New-Look Medinah in the Spotlight at 2026 Presidents Cup

This year’s Presidents Cup marks a first look at the reimagined Course 3 at Medinah Country Club after the historic Chicagoland host underwent a full-scale renovation by Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Cocking, and Ashley Mead’s design firm, OCM Golf. The Australian outfit has rerouted a series of holes to create a more thought-provoking design that utilizes Lake Kadijah in more creative ways. In addition to the rerouting, the course boasts a new set of green complexes, bunkers, and native grasses, giving Course 3 a far more natural feel. The golf course discourse will likely center on two big themes: the out-of-bounds fence down the left side of the first three holes and the new holes along Lake Kadijah.

In order to both facilitate a large corporate build-out on what is typically Nos. 16-18 and have those holes featured in the middle of the back nine, the first hole this week will actually be what is normally the fifth hole at Course 3. This change creates one of the most terrifying opening tee shots in Presidents Cup history as an out-of-bounds fence runs down the entire left side of the hole. Expect a lot of balls in the right rough and bunkers on No. 1.

Of the opening three holes, the second this week will showcase the strategy that OCM hoped to impart with out of bounds. The OB runs tightly down the left side of the hole all the way through the green, about one pace off the edge. Bailing right off the tee will leave a difficult, angled, semi-blind approach with out of bounds threatening any pull. A tee shot that finds the middle to left half of the fairway leaves a fairly simple approach. This hole forces players to take on the OB with at least one shot to have a reasonable look at birdie, particularly with a left hole location. This is the exact type of thought that OCM wanted to implement at Medinah, whether with out of bounds, bunkers, or hazards. Certain plays will carry rewards, and consequences are abound if shots aren’t pulled off.

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The star of the rerouting will be the par-4 16th hole. Prior to OCM, Lake Kadijah was only featured on three of the par 3s: Nos. 2, 13, and 17. Each hole featured a mid-iron or long-iron shot with a forced carry over the lake. Besides being repetitive, it was a fairly simple shot for a Tour pro, but torturous for average members. Today’s course features a par 3 with a forced carry (this week’s 16th), a short par 3 that plays along the lake (this week’s ninth), and a longer, more dramatic par 3 that plays diagonally across it (this week’s 13th). This short par 4 will be drivable at times and dramatically plays along the lake shore. Players are forced to bite off as much as they dare to chew off the tee en route to a severe green, but beware the strong knob that can repel balls into the water. This should be a fascinating hole to watch.

It will be compelling to see how some of the world’s best take on one of golf’s newest championship tests. As a Chicagoan, I can only dream that the USGA is watching closely with thoughts of delivering one of the few remaining U.S. Open dates in my lifetime to the city’s premier championship venue.

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