Medinah Country Club is a private

country club A country club is a privately owned club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Typical athletic offe ...

Medinah Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, with nearly 600 members and containing three

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

courses, Lake Kadijah,

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

facilities, a golf learning center, golf shop, gun club, racket center and a mosque-evoking

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

-style, Moroccan domed clubhouse topped with minarets and classic Moorish architectural aspects. Medinah is famously known for its Course 3, now at , which has hosted five major championships: three U.S. Opens (

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...

) and two

PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...

s (

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

), as well as the

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

. Medinah will host the 2026 President’s Cup

Early history

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 The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

brought severe financial hardship and many members left. 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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

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

Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Illinois Hole 2

Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Illinois Hole 13

Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Illinois Hole 17

Course 3

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 Gene Sarazen (; born Eugenio Saraceni, February 27, 1902 – May 13, 1999) was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s, and the winner of seven major championships. He is one of five players (alon ...

Byron Nelson John Byron Nelson Jr. (February 4, 1912 – September 26, 2006) was an American professional golfer between 1935 and 1946, widely considered one of the greatest golfers of all time. Nelson and two other legendary champions of the time, Ben Hoga ...

Cary Middlecoff Emmett Cary Middlecoff (January 6, 1921 – September 1, 1998) was an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour from 1947 to 1961. His 39 Tour wins place him tied for tenth all-time, and he won three major championships. Middlecoff graduated a ...

Billy Casper William Earl Casper Jr. (June 24, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American professional golfer. He was one of the most prolific tournament winners on the PGA Tour from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. In his youth, Casper started as a caddie a ...

Gary Player Gary James Player DMS, OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tou ...

Hale Irwin Hale S. Irwin (born June 3, 1945) is an American professional golfer. He was one of the world's leading golfers from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. He is one of the few players in history to win three U.S. Opens, becoming the oldest ever U.S. Op ...

and

Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records. * * * Woods is widely regarded as ...

Tommy Armour Thomas Dickson Armour (24 September 1896 – 11 September 1968) was a Scottish-American professional golfer. He was nicknamed The Silver Scot. He was the winner of three of golf's major championships: 1927 U.S. Open, 1930 PGA, and 1931 Open C ...

, winner of multiple major championships and the namesake of a well-known golfing equipment brand, was Medinah's head

pro Pro is an abbreviation meaning " professional". Pro, PRO or variants thereof may also refer to: People * Miguel Pro (1891–1927), Mexican priest * Pro Hart (1928–2006), Australian painter * Mlungisi Mdluli (born 1980), South African retire ...

for many years. Course 3 hosted the

Western Open The Western Open was a professional golf tournament in the United States, for most of its history an event on the PGA Tour. The tournament's founding in 1899 actually pre-dated the start of the Tour, which is generally dated from 1916, the ye ...

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 Rees Jones (born September 16, 1941) is an American golf course architect. Life and career Born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey, the son of legendary golf course designer Robert Trent Jones and the younger brother of golf course designer R ...

' work in preparation for the

2006 PGA Championship The 2006 PGA Championship was the 88th PGA Championship, played August 17–20 at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, a suburb northwest of Chicago. Tiger Woods won his third PGA Championship and twelfth major title, five shots ahead of r ...

, which extended Course 3 to , at the time, the longest

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

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! during which the course record was tied or set four different times. In round 1, both

Justin Thomas Justin Louis Thomas (born April 29, 1993) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and is former World Number One. In 2017, Thomas experienced a breakout year, winning five PGA Tour events and the FedEx Cup championship. ...

and Jason Kokrak shot 65, tying the course record previously set by Skip Kendall, Mike Weir and Tiger Woods. On Friday,

Hideki Matsuyama is a Japanese professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He is the first-ever Japanese professional golfer to win a men's major golf championship the 2021 Masters Tournament. As of January 2022, Matsuyama has 17 worldwide wins, eight car ...

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.

