2026 PGA Championship Preview | Aronimink Golf Club Course Guide, Field & Recent History
The Course
Hopefully it is sunny in Philadelphia! PGA Championship week is here as we head to Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, for the second Major Championship of the season. Players will be faced with bunkers, tight fairways, thick rough, and large, elevated, undulating greens, which will provide shorter but complicated approach play. How complicated? That will really depend on how the weather develops throughout the week and if they can make Aronimink fast and firm.
The Donald Ross design opened in 1928 with the look of not being overly long, but with relentless bunkering, tighter fairways, and awkward lies/angles into the complex greens with levels, spines, and false fronts. It should highlight an importance around proximity and three-putt avoidance over just chewing up greens in regulation. Being able to read these greens will be the key, with greens in regulation playing significantly higher at Aronimink, albeit with a small sample size.
The Gil Hanse restoration in 2017 was done before the 2018 BMW Championship, with a focus largely set around restoring the bunkering to the way Ross had intended, adding 102 bunkers, which will make it the most bunkers the players will see on Tour this season. The redesign also created some length on selected holes and expanded green structures. The bunkering and green makeup will be the course’s defence system this week; if the conditions can be firm, the pin placements could really make this a fight for players.
Notable Holes
8th Hole (Par 3): The first time we see water, this plays downhill with a false front and a truly complex green structure that has made this one of the toughest holes in all of the PGA Tour events here.
16th Hole (Par 5): A reachable par 5 favoured for scoring opportunities in major championships, surrounded by deep, high-faced bunkers and a sloped fairway. Two precise shots will be needed.
17th Hole (Par 3): Another slightly downhill par 3 with water that covers the entire front and left side of the green, which becomes very much in play if players miss their spots.
18th Hole (Par 4): An uphill closing hole with a demanding tee shot and a sloped Ross green. A strong finishing hole which flexes all of the muscles that Aronimink has.
Comp Courses
East Lake, Oakmont CC, Olympia Fields, Muirfield Village, Riviera CC, Pinehurst No. 2, Oak Hill, Philadelphia Cricket Club, Sedgefield CC.
Course snapshot
- Course Name: Aronimink Golf Club
- Location: Newtown Square, PA
- Designer: Donald Ross, Gil Hanse (Redesign)
- Opened: 1928
- Par: 70
- Length: 7,394 Yards
- Bunkers: 174
- Water Holes: 3
- Fairway: Bentgrass
- Greens: Bentgrass
The Field
- Field: 156 Players
- Cut: Top 70 and Tied
- FedExCup: 750 Points (Winner)
- Purse: $19,000,000
Notable Omissions: Jake Knapp, Phil Mickelson
Recent History
2018 BMW Championship
Keegan Bradley (-20) beats Justin Rose in a playoff.
Key Notes:- Of the top 10 and ties, 8 finished in the top 10 for Strokes Gained: Putting.
- Course played at 7,000 yards and in wet conditions.
- Greens in Regulation was 77% for the week.
2011 AT&T National
Nick Watney won at -13.
2010 AT&T National
Justin Rose won at -10.