If you grew up in a small town like I did, you’ll understand that there are a few things that are different than growing up in say, downtown Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, or even powerhouses like New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago. However, a town that’s well-known, whether it be to your area or an ever greater area, is a whole other ballgame. In a way, the U.S. Open is what Groundhog Day is to Punxsutawney in my hometown.
1. “Oh, that’s the place with the [insert what you’re known for here]”
I grew up in Oakmont, which is a small suburb of Pittsburgh. Oakmont has the distinction of the Oakmont Country Club, which has hosted the both versions of the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur Open; the first of the former was in 1927. They’ll host again in 2025. I constantly got people saying the above quote when I went to college and up until I moved out of the town.
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2. That this is all we live for.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, if you’re not a business owner, community planner, or a town official, most of us barricade inside our houses and wait for the visitors to leave. A town like Oakmont, which has around 6,000 residences, swells to well over 15,000 during the few days that the Open is in town. You should be able to imagine what that was like.
3. We’re proud of our historic addition to culture.
It may come as a surprise (or it may not), but most of the people in my hometown don’t even know what history people are talking about. The only reason I do is because I used to work for my hometown’s newspaper and had to know the history for a story. Since I’m not that into golf, I probably wouldn’t be too concerned with it. People remember recent U.S. Opens, like the 1994 Open when traffic was backed up for hours…in a town that takes about five minutes to drive through normally.
4. It must be an exciting time for you.
See, the difference between other small towns and Oakmont is the people. The people of Oakmont mostly enjoy their small town, which is quiet, rustic, and still has the appeal of a town settled well before the 20th century started. When the U.S. Open comes to town, those feelings are put in the closet for a few days. It’s difficult just to get a pizza. I used to be the assistant manager of a pizza shop there and our delivery times were over 2 hours at one point during the 2016 Open. We usually do about 20-30 minutes. We were that busy. It’s more like insane than exciting.
5. “It can’t be that bad, can it?”
This is the one I usually get when I’m outside Oakmont and find someone who knows the town. It may be true, but I invite those folks to consider it from the vantage point of Oakmonters. There’s something wrong when you can’t even go to the store to get something for dinner. I remember my parents stocking up before the last U.S. Open and we just stayed in the house until it was gone. My friends did the same thing and we communicated only through text. Good times.
