41st U.S. Senior Open Championship - 2021 Course Guide

2021

Course Guide

FORE-WARD THINKING A History of Omaha Country Club COMPILED BY DAISY HUTZELL-RODMAN

maha’s most prestigious country club is also the city’s original. In 1899, Omahan Arthur P. Guiou persuaded 65 fellow members of the Omaha Club to donate $100 per person to establish the Omaha Country Club. Guiou owned Guiou Lumber Co. and was a prominent figure in Omaha society. With these funds, a board was established and 80 acres were purchased south and east of a trolley line that ran through the Benson area (60th and Maple streets). The next year, according to the Omaha WorldHerald, a professional golfer from Kansas City named George Baird came to lay out the golf links. Two months later, the club held its first celebrity golf match.

The idea of playing golf in Omaha became successful. In 1905, 40 additional acres were purchased to create one 18-hole course. By 1916, OCC created a waiting list for membership.

In November that same year, construction began on a practice putting green.

The “Roaring ’20s” gave OCC much prosperity. In 1922, the OCC hosted the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association Tournament, and by the mid-1920s, professional golf gave more prominence and a sense of fashion to the game.

The land for the location of Omaha Country Club at 6900 Country Club Road was procured in 1922 from the sale of the previous land at $150,000. // G102 //

OMAHA MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2021

It was the site of clothier Arthur Brandeis’ estate, called “Olive Crest,” and Boston golf course architect Wayne Stiles created the 18-hole course. A fashionable Tudor-revival-style clubhouse, offering many modern amenities, was opened in 1927. The clubhouse sits in this location today.

As the country experienced the Great Depression in the 1930s, the Omaha Country Club strove for innovation, planning, and frugality, but still entered 1940 financially insecure. World War II and rationing also contributed to low membership and income, but by 1945, OCC was swinging again. The 1950s saw prosperity in the club and its membership. Architect Perry Maxwell was commissioned to undertake an extensive renovation of the course in 1952. Changes made by Maxwell included shortening hole No. 5, lengthening holes No. 6 and 10, relocating the green on No. 12, and completely rebuilding many of the green complexes on the golf course. As a result, OCC bears the unmistakable stamp of Maxwell's hand and its undulating greens, with their “Maxwell rolls.”

The terrace was completely rebuilt and included a dance floor.

The 1960s through the 1980s carried the traditions of the OCC as a premier golf course and club, but the transition to the modern era brought with it many changes. Chief among these was a more active mixed-golf program.

With more women employed outside the home, many women worked during the traditional golf days of Tuesdays for 18 holes and Wednesdays for nine holes. A new golf shop and ladies locker room were added to the north end of the clubhouse in 1960. OCC also hosted the Women's Trans-Mississippi Championship in 1972.

The 21st century brought with it a strategy to remain the city’s premier country club. In 2004, Keith Foster of Paris, Kentucky, was chosen as the architect to revitalize the entire golf course. The renovated course, on which golfers and spectators will gather for the U.S. Senior Open Championship July 8-11, was listed in Golf Week Magazine’s “Top 200 Classic Courses” in 2016.

OCC first hosted the U.S. Senior Open Championship in 2013. The course was redesigned in preparation, and the clubhouse was significantly remodeled—from necessary roof repair to renovating the screened-in porch. The event brought national attention to the club.

OCC celebrated its sesquicentennial in 2017. They are proud to be the host of the 2021 USSO. For more information, visit omahacc.org

PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN COURSE ILLUSTRATIONS BY BRIAN HILL

WELCOME To the U.S. Senior Open Championship

maha Country Club, site of the 41st U.S. Senior Open Championship, is Omaha’s premier country club.

Established in 1899, the club has kept up-to-date through a series of enhancements and renovations throughout its 155-year history.

Jackie Brandt spent several summers caddying at Omaha Country Club in the 1950s as a youth.

In 1956, he began playing for the New York Giants, and he spent the majority of his 12-year MLB tenure with the Baltimore Orioles. He played in two All-Star games and won a Golden Glove in 1959.

The course on which top senior golfers will play over the next four days was designed by architect Perry Maxwell in 1952. The design was renovated in 2004 by Keith Foster; who also restored Maxwell’s course designs at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa and Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.

Thomas Sieckmann is the director of golf instruction at Omaha Country Club. This former PGA player won the 1988 Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic with a score of -17. Scott Gutschewski, Mike Schuchart, and Jim White are also former PGA golfers with roots in Omaha.

One notable Major League Baseball player graced the golf course at Omaha Country Club.

OCC welcomes all visitors and players to the 41st U.S. Senior Open Championship.

