Medinah (Course No. 3) Redesign Summary – 2002 To Present
The following is a descriptive overview of design work performed by Rees Jones at Medinah Country Club’s No. 3 Course beginning in 2002 up to the present date.
No. 1
Par 4 – 433 Yards
A new championship tee was added, extending this hole to 434 yards. The ridge at the landing area was lowered to improve visibility from the tee and to reduce the severity of the slope. The left fairway bunker was enlarged and rebuilt. The green has been entirely rebuilt. The mounds beyond the green have been eliminated. A new collection area has been added at the left rear of the green. Both bunkers in front of the green have been reshaped and rebuilt.
No. 2
Par 3 – 192 Yards
The tee has been rebuilt. The green has been rebuilt and reshaped. The front right bunker has been removed. A new bunker has been added beyond the green and runs the length of the putting surface.
No. 3
Par 4 – 412 Yards
The tees on the third hole have been completely rebuilt and enlarged. This affords for both longer and shorter tee locations. Fairway bunkers have been added to the right side of the landing area. A bunker short of the green, at approximately 70 yards, has been eliminated. The fairway has been re-graded to improve the visibility of the approach shot to the green. The left and right greenside bunkers have been rebuilt and reshaped. The green was rebuilt and recontoured in 2009.
No. 4
Par 4 – 463 Yards
The fourth hole has been lengthened by 16 yards with the addition of a new back tee. The hole is also capable of playing shorter, as the front tee has been significantly enlarged and raised for improved visibility of the fairway. Greenside bunkers have been rebuilt and positioned closer to the putting surface. The green was rebuilt and recontoured in 2009.
No. 5
Par 5 – 536 Yards
The tee area has been enlarged and extended forward. The single bunker at the first landing area has been replaced by a series of three bunkers extending near the original bunker guarding the second landing area. The greenside bunkers have been rebuilt and reshaped and still guard the front landing area at the green. The green was rebuilt and recontoured in 2009.
No. 6
Par 4 – 509 Yards
In 2009, a new tee was added, extending the total length of the hole to 509 yards, making it the longest par 4 on the course. In addition, the tee has been raised and the ridge in front of the tee has been lowered to improve fairway visibility. The single bunker to the left of the landing area has been replaced with a reshaped and enlarged bunker. In 2009, an additional bunker was added on the left side of the landing area. The greenside bunkers have been rebuilt, reshaped and brought slightly closer together to tighten the approach to the green. The green was rebuilt and recontoured in 2009.
No. 7
Par 5 – 617 Yards
All the fairway and greenside bunkers on the seventh hole have been rebuilt and reshaped. In 2009, a new back tee was added, stretching the hole to 617 yards. In addition, the green was rebuilt and recontoured.
No. 8
Par 3 – 201 Yards
The eighth hole sports an enlarged teeing area that lengthens the distance to the green. To improve visibility of the green and its hazards, the tee has been raised and a ridge in the fairway has been lowered. The greenside bunkers have been completely rebuilt and reshaped. The green was rebuilt and recontoured in 2009.
No. 9
Par 4 – 432 Yards
The ninth tee has been rebuilt, enlarged and also elevated to improve fairway visibility. The greenside bunkers have been reshaped, rebuilt and repositioned slightly closer to the green. The green was rebuilt and recontoured in 2009.
No. 10
Par 5 – 578 Yards
A new teeing area on the 10th hole was both raised and enlarged. The fairway and greenside bunkers have all been reshaped and rebuilt. The green was rebuilt and recontoured in 2009, with the front of the green raised about a foot to reduce the severe pitch of the putting surface.
No. 11
Par 4 – 440 Yards
The tee complex at the 11th hole was completely rebuilt, resulting in new forward and back tees that add variety. A new fairway bunker has been created near the landing area on the right side of the fairway at the dogleg. The greenside bunkers have been rebuilt and repositioned closer to the green. The green was rebuilt and recontoured in 2009.
No. 12
Par 4 – 476 Yards
The only hole on Medinah No. 3 without bunkers, the 12th remains one of the strongest holes on the entire course because the approach to the green is one of the most exacting in golf. The green was rebuilt and recontoured in 2009. In addition, the slope to the right of the green was converted to bentgrass all the way to the water’s edge.
No. 13
Par 3 – 245 Yards
The 13th hole has an entirely rebuilt tee and green complex. This hole is capable of playing longer with the addition of a new championship tee. The teeing areas have been enlarged and repositioned; there are five teeing areas on this hole. Three bunkers now guard the green: one left, one right and one in front of the new putting surface.
No. 14
Par 5 – 609 Yards
The large tee at the 14th has been lengthened and leveled. The approach bunkers and greenside bunkers have all been rebuilt and reshaped. The green was rebuilt and recontoured in 2009.
No. 15
Par 4 – 390 Yards
A new 15th hole has been created to provide a classic risk-reward short par 4. With a length reduction of roughly 100 yards, the 15th hole is now the shortest par 4 on the course and comes at a crucial point in the round, following the long par 5 14th and before the famous closing three-hole stretch. The landing area and green have shifted slightly up the slope to the left. A new two-acre pond protects the right side of the second half of the hole. New tees allow the hole to play in a range of distances from 280 yards to 392 yards. This creates a hole that for day-to-day play gives the members a challenging driver/short iron hole with a portion of the green protected by the pond on the right while leaving an open entrance on the left. It also creates an excellent option of using the hole as a drivable par 4 during the Ryder Cup matches.
No. 16
Par 4 – 482 Yards
In 2009, a new tee complex was created with a better angle to the landing area. The green has been entirely rebuilt with new contours, as have the greenside bunkers. The slope leading to the green has been re-graded to be less severe. It is designed to scatter rather than collect short approach shots.
No. 17
Par 3 – 193 Yards
The 17th hole has returned to the edge of Lake Kadijah in order to bring the water back into play. The tees for this hole have been rebuilt and lowered to improved visibility of the hazard and the green. A new championship tee has been added. The green is positioned slightly right of the waterside green originally designed in the 1980’s. The green and bunker complex is an entirely new design. The terrain beyond the hole has been restored to its original slope, creating a natural amphitheater. In 2009, the left greenside bunker was expanded towards the lake.
No. 18
Par 4 – 449 Yards
The finishing hole on Medinah’s No. 3 Course has also had significant changes. The left fairway bunker has been replaced with a larger set of bunkers on the right side of a new contoured fairway. The putting surface and greenside bunkers have been completely rebuilt. The green has been elevated and a collection area has been added beyond it to the right.