The initial growth of the U.S. automotive industry happened to coincide with the Golden Age of American golf architecture. As a result, Detroit, Michigan—where a large portion of the country’s cars were manufactured—became a hotspot for interesting golf course design. Meadowbrook Country Club, located in Northville Township, was a product of this busy period. Originally a six-hole course laid out by famed Scottish player and architect Willie Park Jr., Meadowbrook expanded to a full 18 in 1921 under the watch of regional designers Harry Collis and Jack Daray, and received some touch-ups in the early 30s by Donald Ross. It went on to host the 1955 PGA Championship, won by Doug Ford. In terms of design quality, however, Meadowbrook was overshadowed by its suburban neighbors. So in 2017, the club hired Andy Staples to bring in some fresh ideas. Staples’s Willie Park-inspired renovation was one of the boldest golf architecture projects of the 2010s, and Meadowbrook now looks, feels, and plays like nothing else in the region.
Make sure to check out the Q&A with Andy Staples at the end of this profile. It’s a good one.
{{content-block-course-profile-meadowbrook-country-club-001}}
Take Note…
Originals. Willie Park Jr.’s six-hole golf course at Meadowbrook Country Club occupied the eastern portion of today’s property. The routing followed current holes 10, 11, 7, 2, 3, and 18.
A parkland mecca. Do you like vintage parkland country clubs? You’ll love the Detroit suburbs. Within easy driving distance of Meadowbrook you’ll find Orchard Lake Country Club, Franklin Hills Country Club, Oakland Hills Country Club, Bloomfield Hills Country Club, and Birmingham Country Club.
Back across 8 Mile. Meadowbrook is just off of M-102, popularly known as 8 Mile Road. Incidentally, justice for Lyckety-Splyt! I’ve always thought he won this battle.
Stalemate. Four times in the 1940s and 50s, Meadowbrook hosted the Motor City Open, an intermittent event on the PGA (of America) Tour. Ben Hogan won the inaugural edition in 1948. The next year, a sudden-death playoff between Lloyd Mangrum and Cary Middlecoff lasted for 11 holes, a PGA Tour record that still stands. After darkness ended the battle, tournament organizers named Mangrum and Middlecoff co-champions.
