2022 PGA Championship: Learn about the course

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Louis Pringle
May 17, 2022
10 minutes

The 2022 PGA Championship tournament will be played at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, OK. This course was host to the 2007 edition of the tournament where Tiger Woods collected his 13th major title.

There’s no doubt that this course has experienced major changes in the last 15 years, which is why a revamped look at the course is needed. The following will take a look at the most challenging parts of Southern Hills and what club we’d recommend you use to make your way around it.

  • A long course with even longer par-5s
  • Par-5s decisions: Going for it or laying up safely
  • Tight fairways lined by some thick rough
  • Strategically placed creeks requiring precise second shots
  • Challenging bunker position around the greens
  • Small greens with fast-paced edges

A long course with even longer par-5s

Playing as a par-70 with a length of 7,556 yards, Southern Hills falls within the standards of recent PGA Championship courses. With more than 400 total yards added to the layout, Southern Hills has adapted to the modern standards of golf.

Adding even more challenge to an already lengthy course, both par-5s featured at the Southern Hills play at over 630 yards. They’ll both require very long and precise second strikes if players are looking to go for the green.

To have the best shot at reaching the green in two strokes, players will need to have the right driver in their hands as they’ll need power and accuracy off the tee on those longer holes.

What you should use:

  • Callaway Epic Max Driver

Why should you pick this club?

The Epic Max driver is the perfect blend of power and forgiveness which allows golfers to push their ball further down the alley while keeping away from thick rough that lines the fairways. While you most likely won’t be playing courses that long, the power and forgiveness of this driver will serve you well.

Shop The Callaway Epic Max Driver

Par-5s decisions: Going for it or laying up safely

As previously alluded to, there are only two par-5s at Southern Hills, but they’re both extremely long and quite challenging. As it’s often the case on par-5s, players will need to debate with their caddies about the possibility of risking the scorecard and going for the green in two.

The most notable case of weighing the consequences between laying up and going for it will come on the par-5 13th. Playing at 632 yards, a range of length that usually falls in the wheelhouse of the pros, the hole is made all the more difficult as the green is tucked behind two small ponds.

The players who’ll be willing to risk it and try to go for the green in two will reap great benefits if they can stick the landing. On the other hand, anything short of a perfectly placed ball will end up in trouble, whether it’d be one of the many bunkers at the back of the greens or the duo of ponds in front of it.

What you should use:

  • Titleist TSi2 Fairway Wood

Why should you pick this club?

Titleist’s entire TSi line of clubs was designed to take ball speeds to another level by incorporating technologies they developed with the help of NASA. Combining forgiveness and ball speed, the club can be used by a wide variety of golfers with wide-ranging skill levels.

Shop The Titleist TSi2 Fairway Wood

Tight fairways lined by some thick rough

One of the most notable changes from the 2007 edition of the tournament will be the density of the rough. As the tournament was still held in August back in 2007, the rough had time to grow longer and become even more difficult to handle for the players.

Naturally the rough won’t be as treacherous as it was in 2007 since this year’s event will be held in May. Make no mistake though, the rough won’t be any easier to handle for the players this year, and it’ll force them to think through every single shot when playing out of the thick stuff.

Here again, club selection will be crucial and longer irons will be difficult to hit as they’ll struggle to cut through the long grass. Since the rough will become very problematic on longer holes, players should strongly consider packing a hybrid to help in those situations.

What you should use:

  • TaylorMade M4 Rescue Hybrid

Why should you pick this club?

TaylorMade’s M4 Rescue hybrids are the perfect substitute for longer clubs and will be loved by golfers who have a slower swing speed or if they’re less experienced. The M4 Rescue is a lightweight hybrid that is extremely forgiving on impact and much easier to hit with consistency than a longer 3 or 4-iron.

Shop The TaylorMade M4 Rescue Hybrid

Strategically placed creeks requiring precise second shots

One of the most noticeable changes to Southern Hills since the last tournament is the multiple creeks that have been uncovered from underground. Looking to create a more natural feel to the course, the maintenance has opted to uncover many irrigation creeks that once ran below ground.

This new change forces players to be more accurate than ever with their iron strikes, especially on par-3s and the tighter par-4s where players might opt for their driving iron over their woods. This new course arrangement has turned Southern Hills into a second-shot type of course.

This means that players will need to place their tee shots precisely so that they set themselves up with easier approach shots. Most greens are surrounded by bunkers, which adds even more challenge as they’re expected to have fast edges on top of being relatively small in surface area.

What you should use:

  • Srixon Z585 Irons

Why should you pick this club?

The Srixon Z585 irons are a terrific option for golfers looking for an iron set that will allow them to be accurate, while also preserving forgiveness. Accuracy and forgiveness are key to getting around golf courses like Southern Hills where second shots will make or break your round.

Shop The Srixon Z585 Iron Set

Challenging bunker position around the greens

The greens at Southern Hills will be challenging on their own, but the layout of the course has bunkers surrounding the greens making life even more difficult for golfers. Approach shots will need to be both high and precise as rolling golf balls will end up in one of those bunkers.

With the redesign, the top lip of the greenside bunkers was lowered in a manner that leads errant approach shots to roll into the bunkers. Plus, they’ve also adapted the depth of the bunkers making it even more difficult to escape them.

The limited surface area of the greens makes for tight targets that will need to be attacked with poise and precision. Otherwise, errant approaches or strikes that end up in the bunkers will spell trouble, even for the best players in the world.

What you should use:

  • Callaway Mack Daddy CB Wedge

Why should you pick this club?

The Callaway Mack Daddy CB wedges are the perfect solution to help golfers hold tiny greens like the ones at Southern Hills. The Mack Daddy CB wedges are designed to launch the ball high up in the air with a lot of spin so that you can be as accurate as possible when your ball hits the green.

Shop The Callaway Mack Daddy CB Wedge

Small greens with fast-paced edges

As previously stated, the greens at Southern Hills are incredibly small and difficult to hold on to with the golf ball. While the size of the greens will present an interesting challenge, the pace of the greens will be even more striking to players, especially along the edges.

Those fast-paced edges shouldn’t be too much of an issue on most putts, but if one of the pins is tucked near the edge of one of these greens, players will need to be careful with the pace of their putts as one too many rolls on a putt could end up back down in the greenside rough.

Part of the course’s redesign was the desire to add more pin locations in more difficult spots on the green. There’s no doubt that this new set-up will offer quite the challenge to even the best ball roller in the world.

What you should use:

  • TaylorMade Spider Tour Black #3 Putter

Why should you pick this club?

The TaylorMade Spider Tour Black #3 putter is one of the most iconic putters on the planet. Its massive clubhead and Dustin Jonhson’s success on Tour with this very putter in hand have got the eye of golfers for years. Feel and forgiveness are this putter’s greatest perks, two aspects that’ll come in handy on tight greens like the ones at Southern Hills.

Shop The TaylorMade Spider Tour Black #3 Putter

With this course overview of the Southern Hills Country Club, you should be ready to take in the tournament with a different perspective as you’ll be able to comprehend what the players need to account for when hitting their strikes.

Plus, now that you know what clubs you should use to take on similar playing situations to these, you’re ready to upgrade your bag with the perfect golf clubs to make your way through a challenging golf course.

Until next time,

The Golf Avenue Team

Further reading

Find out what were the best clubs used during the PGA Championship over the past six years by golfers like Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, and Justin Thomas.

Find out what were the all-time best clubs used during the Masters by golfers like Patrick Reed, Hideki Matsuyama, Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, and Dustin Johnson.