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Medinah Country Club

Coordinates: 41°57′58″N 88°02′53″W / 41.966°N 88.048°W / 41.966; -88.048
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Medinah Country Club
The clubhouse and putting green (2008)
Club information
LocationMedinah, Illinois, U.S.
Established1924
TypePrivate
Total holes54
Events hostedRyder Cup: (2012)
PGA Championship:
(1999, 2006)
U.S. Open:
(1949, 1975, 1990)
U.S. Senior Open: (1988)
Western Open:
(1939, 1962, 1966)
Websitewww.medinahcc.org
Golf Course 1
Designed byTom Bendelow
Par71[1]
Length6,713 yards (6,138 m)[2]
Course rating73.2
Slope rating134[3]
Golf Course 2
Designed byTom Bendelow
Par72[4]
Length6,210 yards (5,678 m)[5]
Course rating70.1
Slope rating126[6]
Golf Course 3
Designed byTom Bendelow [7]
Par72[8]
Length7,657 yards (7,002 m)[9]
Course rating78.3
Slope rating152[10]
Course record61 - Justin Thomas (2019)
Club Logo

Medinah Country Club is a private country club in Medinah, Illinois, with nearly 600 members and 640 acres (260 ha) containing three golf courses, Lake Kadijah, swimming facilities, a golf learning center, golf shop, gun club, racket center and a mosque-evoking Byzantine-style, Moroccan domed clubhouse topped with minarets and classic Moorish architectural aspects. Medinah is famously known for its Course 3, now at 7,657 yards (7,002 m),[9] which has hosted five major championships: three U.S. Opens (1949, 1975, 1990) and two PGA Championships (1999, 2006), as well as the Ryder Cup in 2012. Medinah will host the 2026 President's Cup

Early history

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The club was founded in 1924 by the Medinah Shriners (named after an Arabian city) and by the late 1920s had approximately 1,500 golfing and social members. The first golf course was opened in September 1925, followed by Course 2 in 1926, and finally Course 3 in 1928. During the construction of the courses, Richard G. Schmid, a Shriner and charter member of the club, had designed the clubhouse itself[11] The Great Depression brought severe financial hardship and many members left. 94 members paid $3,500., each for a “forever”membership for their family forever aka Perpetual, allowing the club to continue on. In addition, the club responded by waiving initiation fees, lowering dues, holding fundraising events, and (significantly) hosting professional golf tournaments. Eventually, non-Shriners were allowed to apply for membership. World War II exacerbated the club's financial woes and membership fell far below capacity. Course 2 was closed and members helped with upkeep on the two remaining courses. During the post war era Medinah entered a period of gradual recovery and membership growth. The Duke of York once visited the club and remarked, "I've never seen such a place, it is quite strange, yet attractive."

Golf

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The 2nd hole is 191 yards (175 m).
The 13th hole is 244 yards (223 m).
The 17th hole is 197 yards (180 m).

Course 3

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Medinah has three golf courses in a 54-hole complex. Many noted golf professionals have played Course 3, beginning with "Lighthorse" Harry Cooper at the Medinah Open in 1930. Other noted players include Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Cary Middlecoff, Billy Casper, Gary Player, Hale Irwin and Tiger Woods. Tommy Armour, winner of multiple major championships and the namesake of a well-known golfing equipment brand, was Medinah's head pro for many years. Course 3 hosted the Western Open three times in 1939, 1962, and 1966; it was one of the largest non-major tournaments on the early tour.

Medinah's courses were originally designed by Tom Bendelow. In the 1930 Medinah Open, Lighthorse Harry played the course with a 63 (the lowest score ever shot on the course) in the second round. The junior course record of 68 is jointly held by Russell Katz and Kenny Wittenberg. Medinah's board approved a redesign of the course, subject to the availability of funds and the return of adjacent land to the club by Medinah's four founders. The major redesign was followed by several more changes. Roger Packard's 1986 redesign in preparation for the U.S. Open brought substantial changes and was followed by Rees Jones' work in preparation for the 2006 PGA Championship, which extended Course 3 to 7,561 yards (6,914 m), at the time, the longest golf course in major championship history. Furthermore, Medinah Country Club is noted for the three waterfront par three holes in numbers 2, 13, and 17.

