Medinah (No.1)

A major $6.5 million renovation by Tom Doak got underway on the No.1 course at Medinah immediately after the conclusion of the Ryder Cup on the No. 3 course in the autumn of 2012. Designed largely to address drainage issues on the course, the work involved tripling the size of a pond on the 15th and removing hundreds of trees from the middle of the course, which allowed the creation of six new holes and the alteration of twelve other holes.

Commenting on the project, the architect said: “It’s not just a change in the sequence of the holes, but the fact that we had to start going diagonally between some of the old hole corridors and knock down trees in the middle; that’s the biggest change on the golf course. Now, when you get out in the middle of the course, it’s very open as opposed to very narrow and north and south and tree lined.”

Doak had the honor of the first ceremonial tee shot on the No.1 course when it reopened on 13th June 2014, following the ritual of a traditional ribbon-cutting and lighting the fuse for a celebratory cannon blast on the 1st tee. “Tom Doak's innovative renovation and ceremonial reopening signals the beginning of a new era in the history of Medinah Country Club,” said president Matt Lydon. “Medinah's stature as the host of the world's most prestigious championships now is elevated by the addition of a new and different style Course One.”