Tiger Woods

Woods' appearances at Medinah have enhanced the club's international reputation. His first win at the course was the

1999 PGA Championship The 1999 PGA Championship was the 81st PGA Championship, held August 12–15 at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, a suburb northwest of Chicago. Tiger Woods, 23, won his first PGA Championship and second major, one stroke ahead of r ...

, his second major and first PGA Championship (and also the first PGA Championship hosted at No. 3), which brought him much media attention. In a contest of highly touted young talent, the then-23-year-old Woods held off a challenge from then-19-year-old

Sergio García Sergio García Fernández (; born 9 January 1980) is a Spanish professional golfer. He has played on the European Tour, PGA Tour and LIV Golf Invitational Series. García has won 36 international tournaments as a professional, most notably th ...

even after the Spaniard hit a shot on the 16th hole from the base of a tree that seemed to have at least earned him a playoff despite trailing Woods by five shots at one point during the round, but Woods maintained his focus before a raucous crowd and preserved a one-stroke win. In

, Woods won by five strokes and became the first to win the

twice on the same course. In recognition of this achievement, Woods was made a member of the club.

Major tournaments hosted

All held on Course 3: *Bolded years are major championships on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

. * (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.

2012 Ryder Cup

Medinah hosted the

, its first time in the state of

, and the first U.S. venue outside the

eastern time zone The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a smal ...

since

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses ( February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events J ...

. 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.

Scorecard

Amenities

The club offers various amenities to its members apart from the three golf courses. As they are a part of the club, each of these are exclusive to club members, However, throughout the year, the club holds various events where guests can be invited by members to experience the club's amenities.

Member Dining areas

The clubhouse features six different member dining areas featuring food from Executive Chef Michael Ponzio. These include: * The club dining room, a family style restaurant which features seasonal menu changes * A member bar * East and west verandas, outdoor seating areas that overlook one of the practice putting greens * The Oasis, the most casual setting of the country club, which serves as a bar and a family restaurant * The Backyard Patio and Grill, a resting spot near the pool and backyard practice putting green

Golf Shop

The Golf Shop is a 3000 sq. ft. building separate from the main clubhouse. The shop included golf apparel, accessories, and equipment.

Driving Range and Practice Greens

The driving range includes seven target greens as well as a short game area. The club also has two practice putting greens, one located in the front of the clubhouse, and one in the backyard.

Pool and Cabana Bar

Located to the southeast side of the clubhouse, the pool features two diving boards, five competitive swim lanes, as well as a deck for seating. Near the poolside is the Cabana bar and a snack bar.

Golf Learning Center

The golf learning center has three virtual practice bays, a fitness bay, and custom club fitting. The center first opened in the winter of 2017 and is available for members to practice off of the course.

Racket Center

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.

Membership

Medinah Country Club offers 5 categories of membership, all of which are by invitation only.

Regular Membership

Includes full clubhouse access and unlimited access to all three golf courses.

Social Membership

Includes full clubhouse access and invitations to use the golf courses four times a year. Offered in three age groups: Over 40, 30–39, and under 30.

Associate Membership

Includes full clubhouse access and unlimited access to all three golf courses. Offered in four age groups: 21–25, 26–29, 30–34, 35–39.

National Membership

Includes full clubhouse access and full access to the golf courses twelve times a year. To be eligible for this membership category, one's place of residence must be one hundred twenty five miles or more from the club.

International Membership

Includes full clubhouse access and full access to the golf courses twelve times a year. To be eligible for this membership category, one's place of residence must be outside of the United States.

References

External links

*
PGATour.com

Course tour
at Ryder Cup {{Coord, 41.966, N, 88.048, W, display=title 1924 establishments in Illinois Sports venues in DuPage County, Illinois Golf clubs and courses designed by A. W. Tillinghast Golf clubs and courses designed by Tom Bendelow Golf clubs and courses in Illinois Medinah, Illinois Ryder Cup venues Sports venues completed in 1924