Medinah's Course 3 hosted the BMW Championship on August 15–18, 2019![12] during which the course record was tied or set four different times. In round 1, both Justin Thomas and Jason Kokrak shot 65, tying the course record previously set by Skip Kendall, Mike Weir and Tiger Woods. On Friday, Hideki Matsuyama broke the record by two shots, shooting a bogey-free 63. In the third round on Saturday, after starting with five consecutive birdies, Thomas shot an 11-under 61, including two eagles, breaking the course record again by two shots.

2012 Ryder Cup

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Medinah hosted the Ryder Cup in 2012, its first time in the state of Illinois, and the first U.S. venue outside the eastern time zone since 1971. The full tournament took place between September 25–30 (including pre-match competitions, press conferences and media activities), with the main competition taking place from September 28–30 on Course 3.

Major tournaments hosted

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All held on Course 3:

Year Tournament Winner Margin
of victory
Winner's
share ($)
Par Course length
1949 U.S. Open United States Cary Middlecoff 1 stroke 2,000 71 6,981 yd (6,383 m)
1975 U.S. Open United States Lou Graham 2 strokes (90) 40,000 71 7,032 yd (6,430 m)
1988 U.S. Senior Open South Africa Gary Player 2 strokes (90) 65,000 72 6,881 yd (6,292 m)
1990 U.S. Open United States Hale Irwin 1 stroke (91 holes) 220,000 72 7,195 yd (6,579 m)
1999 PGA Championship United States Tiger Woods 1 stroke 630,000 72 7,401 yd (6,767 m)
2006 PGA Championship United States Tiger Woods 5 strokes 1,224,000 72 7,561 yd (6,914 m)
2012 Ryder Cup United StatesEurope EuropeTeam Europe 1 point (14½–13½) 0 72 7,657 yd (7,002 m)
  • Bolded years are major championships on the PGA Tour.
  • (90) denotes the winning margin after a playoff of 18 holes.
  • 91 Holes denotes a sudden-death playoff was used after the score was tied following the 18-hole playoff.

Scorecard

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Medinah Country Club - Course 3 [9]
Tee Rating/Slope 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total
Gold 78.3 / 152 433 192 412 463 536 509 617 201 432 3795 578 440 476 245 609 390 482 193 449 3862 7657
Silver 75.3 / 147 383 172 386 432 503 454 585 177 415 3507 567 389 463 189 550 331 434 156 421 3500 7007
White 73.6 / 142 357 151 365 401 488 432 571 153 397 3315 555 374 452 151 531 308 413 132 398 3314 6629
Par 4 3 4 4 5 4 5 3 4 36 5 4 4 3 5 4 4 3 4 36 72
SI 13 15 11 3 9 7 1 17 5 2 12 8 16 4 14 6 18 10

Amenities

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The club offers various amenities to its members apart from the three golf courses. For example, the clubhouse features six different member dining areas. The Golf Shop is a 3000 sq. ft. building separate from the main clubhouse. The shop included golf apparel, accessories, and equipment. The racket center has a total of eight tennis courts, four of which are platform courts. The building also features indoor seating arrangements and a firepit.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Medinah Country Club, Medinah, IL".
  2. ^ "Golf Courses: Course 1". Medinah Country Club. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  3. ^ "Course Rating and Slope Database™: Medinah Country Club - #1". USGA. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  4. ^ "Medinah Country Club, Medinah, IL".
  5. ^ "Golf Courses: Course 2". Medinah Country Club. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  6. ^ "Course Rating and Slope Database™: Medinah Country Club - #2". USGA. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  7. ^ Updated by Rees Jones
  8. ^ "Medinah Country Club, Medinah, IL".
  9. ^ a b c "Golf courses: Course 3 scorecard". Medinah Country Club. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  10. ^ "Course Rating and Slope Database™: Medinah Country Club - #3". USGA. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  11. ^ "Medinah Country Club History".
  12. ^ https://bmwchampionshipusa.com/news/medinah-to-host-2019-bmw-championship [bare URL]
  13. ^ "Medinah Country Club Amenitites".
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41°57′58″N 88°02′53″W / 41.966°N 88.048°W / 41.966; -88.048