Hole 3 at Medinah Country Club (Course 3)
- Par
- 4
- Yardage
- 430 yds
- Hazards
- 8 bunkers · Water
Aerial source not provided
Green size: 36 yds deep × 47 yds wide
Scorecard yardage is for Championship tees. The aerial shows its labeled reference position; distance rings measure to the green.
Championship tees · Par 4 · 430 yards
The plan for No. 3
The drive plays past the corner of the pond toward a fairway guarded by bunkers on both sides in the driving zone.
Off the tee
The pond sits right early and bunkers pinch the landing area left and right further on; choose a club that leaves you short of the bunkers you cannot carry.
Approach & recovery
Bunkers flank both sides of the green's entrance, so a central approach is the percentage play.
On the green
The green is wider than it is deep and has a false front, so an approach that comes up short can roll back off it.
Watch for
- Pond right off the tee
- Fairway bunkers left and right
- Greenside bunkers both sides
Hole 3 Green Complex
Mapped green boundary
Green size: 8,060 sq ft
Course and tournament history
Historical context for the course and venue. Each entry identifies the event or course it describes.
1999 · Sergio Garcia
The tree made famous by Sergio Garcia’s infamous approach on the then 16th hole on Sunday of the 1999 PGA Championship was removed as part of renovation work in 2009
Source →
Course coverage
Tournament and creator videos about Medinah Country Club (Course 3) — shared course coverage, not hole-specific clips.
Featured by these creators
Creator videos about this course
YouTube creators who filmed or featured Medinah Country Club (Course 3). · Stats as of Oct 12, 2026 · 5d ago
Every Hole at Medinah Country Club's No. 3 Course | Golf Digest
How did Hole 3 play?
How did this hole play today?
Frequently asked questions
Yardage reference: Championship tees · 430 yards.
How difficult is hole 3?
↓
This hole is one of the tougher holes on the course for most golfers. Key challenges include: water in play, heavily bunkered, small green.
How big is the green on hole 3?
↓
The green is small and requires precision. Expect challenging pin positions with limited room for error.
What's a good score on hole 3?
↓
This hole is a demanding hole where bogey is not unusual. This longer par 4 will test most golfers. Focus on position over distance.
Research notes
- Golf Course Architecture reported that No. 3 closed in October 2022 for tree removal and demolition, construction began in April 2023, and all shaping and grassing were done by mid-October 2023. (opening paragraphs)[1]
- Golf Course Architecture reported the membership approved OCM's $23.5 million master plan in December 2021, with construction set for 2023 and reopening in 2024. (lead)[2]
- Klein writes that fairways now have a 5-foot collar of 1.5-inch intermediate rough, with 4-inch rough beyond, a change suggested by U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker. ('Golf course provides big playing field')[3]
Mike Cocking told Golf Course Architecture the project is best described as part restoration, part renovation and part redesign.
(Cocking quote)[1]- PGA TOUR lists No. 3's events: the Western Open (1939, 1962, 1966), U.S. Opens (1949, 1975, 1990), 1988 U.S. Senior Open, PGA Championships (1999, 2006), 2012 Ryder Cup and 2019 BMW Championship. ('Storied Medinah' section)[3]
- PGA TOUR reports Presidents Cup matches start on members' No. 5, and matches that go the distance finish on members' Nos. 1-4. The stated reasons: about 80% of matches end by the 16th, so the lake holes arrive at the climax, and the start sits nearer spectator entry. ('Set-up sees sequence changes')[3]
- PGA TOUR's Bradley Klein reports that fairway area doubled from 29 to 58 acres, bunkers rose from 70 to 117, and average green size grew more than 40%, from 6,000 to 8,600 square feet. ('A whole new ballpark' / 'Golf course provides big playing field')[3]
Sources
- OCM completes redesign of Course Three at Medinah — Golf Course Architecture (Richard Humphreys)https://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/content/ocm-completes-redesign-of-course-three-at-medinah
- Medinah gives green light to OCM master plan for #3 course — Golf Course Architecture (Alice Chambers)https://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/content/medinah-gives-green-light-to-ocm-master-plan-for-3-course
- Nine things to know: All about Medinah Country Club, host of 2026 Presidents Cup — PGA TOUR (Bradley S. Klein)https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/needtoknow/2026/09/21/presidents-cup-medinah-country-club-chicago-preview-nine-things-to-know-us-team-international-team