as he prepared his approach shot. As Norman struck the ball with his 7-iron, the rock bit back, and his wrist jammed.

Hole 11

Par 3 / 131 yards

A new par-3 on the Open course. They widened the green and deepened the bunkers that surround it. You hit the wrong part of the green and you could roll into a bunker or leave a whale’s hump between you and the hole.

Did you know?

Jon Rahm of Spain is the defending champion. He won the 2021 US Open at Torrey Pines in California.

For the golfer

The USGA will move the tees to the front and back of the boxes to give golfers a 115-yard shot one day and a 140-yard shot the next day. The tabletop green is protected by three bunkers on the left and one in front.

For the fan

This is the shortest hole on the course. A TCC caddie said this should be a birdie hole — so long as there's no wind. But they shouldn't plan on that, right?

Hole 12

Par 4 / 473 yards

A classic Country Club hole, with a drive to an unusually wide fairway, then a shot slightly downhill to a well-protected, severely sloping green. You get behind the hole, it will be tough to keep your ball in play.

Did you know?

The last big event at TCC was the 2013 US Amateur, which featured a number of current pros.

For the golfer

An uphill drive that is wide open except for bunkers on the right. You want to leave your approach shot short, because the green slopes significantly downhill from back to front.

For the fan

Expect the pros to play this one short because of those greens. Even Ben Volin birdied it.

Hole 13

Par 4 / 450 yards

Back to the Primrose. Pros need to hug the left side to get the benefit of a fairway that rolls down to the green, creating the possibility of long, long drives. There’s a body of water to cross on the second shot and yet another deep bunker left of the green.

Did you know?

The winner of the US Open receives a 10-year exemption to the event.

For the golfer

The usual green from this hole will be replaced by the fourth green from the Primrose course to give the hole an extra 75 yards and an approach shot over water.

For the fan

What do we mean by Primrose? Well, TCC is actually comprised of two courses — Clyde and Squirrel (essentially its main 18) and Primrose, a nine-hole course built in the 1920s after Francis Ouimet put golf on the map with his win here.

Hole 14

Par 5 / 619 yards

The hardest hole for amateurs, and possibly for pros. Golfers need to land in a somewhat generous fairway. The green, tucked far to the left, is not visible. The second shot has to scale a rough-covered hill that looks more like a wall, to an elevated fairway that bends left toward the green. The green itself is tiny.

Did you know?

This isn't the longest par-5 in US Open history — that record belongs to the 684 yarder in the 2016 at Oakmont.

For the golfer

A monster of a par-5 that has a two-tiered fairway and a blind, uphill, dogleg left approach shot. It’s probably not reachable in two, removing a potential scoring hole. But carding a 5 should be straightforward.

For the fan

This hole offers a nice view of the home formerly owned by Tom Brady and Gisele Bunchen (a Country Club member). The tee boxes practically sit in the backyard of the home, which was sold in 2020 when Brady “retired” to Florida.

Hole 15

Par 4 / 510 yards

TCC’s famous Road Hole, and the beginning of the end of the round. An elevated tee shot is aimed at a broad fairway. The deep, unusually big green is protected by mounds and traps.

Did you know?

The grandstand on the 15th green will offer a view of the 16th tee, and will keep you close to 18 — a great spot to hang on the final day.

For the golfer

Probably the last driver hole on the course. The rough on the right side is ample and you could spend hours looking for your ball.

For the fan

Now this is pretty funny: You have to go through a member’s backyard to get from the 14th green to the 15th tee.

Hole 16

Par 3 / 202 yards

This par-3 looks like the land that time forgot, with rocks and hardpan and rough all the way from the tee box to the green, which is fronted by a deep, imposing bunker.

Did you know?

There has not been a playoff in the US Open since 2008, when Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines.

For the golfer

Pros won’t see the hole with most pin placements. It's a tricky par-3 with four deep bunkers protecting the green.

For the fan

This hole could make or break golfers on Sunday, especially if they try to play it for birdie and screw up.

Hole 17

Par 4 / 373 yards

The hole where Ryder Cup history was made in 1999. It’s not long, but pros need to avoid the fairway traps on the left and a greenside tree on the right. The two-level green puts a premium on landing the ball in the right place, unless you’re Justin Leonard.

Did you know?

If a playoff is needed after all players complete 72 holes, the format is a two-hole aggregate score. Holes 1 and 18 will be used.

For the golfer

The four fairway bunkers on the left will make you think twice about trying to cut the corner. There is a new greenside bunker on the back right side that can lead into an impossible downhill chip back onto the green.

For the fan

Ah, "The Elbow." A hole with history that hangs over it (this is where Francis Ouimet dropped two birdie putts to surge to the win in 1913). Read more about this legendary hole here.

Hole 18

Par 4 / 451 yards

A big and gorgeous finishing hole. Pros would do well to avoid the left fairway bunkers, which shouldn’t be a problem given the width of the landing area. The green is fronted by one of the biggest and deepest traps on the course, with gnarly rough surrounding the rest of the sloped putting surface.

Did you know?

Curtis Strange’s 18-foot birdie putt here in the 18-hole playoff vs. Nick Faldo was a pivotal moment in Strange’s victory in the 1988 US Open.

For the golfer

Fairway bunkers on the left come into play off the tee. The elevated green is protected by a wide, deep bunker in front, but you’d rather be down there than flying past the green.

For the fan

This approach shot will be the most initmidating of all because of the championship atmosphere — grandstands on the left, corporate tents on the right. Even better for what should be an incredible finish.

Up next

Credits

Reporters: Ben Volin, Brian McGrory, and Matt Pepin
Contributor: Jim McBride
Editor: Katie McInerney
Design: Ryan Huddle
Hole illustrations: Peter and Maria Hoey
Player photos: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images (Tiger Woods); Universal Pictures (Happy Gilmore)
Development: John Hancock
Copy editor: John Carney
Project management: Christina Prignano
Quality assurance: Nalini Dokula