Historic Oakland Hills Country Club In Flames; Could Be Total Loss

The historic one hundred-year-old clubhouse at Oakland Hills Country Club was engulfed in flames Thursday afternoon and suffered extensive damage. Oakland Hills has two golf courses, including the South Course, which has hosted six U.S. Opens and three PGA Championships, the 2004 Ryder Cup, and the 2002 and 2016 U.S. Amateur.

The current clubhouse was completed and formally opened in August 1922 at a cost of $650,000 unfinished. The original structure had accommodations for 48 overnight guests, as it was not uncommon in that era for members to stay at the Club for weeks at a time. Modern roads and nearby motels obviated the need for overnight accommodations and the need for space to meet the needs of expanded membership saw the last rooms eliminated in a 1968 renovation. - wikipedia

According to reports from club officials, no one was hurt; everyone got out ok.

The 100,000 square foot structure was having work done in the patio area, but it's too early to know what caused the blaze.

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Oakland Hills is scheduled to host "two U.S. Women's Opens, in 2031 and 2042. It also remains on the U.S. Golf Association's shortlist to be awarded another U.S. Open, for the first time since 1996," according to the Detroit News.

Though likely unrelated, Oakland Hills had been undergoing a complete renovation of the South Course from the fall of 2019 to July 2021 with hopes of landing another U.S. Open, which hasn't been played at Oakland Hills since 1996.