Butler County prepares for upcoming U.S. Open at Oakmont
For the 10th time, Western Pennsylvania will be welcoming the U.S. Open golf tournament to the Oakmont Country Club — a venue located just outside of Pittsburgh and south of Butler County, which has hosted the tournament more than any other course.
While Oakmont is not located within Butler County, the county will claim some of the spoils of Oakmont hosting one of the year’s four men’s golf majors — an honor it will have for the first time since 2016. The U.S. Open started Thursday, June 5, and will conclude through Sunday.
Experience Butler County, formerly the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau, has tried to capitalize on the return of the U.S. Open to the Pittsburgh area by launching a landing page on its website promoting the county’s golf offerings.
“The U.S. Open at Oakmont has always had an impact on Butler County, our hotels, restaurants and golf courses,” said Amy Pack, president of Experience Butler County. “Each time this prestigious event comes to the area, our hotels most especially feel the impact.”
Pack says hotels in Cranberry Township, Butler, and Slippery Rock are seeing increased traffic as a result of the U.S. Open in recent days, and many are either sold out or close to it.
“When an event such as the U.S. Open comes to the region, there is a positive economic impact for the entire region,” said Cranberry Township manager Dan Santoro. “It's not just the hotels, but also those folks staying here will eat in the local restaurants and visit the local venues.”
According to Pack, the types of people who choose to stay in Butler County for U.S. Open weekend are mainly traveling spectators and not those who have an active role in the event, such as players or reporters.
“We do not generally see the participants of the U.S. Open,” Pack said. “Many stay at closer hotels and private homes. We do, however, get corporate groups, spectators and vendors.”
However, Santoro said some of the visitors also include volunteers who will play an active part in keeping the U.S. Open humming.
“They’ll have folks who are in the golf industry that are greenskeepers at golf facilities all across the country. They come and volunteer to keep the greens and the course in great shape,” Santoro said. “There's other types of volunteers also, and those folks are put in local hotels, and they are here impacting the local economy.”
Visitors to Butler County who catch the golf bug are not starving for choices of places to play. According to PennsylvaniaGolfer.com, Butler County boasts 18 golf courses, and unlike Oakmont — which is a private country club — most of the courses are public.
Butler County also features some driving ranges, such as All About Golf and Perfect Swing in Butler, and the Total Golf Center indoor range in East Butler.
“Many attendees of the Open plan to golf when in the area,” Pack said. “Our courses do get attention and are highly regarded by those visiting the county.”
Among the courses sought after by visitors is Cranberry Highlands Golf Course, which is just a 40-minute drive from Oakmont and is operated by Cranberry Township. The course is seeing an uptick in demand as a result of the U.S. Open, according to Jesse Horner, golf operations director there.
“We have received tremendous demand for tee time,” Horner said. “However, we are so busy with regular play, we can only accommodate a small fraction of requests. And unlike some other facilities, we have not increased our rates.”
“In good weather, we’re always good,” Santoro said. “Our tee times are always booked solid at the Cranberry Highlands golf course, and you can only book a couple of weeks out in advance. Our course is generally full all the time.”
