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I’ll have to say that the more Alison courses I play the more impressed I am. Plan on playing 1-2 new ones next year and a repeat play on another. The average golfer doesn’t know of him, but could that change with more Alison’s restored?
His grand scale bunkering is impressive and the bunkers are typically strategically place better imo and not overused like other Gold age Archies that I love. It’s impressive that I find myself in more Alison bunkers on one course in particular then another with 2-3 times as many bunkers.
Alison Courses
Bob O’ Link (Highland Park, IL)
Briarwood (Deerfield, IL)
Burning Tree (Bethesda, MD)
Century (Purchase, NY)
Chevy Chase (Chevy Chase, MD)
CC of Detroit (Grosse Pointe, MI)
Davenport (Pleasant Valley, IA)
Fresh Meadow (Great Neck, NY)
Indian Hill (Winnetka, IL)
Kirtland (Willoughby, OH)
Knollwood (Lake Forest, IL)
Lost Nation (Willoughby, OH)
Milwaukee (River Hills, WI)
North Shore (Glenview, IL)
Onwentsia (Lake Forest, IL)
Orchard Lake (Orchard Lake, MI)
Panama (Panama City, FL)
Park CC of Buffalo (Williamsville, NY)
Plum Hollow (Southfield, MI)
Port Huron (Port Huron, MI)
Sea Island (seaside 9) (Sea Island, GA)
Tam O’ Shanter (W. Bloomfield, MI)
Westwood (Rocky River, OH)*From 150 years of Golf in Port Huron, by Tony Gholz
I have played 3 courses that I know to be designed by Alison, and all three are excellent.
Kirtland CC, north of Cleveland, continues to grow in notoriety, deservedly so. While living in Ohio, I was fortunate to play Kirtland on a few occasions, and really enjoyed just about every hole.
Orchard Lake CC, outside of Detroit, is spectacular. Despite getting some recognition lately, I think it continues to be one of the most underrated courses in the US.
CC of Detroit is pretty remarkable, as well. It is on a pancake flat property (save the 9th and 10th, which go up and down a small hill), and has excellent bunkering and greens. Awfully nice neighborhood around it also.
I’ve heard that Alison is best known in Japan, where he built several of the country’s best courses. He also presumably had some influence on several of the courses in England that were built while he was working for Colt.
I’m eager to see more of his work. Is there a good source for a comprehensive list of his courses?
Brian,
I agree with everything you wrote about those 3. I have also played Port Huron a gem and great low key club NE of Detroit. Some really cool holes in the Dunes area.
Plum Hollow is in a declining area N or Detroit and has such great bones. So sad they keep trying a CC model as the course deteriorates.
I listed all the Alison only courses in N America in OP, leaving out the ones Colt was involved with thanks to Tony’s great book, which I recommend to anyone interested in C&A, a chapter on them in his club book.
Hopefully TWGS own Gary Nelson will get an invite to either of those Alison courses for he is always visiting Japan getting to play golf and ski on those business trips.
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