The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is about to commence on June 20th, and it’s returning to the Sahalee Country Club after 8 years. The last time it was held here was in 2016, and the Canadian pro, Brooke Henderson won the $3.5 million major.

Located in Sammamish, Washington, a suburb east of Seattle, Sahalee Country Club is famous for its narrow fairways. The female golfers will descend on the greens for the fourth major of the season after the tough 2024 US Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club. But how difficult and different will the Sahalee Country Club be? Let us dive into its history.

The beginnings of a golf club whose trees reach to the heavens

Sahalee Country Club’s origins include a series of deal breakers when its founders tried to establish the golf club in 1965. However, it was only in June 1967 that a dinner was hosted with 50 members to discuss and establish the club.

According to History Link, “more than 50 people attended the dinner and were offered limited partnerships for $5,000, which entitled them to a $1,500 golf club membership and a fairway lot for $3,500.” A few weeks later, about 100 such memberships were sold, and the club bought its first 320 acres that summer.

By September 1967, the club was named Sahalee, a Chinook word. In Chinook, it translates as ‘high heavenly ground’. Having its course carved from a Pacific Northwest forest of several trees like cedar, spruce, fir, and pine, many people like to assume that its towering trees seem to reach the heavens.

Ted Robinson’s demands had given the golf course additional space as he built a 27-hole design over 400 acres compared to its previously planned 18-hole design within 320-acre limitations. However, the golf course would not have been able to stand as it is today without the contribution of the engineer, James “Jim” Porter, who signed up as the project manager. Claims had been made that Porter worked 18 hours a day, overlooking the whole project. In 1971, he died in his early 40s. Speculation has suggested that he might have overworked himself to death.

Before the PGA Championship in 1998, the country club was renovated by Rees Jones. And at present, it has a lot of surprises in store.

What do the loops of Sahalee Country Golf Club look like?

The Sahalee Country Golf Club’s golf course has three loops: east, north, and south. The East Nine begins on a dogleg right par 5, 536 yards from the back deck. According to Beyond the Contour, “The East feels like a warm-up for the tournament 18, composed of the North & South nines. A couple dogleg lefts, a few dogleg rights, a couple straight holes—the The East forces you to hit it all.”

While the first tee of South Nine feels more “claustrophic”. Its fourth tee is considered the course’s tightest. “The hole is relatively short at 386 yards, but with a tree right side fairway and a big tree left side that limits shot options off the tee, the player is forced to hit a fade to find the fairway,” said Andrew Harvie six years ago in his review.

However, the North Nine has the best holes in the entire course. It has some great moundings and trees lining the fairways, which makes it a little difficult for a smooth shot. The 5th tee there, however, is the shortest hole on the course. However, at 377 yards, it has 2 bunkers inside and 2 outside of the corner of the dogleg left, making the shot quite strategic.

Are you excited to witness whether Nelly Korda will be able to come out of her questionable performances since the US Women’s Open? Let us know in the comments below.