View source for Valhalla Golf Club

{{Short description|Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky}}
{{Infobox golf facility
|golf_facility_name = Valhalla Golf Club
|image              = 
|location           = 15503 [[U.S. Route 60 in Kentucky|Shelbyville Road]],<br>[[Louisville, Kentucky]]
|establishment      = {{start date and age|1986}}
|type               = Private 
|owner              = Valhalla Golf Partners, LLC<ref name=2022sale>{{cite press release|url=https://www.valhallagolfclub.com/files/Valhalla%20Sale%20Press%20Release%20DRAFT%205-28-22.docx.pdf |title=PGA of America Sells Valhalla Golf Club to a Local Group of Club Members |publisher=PGA of America |date=June 1, 2022 |access-date=June 2, 2022}}</ref>
|operator           = <!-- name of organization/company -->
|elevation          = {{convert|620|ft|round=5}}
|holes              = 18
|tournaments        = [[PGA Championship]]<br> &nbsp;([[1996 PGA Championship|1996]], [[2000 PGA Championship|2000]], [[2014 PGA Championship|2014]], [[2024 PGA Championship|2024]])<br>[[Ryder Cup]] &nbsp;[[2008 Ryder Cup|(2008)]]<br>[[Senior PGA Championship]] (2004, 2011)
<!-- notable tournaments held (if any) -->
|website            = [https://www.valhallagolfclub.com/ valhallagolfclub.com]
|course1            = <!-- individual course name, can leave blank if same as article title-->
|designer1          = [[Jack Nicklaus]]
|par1               = 71
|length1            = {{convert|7458|yd}}<ref name=vgcctr>{{cite web |url=http://valhalla.pgalinks.com/index.cfm?page=course_information&subpage=course_tour |publisher=Valhalla Golf Club |title=Course tour |access-date=July 19, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008001358/http://valhalla.pgalinks.com/index.cfm?page=course_information&subpage=course_tour |archive-date=October 8, 2013 }}</ref> 
|rating1            = 76.4
|slope1             = 148 <ref name=usgavalh>{{cite web |url=http://ncrdb.usga.org/NCRDB/courseTeeInfo.aspx?CourseID=28073 |publisher=USGA |title=Course Rating and Slope Database: Valhalla Golf Club |access-date=July 19, 2013}}</ref>
|record1            = 62: [[Xander Schauffele]] & [[Shane Lowry]] ([[2024 PGA Championship|2024]])
|pushpin_map = USA
|pushpin_relief = 1
|map_caption = Location in the [[United States]] 
|pushpin_mapsize     = 240
}}
[[File:Zenos Frudakis Jack Nicklaus Louisville.jpg|thumb|Statue of Jack Nicklaus and Dwight Gahm by [[Zenos Frudakis]] at Valhalla in 2008]]
'''Valhalla Golf Club''', located in [[Louisville, Kentucky]], is a private golf club designed by [[Jack Nicklaus]], opened in 1986.

In 1992, Valhalla was selected to host the [[1996 PGA Championship|1996 edition]] of the [[PGA Championship]], one of golf's four [[Men's major golf championships|majors]]. The following year (1993), the [[Professional Golfers' Association of America|PGA of America]] purchased a 25% interest in the club. After the championship in 1996, the PGA of America raised its stake to 50% and announced that the event would return to Valhalla in [[2000 PGA Championship|2000]]. At its conclusion, the PGA of America exercised an option to purchase the remaining interest in the club. Later that year, it announced that the [[Ryder Cup]] would be held at Valhalla in [[2008 Ryder Cup|2008]].

Valhalla also hosted the [[PGA Club Professional Championship]] in 2002 and the [[Senior PGA Championship]] in 2004. The PGA Championship was originally scheduled to be played at Valhalla in [[2004 PGA Championship|2004]], but the PGA of America switched it to [[Whistling Straits]] in [[Wisconsin]].<ref name=PGA>{{cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LH&s_site=kentucky&p_multi=LH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB734D6021DC3B1&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Lexington Herald Leader: Search Results}}</ref>

In 2009, the PGA of America announced that the Senior PGA Championship and the PGA Championship would return to Valhalla in 2011 and 2014, respectively. In November 2017, the PGA of America announced that the PGA Championship would return to Valhalla in [[2024 PGA Championship|2024]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pga.com/events/pgachampionship/2024-pga-championship-2018-boys-junior-pga-championship-be-contested?wompAdChoices=1|title = 2024 PGA Championship, 2018 Boys Junior PGA Championship to be contested at Valhalla Golf Club}}</ref>

On June 1, 2022, the club and the PGA of America jointly announced that the club had been sold to a group of club members led by Jimmy Kirchdorfer, CEO of locally based piping supplier ISCO Industries. Other group members include former [[Yum! Brands]] CEO [[David C. Novak|David Novak]], businessman and former [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player [[Junior Bridgeman]], and hotelier Chester Musselman.<ref name=2022sale/>

The course sits on a {{convert|486|acre|km2|adj=on|1}} property on Shelbyville Road ([[U.S. Route 60 in Kentucky|US 60]]) in the eastern portion of Louisville just outside the Gene Snyder Freeway ([[Interstate 265|I-265]]). It was envisioned by local business leader Dwight Gahm (pronounced "game") and his three sons in 1981, and opened five years later.  

