The USGA’s U.S. Open is meant to travel across America. But look at the schedule years ahead, and the list starts to look very familiar. The USGA has already locked in host venues well into the 2040s, raising questions about whether this long-term plan is leaving less room for new courses.
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That criticism reached a new level of bluntness on a recent episode of The Shotgun Start podcast, when Fried Egg Golf’s Andy Johnson relayed a description he’d heard from Seth Waugh, the former PGA of America CEO, about the USGA’s venue strategy.
“I think Seth Waugh described it as malpractice,” Johnson said. “I think this is, on its face, as big of a disaster as the rollback has been, and not too far behind is the way the USGA has handled reinstated Ams. And this comes as someone I’ve got a USGA bag tag laying around here. I’ve been a USGA member since 1999. I’m a supporter of what they do. I believe in golf governance. It’s just absolutely mind-blowing to me how poorly they’ve handled venue selection, how poorly they’ve handled the golf ball and equipment rollback, and then also how awfully they’ve handled the reinstated AM, you know, situation.”
The criticism is not that courses like Pebble Beach or Pinehurst are bad choices. The concern is how often they host the U.S. Open and how many future dates are already booked. This started in 2020, when the USGA named Pinehurst No. 2 its first U.S. Open “anchor site.” The deal added 2029, 2035, 2041, and 2047 to the 2024 U.S. Open already on the calendar, giving Pinehurst five U.S. Opens between 2024 and 2047. Counting its earlier hosting in 1999, 2005, and 2014, that would bring its all-time total to eight. It was not just a one-time hosting deal. It showed that the USGA was planning well in advance.
Pebble Beach followed in 2022, with future U.S. Opens set for 2027, 2032, 2037, and 2044. Oakmont also received multiple dates, in 2025, 2033, 2042, and 2049, while Merion is set to host in 2030, 2040, and 2050. Add Riviera in 2031, Oakland Hills in 2034, and Shinnecock Hills in 2036. Winged Foot (2028), The Country Club (2038), Los Angeles Country Club (2039), Inverness Club (2045), and Baltusrol (2046) are also set, along with a return to Oakland Hills in 2051. Only 2043 and 2048 remain open as of now. The longest commitments extend 25 years into the future, locking in venues through 2051.
There is a clear reason why the USGA keeps returning to these courses. Pinehurst is now home to the USGA’s Golf House Pinehurst. Pebble Beach has had a relationship with the USGA for almost 100 years. Oakmont has hosted more U.S. Opens than any other course, with the 2025 event being its 10th. Merion has also hosted more USGA championships than any other venue. These are not random choices. They have long histories with the championship and have the facilities needed to host it.
But this long-term plan also raises a big question. The concern is not that any course has been turned down, but whether the long-term schedule leaves room for new ones. If the U.S. Open keeps returning to the same few courses so far ahead of time, what happens to the other courses? Johnson pointed to new and renovated courses that could miss out. He also mentioned Frisco, Texas, which was mostly empty land a few decades ago but has now become a major golf area.
His main point is simple: golf in America is changing, but the U.S. Open schedule is not changing as quickly.
Medinah No. 3 is a good example. The course recently hosted the 2026 Presidents Cup and has a long history of major events. It hosted the U.S. Open in 1949, 1975, and 1990, the PGA Championship in 1999 and 2006, and the 2012 Ryder Cup. It also completed a $23 million renovation in 2024. But Medinah is not currently part of the USGA’s long-term U.S. Open schedule. That raises a fair question: if a course with so much experience and a fresh renovation is not on the list, what chance do newer or recently renovated courses have?
There is also a geographic issue. The U.S. Open schedule has several repeat stops in states such as California, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. The championship does visit other parts of the country, but critics believe the long-term deals leave less room to showcase golf in growing regions and new markets.
The USGA has its reasons for this approach. Long-term deals give the organization stability and allow it to work with proven venues. These courses also have a deep connection to U.S. Open history.
But there is another side to the story. With so many U.S. Opens already booked years ahead, there may be fewer chances for new courses to host the championship. The USGA has chosen to stick with courses it knows and trusts. The question is whether this leaves enough room for the next Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, or Oakmont to get its chance.