Oakland Hills Resets with Majestic New Clubhouse
By Tom Lang
Majestic.
Iconic.
Grand.
All three and more could describe the new-from-the-ground-up clubhouse at Oakland Hills, now open just slightly more than four years after the tragic fire in February 2022 consumed the almost 100-year-old original. At the time, only the Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island was the oldest and larger all-wood structure in Michigan.
Though not an exact replica, the building remains extremely familiar in both square footage and scale – guided by the original plans and architectural features, inside and out, of designer Howard C. Crane, who also created the Fox Theatre and other Detroit iconic buildings.
As I walked through the building on a select media tour, everything was polished and new – but still dripped in historic feel and architectural greatness of a century ago. It’s not just a place for people to gather socially – it’s a golf museum inside, honoring the game we love.
More than two dozen gorgeous display cases have been built into the walls of upstairs and ground level hallways, honoring past championship winners and events at Oakland Hills with much of their personal memorabilia, collected to help replace some historical items which perished in the fire. We have well documented on these pages the past few years the hustle of staff and Southfield firefighters that day saving many of the building’s historical contents.
“Not so long ago, our gathering place was lost to a devastating fire,” said Marc D. Ray, the general manager. “In that moment, we didn’t just lose a building, we lost a familiar setting for life’s milestones… but what we did not lose and could never be taken, was the spirit of this club.”
People rallied, and with the help of the USGA, the Detroit-area club was back in the business of hosting major championships – even before the clubhouse was rebuilt. Most recently the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur was hosted with temporary building facilities. Next up are: the 2029 U.S. Women’s Amateur, 2031 U.S. Women’s Open, 2034 U.S. Open, 2038 U.S. Girls’ Jr. Amateur, 2042 U.S. Women’s Open, 2047 U.S. Amateur, and for those hoping to reach the year 2051, the 8th U.S. Open hosted by the club.
The 2029 event will celebrate 100 years since the same event was won by Glenna Collett-Vare here in Michigan. A significantly expanded women’s locker room wraps around the north end of the second floor of the new building. Leading from the locker room is the Collett Lounge, a dedicated space named after the ‘29 winner, for women to gather while offering some of the best clubhouse views of the South Course.
Michael Costello, President of the club said: The course designer “Donald Ross was known to have said, ‘the Lord intended this land to be a golf course.’ With that backdrop, we hope you’ll understand the duty we felt to rebuild this facility, always knowing that the building was intended to watch over the land, and to be seen (from) as far as possible.”
