Louisville, KY
Valhalla Golf Club
Dwight Gahm’s idea for a golf-focused club began in 1981. He and his sons commissioned Jack Nicklaus on rolling land outside Louisville, with the explicit ambition of bringing major championships to the new property.
- Course
- 18 holes · par 72 · Opened 1986
- Original architect
- Jack Nicklaus
- Club website
- Visit website
The course
Course design
A family’s championship ambition
Valhalla opened in June 1986. A decade later it staged its first PGA Championship, and the 2008 Ryder Cup added international team golf to a venue conceived with large events in mind.
Championships
Upcoming championships1
Results and dates 7 editions
PGA Championship
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Mark Brooks
–
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Tiger Woods
–
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Rory McIlroy
–
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Xander Schauffele
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Senior PGA Championship
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Hale Irwin
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Tom Watson
–
Ryder Cup
-
United States (Ryder Cup)
In the archive
Sources and editorial notes7 references
Sources for this story
- Ten Things You Might Not Know About Valhalla PGA of America
Main historical account, course development and individual-hole descriptions.
Consulted 2026-09-21
Record sources
- Solheim Cup: Official 2028 Competition-Date Announcement The current official 2028 event banner identifies Valhalla in Louisville. Its prominent announcement headline states the 21st Solheim Cup will be held September 8–10. Those are match dates, distinct from the September 6–10 event week in the banner. Status remains scheduled, with no recorded or canonical winner.
- 2026 PGA Championship Media Guide The official Media Guide directly enumerates the 106th playing, champion, site, and its year-page date span. The recorded venue and champion preserve the official PGA Championship History entry’s published text.
- PGA of America: Valhalla course history for the 2024 championship The official 2024 PGA course article describes the Nicklaus course opened in 1986, its 1996, 2000 and 2014 championships, and the preparation and alterations for its fourth championship in 2024. The completed official 2024 result corroborates that edition. Continuing physical identity does not assert unchanged holes.
- PGA of America: Senior PGA Championship History The organizer’s 2011 history card records Valhalla, Louisville, May 26–29, Tom Watson at 278 (-10), and a playoff. Its separate full leaderboard gives Watson’s 70-70-68-70 and David Eger’s matching 278. Historical tournament par 72 does not change any course facts.
- Ryder Cup official history The official Ryder Cup history data records the 2008 course and result.
- PGA TOUR: official 2006 Champions Tour media guide PDF page 257, printed 5-39, 2004 entry: Senior PGA Championship. Exact competitive-day boundaries remain unverified.