When Donald Ross returned to Aronimink Golf Club two decades after designing it in 1928, the legendary architect made a remarkable declaration about his creation in suburban Philadelphia. "I intended to make this my masterpiece, but not until today did I realize that I built better than I knew," Ross said.
High praise from the man many consider history's finest golf course architect. Now, following extensive restoration work completed by Hanse Golf Design in 2018, Ross's masterpiece stands ready to host the 2026 PGA Championship in May.
Located on a rolling, wooded tract in Newtown Square, west of Philadelphia, Aronimink has established itself as a premier championship venue. The course first gained national prominence hosting the 1962 PGA Championship, won by Gary Player. Since then, it has proven a capable stage for major events including the 1977 U.S. Amateur, 2003 Senior PGA Championship, 2020 KPMG Women's PGA Championship, and multiple PGA Tour events.
While tournament history adds prestige, what truly stamps Aronimink as "classic" is the design itself. The course presents a formidable 7,343-yard, par-70 layout that demands precision and strategic thinking.
"We've worked hard to embrace the authentic Ross roots," says Jeff Kiddie, Aronimink's head professional. "And even though it was an enormous property for 1928—300 acres—it's pretty intimate compared to some current tournament venues. There's not one hole that's separated from others by forest or wetlands. You'll hear the roars."
The recent restoration work focused on returning the course to Ross's original vision. Building on successful earlier work by Ron Prichard in the 1990s, Hanse's team removed trees and widened fairways to enhance strategic options. They restored the greens and reworked the bunkering, adding more than 100 additional traps that mirror the original design.
"We really focused on the original Donald Ross design character, the style of the bunkering, and the configuration of the bunkering," says Hanse.
The greens remain the course's primary defense and most authentic Ross feature. Each possesses distinct character and presents unique challenges. "This [Aronimink] is a good test because of the severity of the greens," said Jordan Spieth in 2018. "To make birdies, you have to feed it in off the slopes or make big, breaking putts."
The opening hole, nicknamed "Apache," introduces players to Aronimink's demands. This brawny 434-yard par-four free-falls to the fairway before climbing 250 yards to a two-tier green that slopes right to left.
Perhaps no hole better exemplifies Ross's philosophy than the 242-yard par-three 8th. Ross once stated, "I consider long iron play to be the supreme test of a golfer's skill," and this hole delivers that examination. Kiddie cites it as the hardest hole relative to par, and statistics support that assessment—in both 2010 and 2011, it ranked as the third-most difficult par three on the PGA Tour.
The hole's downhill nature creates club selection challenges even for tour professionals. Tiger Woods, en route to a first-round 62 in 2018, found himself caught between clubs and chose a soft 4-iron. Justin Rose, who won at Aronimink in 2010 and finished runner-up to Keegan Bradley in 2018, opted for a 5-wood on the same hole.
"The angle that it sits at where the green runs from front-left to back-right is just sneaky great architecture," explains Kiddie. "Especially for right-handers, if you pull it a little, it's going to miss the green long. If you leave the face a little bit open, it's in that right-front bunker. There aren't any easy two-putts, either."
The authenticity of today's Aronimink can be traced directly to Ross's original vision. "You can find an eight-millimeter film on YouTube of Donald Ross at Aronimink, walking around in a little tweed vest," notes Kiddie. "You can see the clubhouse under construction in the background. What was built had his stamp of approval. That's the course we play today."
As the 2026 PGA Championship approaches, Aronimink stands as a testament to timeless golf course architecture. The combination of Ross's original design genius and careful restoration work has created a venue that will test the world's best players while honoring the rich tradition of championship golf.
With its challenging greens, strategic bunkering, and intimate setting, Aronimink promises to provide compelling theater when the PGA Championship field assembles in May. The course that Ross called his masterpiece is ready to prove that assessment once again on golf's biggest stage.