==Major tournaments hosted==
[[Mark Brooks (golfer)|Mark Brooks]] won the 1996 PGA Championship in a playoff, winning his only major with a birdie on the first extra hole, the par-5 18th. [[Franklin, Kentucky|Franklin]] native [[Kenny Perry]] was the runner-up in the event's final sudden-death playoff. Four years later, the 2000 PGA Championship also went to a playoff; [[Tiger Woods]] won by one stroke over [[Bob May (golfer)|Bob May]] in the revised three-hole format. Woods had a 3-4-5=12 to May's 4-4-5=13 on the course's final three holes. It was Woods' second consecutive PGA Championship, his fifth major title and his third of his eventual "Tiger Slam" of four consecutive major titles – the PGA Championship was preceded by the [[2000 U.S. Open (golf)|2000 U.S. Open]] at [[Pebble Beach Golf Links|Pebble Beach]] and the [[2000 Open Championship]] at the [[Old Course at St Andrews]] and then followed by the [[2001 Masters Tournament|2001 Masters]] at [[Augusta National Golf Club|Augusta National]].) Valhalla hosted its third PGA Championship in 2014, when [[Rory McIlroy]] beat [[Phil Mickelson]] also by one stroke.<ref>{{cite web|title=PGA Championship|url=http://www.pga.com/pgachampionship/event/information/2014-pga-championship-area-information|website=pga.com|publisher=PGA/Turner Sports Interactive|access-date=7 November 2014}}</ref> Beforehand, the course had undergone a major "modernization" after it hosted the Senior PGA Championship in 2011, which included the rebuilding of all 18 greens.<ref name=grltval>{{cite news|url=http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130803/SPORTS10/308030091/Green-light-Valhalla-Renovation-putting-surfaces-draws-praise-one-year-out-from-PGA-Championship |newspaper=Louisville Courier-Journal|last=Sokeland |first=Justin |title=Green light at Valhalla: Renovation of putting surfaces draws praise one year out from PGA Championship |date=August 4, 2013 |access-date=August 4, 2013}}</ref>

In addition, Valhalla hosted the [[Ryder Cup]] in [[2008 Ryder Cup|2008]], with the United States defeating Europe 16½ to 11½ for the first U.S. win since their comeback victory in [[1999 Ryder Cup|1999]] at [[The Country Club]] in [[Brookline, Massachusetts]]. Perry and another native Kentuckian—[[J. B. Holmes]] of [[Campbellsville, Kentucky|Campbellsville]], who made the team as one of American captain [[Paul Azinger]]'s four picks—were part of the victorious Team USA and accounted for a combined five points.

The club hosted the [[2024 PGA Championship]], marking the fourth as host site for that major. Later that year, it was announced as the venue for the 2028 [[Solheim Cup]], making it just the fourth course after [[The Greenbrier]], [[Muirfield Village]] and the [[Gleneagles Hotel]]'s PGA Centenary to host both the Ryder and Solheim Cups.<ref>{{cite web |title=Valhalla Golf Club to Host 2028 Solheim Cup |author=LPGA Communications |url=https://www.solheimcupusa.com/news/2024/valhalla-golf-club-to-host-2028-solheim-cup |website=Solheim Cup USA |access-date=August 13, 2024 |date=August 13, 2024|language=en}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" 
!rowspan="2" | Year
!rowspan="2" | Tournament
!rowspan="2" | Winner
!colspan="2" | Winning Score
!rowspan="2" | Margin of
Victory
!rowspan="2" | Runner(s) Up
!rowspan="2" | Winner's Share ($)
|-
! Total
! To Par
|-
| align=center|'''[[1996 PGA Championship|1996]]''' || [[PGA Championship]] || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mark Brooks (golfer)|Mark Brooks]] 
|align="center" | 277
|align="center" | –11
|align="center" | Playoff
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Kenny Perry]]
|430,000
|-
| align=center|'''[[2000 PGA Championship|2000]]''' || PGA Championship || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tiger Woods]] 
|align="center" | 270
|align="center" | –18
|align="center" | Playoff
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Bob May (golfer)|Bob May]]
|900,000
|-
| align=center|&nbsp;'''2004'''&nbsp; || [[Senior PGA Championship]] || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Hale Irwin]] 
|align="center" | 276
|align="center" | –8
|align="center" | 1 stroke
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jay Haas]]
|360,000
|-
| align=center|'''[[2008 Ryder Cup|2008]]''' || [[Ryder Cup]] || {{USA}}
| colspan="3" align="center" |16<sup>1/2</sup> to 11<sup>1/2</sup>|| {{EUR}}
|N/A
|-
| align=center|'''2011''' || Senior PGA Championship || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tom Watson (golfer)|Tom Watson]] 
|align="center" | 278
|align="center" | –10
|align="center" | Playoff
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[David Eger]]
|360,000
|-
| align=center|'''[[2014 PGA Championship|2014]]''' || PGA Championship || {{flagicon|NIR}} [[Rory McIlroy]] 
|align="center" | 268
|align="center" | –16
|align="center" | 1 stroke
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Phil Mickelson]]
|1,800,000
|-
| align=center|'''[[2024 PGA Championship|2024]]''' || PGA Championship || {{flagicon|USA}} [[Xander Schauffele]] 
|align="center" | 263
|align="center" | –21
|align="center" | 1 stroke
| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Bryson DeChambeau]]
|3,300,000
|-
| align=center|'''[[2028 Solheim Cup|2028]]''' || [[Solheim Cup]] || 
| colspan="3" align="center" |
| 
|N/A
|}

