NEWSLETTER
The PGA Championship, which is the second major of the 2024 calendar, will hold its 106th edition at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, from May 16-19. The course was designed by the all-time major champion, Jack Nicklaus, and is ranked as the top course in Kentucky, as well as one of “America’s 100 Greatest Courses” by Golf Digest. Valhalla has previously hosted three PGA Championships, two Senior PGA Championships, and the 2008 Ryder Cup.
Valhalla is a stunning 486-acre property situated east of Louisville. The golf course boasts of rolling terrain, narrow fairways surrounded by penal rough, and tricky undulating greens, making it a challenging yet fair test of golf. While there are some opportunities to score, any poor shots will be penalized.
The golf course is a challenging par-71 layout that spans 7,609 yards from the tips. It resembles some of the most recent PGA Championship courses in Kiawah Island, Southern Hills, and Oak Hill. The course offers a perfect balance of scenic beauty, risk/reward opportunities, and difficult holes. A stream called Floyd’s Fork runs throughout the course, and it adds a strategic challenge on numerous occasions.
Valhalla Golf Club History
In 1977, on a rainy Saturday afternoon, Louisville businessman Dwight Gahm was sitting in his business office with his son. He was disappointed that he had to scramble for a tee time at his local country club. Suddenly, he had an idea. He owned 486 acres of property in the eastern part of Jefferson County, which was ideal for a premier golf course. At that time, there was a lack of such a facility in Louisville, and Gahm thought his land would be perfect for it.
The land was previously used as a quarter-horse farm and also housed a Boy Scout camp. Subsequently, Gahm approached Jack Nicklaus and convinced him to design Valhalla Golf Club. In 1983, Nicklaus described the site as a “golf designer’s dream” due to the variety of terrain, vegetation, and water available. He also mentioned that the site provided everything needed for an excellent golf course, including ample space for wide, tree-lined fairways and spectacular golf holes.
The property where a golf course now stands was initially challenging to develop due to half of the site being a floodplain and high-tension electric poles scattered throughout. However, with his extensive training and experience, Nicklaus managed to create a unique design for the course, including a par 5 with an alternate fairway, a par 4 with an island green, and a finishing hole with a horseshoe-shaped green. After considering 40 potential course routings, construction of the course began in the spring of 1984 and was completed in June 1986. Nicklaus has since returned periodically to update and renovate the course.
Valhalla Golf Club as a Host
Valhalla was selected to host the 1996 PGA Championship in 1992. The following year, the PGA of America bought a 25% stake in the club. After the championship in 1996, which was won by Mark Brooks, the PGA of America increased its stake to 50% and announced that the event would return to Valhalla in 2000.
At the conclusion of the championship in 2000, the PGA of America exercised an option to purchase the remaining interest in the club. Later that same year, it was announced that the Ryder Cup would be held at Valhalla in 2008. During the Ryder Cup, Team USA won 16.5 – 11.5, ending Europe’s streak of three successive victories. This was the USA’s largest margin of victory since 1981 and the first time since 1979 that the Americans had held the lead after every session of play.
In 2014, the PGA Championship was won by Rory McIlroy. The tournament will return to Valhalla in 2024, as announced by the PGA of America in November 2017. Valhalla’s new ownership group has made several updates to the course in preparation for this year’s tournament. These updates include the renovation of the clubhouse, the addition of a new agronomy center, a waterfall on the 13th hole, and new tee boxes on the first, 12th, 14th, and 18th holes. The entire course has been re-sodded with Zoysia, a warmer-season turf, which should allow for easier maintenance during the summer. The course will play about 100 yards longer than it did in 2014, with the first hole being 50 yards longer and No. 14 being played as a 250-yard par three.
Valhalla Golf Club – 2024
Valhalla is a par-71 course measuring over 7,600 yards. It is known for favoring “total drivers” of the ball with wider fairways than normal for a major tournament. In 2014, it was the longest par-71 course in PGA Championship history. With rolling terrain and elevation changes throughout, the course provides uneven lies on many shots. There are 62 bunkers and seven holes with water danger, but there is plenty of room to play away from the trouble. One of the best things about Valhalla is the numerous options to navigate holes that Nicklaus provides.
Valhalla is a golf course that offers a great mix of challenging holes, attackable birdie holes, and plenty of opportunities for risk-reward decisions. The course is divided into two nines that are very different from each other but blend together to create a unique experience.
The front nine is easier and more open, with slightly undulating fairways that move through a low-lying valley. This valley also serves as a floodplain for Floyd’s Fork. The front nine has a links vibe to it and features fescue-carpeted mounding and naturally occurring limestone that is used to protect greens and water areas. The 2nd, 3rd, and 6th holes are situated along the edges of the property and interact with Floyd’s Fork.
The back nine is more difficult and has more imaginative holes. It is a traditional tree-lined layout that also has plenty of hazards and changes in elevation. The signature hole on this course is the 13th, which features an island green. It is more gimmicky than anything else and requires only a short wedge on approach from the fairway.
The golf course has an excellent mix of shorter and longer holes for each of the different types of pars. The par 3s are particularly difficult, with three of the four holes playing over 205 yards. On average, they scored 3.08 in 2014. Six of the par 4s measure at 460+ yards, and they had an average score of 4.17 in 2014. Some of them are even longer than they were ten years ago. The three par 5s are reachable in two shots, but both the 7th and 10th holes have a low eagle rate of 1.2% due to the water and bunkers around the green, which add plenty of risk for playing too aggressively.
The stretch of holes from 13 through 16 is considered one of the best on the course. The meandering creek combined with numerous demanding shots makes this stretch very challenging. The course ends with an uphill par 5 18th hole, which has a split fairway option and a horseshoe green set in a vast amphitheater. Two of the previous PGA Championships held here ended in playoffs, and the third, in 2014, ended in equally dramatic fashion when Rory McIlroy, leading by one, scrambled for a winning par.
