Milwaukee Country Club

C.H. Alison's 1929 course on the Milwaukee River in River Hills, restored by Tom Doak's team, with a middle stretch that crosses the river valley. Host of the 1969 Walker Cup.

Milwaukee Country Club was founded in 1894 and moved to River Hills, on the Milwaukee River north of the city, in 1910. The current course is by Charles Hugh Alison of the British firm Colt, Alison and Morrison. It opened in 1929 on nearly 200 acres. The clubhouse sits on a bluff above a valley where the river, about 80 yards wide, crosses the course several times.

The middle of the round, roughly holes 8 through 12, uses the river valley most fully. The 12th green and the whole 13th hole lie across the water, and floods have reached parts of the low ground. The short 8th plays to a small raised green surrounded by sand. The 9th climbs to a green on a ledge with a sharp false front. Late in the round, the 16th crosses a crest into a well-bunkered green and the 18th climbs to a tiered green below the clubhouse.

Robert Trent Jones adjusted the course before the 1969 Walker Cup. Since 2004, Tom Doak, Don Placek and Brian Schneider have restored Alison's bunkering and greens and cleared trees to reopen views of the river. The club also hosted the 1988 U.S. Senior Amateur and 2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur. Teaching professional Manuel de la Torre worked here for many years. The Doak team left one old feature unrestored: the original 9th green, where a swimming pool now sits.

Holes to know

8

Par 3

A short par 3 to a small, raised green surrounded by sand.

9

Par 4

Uphill to a green on a ledge with a severe false front; the drive must find a narrow landing area.

18

An uphill closing hole to a tiered green below the clubhouse.

Championships

• Walker Cup 1969
• U.S. Senior Amateur 1988
• U.S. Mid-Amateur 2008

Design history

• Late 1960s: Robert Trent Jones revisions before the 1969 Walker Cup
• 2004–2020: Tom Doak, Don Placek and Brian Schneider restoration of Alison's design and tree removal along the river