A fire broke out at a more than century-old country club in suburban Detroit on Thursday, which has hosted multiple major golf tournaments and is one of Michigan’s most exclusive golf clubs.
The Oakland Hills Country Club’s clubhouse in Bloomfield Township was engulfed in flames, according to police. The Detroit News published photos of flames erupting from the roof.
Video, courtesy @freep, shows Oakland Hills Country Club's clubhouse on fire.
Oakland Hills has hosted six U.S. Opens, three PGA Championships and the 2004 Ryder Cup.pic.twitter.com/4UKzXknFDk— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) February 17, 2022
According to the Detroit Free Press, the huge, multi-story clubhouse, which was erected in 1922, is filled with rare golf championship mementos and art dating back a century.
The members were taken aback by the fire.
“There’s so much history, so much wonder here,” Rebecca Robinson told WDIV-TV.
The South Course at the club, originally inaugurated in 1916, has held more than a dozen major golf championships. Following a $12.1 million rehabilitation project, the course reopened to club membership last summer.
According to WXYZ-TV, Gil Hanse supervised the renovation with the goal of bringing major championships back to the club, which last held one in 2008 when Padraig Harrington won the PGA Championship.
The 2004 Ryder Cup was also held at the country club. The United States Golf Association recently announced that the U.S. Women’s Open will be held in Oakland Hills in 2031 and 2042.
