Olympia Fields Country Club: This Month's Featured Course

Our current Featured Project is the renovation of Olympia Fields Country Club (North Course) located in Olympia Fields, Illinois (www.olympiafieldscc.com). Olympia Fields will host the 103rd U.S. Open (www.usopen.com) in June 2003. The course previously hosted the U.S. Open only once before, in 1928. Olympia Field's North Course was established in 1915 and was designed and built as a Parkland style course. Willie Park Jr., a true golf pioneer, was the original Architect of the North Course.

After an extensive remodel by McDonald & Sons, the course is ready to host the world's best golfers in what is arguably the toughest golf tournament of the year. Preparing Olympia Fields for this year's U.S. Open took McDonald & Sons four months as we worked side by side with Golf Course Architect Mark Mungeam of Cornish, Silva, and Mungeam Golf Course Architects and Dave Ward, Olympia Field's Golf Course Superintendent. The course was renovated in an effort to counterbalance today's golfer's increased abilities and better equipment. The major tasks of this renovation project were:

Rebuild all the bunkers on the course.

• All the bunkers had their floors deepened, their faces made steeper, new drainage installed, new sand installed, and their surrounds re-sodded. This not only made the bunkers more visually appealing, it created a true hazard that the golfers will have to face.
  
  

Renovate and construct new back tees.

• The golf course was lengthened in response to the increased distance that professional golfers drive off the tee. Thirteen tee complexes were renovated with new back tees created. Adjustments were made to allow for an increased teeing area, more course flexibility for Olympia Field's members, and to improve visibility into the landing areas.
  
  

Rebuild greens.

• Green numbers 3 and 18, and the Putting Green had to be rebuilt to soften their slope. They would have been unplayable given the green speeds that are attained for a U.S. Open. The softer contours will create more cupping locations and a fair test for the world's best golfers.
  
  

The 2003 U.S. Open promises to be a memorable event and McDonald & Sons' work will play a significant role in the championship. Our expertise and commitment to quality brought us to Olympia Fields, as well as many other Top 100 Courses.

Other McDonald & Sons clients to host tournaments are:

• Aronimink Golf Club for the 2003 Senior PGA Championship
• Baltimore C.C. (East) for the 2007 Senior Players Championship
(past featured course page)
• Baltusrol C.C. for the 2004 PGA Championship
• Bethpage State Park (Black) for the 2002 U.S. Open
• Caves Valley G.C. for the 2002 U.S. Senior Open
• Congressional C.C. for the 1997 and 2011 U.S. Open
(current featured course page)
• Hayfields G.C. for the 2003 through 2006 Constellation Energy Classic
• Hobbits Glen G.C. for the 1998 and 1999 Senior State Farm Classic
• Merion G.C. for the 2005 U.S. Amateur Championship
• Oakland Hills C.C. for the 2008 PGA Championship
(past featured course page)
• Oakmont C.C. for the 2007 U.S. Open (past featured course page)
• Quail Hollow Club for the Quail Hollow Championship
• Robert Trent Jones G.C. for the 2000 Presidents Cup
• Sherwood Country Club for the Chevron World Challenge
• Shinnecock Hills G.C. for the 2004 U.S. Open (past featured course page)
• Winged Foot G.C. for the 2006 U.S. Open

What will be our next Featured Course?

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club: Southhampton, New York

Check back soon to see this feature story...