This is what makes Oakmont special, imho. I don't know if it's unique, I haven't played really any other greats, but I will share my story of the 2nd hole.
I was really struggling that last time. I haven't played much since my son was born 17 years ago, maybe a few times a year. My wonderfully tolerant host accepted that. When we stepped up to the second tee, I did the same thing I did on the first tee: cold topped the shot, lifted out of it, hit it about 40 yards on the ground. It's pretty damn embarrassing to do that.
But I hit my next 7 iron long and true, and was left with a wedge to the diabolical 2nd green, which slopes hard back to the player in the fairway. The hole location was back left. My last thought was, don't hit it short, or it's coming back to you off the green. I didn't.
I hit it over the green.
I was back behind the green, above the hole, in the vaunted Oakmont rough. Left with an impossible chip/pitch down to a green not sloping, but running away from me. I took out my sand wedge, took a couple practice swings, and hit the best shot I've ever hit in my life. It floated up, dropped down, caught the bare edge of the rough, bounced into the fringe, and rolled down to about 8 feet from the green. Even my caddy said, that was a really nice shot.
Of course, I missed the 8 footer and walked away with a double, but it was the best double bogey I've ever had in my life.
And that happened because Oakmont accommodates the awful shot (my tee shot) and accepted my errant approach shot, and gave me a really tough, but not impossible, not penalty-stroke-adding option.
I will later discuss the playoff in the 2003 US Am, and the highly underrated 11th hole.