With the Presidents’ Cup coming to Medinah Country ClubTee strategy will be much more than just finding the fairway. The recent renovation by OCM Golf has created wide areas that give players different ways to play a hole. A player can challenge the penalty bunkers and possibly gain a better position for the next shot, or play on the safer side knowing they may sacrifice distance or a more open angle on the green.
This multitude of options puts a premium on the decision off the tee. Tour players know their carry distance, understand their normal dispersion and recognize how much of a bunker they can realistically challenge much better than most players, and with that premium skill set, it gives them many options off the tee. Sometimes taking more risk creates an advantage. Other times, choosing fewer clubs and keeping the more penal problem out of play is the smarter decision.
The same thought process can help recreational golfers play smarter golf. Here’s how.
Making smarter decisions off the tee starts with knowing three things: your (current) carry distance, your typical dispersion pattern, and the problem you can’t afford to put into play.
For example, if your driver averages 230 yards and a bunker starts at 245, don’t make your decision based on the occasional chance you hit 250. That bunker is still very much in play. A wood or a hybrid could leave little of the problem and give you a shot that you can repeat more consistently.
You can practice this decision on the range. Instead of hitting 20 pilots at the same target, create different situations. Use two targets to represent the edges of a fairway and imagine where the bunkers or other problems will be. Hit driver, wood, hybrid or long iron in the same scenario and pay attention to your dispersion. Which club gives you the best combination of distance and consistency? Then change the scenery. Move the problem, narrow your target or decide that one side of the fairway gives you a better position for the next shot.
That’s what will make the Presidents’ Cup in Medinah interesting to watch. The course design gives players options off the tee, but each option comes with a trade-off. Challenge the bunkers and you can gain a better position for the next shot. Play away from them and you may have more space, but you may be left with a longer shot or a more difficult angle. For the amateur golfer, the distances are different, but the decision is the same: How much risk do I need to take to put myself in the best position for my next shot?
You don’t need a Tour-level golf swing to make Tour-level decisions. Know what your game does well, understand where your misses tend to go and build your strategy around that. Better decisions can lead to better scores long before you make a swing change. The teachers will provide a great example of this this weekend.
Eva Rogers is a teaching assistant at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill., host of the 2026 Presidents Cup.
