A History of Michigan Golf: 1921-1930
By Art McCafferty

The "Roaring Twenties" was just that as Michigan added 89 courses to it golf course inventory; thus giving the state 162 as it headed into the 1930's.

The 20's also produced our own Walter Hagen who shocked the world by winning four British Opens and five PGA Championships. "I don't want to be a millionaire, I just want to live like one," the affable Haig would state on many occasions.

The U.S. Open was played at Oakland Hills for the first time during this decade and this was also the time when women's golf started to heat up with the matches of legendary English players Cecil Leitch and Joyce Wethered. They competed famously in the British Women's Amateur, each winning four times during a stretch from 1914 to 1929. Babe Zaharias would finally win as the first American in 1947.

In 1922 the Michigan PGA elected their first President, Alex Ross. Al Watrous reigned supreme during that time by winning the Michigan Open Championship four times, with the Haig winning it once in 1921. The Michigan PGA Championship was won a couple of times by Al Watrous and once by architect, Wilfried Reid. Over at the GAM, John Sweeney, Malcolm McGregor and Will Curtis of the Detroit Golf Club, were to fill the President's chair for the decade.

The 20's saw the continuation of Donald Ross's fine work as he completed an even dozen courses. The Scottish duo of Wilfried Reid and William Connellan teamed up to do a number of projects in Michigan, notably Indianwood, Brae Burn, Bald Mountain and Tam O'Shanter. Reid, was also known for his fine work with the Olympic Club, at that time the Lakeside Golf and Country Club.

H.S. Colt and C.H. Alison, who contributed the Country Club of Detroit and Plum Hollow, were known for their work at The Cloister, the famous Georgia resort. They reworked the original Plantation nine there and then created their own nine, the Seaside. Bobby Jones had indicated that the Seaside nine was "the best nine that he had ever seen."

H.S. Colt was also known for his work at Pine Valley where he worked with George Crump and his home course at Sunningdale, England.

Finally, the multitalented, but little heralded Midwestern duo of Langford and Moreau, were responsible for two terrific Michigan courses during this decade, Blythefield Country Club and Marquette Golf & Country Club.

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Michigan Golf Courses 1921-1930

1921

Rogell Golf Course

Detroit
Designed by Donald Ross.

Barton Hills Country Club

Ann Arbor. (Private)
Designed by Donald Ross Master Plan-Art Hills 1983 &94

Hastings Country Club

Hastings (Semi-Private)
Redesigned by Matthews & Assoc. 1986

Kent Country Club

Grand Rapids
Remodeled nine and added nine Donald Ross

Lenawee Country Club

Adrian (Private)
Master Plan-Art Hills 1995

Mount Pleasant Country Club

Mount Pleasant (Private)

Pine Lake Country Club

Orchard Lake-(Private)
Designed by Willie Park, Jr.
Master Plan-Matthews & Assoc. 1988

Walnut Hills Country Club

East Lansing-(Private)
Designed by Joseph A. Roseman.
Remodel-Matthews & Assoc. 1962 &84

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1922

Cheboygan Golf & Country Club

Cheboygan
Designed by Art Pryor.

Eagle Creek Golf Club

Allegan

FoxHills/ Lakes Course at Fox Hills Country Club

Plymouth

Gogebic Country Club

Ironwood

Huron Hills Golf Course

Ann Arbor
Designed by Tom Bendelow.

Lakelands Golf & Country Club

Brighton-(Private)

Pine River Country Club

Alma-(Private)

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1923

Clarkston Golf Club

Clarkston

Elk Rapids Golf Club

Elk Rapids
Designed by Donald Ross

Grayling Country Club

Grayling
Back nine-Jeff Gorney 1991

North Course at Oakland Hills

Bloomfield Hills- (Private)
Designed by Donald Ross
Minor Work-Art Hills-1998

Owosso Country Club

Owosso

Pebblewood Country Club

Bridgeman

Plum Hollow Country Club

Southfield-(Private)
Designed by H. S. Colt & C. H. Alison.
Minor Work-Art Hills-1984

Plym Park Municipal Golf Course

Niles

Ye Nyne Olde Holes

East Jordan

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1924

Berrien Hills Country Club

Benton Harbor-(Private)
Ken Killian and Dick Nugent Redesigned this course in 1965.

Escanaba Country Club

Escanaba-(Semi-Private)

Franklin Hills Country Club

Franklin

Gratiot Country Club

Ithaca-(Semi-Private)
Designed by Carl Ranger.

Pontiac Municipal Golf Course

Pontiac
Redesigned by Michael Hurdzan. 1998

Sauganash Country Club

Three Rivers-(Semi-Private)

Sharp Park Golf Course

Jackson

Verona Hills Golf Course

Bad Axe-(Semi-Private)

Ye Olde Country Club

Roscommon

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1925

Bonnie Brook Golf Course

Detroit

Idylwyld Golf Course

Livonia

Calumet Golf Club

Calumet-(Semi-Private)

Old Course at Indianwood

Golf & Country Club
Lake Orion-(Private)
Designed by Wilfrid Reid.

