Medinah Country Club in suburban Chicago is a sanctuary to golf, the host of three US Open (1949, 1975, 1990), two PGA Championships (1999, 2006), a Ryder Cup (2012) and this week, the Presidents Cup between the United States and International teams. It is also a shrine to Shriners International, an American Masonic society known for its philanthropy, brotherhood, fun – and red scarves.
Medinah Country Club/Nick Novelli
Shriners from Chicago’s Medinah Temple founded the club in 1924. The formal name of the Shriners, “Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,” helps explain why founding member and renowned architect Richard Gustav Schmid designed Medinah’s expansive, exquisite clubhouse in a Byzantine style, especially with minarets and classical Mozart elements.
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Medinah Country Club/Nick Novelli
After a two-year study in the Middle East and Asia for inspiration, Schmid modeled the main structure on a mosque in Turkey. The clubhouse opened 100 years ago, on September 26, 1926, crossed by the debut of Course No. 1 (1925), Course No. 2 (1926) and Course No. 3 (1928), all by Tom Bendelow, the prolific “Dean of American Golf.”
Then came the Great Depression. The severe financial difficulties that resulted for the club triggered several changes, including non-Shriners who were allowed to apply for membership (although they still had to be Masons).
Perhaps the most important for the history of golf, the professional tournaments have arrived. Medinah held an Open of the same name in 1930 – won by Hall of Famer Harry “Lighthorse” Cooper, who also captured the second Medinah Open five years later – as well as the Western Open, one of the PGA Tour’s most important events, three times in the late 1930s.
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Medinah Country Club/Nick Novelli
Then came the major championships. Two hundred yards west of the clubhouse, which was thought to have been upgraded over time, Hale Irwin famously sprinted around the 18th green at Course No. 3 after the miraculous long putt that fueled his 1990 US Open triumph; Tiger Woods also put the finishing touches on his victories in the 1999 and 2006 PGA Championship.
However, for countless members, nothing beats the sheer emotional power of arriving at the club and seeing the epic, century-old clubhouse, no matter how many times it has been experienced.
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Medinah Country Club/Nick Novelli
“The entrance gate, twisting action and revelation of the clubhouse is unparalleled in golf,” says club historian Nick Novelli. “Every member is amazed by this, as this is still their fondest memory of Medinah – regardless of how long they have been members there.”