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • U.S. SENIOR OPEN

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OMAHA MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2021

Jennifer Likes Board Member and Golf Committee Chair

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he elevated first tee presents players with the first risk/reward of the round. The hole is a relatively short par 4 with a dogleg right, and the tee shot is critical. A long hitter can hit though the fairway and into the punishing rough. The right corner is heavily guarded by a well-placed bunker, tall pines, and native grasses. The fairway slopes left, and the tee shot is best played to the right center of the fairway, flying the bunker if possible. Anything left of center means the player will have a blind second shot, which is slightly uphill into a well-guarded green with deep bunkers to the left and right. The green, with its subtle breaks, can prove to be a difficult read.

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ee the ball on the left side of the markers and aim down the right side with a south wind. In a north wind, aim down the middle and attempt placement in the middle or right side of the fairway. The left rough is brutal. Aim the second shot at the trees to the right of the sand trap on the right of the green to take advantage of the right-to-left fairway slant. The third shot to the green should be between 60 to 100 yards, setting up a sand wedge, gap wedge, or wedge depending on the wind. Plan to land the ball on the green 5 to 8 yards short of the flagstick to allow for roll up, unless the flagstick is on the front right (then the goal should be hit high to the left). The green slopes severely back to front and right to left, so, if the green is fast, avoiding going long is essential.

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OMAHA MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2021

Ande Johnson Board Member, Ladies Golf Co-chair, Membership Committee Co-chair, 2012 & 2016 Club Champion

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his is the longest of the par 3s on the course and is the ninth (men) and 11th (women) handicap hole. Like all the other par 3s at OCC, prepare for a lot of trouble surrounding a deceiving green. With a downhill look, this green is flanked by sand.

An overhanging tree on the back right of the green can mean a brutal pitch or chip shot.

A way-left hit creates a blind pitch into a green with multiple breaks. Any player can shoot for the flagstick, but the potential for a double is high. The smart decision is to play for the center of the green regardless of hole location. The next best option is to hit short. On the green or just off, a par is achievable, but if anywhere else, players should say a prayer and hope for the best.

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he fourth hole is the most difficult par 4 and the No. 1 handicap hole. The right side of the fairway is guarded by multiple trees and runs alongside an unmaintained native area. A severely sloped hillside and fairway bunker guard the left side of the fairway. An accurate tee-off on this hole is key. A drive in the fairway will leave a mid-to-short iron to a large, but nuanced, elevated green protected by two deep bunkers. Approach shots that land in the back third of the green rarely hold the putting surface. Par is a great score on this hole.

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JULY/AUGUST 2021 • U.S. SENIOR OPEN

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he fifth hole is the most difficult of the five par 3s. The green complex is among the most challenging. Deep bunkers guard both sides of this steeply sloped green.

A false front makes a precise tee shot critical. A tee shot into the center of the green is always a wise play regardless of the hole location. Back right hole placements require a precise shot to a small, but accessible, plateau. The green will be running away from players, so keeping the chip shot on the green is no small task. Back left hole placements are the most accessible, as a well-struck shot into the middle of the green will feed left and often leave an uphill putt for birdie. But even to the back left, the steep slope of the green easily fools players. Front left hole placements are generally a few paces from the false front that guards this green. Coming up short means being left with an interesting 25-to-30-yard chip. Par is an excellent score on this hole.

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OMAHA MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2021

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his is one of the best risk-vs.-reward holes on the course, and there are many different ways to play it. Depending on the wind direction, a good drive will leave the player at the bottom of the hill with a 180-160 yard shot to the green. Big hitters should avoid the left, as there is a hidden creek in play. Shorter drivers should plan for a layup and favor the left side, as a miss right makes the layup harder. Those who decide to layup should note a gorgeous creek intersects the fairway about 80 yards from the green. The green has lower and higher tiers. A player can use the green’s slope as a backstop for lower-tier hole locations, and get in good position. For higher-tier hole locations, it is imperative to be level or below the hole. A miss long to the back of the green’s rough will likely result in big numbers. Likewise for the back green side bunker.

Leaving the ball in the middle of the green and trying to two-putt is the conservative play. With a long- or mid-iron, favor a distance to the front of the green to protect against going long. With a wedge after a layup, the middle of the green is a good target distance-wise. The hole is well-bunkered.

JULY/AUGUST 2021 • U.S. SENIOR OPEN

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his hole represents the best scoring chance of the par 3s on the front nine. The tee is elevated, from which the green site is situated at a low point, immediately past a creek that will likely not come into play. The hole is framed by trees and three bunkers We make it easy to stay comfortable through all of Omaha’s most unpredictable weather. That’s because that are benched up to the putting surface. When on the tee, players should take notice Claim your special limited of the wind direction and hole location, as it will dictate the overall shot shape via a installed to seal in comfort in your home, for years to come. time offer at PellaOmaha.com, fade or a draw. Using the inside edges of the front two bunkers as the shaping target Claim your special limited time offer at PellaOmaha.com, or call 402-493-1350. will lead to success. The largest challenge for the seventh hole is the subtle nature of or call 402-493-1350. breaks that are presented on the green and feature a gentle slope that divides the green into quadrants. To make par here is expected, whereby birdie is needed before heading onto the final #1 two of the front nine, which prove difficult.

