Medinah Country Club is a storied golf course. It has hosted two PGA Championships, both of which were won by Tiger Woods, three U.S. Opens, won by Dr. Cary Middlecoff, Lou Graham, and Hale Irwin, as well as a U.S. Senior Open and the 2012 Ryder Cup, which Americans would like to forget outside of the fact that it was so exciting.
Medinah is where Sergio Garcia first made headlines when he hit an impossible shot from behind a tree to try to beat Tiger Woods at the 1999 PGA and then got a phone call from the King of Spain when he finished. It’s where 45-year-old Hale Irwin became the oldest U.S. Open champion ever in 1990 after winning in a playoff with Mike Donald.
But the historic, 100-year-old No. 3 course, which will be back in the spotlight this week for the Presidents Cup, is absolutely nothing like it was.
Whatever you think you remember about the 17th hole where Europe’s Ryder Cup players made miraculous putt after putt is gone.
The miracle shot that Sergio Garcia hit around the tree trying to chase down Tiger Woods in 1999? Hole’s not there. The tree? No info on that.
The high-five run around the 18th green performed by Irwin after he tied Mike Donald with a 45-foot putt to force an 18-hole playoff? The green may be there, but it might have a different hole number. It’s unclear. Keep reading.
The main feature of the course, Lake Kadijah, is where it has always been. But the steel bulkheads have been changed out for earth and grasses in some locations.
The lake always provided a challenge for golfers because they had to cross it so often. That still happens, but the crosses are now at angles instead of straight on. That actually makes it more challenging because the targets get smaller the closer golfers try to hit to the holes. Think about the par-3s at Whistling Straits that almost hang over Lake Michigan. Similar, but on a smaller and less dangerous-looking scale.
A couple of holes had the fairways shifted slightly left to bring out-of-bounds in play.
There are six new holes, the last six, the 13th through the 18th. Medinah is fortunate in that it has enough land that it can add and subtract holes and still have acreage left. You can see the changes and the routing in the video below, assuming what Golf Digest has is correct, and I, for one, assume they do.
However, when you look at the online course map on the Presidents Cup website, you need to understand that the Presidents Cup isn’t using this routing.
The website has hole outlines, but it is not the way the holes will actually be played this week. If you click on the tees or greens, based on what Golf Digest says, you’ll see the actual club renovation hole numbers, but not the hole numbers for the event. For example, it seems that holes 2 and 3 on the website are the ones that have their fairways shifted left to bring in out-of-bounds on the left. They are apparently holes 6 and 7 for Presidents Cup play.
The 13th will become the 12th for the playing of the Presidents Cup. The 15th hole after the renovation is going to be played as the 11th. The area of the new 17th tee now belongs to the 13th. The original, famous 2nd hole, forced carry over water, will become the 16th.
I watched a 20-minute video on all the changes, trying to remember the holes that were discussed, and then much later in the explanation, close to the end, got to the part about the Presidents Cup completely changing the order of the holes, and my brain just exploded. (It hasn’t been quite the same since.) My advice on this is wait for a better explanation from anyone. Armchair golf architects will have a lot to see and say at this year’s Presidents Cup, that’s for sure.
The 9th and 10th holes are not anywhere near the clubhouse. So, don’t be looking for a convenient place to rest because you’ll be out in the middle of the course, and don’t get close to the 1st tee for four or five more holes.
So, in summary, the course has been redone. Six new holes.
Unless a map says it’s the Presidents Cup map, don’t refer to it because it’s probably not accurate. They aren’t following the routing of the redone property because they think a new route will make it more exciting for television.
The only clear thing here is that we will all need breadcrumbs to follow to figure it out. I’m officially confused, and I usually have a great sense of direction and memory of holes. Not this time. However, as confusing as having two different maps is, there's a good chance that Ogilvy's renovation adds some punch to what has long been regarded as a top-100 golf course.
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