Ascher Marks

Members of any club that have a healthy enough ego want to be proud of their home course, especially when it is on national television. The PGA Championship returned to Aronimink Golf Club this year for the first time in decades and produced a captivating weekend that cemented the course’s reputation.

Aronimink has hosted smaller tournaments over the past 20 years but has not hosted a major since 1962. According to Aronimink Head Pro Jeff Kiddie, preparations for an event of this significance started much earlier and looked different.

“We closed the course on Nov. 3 and didn’t play golf until the Tuesday after,” Kiddie said. “The (2018) BMW: we played golf until the Friday before.”

The members’ sacrifice in not playing their course was not the only difference with this tournament. Course staff and the PGA also put much more effort into creating a stronger sense of the tournament with a more elaborate buildout of viewing areas.

“The PGA of America works really hard to make this feel like a major,” Kiddie said. “From the entry, really grand, then into the merchandising tent and into the viewing areas, they just did a really great job of when you get on property, it feels big.”

The efforts put in not only provided positive feedback among Aronimink staff, but also among attendees. Members and media shared glowing reviews of the course.

“If I graded it, it would be absolutely an A plus plus,” said 12-year member Peter Madden. “The setup was amazing, the pin placements were devilish, and everyone really rose to the occasion.”

Gabby Herzig of The Athletic has covered the PGA for the last five years and shared her experience at the event. Herzig compared this event to other major tournaments.

“I thought it was an excellent championship,” Herzig said. “The golf course provided a really fun and challenging test and having Philadelphia being the backdrop made for a really exciting week.”

The level of difficulty over the weekend only added to the final product. Rough weather in the first two rounds and creative pin locations throughout the weekend generated some frustration among golfers. After day two of the tournament, World Number One Scottie Scheffler called the pin locations the “toughest I’ve ever seen,” and Chris Gøtterup added “you’re not going to get any four-and-a-half hour rounds” due to the pin locations. This frustration from the professionals was a signal to spectators that the course had done its job.

“I think when you hear players like Scotty and Chris ‘complain’ about pins or criticize the setup, that’s when you know that it’s a good setup,” Herzig said.

Herzig went on to describe the event as taking on a more U.S. Open feel, with players being more conservative in their approach rather, than a typical PGA Championship, which rewards aggressive play. Club Pro Jeff Kiddie echoed this sentiment.

“It felt similar to a U.S. Open in that it had the players talking about hole locations,” Kiddie said. “It’s what our greens are, our greens have a lot of movement, and they never really stop moving.”

Member Peter Madden was direct in his response to the players’ comments, specifically Rory McIlroy’s comment about his plan to play long off the tee and figure it out from there.

“It seemed to be a little too much ego,” Madden said. “That seems to be pretty flippant because that’s just not the course and, in the end, the course definitely proved itself.”

Regarding the pin locations, Madden called them “devilish,” and the Sunday placements in particular also blew away Herzig.

“It was nasty,” said Herzig. “I was actually thinking to myself, ‘how did they think to put a pin there?’”

These pin locations were calculated decisions, however. The fact that they frustrated the pros and left the amateurs in awe was only a bonus. Club Pro Jeff Kiddie disclosed the thought process of Chief Championship Officer Kerry Haigh.

“Largely, the week was scripted,” Kiddie said. “When he (Haigh) chooses the hole locations for the practice round, those areas aren’t going to be used for the championship.”

Kiddie explained that, from his perspective, the first two rounds had the hardest pin locations, Saturday with the easiest and Sunday in the middle. By Kiddie’s understanding, the intent was to create a difficult first two rounds, allow movement on the leaderboard on Saturday, and finish with a thrilling Sunday.

This plan produced a compelling weekend for golf fans across the board. The play over the weekend allowed Aronimink and the PGA Championship to re-establish themselves as fierce tests of mental and physical resilience.

“I think the PGA Championship came back into the conversation of being the type to push players to their limits,” Herzig said. “I think it was nice to see [it] re-entering that conversation.”

The 2026 major schedule continues June 18-21 at Shinnecock Hills, another course famous for its difficult conditions.