Oak Hill: A Great Walk Celebrated

Thursday, May 22 at 9 p.m.

With more than 90 private and public golf courses in Monroe County, it’s clear that Rochester has a love affair with golf. One of the most beautiful and historic courses in the Rochester community was ranked the tenth greatest golf course in the United States by Golf Digest. Oak Hill is the subject of WXXI’s documentary, Oak Hill: A Great Walk Celebrated, airing Thursday, May 22 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV 21 (cable 11). 

“Oak Hill has a certain mystique,” says WXXI’s documentary producer John Overlan. “When we began looking at the history of the club, we discovered the important role it has played on the sport of golf. Golf’s greatest have played Oak Hill including Walter Hagan, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer.”

Oak Hill: A Great Walk Celebrated highlights the club’s rich history and explores the impact it has had on the Rochester community and Upstate New York’s economy. The hour-long special features interviews with some of golf’s greats including 1989 U.S. Open winner Curtis Strange, 1980 PGA winner Jack Nicklaus, local favorite Jeff Sluman, 1995 Ryder Cup American team player Brad Faxon and1995 Ryder Cup European team player Bernhard Langer.

“Oak Hill has always been a great golf course,” explains Jack Nicklaus in his interview with WXXI. “I think it’s one of the good old solid golf courses in this country and it’s one I’ve always enjoyed playing.”

In addition to the interviews, WXXI had access to Oak Hill’s extensive history archives and worked closely with Democrat and Chronicle sportswriter Sal Maiorana. Maiorana also wrote a book on the history of Oak Hill for the club’s 100th anniversary. 

Website: None

Pictured: The golf course at Oak Hill.
Photo Credit: WXXI