Olympia Fields Country Club North Course
Yards: 7,157
Rating: 75.2/147
Olympia Fields, the North Course was home to the 2003 US Open. Jim Furyk won the tournament by three strokes (272, -8). So naturally I was prepared for a thorough test of my physical and mental golf abilities. While the course wasn’t easy, I found it hard to believe that is was actually a recent US Open venue. And it was easy to see why Furyk’s score tied the record for lowest US Open score.
The USGA set up must have made the course completely different that the one I played. The Olympia Fields I played allowed me to hit driver on most holes. And when I did stray from the fairway, it didn’t take par out of my possibilities. Compare that to Medinah, where if you’re in the trees, you may have to hit out backwards. At Olympia, I was able to advance the ball forward, even up to the green on a few occasions.
The greens are not even in the same league as Medinah’s either. I was very surprised at the overall quality of the putting surfaces. I’ve played several public courses this year with nicer greens.
Olympia is a fun course and I’m sure the members are very proud of it. But I’d be surprised if it ever hosts a major tournament again; especially a US Open. If you get the opportunity to play Olympia, go for it! Again, it’s a fun course and definitely playable for most skill levels.