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Valhalla Golf Club

Coordinates: 38°14′31″N 85°28′19″W / 38.242°N 85.472°W / 38.242; -85.472
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Valhalla Golf Club
Club information
Valhalla Golf Club is located in the United States
Valhalla Golf Club
Location in the United States
Location15503 Shelbyville Road,
Louisville, Kentucky
Elevation620 feet (190 m)
Established1986; 38 years ago (1986)
TypePrivate
Owned byValhalla Golf Partners, LLC[1]
Total holes18
Events hostedPGA Championship
 (1996, 2000, 2014, 2024)
Ryder Cup  (2008)
Senior PGA Championship (2004, 2011)
Websitevalhallagolfclub.com
Designed byJack Nicklaus
Par71
Length7,458 yards (6,820 m)[2]
Course rating76.4
Slope rating148 [3]
Course record62: Xander Schauffele & Shane Lowry (2024)
Statue of Jack Nicklaus and Dwight Gahm by Zenos Frudakis at Valhalla in 2008

Valhalla Golf Club, located in Louisville, Kentucky, is a private golf club designed by Jack Nicklaus, opened in 1986.

In 1992, Valhalla was selected to host the 1996 edition of the PGA Championship, one of golf's four majors. The following year (1993), the PGA of America purchased a 25% interest in the club. After the championship in 1996, the PGA of America raised its stake to 50% and announced that the event would return to Valhalla in 2000. At its conclusion, the PGA of America exercised an option to purchase the remaining interest in the club. Later that year, it announced that the Ryder Cup would be held at Valhalla in 2008.

Valhalla also hosted the PGA Club Professional Championship in 2002 and the Senior PGA Championship in 2004. The PGA Championship was originally scheduled to be played at Valhalla in 2004, but the PGA of America switched it to Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.[4]

In 2009, the PGA of America announced that the Senior PGA Championship and the PGA Championship would return to Valhalla in 2011 and 2014, respectively. In November 2017, the PGA of America announced that the PGA Championship would return to Valhalla in 2024.[5]

On June 1, 2022, the club and the PGA of America jointly announced that the club had been sold to a group of club members led by Jimmy Kirchdorfer, CEO of locally based piping supplier ISCO Industries. Other group members include former Yum! Brands CEO David Novak, businessman and former NBA player Junior Bridgeman, and hotelier Chester Musselman.[1]

The course sits on a 486-acre (2.0 km2) property on Shelbyville Road (US 60) in the eastern portion of Louisville just outside the Gene Snyder Freeway (I-265). It was envisioned by local business leader Dwight Gahm (pronounced "game") and his three sons in 1981, and opened five years later.

Major tournaments hosted

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Mark Brooks won the 1996 PGA Championship in a playoff, winning his only major with a birdie on the first extra hole, the par-5 18th. Franklin native Kenny Perry was the runner-up in the event's final sudden-death playoff. Four years later, the 2000 PGA Championship also went to a playoff; Tiger Woods won by one stroke over Bob May in the revised three-hole format. Woods had a 3-4-5=12 to May's 4-4-5=13 on the course's final three holes. It was Woods' second consecutive PGA Championship, his fifth major title and his third of his eventual "Tiger Slam" of four consecutive major titles – the PGA Championship was preceded by the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and the 2000 Open Championship at the Old Course at St Andrews and then followed by the 2001 Masters at Augusta National.) Valhalla hosted its third PGA Championship in 2014, when Rory McIlroy beat Phil Mickelson also by one stroke.[6] Beforehand, the course had undergone a major "modernization" after it hosted the Senior PGA Championship in 2011, which included the rebuilding of all 18 greens.[7]

In addition, Valhalla hosted the Ryder Cup in 2008, with the United States defeating Europe 16½ to 11½ for the first U.S. win since their comeback victory in 1999 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Perry and another native Kentuckian—J. B. Holmes of Campbellsville, who made the team as one of American captain Paul Azinger's four picks—were part of the victorious Team USA and accounted for a combined five points.

