Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky is the host site for the 2008 Ryder Cup Matches, as the United States hosts a European team on a serious tear, having won the last three events in convincing fashion.
Jack Nicklaus designed Valhalla, which opened in 1986. He described it as a "golf designer's dream, because there is a variety of terrain, vegetation and water to work with. Everything necessary for an excellent golf course is here." The front side is set on more open, links terrain, while the back side features tighter, more parkland topography.
It makes for a striking championship venue. Valhalla's par-5 18th hole can accommodate 20,000 spectators around the green. And the 13th will provide drama as well. Though the shortest par-4 on the course, its small green surrounded by a moat and perched atop 20 feet of boulders has led to some of the golf course's greatest drama during majors.
Valhalla hosted its first PGA Championship in 1996 and again in 2000. Today, the PGA of America owns a stake in the golf club. Renovations in 2006 saw the rebuilding of several green complexes and the golf course was stretched to nearly 7,500 yards.
Here is a look at Valhalla from above, courtesy of Premier Aerials.