==Scorecard==
Course setup for the [[2024 PGA Championship]]
{|class=wikitable
!Hole!!Name!!Yards!!Par!! !!Hole!!Name!!Yards!!Par
|-
|align=center|1||The Post||align=center|484||align=center|4||rowspan=10| ||align=center|10||Big Red||align=center|590||align=center|5
|-
|align=center|2||Winning Colors||align=center|500||align=center|4||align=center|11||Holler||align=center|211||align=center|3
|-
|align=center|3||Honest Abe||align=center|208||align=center|3||align=center|12||Sting Like A Bee||align=center|494||align=center|4
|-
|align=center|4||Mine That Bird||align=center|372||align=center|4||align=center|13||The Limestone Hole||align=center|351||align=center|4
|-
|align=center|5||The Sun Shines Bright||align=center|463||align=center|4||align=center|14||On The Rocks||align=center|254||align=center|3
|-
|align=center|6||Long Shot||align=center|495||align=center|4||align=center|15||Julep||align=center|435||align=center|4
|-
|align=center|7||Genuine Risk||align=center|597||align=center|5||align=center|16||Homestretch||align=center|508||align=center|4
|-
|align=center|8||Float Like A Butterfly||align=center|190||align=center|3||align=center|17||Straight Up||align=center|472||align=center|4
|-
|align=center|9||Twin Spires||align=center|415||align=center|4||align=center|18||Photo Finish||align=center|570||align=center|5
|-
| colspan=2 align=center|'''Out'''||align=center|'''3,724'''||align=center|'''35'''|| colspan=2 align=center|'''In'''||align=center|'''3,885'''||align=center|'''36'''
|-
|colspan=5|<small>Source:</small><ref name=vgcctr/><ref name=pgact>{{cite web|url=http://www.pga.com/pgachampionship/course/2014/tour/1?atrack=hp_navigation_2 |publisher=PGA of America |title=PGA Championship: course tour |date=2014 |access-date=August 11, 2014}}</ref> ||colspan=2 align=center|'''Total'''||align=center|'''7,609'''||align=center|'''71'''
|}

{{golf18|title=Valhalla Golf Club}}
{{gold18|76.4 / 148|495|530|210|375|460|495|600|190|415|3,770|595|210|490|355|255|435|515|475|575|3,905|7,675}}
{{black18|74.1 / 143|415|500|200|350|405|475|505|175|410|3,430|555|200|445|350|215|410|440|430|540|3,585|7,015}}
{{green18|71.6 / 138|390|475|170|325|400|450|500|160|385|3,255|520|190|420|325|165|380|400|390|480|3,270|6,525}}
{{blue18|69.8 / 129|345|455|160|300|380|420|490|150|400|3,100|475|165|385|285|155|350|355|360|440|2,970|6,070}}
{{handicap18|name=Men's|13|9|11|15|3|1|5|17|7|6|16|2|14|18|10|4|8|12}}
{{par18|4|5|3|4|4|4|5|3|4|36|5|3|4|4|3|4|4|4|5|36|72}}
{{handicap18|name=Ladies'|11|5|15|17|9|1|3|13|7|6|16|2|14|18|12|4|10|8}}
{{silver18|70.8 / 124|310|410|115|205|305|340|460|130|295|2,570|410|150|330|210|135|290|315|280|395|2,515|5,085}}
{{end}}

==See also==
* [[Sports in Louisville, Kentucky]]
* [[List of attractions and events in the Louisville metropolitan area]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official website|https://www.valhallagolfclub.com}}
<!--archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://valhallagolfclub.com/ |archivedate=2009-08-05-->
* [http://www.nicklaus.com/design/valhalla/ Nicklaus.com] &nbsp; Valhalla Golf Club
* [http://www.rydercup.com/2008/usa/course/history.html 2008 Ryder Cup: course description]
* [http://archive.courier-journal.com/rydercuptour/map.html Louisville ''Courier-Journal:'' course map for 2008 Ryder Cup]

{{coord|38.242|N|85.472|W|display=title}}

{{Ryder Cup venues |state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Golf clubs and courses in Louisville, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Golf clubs and courses designed by Jack Nicklaus]]
[[Category:Ryder Cup venues]]
[[Category:1986 establishments in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1986]]
[[Category:Solheim Cup venues]]