The club hosted the 2024 PGA Championship, marking the fourth and final time as host site for that major. Later that year, it was announced as the venue for the 2028 Solheim Cup, making it just the fourth course after The Greenbrier, Muirfield Village and the Gleneagles Hotel's PGA Centenary to host both the Ryder and Solheim Cups.[8]

Year Tournament Winner Winning Score Margin of

Victory

Runner(s) Up Winner's Share ($)
Total To Par
1996 PGA Championship United States Mark Brooks 277 –11 Playoff United States Kenny Perry 430,000
2000 PGA Championship United States Tiger Woods 270 –18 Playoff United States Bob May 900,000
 2004  Senior PGA Championship United States Hale Irwin 276 –8 1 stroke United States Jay Haas 360,000
2008 Ryder Cup  United States 161/2 to 111/2  Europe N/A
2011 Senior PGA Championship United States Tom Watson 278 –10 Playoff United States David Eger 360,000
2014 PGA Championship Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy 268 –16 1 stroke United States Phil Mickelson 1,800,000
2024 PGA Championship United States Xander Schauffele 263 –21 1 stroke United States Bryson DeChambeau 3,300,000
2028 Solheim Cup N/A

Scorecard

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Course setup for the 2024 PGA Championship

Hole Name Yards Par Hole Name Yards Par
1 The Post 484 4 10 Big Red 590 5
2 Winning Colors 500 4 11 Holler 211 3
3 Honest Abe 208 3 12 Sting Like A Bee 494 4
4 Mine That Bird 372 4 13 The Limestone Hole 351 4
5 The Sun Shines Bright 463 4 14 On The Rocks 254 3
6 Long Shot 495 4 15 Julep 435 4
7 Genuine Risk 597 5 16 Homestretch 508 4
8 Float Like A Butterfly 190 3 17 Straight Up 472 4
9 Twin Spires 415 4 18 Photo Finish 570 5
Out 3,724 35 In 3,885 36
Source:[2][9] Total 7,609 71
Valhalla Golf Club
Tee Rating/Slope 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total
Gold 76.4 / 148 495 530 210 375 460 495 600 190 415 3,770 595 210 490 355 255 435 515 475 575 3,905 7,675
Black 74.1 / 143 415 500 200 350 405 475 505 175 410 3,430 555 200 445 350 215 410 440 430 540 3,585 7,015
Green 71.6 / 138 390 475 170 325 400 450 500 160 385 3,255 520 190 420 325 165 380 400 390 480 3,270 6,525
Blue 69.8 / 129 345 455 160 300 380 420 490 150 400 3,100 475 165 385 285 155 350 355 360 440 2,970 6,070
SI Men's 13 9 11 15 3 1 5 17 7 6 16 2 14 18 10 4 8 12
Par 4 5 3 4 4 4 5 3 4 36 5 3 4 4 3 4 4 4 5 36 72
SI Ladies' 11 5 15 17 9 1 3 13 7 6 16 2 14 18 12 4 10 8
Silver 70.8 / 124 310 410 115 205 305 340 460 130 295 2,570 410 150 330 210 135 290 315 280 395 2,515 5,085

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "PGA of America Sells Valhalla Golf Club to a Local Group of Club Members" (PDF) (Press release). PGA of America. June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Course tour". Valhalla Golf Club. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  3. ^ "Course Rating and Slope Database: Valhalla Golf Club". USGA. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  4. ^ "Lexington Herald Leader: Search Results".
  5. ^ "2024 PGA Championship, 2018 Boys Junior PGA Championship to be contested at Valhalla Golf Club".
  6. ^ "PGA Championship". pga.com. PGA/Turner Sports Interactive. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  7. ^ Sokeland, Justin (August 4, 2013). "Green light at Valhalla: Renovation of putting surfaces draws praise one year out from PGA Championship". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  8. ^ LPGA Communications (August 13, 2024). "Valhalla Golf Club to Host 2028 Solheim Cup". Solheim Cup USA. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "PGA Championship: course tour". PGA of America. 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
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38°14′31″N 85°28′19″W / 38.242°N 85.472°W / 38.242; -85.472

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