Medinah Country Club: No. 3

Medinah No. 3 is Exhibit A for the notion that great golf courses aren’t created, but evolve. A major tournament site since 1949, it has undergone a succession of remodelings and has improved with every session. Its par-3 17th is the most prominent example. It was shifted to a new location in 1986, to precede a whole new 18th hole. (The original 17th is now the 13th.) Ten years later, the 17th green was moved away from a lakefront to a spot atop a hill, but after Tiger Woods’ first (of two) PGA Championship victories on the course, the green was moved back down to water’s edge, where it remains today. Like a fine wine, Medinah has gotten better with age. It will be fascinating to follow the work of OCM Golf—the design firm of Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Cocking and Ashley Mead—which was hired to develop a master plan for Medinah in December 2020.