Legend and Leader: Donald Ross in (Some of the) B1G Country

I’m not sure exactly how many Donald Ross designs I have seen but the list is long. I will echo our esteemed contributors in the Architects Roundtable about Ross that his designs are quite varied and impressive. A neat thing about Ross is how in the Eastern half of the U.S. you can usually look for a course of his and quickly find one nearby to play. I’m not sure if the top end of his work is as good as some other architects, but it’s hard to find fault in places such as Pinehurst No. 2, Seminole, and Oakland Hills.

One thing about Ross is his floor is so high. Even his most basic designs with negligent maintenance typically have a couple features or aspects that make you say, “I’m glad I came out here.”

A concentration of Ross courses that I have become quite fond of is in Michigan and Ohio. This area has everything: diverse topography, stout championship tests, fun everyday courses, and quirky courses. The Ross focus typically centers around New England or the Carolinas, and for good reason, but this area is as good, if not better. All of the courses noted below will be profiled in the future so allow this to be an amuse bouche.

Top-end talent

Any area will be judged by its best, and this one boasts the trio of Oakland Hills South, newly restored Scioto, and Canton Brookside. Each of these three can stand against Ross’s best from any area. They sit on varied and dramatic properties and possess some of the architect’s best greens. In fact, two of the three certainly rank in my top five sets of Ross greens that I have seen.

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Strong everyday options

Two courses in the “Detroit Area” (I don’t want to offend Ann Arborans) that I would die happy playing everyday are Franklin Hills and Barton Hills. Whenever I find myself thinking of my favorite courses, I immediately jump to Franklin Hills. The terrain is sublime. It rolls irregularly and the routing moves in and out of different aesthetic sections within the course.

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As for Barton Hills, I can’t think of a course more overshadowed in an area than Barton Hills. Everyone discusses the MacKenzie University of Michigan course and it is a strong design that should be world class whenever the University decides to stop allowing it to wither away as a parking lot on Saturday football games. That being said, today, Barton Hills is a better course! Much like Franklin Hills, it’s on nice ground and features some absolutely fantastic greens. I am particularly fond of the par-3 fifth and its unique diamond-like shape.

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I have a bunch of Ross courses left to play in Michigan and Ohio but I would imagine a few like Springfield C.C, Columbus C.C., Grosse Isle, and others might fall into this bucket.

A certified ass kicker

It’s not really my cup of tea but I would be remiss not mention the pride of Toledo, Inverness, in this discussion. The Andrew Green restoration has brought back character to this championship test. It’s filled with stout holes, but I would just like to see a little less maintained thick green grass and more maintained short green grass throughout the property. Adding a little width to allow these greens to reinforce some semblance of strategy would be nice. That being said, when you are gunning for a major, narrow, long, space for infrastructure, and light on character are what sells.

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Affordable public golf

I’m not going to tell you Elk Rapids in Northern Michigan is a must-see by any means. It’s a type of a golf course we can all relate to. It’s in moderate shape and charming. Set on Elk Lake just minutes from downtown Traverse City, this is a wonderful place to get in a quick nine-hole spin. Is this a Ross masterpiece? No. Is it a great functional community golf course? Absolutely.

A different form of public golf is Manakiki, operated by the Cleveland Metroparks. Once a private club, a restoration of Manakiki would make it one of the best courses in The Land. As it stands, it’s a phenomenal walk and a course that you can play for less than $100 in a large (and great) city.

About 20 years ago now, I was on a trip to visit colleges in Ohio for my older sister. When my sister and mom were looking at Dayton, my dad and I played Miami Valley. Then it was a private club that hosted people who made phone calls. Now it’s a public course that anyone can play. Again, this course won’t knock your socks off, but it’s the kind of quality, enjoyable course that you can expect when you see Donald Ross listed as the architect.

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I can’t wait for my next exploration of the Ohio–Michigan Ross directory. I still have a bunch to get to and when I try to put a finger on what I like about these courses, I think it must have something to do with the era. Ross was traveling like a madman throughout his career and his work in Ohio and Michigan mostly fell between 1914 to 1923. It was the early part of his career. It was when there was more experimentation, maybe a bit more time on site, and probably a lot less refinement. That’s something I think a lot about when considering golf architecture and architects. While the entire product may be improved with construction techniques and business practices, the early stuff often has a bit more personality and flair. In Ohio and Michigan, you find those traits in spades at the Ross courses that I have visited.