Hazeltine National Golf Club facts for kids
| Club information | |
|---|---|
 Location in the United States
Location in Minnesota
|
|
| Coordinates | 44°50′02″N 93°35′28″W / 44.834°N 93.591°W |
| Location | Chaska, Minnesota |
| Established | 1962, 63 years ago |
| Type | Private |
| Tournaments hosted |
|
| Website | hazeltinenational.com |
| Designed by | Robert Trent Jones |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,674 yards (7,017 m) |
| Course rating | 77.8 |
Hazeltine National Golf Club is a famous golf club located in Chaska, Minnesota, which is a suburb near Minneapolis, USA. It's a private club, meaning you can only visit if you are with a member. The amazing golf course was designed by Robert Trent Jones and first opened in 1962.
Besides golf, Hazeltine also hosts other fun events. Its main building, called the clubhouse, has a large ballroom and two restaurants for people to enjoy.
Contents
History of Hazeltine Golf
The idea for Hazeltine started with Totton P. Heffelfinger. He was a former president of the United States Golf Association. He wanted to build a new championship golf course. This was because another club, The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, was facing problems from a new freeway.
After the Minikahda Club decided not to build a new course, Heffelfinger met with golf course designer Robert Trent Jones. Together, they planned the new golf course.
Naming the Club
The course was first called "The Executive Golf Club." The plan was to have many "Executive Golf Clubs" across the country. However, this name wasn't very popular, and the other clubs were never built. So, the founders decided to name the new course Hazeltine National Golf Club. They chose this name to honor the nearby Lake Hazeltine. The club officially opened to its members in 1962.
Heffelfinger's big goal was to have major golf championships played at Hazeltine. His wish came true when the 1966 U.S. Women's Open was held there. Sandra Spuzich won this tournament. She finished with a score of 297, which was nine strokes over par.
Early Challenges and Successes
Hazeltine hosted the U.S. Open in 1970. The course got a lot of negative comments then. Many famous golfers struggled, and almost half the players didn't score under 80 on the first day. The weather was very cold and windy.
After his round, golfer Dave Hill joked that Hazeltine only needed "80 acres of corn and a few cows." Despite the tough conditions, Tony Jacklin won the tournament with a score of seven-under-par 281. Dave Hill finished in second place.
After this, the club faced money problems. It seemed unlikely they would host another major championship. They almost got a deal for a PGA Championship but lost it. However, Hazeltine was chosen to host the U.S. Women's Open again in 1977. This was the first time Nancy Lopez played in the championship as a professional golfer, and she came in second. Hollis Stacy won the event.
Course Improvements and More Tournaments
Over the next few years, the golf course was improved. Some holes were made straighter. A new par four hole was built along Hazeltine Lake, replacing an old par three. The par four seventeenth hole was changed into a par three.
The redesigned course hosted the U.S. Senior Open in 1983. Billy Casper and Rod Funseth tied after four rounds. Casper won after a playoff, making a birdie on the first sudden-death hole.
Hazeltine was chosen to host the 1991 U.S. Open in 1986. Rees Jones, Robert Trent Jones's son, made more changes to the course for this event. The 1991 U.S. Open is remembered for two main things.
The Dramatic Playoff
First, there was an exciting duel between Payne Stewart and Scott Simpson. Both finished with a score of six-under-par 282. In the 18-hole playoff, Stewart was two strokes behind with only a few holes left. But he made a great comeback and won the U.S. Open. This was his second major championship win.
The Lightning Incident
The 1991 U.S. Open is also remembered because of a lightning strike on Thursday, June 13. The day started sunny, but a big rainstorm came in. Spectators left the course or found shelter under trees. Six spectators were standing under a tree near the famous sixteenth hole when lightning struck. This was a very sad moment during the tournament.
Amateur and College Golf
In 1994, Hazeltine hosted the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. This is a big event for amateur golfers. Tim Jackson won this competition. In 2001, another amateur event, the USGA Men's State Team Championship, was held at Hazeltine. The team from Minnesota won this event.
Hazeltine also hosted the 1999 NCAA Division I Men's Championship. The Georgia Bulldogs golf team won the team tournament. Northwestern Wildcats golfer Luke Donald won the individual championship.
