Medinah Country Club in suburban Chicago is a shrine to golf, the host of three U.S. Opens (1949, 1975, 1990), two PGA Championships (1999, 2006), a Ryder Cup (2012) and this week, the Presidents Cup between the U.S. and International teams. It’s also a shrine to Shriners International, an American Masonic society known for its philanthropy, fellowship, fun — and red fezzes.
Shriners from Chicago’s Medinah Temple founded the club in 1924. The Shriners’ formal name, “Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,” helps explain why charter member and renowned architect Richard Gustav Schmid designed Medinah’s expansive, exquisite clubhouse in a Byzantine style, topped with minarets and classic Moorish architectural elements.
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, sandwiched by the debut of Course No. 1 (1925), Course No. 2 (1926) and Course No. 3 (1928), all from Tom Bendelow, the prolific “Dean of American Golf.”
Then came the Great Depression. The severe financial difficulties that resulted for the club triggered many changes, including non-Shriners being allowed to apply for membership (though they still had to be Masons).
Perhaps most important to golf history, professional tournaments arrived. Medinah held an eponymous Open 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 most important early PGA Tour events, three times starting in the late 1930s.
Later came the major championships. Two hundred yards west of the clubhouse, which has been thoughtfully updated over time, Hale Irwin famously sprinted around the 18th green at Course No. 3 following the miraculous long putt that fueled his 1990 U.S. Open triumph; Tiger Woods put the finishing touches on his 1999 and 2006 PGA Championship victories there too.
Yet for countless members, nothing touches the pure emotional power of arriving at the club and seeing the epic, century-old clubhouse, no matter how many times it has been experienced.
“The entrance gate, winding drive and reveal of the clubhouse is unparalleled in golf,” says club historian Nick Novelli. “Every member is taken aback by this, as this is still their fondest memory of Medinah — regardless of how long they have been members here.”
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