Shinnecock Hills Clubhouse: Birthplace of Hamptons Style Hosts 2026 U.S. Open

The clubhouse at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, designed in 1892 by Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White, is hosting the 2026 U.S. Open. Considered the first U.S. clubhouse built specifically for golfers, its shingled façade, fluted columns, and long verandas inspired classic Hamptons architecture. White created light, airy social spaces, a novel concept at the time, leading to expansion before the first U.S. Open in 1896. The club itself, founded by Edward Meade, Duncan Cryder, and William Vanderbilt after a trip to Biarritz, France, is the oldest golf club in the U.S. It opened a 12-hole course in 1891, expanded to 18 holes by Willie Dunn in 1895. Shinnecock was the first club to admit women, building a nine-hole course for them in 1893, and overcame racial controversy when John Shippen, of African American and Native American descent, competed in the 1896 U.S. Open, finishing 5th. The clubhouse lacks air conditioning, but a 2016 restoration by Rogers McCagg installed a geothermal system. This year marks the club's sixth U.S. Open, making it the only course to host the tournament over three centuries.