OK, played Medinah yesterday, all day....
These 2 shots are of the famous practice green in the front of the club next to Course Number 3. The greens were rolling fast, about 12-13 on the stimp meter.
This is the view from the front porch back towards the first hole on Number 3, and of course the massive flag pole next to the 18th green.
I could have taken pictures all day, but there was golf to be played. And OMG, this place is rough. We played the Silver Tees, which measure about 7010 yards. This place kicked my butt, because my length just isn't "Tour Ready". But as you all know, you get an appreciation for the pros when you play on their tracks. This place is hilly, lots of traditional tree lined fairways, and undulating greens. My biggest "win" for the day was that I did not have a single 3-putt, so at least my putting held up. I did OK hitting the fairways off the tees, but I had a long club for every second shot. Killed me.
What will be cool for the Ryder Cup in 2012 is that there are hole modifications so now number 15 is a possible 330 to 390 yard par 4- Green guarded by a lake, so it could be turned into a short and driveable par 4.
Course Number 1 in the afternoon was fun, but clearly not the same challenge as Course Number 3. Frankly, after 36 holes of golf at Medinah I was ready for a medics trailer; it was a ton of shots in one day. But the facilities are beyond first class, the staff in the clubhouse as good as any 5 star resort, and the caddies were a blast.
Finally, from a FJ perspective are 2 things. First, my FJ Asymetricals were in play all day. Walking 18 in the morning and afternoon.... my feet held up 100%. Danny the locker room attendant commented over and over about my FJ Icon shoes (he called them Icon by name), both the Blue Racers and my Black with Light Blue. When he saw my Blue Racers he actually said "those are Charlie Hoffman's shoes!" The man knows quality. And he took good care of them after the round by shining them up really nicely.
Finally, the pro shop had an awesome display of FJ for the men and ladies. They had Icons, gloves, sofshell vests, windshirts, rain gear and the new FJ Pique Polos. Since I won some "pro shop dollars" in the on course events, I was able to get a Medinah CC FJ shirt, so I supported our cause here!
Clearly a fabulous track, and if you ever get an invite, I strongly suggest you hurry to the first tee.