Hazeltine National Golf Club
Hazeltine National Golf Club was founded in 1962 by Totton P. Heffelfinger, a life-long Minnesota resident and former president of the United States Golf Association (1952-1954). His goal to create a golf club that would host major championships while providing a pure golf experience for its members.
After early designs by another architect, Robert Trent Jones was chosen to design a long and demanding layout to test the best players in golf. Both Robert Trent Jones, and his son Rees Jones, have made changes to the golf course to ensure Hazeltine continues to meet the competitive standards for national championships.
Located in Chaska, MN, Hazeltine is a long, brawny golf course built on 350 acres of land with teeing options from 5,100 to 7,700 yards. Wind is a constant factor.
The course is a classic Robert Trent Jones design with fairways lined with bunkers; 8 holes have both left and right fairway bunkers located in the driving areas. The greens are well-guarded with “flashed-up” bunkers. The par four 16th hole is the only hole on the golf course that does not have a bunker but water is in play both left and right, off the tee and into the green.Bunkers on the Approach of the Par 5 11th Hole
Bunkers on the Approach
of the Par 5 11th Hole
The original design of Hazeltine had signature Robert Trent Jones “runway” tees. The original tee box on the 15th hole was famous for its 100-yard long continuous teeing ground.
After criticism by the professionals who played in the 1970 U.S. Open, Hazeltine underwent several major changes to the golf course. Several doglegs were softened or eliminated . The biggest changes were found on back nine that border Hazeltine Lake in preparation for the 1983 U.S. Senior Open. Today, Hazeltine is played to universal acclaim.
True to its mission, Hazeltine has held numerous championships:
It has hosted two U.S. Women’s Opens: Sandra Spuzich won in 1966 defeating Hall of Fame golfer Carol Mann by one shot. This was the first national championship held at Hazeltine. Hollis Stacy won the 1977 U.S. Women’s Open Championship.
Hazeltine has hosted two U.S. Opens. Tony Jacklin won the 1970 U.S. Open Championship by 7 shots over Dave Hill. Jacklin was the first Englishman to win the event in 46 years. Ben Crenshaw was low amateur. The 1991 U.S. Open Championship was won by Payne Stewart in playoff over Scott Simpson.
The 1983 U.S. Senior Open Championship was won by Hall of Fame golfer Billy Casper.
Hazeltine has also hosted two PGA Championships. Rich Beem won the 2002 PGA Championship over Tiger Woods. The 2009 PGA Championship was won by Y.E. Yang, the first Asian born male golfer to win a major championship. Tiger Woods again finished second.
The Ryder Cup matches were held at Hazeltine in 2016. Team USA defeated Team Europe 17 – 11. The Ryder Cup will return to Hazeltine in 2029 and become the first U.S. golf club to host matches for a second time.
