Last month, Scottie Scheffler talked about a trend in golf course planning that bothers him: taking down trees.

The best player in the world and favourite to win the U.S. Open will play on a course that did that, but it didn’t get any easier when the trees were taken down, like some courses do. Thirty years ago, the people who ran Oakmont Country Club began taking down trees in the middle of the night. They didn’t stop until about 15,000 were taken away.

Oakmont’s Tree Removal and Its Impact: Key Facts Table

AspectDetails
Tree Removal TimelineBegan about 30 years ago (mid-1990s), often conducted at night
Number of Trees RemovedApproximately 15,000
Reason for Removal– Restore Henry Fownes’ original links-style design
– Address agronomic issues (shade, root competition, turf health)
– Trees had grown large, overhanging bunkers and fairways, altering intended playability
Controversy– Many members opposed removal
– Some felt trees framed holes beautifully
– Project started at night to avoid backlash
Course Changes– Greens enlarged (notably in 2023 renovation)
– Fairways remained narrow, especially for U.S. Open
Impact on Difficulty– Course did not become easier
– Remains one of the toughest U.S. Open venues
– Winning scores since tree removal: 5-over (2007), 4-under (2016)
Design Trend Sparked– Oakmont’s move led to similar tree removal at other major courses (Winged Foot, Medinah, Baltusrol, Merion)
Arguments For Trees– Trees are barriers to “bomb and gouge” style
– Add strategic challenge and visual framing
– Jack Nicklaus: remove trees only for a reason
Arguments Against Trees– Too many trees harm turf health
– Overhang bunkers/fairways, change intended shots
– Safety risk (e.g., falling trees in storms)
Current Reputation– Oakmont is hosting a record 10th U.S. Open in 2025
– Still considered among the hardest U.S. Open courses

“They take out all the trees and they make the greens bigger and they typically make the fairways a little bigger, as well…the only barrier to guys just trying to hit it as far as they want to or need to, it’s trees.” — Scottie Scheffler

“There are lots of benefits that trees provide, but only in the right place.” — John Fech, certified arborist

The project changed the look of one of the best golf temples in the United States and started a trend of cutting down trees that is still going on today.

During a round on YouTube with influencer Grant Horvat, Scheffler said that modern professional golf, at least at most PGA Tour stops, has become a boring cycle of “bomb and gouge”: hit the drive as far as possible, then gouge the ball out of the rough from a shorter distance if the tee shot is off.

He said, “They cut down all the trees and make the greens bigger. Usually, they also make the fairways a little bigger.” “So, trees are the only thing that stops guys from hitting it as far as they want to or need to.

It’s been around for a long time, with or without trees.

And everyone else in the 156-person group that starts Thursday should feel the same way.

When Oakmont was last fixed up in 2023, the greens got bigger, but the courses at the U.S. Open have never been wide, and they won’t be this week either.

Even though Oakmont doesn’t have any trees on it, it is known as one of the hardest courses in the U.S. Open (or any American Open for that matter). This may help explain why it is holding the event for a record 10th time. Since the trees were cut down, the course has hosted two Opens. The deep bunkers, winding drainage ditches, and lightning-fast greens have led to winning scores of 5 over par (by Angel Cabrera in 2007) and 4 under par (by Dustin Johnson in 2016).

In a strange turn of events that led to where we are now (and Oakmont), the course was full of trees on Sunday, 1973, when Johnny Miller shot 63 to win the U.S. Open. That record stood for 50 years. Then, in 1974, the USGA made the course so difficult that it was called “The Massacre at Winged Foot,” and Hale Irwin won with a score of 7-over par.

Miller told Golf Digest about the 1974 Open, “Everyone was telling me it was my fault.” “It was like a compliment given in a bad way.” Even though the USGA denied it at the time, rumours began to spread years later that it was because of what I did at Oakmont. It was said that Oakmont would be the toughest course in the United States.

It could be still true.

In a practice round last Monday, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott played against each other. McIlroy said he made a 7 on the par-4 second hole, and Scott said he hit every green on the front nine but still shot 3 over.

Nicklaus said that trees should only be cut down “for a reason.”

Some people in Oakmont aren’t as excited about cutting down trees as Oakmont is.

Jack Nicklaus added trees to Muirfield Village’s 13th hole after seeing golfers fly a fairway bunker on the left to get a good view of the green. He also said that cutting down trees is fine “if they take them down for a reason.”

The man asked, “Why cut down such a lovely tree?” “Take Oakmont as an example.” What does it go by? Oak. Mont. What does that mean? Kind of like oaks on a mountain. After that, they take them all down. “I don’t like it.”

A lot of Oakmont’s members weren’t fans either, which is why this project started late at night. Pictures of the golf course taken soon after it opened in 1903 show it to be very different from how it looked in the 1990s.

It was the goal of architect Henry Fownes to make a course like a links. In the 1960s and 1970s, thousands of trees were grown to block the noise and view of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which cuts the layout in half.

During an interview in 2007, R. Banks-Smith, who was in charge of Oakmont’s grounds committee when the project began, said, “We were finding that those little trees had all grown up and were now hanging over some bunkers.” “And you lose your bunker when you put a tree on each side of it.” That means you need to decide. Would you like bunkers or trees?”

Oakmont chose bunkers. The Church Pew Bunker, which is located between the third and fourth fairways, is one of the most famous in the world. This started a tree project that still divides people today, just like it did when it began.

Scott said, “I’m not always the biggest fan of cutting down a lot of trees.” “I feel like a lot of courses that aren’t linked courses are nicely framed with trees, so it’s not like you’re letting people go play way over there.”

But there are risks when there are too many trees.

Too many tree roots and too much shade make it hard for the grasses below to grow. They take up a lot of sunshine and oxygen and make it hard to take care of the grass. Some shots that course designers planned become very different when they hit them because they hang over fairways and bunkers.

They may also be very dangerous. Strong winds toppled three tall pine trees on the 17th hole during the second round of the Masters in 2023. Luckily, the people who were there to watch the action were not hurt.

John Fech, a trained arborist at the University of Nebraska and a consultant for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, said, “Trees are good in many ways, but only when they are in the right place.”

Many great courses came after Oakmont decided they didn’t want them at all. Some of the ones that have been through removal schemes are Winged Foot, Medinah, Baltusrol, and Merion.

Bryson DeChambeau beat Winged Foot, which had cut down about 300 trees, five years ago by hitting the ball as far as he could and then taking his chances from the rough.

Scheffler seems to be getting tired of this type of golf: “When you host a championship tournament, if there are no trees, you just hit it wherever you want, because if I miss a fairway by 10 yards, I’m in the thick rough, but if I miss by 20 yards, I’m in the crowd,” he told Horvat.

This week, we’ll find out how well that criticism fits Oakmont.