Davenport

davenport cc
Founded
C.H. Alison, 1924/Forse Golf Design, 2014, 1924

Colt & Alison is a legendary name in golf-course design but most golfers don’t realize that Harry Colt never returned to North America after 1914. Therefore, many Colt & Alison courses in the U.S. actually are solo Alison designs, like this one, which opened in 1924. Similar to Milwaukee Country Club and Kirtland outside of Cleveland, this river valley property was blessed with a stream (an off-shoot of the Mississippi River) that runs through it. Alison took maximum advantage of the water feature at such holes as the par-5 9th, where the stream runs the length of the hole; the dramatic one-shot 10th, which that plays diagonally across the river valley; and the famous downhill 16th, at which you cross the stream from the elevated tee. Though set on higher ground, the course’s best hole might be the 440-yard 7th, a showpiece in how to drape a hole over interesting landforms. (Photo: Patrick Koenig)