The Medinah No. 3 Renovation has shifted Course No. 3 from a tighter, tree-framed test toward a wider and more angle-driven venue for the Presidents Cup, scheduled for September 22-27, 2026. The official Presidents Cup course profile lists the tournament setup at 7,564 yards and par 72, with larger greens, larger-scale bunkers, wider fairways, more open views and long fescue rough among the defining features of the revised course Presidents Cup course profile.
That combination matters because match play rarely rewards a single safe pattern for every player. Wider fairways can make a course look more forgiving from the tee, but width alone does not mean a hole has become easier. If the best line into a green is tied to a precise side of the fairway, then a player still has to choose between position and safety. Medinah’s revised No. 3 appears built around that type of choice: more room to swing, but more consequence attached to the angle left for the next shot.
Medinah No. 3 Renovation And Strategic Intent
Medinah No. 3 Renovation Timeline
The redesign was carried out by OCM Golf Course Architects, the firm led by Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Cocking and Ashley Mead. Work began in late 2022, and the course reopened in July 2024, according to PGA of America coverage of Medinah’s new No. 3 Course PGA.com course feature. That timing gave the club and tournament organizers more than two years between reopening and the Presidents Cup competition dates.
The Medinah No. 3 Renovation should be read less as a cosmetic refresh and more as a strategic reset. The research record points to larger putting surfaces, expanded bunker scale and wider playing corridors. Those changes can alter how elite players prepare, because they affect not only where a tee shot can finish, but also what kind of approach is rewarded. A larger green, for example, can accept more shots while still creating difficult internal targets if pins are set near slopes or bunker edges.
Why Scale Matters At Elite Speed
Modern tournament players carry the ball far enough that older landing zones can become compressed. A broader fairway can restore choice by asking whether a player wants the best angle, the most distance, or the largest margin from trouble. Bigger bunkers can also read differently from the tee than small targets. They are not only hazards; they shape the player’s eye and can make one side of a fairway feel more demanding even when the hole offers room elsewhere.
To explore further insights into sports-event analysis, check out a related site within our network over at SCAR Sports. For a course-specific companion piece, our Medinah No. 3 strategy notes look at how wider fairways and Lake Kadijah may influence Presidents Cup choices.
Width, Fescue, And Shot Angles
Fairways That Ask For Better Decisions
Wider fairways are often misunderstood. They can reduce the number of blocked-out recovery shots, but they can also make decision-making more visible. If a player has several possible landing areas, the test becomes selecting the one that leaves the best view and yardage into the green. That is especially relevant in four-ball and foursomes, where team format can change tolerance for risk. One player may take on a bolder line while a partner secures position, but the course still has to reward the better strategic decision.
The official course notes identify long fescue rough as part of the revised presentation. That feature can separate playable width from careless width. A ball finishing in short grass may have a clear path into the green; a ball pushed too far into fescue can change the shot from an attacking approach to a recovery. For everyday course study, the Medinah No. 3 Renovation is a useful case in how width and rough can work together rather than cancel each other out.
Greens And Bunkers At Tournament Scale
Larger greens can support more hole locations, but they also place more weight on approach control. A player who reaches the surface may still face a long putt if the approach finishes on the wrong tier or wrong side. The same principle applies to expanded bunkering. Larger bunkers can defend more angles and create visual pressure without requiring a narrow corridor from the tee.
- Wider fairways increase options but keep angle selection central.
- Long fescue rough gives missed lines a defined cost.
- Larger greens can separate safe approaches from accurate approaches.
- Bigger bunkers shape decisions before the player reaches the ball.
This is where Medinah’s revision appears most relevant for match play. Stroke-play architecture often asks a player to avoid a large number over 72 holes. Match play can reward a more direct challenge to a hole, because one lost hole does not carry the same arithmetic weight as a triple bogey in medal play. A good match-play venue needs to make both choices credible: the conservative line must be useful, and the aggressive line must offer a real gain.
Lake Kadijah And The Closing Stretch
The New Sixteenth As A Match-Play Test
The research notes identify a new drivable par-4 16th playing diagonally across Lake Kadijah. That detail is central to how the closing holes may function. A drivable par 4 near the end of a match can produce sharply different plans from the same tee. One player may try to reach the green or its surrounds, while another may lay back to a preferred wedge number. The diagonal carry matters because it can create several degrees of risk rather than a simple carry-or-lay-up question.
Water hazards near closing holes can be overused if they ask the same shot too often. The renovation notes state that former par-3 holes playing directly over Lake Kadijah were eliminated or relocated, reducing repetitive water-carry par 3s. That is a meaningful architectural distinction. Variety is not just visual; it changes club selection, target selection and how players respond to scoreboard pressure.
Replacing Repetition With Variety
The previous signature par-3 13th over water was replaced with a new par 3, while the revised 16th and 17th have been positioned in PGA coverage as contenders for new signature status. A signature hole should not be judged only by scenery. It should ask a memorable golf question, and it should do so in a way that holds up for different skill sets. Based on the documented changes, Medinah’s new late-round identity appears tied to choice, angle and water placement rather than a repeated forced carry.
That approach fits the broader strategic direction of the property. Open views can help spectators and players read the ground more clearly, while fescue, bunkers and water still define poor misses. The best test is not necessarily the narrowest one. It is the one that makes a player commit to a plan and then exposes whether the chosen line was correct.
Medinah No. 3 Renovation For The Presidents Cup
What The Design Changes Put On Display
The Presidents Cup will put Course No. 3 in a format where momentum can shift quickly. The documented yardage, par, revised fairway width, larger greens, bigger bunkers and Lake Kadijah changes give the venue several tools for that setting. The course does not need to rely on only length. It can ask whether a player is willing to challenge a diagonal line, whether a team values position over distance, and whether approach control holds up when greens offer more surface but still demand the right section.
That is the central value of the Medinah No. 3 Renovation: it gives the 2026 Presidents Cup a course with more visible options and fewer one-note demands. The evidence available before tournament week supports a cautious but clear reading. Medinah No. 3 has been reshaped to test decisions as much as execution, and its success as a Presidents Cup venue will depend on whether those choices remain meaningful under match-play pressure from September 22-27, 2026.