Valhalla Golf Club

Valhalla Golf Club is a Private 18 holes golf course located in Louisville, Kentucky.

Valhalla Golf Club first opened for play in 1986. The course was designed by Jack Nicklaus.

In 1987, the first year it was eligible, Valhalla Golf Club remains the No. 1-ranked course in Kentucky and one of "America's 100 Greatest Courses", according to Golf Digest (2005).

After Valhalla Golf Club opened, the PGA of America subsequently conducted research on Louisville as a potential host city for The PGA Championship and made several site visits to the club.

In 1992, Valhalla Golf Club was announced as the site for the 1996 PGA Championship.

In November 1993, an agreement was negotiated whereby The PGA agreed to purchase 25 percent of Valhalla Golf Club. After the successful conclusion of the 1996 PGA Championship, The PGA assumed 50 percent ownership in the club and announced it would return to Valhalla Golf Club in 2000 to play the 82nd PGA Championship. At the conclusion of the 2000 PGA Championship, The PGA exercised the right to purchase the remaining interest in Valhalla.

Valhalla Golf Club also made its mark on championship golf in 1996. Spectators found some of golf's most spectacular viewing areas in Valhalla Golf Club's natural amphitheaters. The scenic par-5, 542-yard 18th handled 20,000 spectators. The area surrounding the green on the par-4, 422-yard 17th accommodated a gallery of more than 8,000.

Valhalla Golf Club's front nine traverses a low-lying parkland setting.

The back nine holes were carved out of higher, tree-covered terrain with a shallow creek that comes into play on four holes.

Valhalla Golf Club underwent minimal facelifts in its preparation for its first major championship. The primary work centered on the course's par-3 holes. The tees were enlarged on the 3rd and 8th holes, and the green at the 168-yard 11th was extended 15 yards. The tee at the 210-yard 14th was elevated 25 feet and a bridge was built over Brush Run Creek. In addition, three fairway bunkers were installed on the par-5, 597-yard seventh hole to provide more definition to the longest hole on the course. For the 78th PGA Championship, the left-hand "chute" option was closed which made this hole a true three-shot par-5. Finally, a new tee was built on the 422-yard par-4 17th and a portion of the green was leveled to allow for an additional hole placements.

For the 82nd PGA Championship a number of minor changes were made to the golf course. The reason for the changes was not to lengthen the course but rather to encourage players to use their drivers or longer clubs from the tee to reach the primary landing areas. To this end, new tees were built on the 1st, 2nd and 6th holes while existing tees were extended on holes Nos. 5 and 12. In addition the "island" fairway on hole No. 7 was available for players wanting to take and risk the more direct route on the 597-yard par-5. The back right of No. 8 green was extended to allow for another hole location and a bunker was added on the left side of No. 9 fairway to tighten the tee shot landing area.

On December 8, 2000, The PGA announced that the 37th Ryder Cup in 2008 would be played at Valhalla Golf Club. The Senior PGA Championship was played at Valhalla in May of 2004. The PGA Club Professional Championship was played in June of 2002.

Championships held at Valhalla Golf Club

78th PGA Championship August 8-11, 1996 Mark Brooks 68-70-69-70 277* *Defeated Kenny Perry in one hole playoff

82nd PGA Championship August 17-20, 2000 Tiger Woods 66-67-70-67 270* *Defeated Bob May in a three hole playoff.

35th Club Prof. Championship June 20-23, 2002 Barry Evans 70-70-66-75 281

65th SR PGA Championship May 27-30, 2004 Hale Irwin 67-69-69-71 276 *Course played par 71

37th Ryder Cup Sept. 16-21, 2008 USA 16 1/2 Europe 11 1/2

Par for the course is 72. From the back tees the course plays to 6750 yards. From the forward tees the course measures 6750 yards. The longest hole on the course is # 7, a par- that plays to 540 Yards. The shortest hole on the course is # 11, a par- that plays to 155 yards from the back tees.

Watch out for # 6, a 400 yard par- challenge and the #1 handicap hole on the course. The easiest hole is # 11, a 155 yard par-.