PGA Championships and Ryder Cup
Rees Jones made the course longer and added new bunkers for the 2002 PGA Championship. The course was set at 7,360 yards (6,730 m) for this event. Rich Beem won the championship. He held off a strong finish from Tiger Woods, who made birdies on his last four holes.
In 2006, the course hosted the U.S. Amateur. This event was won by Richie Ramsay from Scotland.
Hazeltine hosted the PGA Championship again in 2009. This tournament was won by Y.E. Yang from South Korea. Yang won by three strokes over Tiger Woods, who had been leading. Yang's victory was very important because he was the first golfer born in Asia to win a men's major championship. It was also the first time Woods lost a major after being tied for the lead after 54 holes.
The 2016 Ryder Cup was held at Hazeltine from September 27 to October 2. Davis Love III was the captain for Team USA, and Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke was the captain for Team Europe. The United States won 17–11. This was their first Ryder Cup victory since 2008. It also tied the record for the biggest American win at home since 1979.
On March 26, 2018, it was announced that Hazeltine National will host the Ryder Cup again in 2028. It will be the first American golf course to host the Ryder Cup twice!
2019 KPMG Women's PGA Championship
In June 2019, the club hosted the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for the first time. This event started in the mid-1950s. It is the second-oldest of the LPGA Tour's five major championships. The PGA of America organizes it.
Major tournaments hosted at Hazeltine National
| Year | Tournament | Winner | Winning score |
Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | U.S. Women's Open |  Sandra Spuzich |
297 (+9) | 1 stroke | Carol Mann |
4,000 |
| 1970 | U.S. Open |  Tony Jacklin |
281 (−7) | 7 strokes | Dave Hill |
30,000 |
| 1977 | U.S. Women's Open | Hollis Stacy |
292 (+4) | 2 strokes | Nancy Lopez |
11,040 |
| 1983 | U.S. Senior Open | Billy Casper |
288 (+4) | Playoff | Rod Funseth |
30,566 |
| 1991 | U.S. Open | Payne Stewart |
282 (−6) | Playoff | Scott Simpson |
235,000 |
| 1994 | U.S. Mid-Amateur | Tim Jackson |
1 up | Tommy Brennan |
n/a | |
| 2002 | PGA Championship | Rich Beem |
278 (−10) | 1 stroke | Tiger Woods |
990,000 |
| 2006 | U.S. Amateur |  Richie Ramsay |
4 & 2 | John Kelly |
n/a | |
| 2009 | PGA Championship |  Y.E. Yang |
280 (−8) | 3 strokes | Tiger Woods |
1,350,000 |
| 2016 | Ryder Cup |  United States |
17−11 |  Europe |
n/a | |
| 2019 | Women's PGA Championship |  Hannah Green |
279 (−9) | 1 stroke | Park Sung-hyun |
577,500 |
The years in bold show when Hazeltine hosted major championships for men on the PGA Tour.
Future events
Hazeltine National Golf Club is set to host these exciting tournaments in the future:
| Year | Tournament |
|---|---|
| 2024 | U.S. Amateur |
| 2029 | Ryder Cup |
About the Golf Course
The golf course at Hazeltine is quite hilly. It has narrow paths for the ball (called fairways) and small putting areas (called greens). Nine of the holes have water hazards, which are tricky areas with water.
The most famous hole at Hazeltine is the par four sixteenth. To start this hole, golfers must hit the ball 220 yards (200 m) over Hazeltine Lake. The green is like a raised island, and the ball can easily roll off into the water or other tricky spots.
The seventeenth hole is a long par three. It used to be a shorter par four. Four sand traps (bunkers) and two water hazards protect the green. This green is one of the most uneven on the whole course. The last hole is a long par four with many bunkers.
To keep the course in top shape, many changes were made in 2005. New tee boxes were added, making the championship course longer. More bunkers were also added. The course was re-evaluated in 2006.
More big changes happened in 2008 to get ready for the 2009 PGA Championship. Bunkers were added to the second hole. A new tee box was put on the twelfth hole, making it almost 520 yards (480 m) long. The entire course was made longer, reaching 7,678 yards (7,021 m).