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OMAHA MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2021

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his is ranked as the third toughest hole at Omaha County Club, and it easily deserves this ranking. This is a long par 4 that requires two well-struck shots to reach the green. The optimal tee shot finds the left side of the fairway and often catches a speed that allows the ball to travel another 20 yards or more on the ground. Missing right sends the player into a hazard and missing too far left blocks the player by a thicket of low-hanging trees. After a nice tee shot, the player is faced with a mid-tolong iron shot. The green is well-protected by sand traps on the right side and severe mounding on the left. Missing short or right will allow the player to get up and down with a deft pitch shot. Missing long, or, even worse, missing left, requires one of the most difficult pitches on the golf course with the severe left-to-right green running away from the player. There is no certain two-putt on this double-tiered green that breaks severely from left to right.

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Kelli Tierney House & Golf Committee Member, Junior Golf Chair

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he ideal tee shot is on the right side of the fairway as the fairway slopes hard down and left. There are two deep bunkers on the right side, making reaching the green in regulation a challenge. Hitting too far left will leave a player in deep rough. A tee shot down the middle can easily dribble off into the left rough.

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OMAHA MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2021

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Robb Pantano Board Member, Club Vice President, 2002 Member/Guest Champion

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challenging dog-leg right that rewards a well-hit drive and tempts the brave with a “go for it in two” uphill second shot. A good strategy is to play the left side of the fairway with a driver off the tee. If struck well, a second shot seven-iron, placed between the right and left fairway bunkers, allows for a short iron to the green (an errant third shot assumes risk on both the right and left, in addition to going out-of-bounds long and behind). The undulating green and constant speed pose a two-putt par.

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OMAHA MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2021

his is a relatively short par 3; however, it poses lots of opportunities to find trouble.

The small green of this 170-yard hole has four greenside bunkers and a falsefront fairway that seem to be a magnet for any errant shots. If the flagstick is tucked behind the front bunkers, aiming at the center of the green is probably the best option, because the ball will funnel back to the hole. If the flagstick is back, aiming for the center of the green is not a bad choice. The back bunkers pose the biggest threat.

Missing on the left side of the green will put a player on the false front fairway side.

This leaves the golfer with a tight lie to a very small, undulating green. Part of what makes the hole difficult is the scenery. This may be the shortest hole on the course, but has one of the best views of any hole. From the tee, golfers are able to see the 16th green, the 12th fairway, the 17th tee, the 18th green, and the OCC Clubhouse looming in the foreground. This is often an underappreciated hole and one of the best that OCC has to offer.

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Randy Blackburn Board Member, Membership Committee Co-chair

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ole No. 12 is one of the more difficult holes on the course, requiring a precise drive and offering a challenging green complex. The drive should be aimed at the right third of the fairway. The sloping right-to-left fairway will bring the ball to the left third of the fairway. A miss to the rough on the right offers little chance to hit the green, as the green is guarded on the right by a large cottonwood tree. A miss ending up in the left rough does offer a chance to reach the green, but the green is guarded by a false front on the left and by a deep bunker complex. A drive in the fairway offers the best chance to hit this green, which slopes right-to-left and back to front. Once on the green, putts require good green reading and distance control. Birdies are rare, and bogies are more likely.

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OMAHA MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2021

Scott Schmidt Board Member and Club President

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o. 13 is the easiest hole on the golf course, yet presents several challenges. Hitting a 200-yard tee shot to the left side of the fairway presents the best opportunity to approach the green; however, two fairway bunkers guard the left side of the fairway, and any tee shot between 200-300 yards left is either in a bunker, behind a tree, or in tall native grass. The green slopes left-to-right and back-to-front, and is guarded in front by bunkers on the left and right. A false front stops any approach shots that fall short. Hitting driver off of the tee can drop the ball in front, or on the green, but anything that misses the 20-yard landing area will cause the golfer to end at par or above, potentially giving a shot back to the course.

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Joe Sullivan III Board Member, Club Treasurer

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his hole plays longer than its 324 yards based on its long gradual uphill trajectory.

Roughly 220 yards from the tee is a bunker off the left side of the fairway, and not much further on the right side the fairway begins to narrow considerably. The green is guarded by two large bunkers; one left front and the other on the right side. Off the tee, a good strategy is sacrificing distance for accuracy with hopes of leaving a nine-iron to the middle of the green.

