How to Play Oak Hill Country Club's Famous Hill of Fame 13th Hole

The 13th hole on the East Course at Oak Hill Country Club is aptly named the "Hill of Fame." Standing as the signature hole, this daunting par 5 stretches 625 yards – while demanding precision, strategy and a fearless attitude of risk and reward.

As Oak Hill’s PGA Head Professional Jason Ballard describes it:

A corridor of trees bearing plaques that honor members and legends who have graced Oak Hill line the fairways – hence the name. Hanging limbs make an already narrow fairway seem even smaller. Adding to the challenge are heavily contoured fairways, waiting to pounce and usher your golf ball into the heavy rough. 

“You’re looking at about a 30-yard fairway, but with the slopes and overhanging trees, the effective landing zone (for club golfers) is closer to 25 yards,” Director of Instruction Jeff Urzetta explains. "Oak Hill is especially challenging because of the intricacies of the fairways and landing zones. 

“If you hit the right side of the fairway with the proper shot shape, the ball stays in play, giving you an advantage. But if you’re on the wrong side or spinning the wrong way, it can kick into the rough, which is absolutely brutal. It gets tight out there – you think you have room, hit what feels like a good shot and then it kicks just a yard into the rough, sometimes into the worst part of it."

Who said the fairway needed to be fair?

Additionally, a creek winds its way across the hole, intersecting the ideal layup area and making decisions on the second shot critical. Bunkers guard the right side of the fairway near the creek, while overhanging trees on the left add to the complexity.

Urzetta says how you approach the 13th depends greatly on whether you’re a club golfer or a championship-caliber player. As a venue for majors, including the 2013 and 2023 PGA Championships, this hole has seen its fair share of drama. Its design was further enhanced during a 2020 restoration by Andrew Green, which extended the tee box by 30 yards, adding length to a hole that already tested the mettle of the game’s best players.

The East Course delivered worthy PGA Champions with Jason Dufner winning in 2013 and Brooks Koepka emerging from the pack in 2023. Koepka played the 13th at 1-under-par for the week, while Dufner was 2-under. These scores highlight both the challenge and the possibility. 

On the PGA TOUR, professionals usually feast on par 5s. In the full 2023-24 season, Ludvig Åberg led the TOUR in birdie or better scoring on par 5s, converting nearly 60% of the time. By contrast, the last two champions at Oak Hill managed only 37.5% birdie or better success on this par 5 – a testament to its difficulty and the respect players give to the hole.

For those of us mere mortals, playing the 13th conservatively is key.

“The priority is hitting the fairway,” Urzetta advises. “From there, aim to lay up to a comfortable distance, around 140 to 180 yards. That’s position A.” 

A well-executed layup sets up a manageable third shot into an expansive, inviting green, keeping par or even birdie within reach while minimizing risk.

For professionals or highly skilled players, the approach shifts dramatically.

“In 2013, most players laid up and played it as a traditional three-shot hole,” Urzetta recalls. “But in 2023, we saw a much more aggressive style. Guys were hitting it down to the edge of the creek or even over it, leaving shorter approaches into the green.”

This shift in strategy reflects the evolution of the modern game, where players can dial up 300-yard carries seemingly on command. For these golfers, reaching the green in two is a whisper of an option (there were no eagles in 2023), provided they’re willing to flirt with disaster. With narrow fairways, strategic bunkering and penal rough, the margin for error is razor-thin.

“It’s serious risk-reward,” Urzetta says. “The fairway is deceptively tricky. A slight miss can mean the difference between a chance at birdie and scrambling for par.”

For golfers at every level, the 13th hole at Oak Hill requires discipline and precision. Keep the ball in play and advance methodically. For those with the skill to push the limits, aggressive play can yield rewards but demands confidence and execution.