Knollwood Country Club

West Bloomfield-(Private)
Designed by Art Ham and George McLean
Remodeled-Matthews & Assoc. 1981

Riverwood Golf Course & Resort

Mount Pleasant
Designed by Moss 2nd nine 1945, 3rd nine 1967

Rackham Golf Course

Huntington Woods
Designed by Donald Ross

Rouge Park Golf Course

Detroit

States Golf Course

Vicksburg

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1926

Arbor Hills Country Club

Jackson-(Private)
Designed by Arthur Ham.

Black River Country Club

Port Huron-(Private)
Designed by Fred Riggin.

Elk Rapids Golf Course

Elk Rapids

Franklin Hills Country Club

Franklin
Designed by Donald Ross

Forest Lake Country Club

Bloomfield Hills-(Private)
Designed by William Diddel.
Redesigned Arthur Hills 1981 & 93

Glenn Shores Golf Club

South Haven

Groesbeck Golf Course

Lansing-(Semi-Private)

Huron Shores Golf Course

Port Sanilac
Back nine Designed by Jeff Gorney 1997

Maple Lane Golf Club

Sterling Heights
Designed by Clarence Wolfrom.

Marywood Golf Club

Battle Creek
Designed by Maurice McCarthy

Western Country Club

Redford-(Private)
Designed by Donald Ross
Master Plan-Art Hills 1987

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1927

Bel-Aire Golf Club

Bellaire
Back Nine Designed by Bob Hirzel 1998

Belvedere Golf Club

Charlevoix-(Semi-Private)
Designed by Willie Watson.
Redesigned Ray Didier 1961, Remodeled- William Newcomb -1968

Blythefield Country Club

Belmont
Designed by William Langford & Theodore J. Moreau.
Remodeled Matthews & Assoc. 1973 & 90
Historial Restoration- Design 3 1999

Brae Burn Golf Course

Plymouth
Designed by Wilfrid Reid & William Connellan.

Briar Hill Golf Course

Fremont

East/West Course at Cascade Hills Country Club

Grand Rapids-(Private)
Designed by Jack Daray.
Remodeled-Matthews & Assoc.1980-84

Country Club of Detroit

Grosse Pointe Farms
Designed by H. S. Colt & C. H. Alison.

Greenbush Golf Course

Greenbush-(Semi-Private)

Caro Golf Club

Caro

Frankfort Golf Course

Frankfort

Greenville Country Club

Greenville -(Private)

Inverness Country Club

Chelsea-(Private)
Designed by Dan Denton
Remodeled-Matthews & Assoc. 1986

Marquette Golf & Country Club

Marquette-(Semi-Private)
Designed by William Langford & Theodore J. Moreau

Mid-Channel Golf Course

Harsens Island

Plum Brook Golf Course

Sterling Heights
Designed by William and Michael Beaupre

Portland Country Club

Portland

Red Cedar Municipal Golf Course

Lansing

The East and West Courses at Warren Valley Golf Course

Dearborn Heights,
Designed by Donald Ross

West Branch Country Club

West Branch
Remodeled-Natural Course Design-1998

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1928

Dearborn Country Club

Dearborn-(Private)
Designed by Donald Ross
Remodeled-Matthews & Assoc.1985
Historical Restoration-Design 3

Gowanie Country Club

Mount Clemens-(Private)
Designed by Thomas Shoemaker.

Hankerd Hills Golf Course

Pleasant Lake
Designed by John Wilcox.

Indian Trails Golf Course

Grand Rapids

Park Shore Golf Club

Cassopolis

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1929

Ann Arbor Country Club

Ann Arbor -(Private)

Bald Mountain Golf Course

Lake Orion
Designed by Wilfrid Reid & William Connellan.

Cascades Eighteen Course at Cascades Golf Course

Jackson
Designed by Tom Bendelow.

Crystal Golf Course

Crystal-(Semi-Private)
Remodeled-Matthews & Assoc. 1970, 88

Diamond Lake Golf Course

Cassopolis-(Semi-Private)

East Course at Gracewil Country Club

Grand Rapids
Designed by John Wilson.

Holland Country Club

Holland-(Private)
Remodeled-Matthews & Assoc. 1986

Tam O'Shanter Country Club

West Bloomfield-(Private)
Designed by Wilfrid Reid & William Connellan.
Redesign work-Art Hills-1986, 90, 94 & 98

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1930

Germania Town & Country Club

Saginaw-(Private)
Remodeled-Design 3- 1992

Glenhurst Golf Course

Redford

Highland Hills Golf Club

Highland

Pine Shores Municipal Golf Course

Saint Clair
Designed by Fred Hunter.

Red Arrow Golf Club

Kalamazoo

Twin Beach Country Club

West Bloomfield-(Private)

White Lake Oaks Golf Course

White Lake
Designed by Van Tine Family.

Part 1 Michigan Golf History from 1895-1910
Part 2 Michigan Golf History 1911-1920

The Bendelow and Willie Park, Jr. Era
By Art McCafferty