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OMAHA MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2021

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his is one of the most challenging holes on the course. Club selection is more variable on this final par 3 than it is on any of the others. The tee box sits at one of the highest points on the course and the hole plays dramatically downhill toward the lowest point on the course at the creek bed. Wind, however, is the biggest consideration when selecting a club. Players who miss the green may want to be short, because there isn’t an easy second shot from anywhere else. A miss left makes the second shot nearly impossible to hold the green and a miss right will usually put players in the deep greenside bunker, which makes it hard to judge distance and loft. The slope of the green is fairly severe, running from the back to the front. There are many subtle breaks on this green that can be difficult to read.

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his is a long, demanding par 5 into a well-bunkered, two-tiered green. This hole features one of the narrowest fairways on the course, with trees on the right and heavy rough on the left. The ideal tee shot is on the right side of the fairway, as the fairway slopes hard down and left. Two deep bunkers on the right side of the green can cause fits for all players. Hitting too far left will leave players in deep rough. A drive down the middle can easily dribble off into the left rough. A good tee shot will leave the player with a mid-iron shot to the green, with greenside bunkers on the right and left. Aim for the center of the green. This fast downhill green makes for a difficult shot when a player hits off the back. The ideal approach will leave a ball below the hole. A severe pull will find the creek on the left side. Going for the green in two is only for long hitters, and is a high risk/reward situation.

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he fairway slopes slightly from left to right. Favoring the left/middle side of the fairway on the drive is ideal, as it will feed to the right/middle of the fairway, allowing for a better angle on the approach shot. Hitting a second shot from the fairway will permit the player to be more aggressive with a precise approach shot. The green is well-guarded by bunkers and deep rough, as well as a severe uphill slope in front of the green. Missing short could result in the ball rolling 40 to 70 yards back down the fairway. This large green allows for a wide array of hole locations. Several subtle slopes throughout the green makes for a tricky read. It will take three precise shots to make birdie. Making par is always a good score on this hole.

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OMAHA MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2021

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he tee and green on this hole are nearly level, but the fairway dives down a ravine.

A good tee shot should get players close to the top of the hill. The second shot needs to stay right, because the fairway slopes drastically from right to left. The chances are that an uphill approach shot, from an uneven lie, will be challenging.

While the green isn’t as difficult as some, it’s protected by three bunkers, the worst of which a golfer will go into if the player needs to approach from the left. A safe miss on the green is short as it is sloped upwards from front to back. The next stop is always the 19th hole.

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A CERTIFIED

PROFESSIONAL STORY BY HOWARD MARCUS PHOTO BY BILL SITZMANN

Bringing the Gold Standards maha Country Club General Manager Tom McKitterick and his 60-member clubhouse staff will run the foodand-beverage service inside the facility at the 41st U.S. Senior Open Championship.

Fortunately, McKitterick has been acquainted with commercial kitchens since high school, when he worked at a Howard Johnson’s restaurant in Rapid City, South Dakota.

“I started as a dishwasher, did some work as a busser, [then] moved up to cook— and that was mostly during the summers,” said McKitterick, 58.

He then worked toward a Bachelor of Science in hotel and restaurant management at Southwest Minnesota State University.

When McKitterick’s parents retired and moved from Rapid City to Lincoln, he transferred to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in food service management, with a minor in business management, from UNL in 1985. // G122 //

OMAHA MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2021

While at UNL, he did an internship at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln. The hotel then hired him as assistant catering services manager.

A few months after graduating, Lincoln’s Hillcrest Country Club hired McKitterick as assistant manager. He managed Hillcrest for 11 years.

What followed were positions at clubs around the country, including three years as CEO of the Country Club of Decatur in Decatur, Illinois; nearly four years as COO of Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; then 16 years as CEO of the Country Club of Lincoln.

Along the way, McKitterick earned two certifications from the Club Management Association of America. One is Certified Club Manager. When McKitterick first became certified in 1993, he was 30—one of the youngest CCMs in the country.

In 2011, he earned the Certified Chief Executive certification from CMAA, which mandates a minimum of five years’ service as a chief executive and time spent mentoring others, among other requirements. A final step is Master Club Manager. “I'm working on that,” he said.

One thing he doesn’t do much is play golf.

“People will often say, ‘I bet you golf a lot.’

And I'm like, well, to be a decent golfer, you have to golf a fair amount, and I just never had time with the family and work,” he said.

McKitterick’s move to the Omaha Country Club happened a year ago.

OCC’s location was an attraction to him and his wife, as their daughter, son-inlaw, and two grandsons live in Omaha.

In his role at the 122-year-old club, McKitterick oversees an operation that employs about 200 people at its summertime peak. About 90 work at the club year-round.

The U.S. Senior Open Championship—a joint effort of the United States Golf Association, event facilitator Bruno Event Team, and the OCC, is a point of pride for McKitterick, who said, “we're excited for the city, and our members are excited to showcase their course. Our golf season here in the Midwest is so short. But everyone at the club is happy to see this event come to Omaha.”

Visit omahacc.org for more information.

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