Lake Orion, Michigan
Indianwood’s New Course offers a serious, shotmaker’s test with one side open and wind-exposed, the other demanding pinpoint approaches to perched greens. It’s a compelling partner to the historic Old Course—private, well-conditioned, and proof that modern design can still keep golfers guessing.
Bob Cupp and Jerry Pate’s 1988 New Course draws from both classic and contemporary traditions, stitching open, wind-impacted holes with wooded, target-heavy corridors. The routing maximizes the split topography, asking players to navigate links-style shot options one moment and tight, perched-green approaches the next. Its defining elements are strategic angles, challenging green surrounds, and an ever-present demand for accuracy. The outcome: a modern member’s course that rewards intellect as much as power.
Bob Cupp’s artistry, paired with U.S. Open champion Jerry Pate’s playing insight, produced a contemporary course distinct from but complementary to the club’s original.
A dogleg par five where the tee shot tempts aggression but placement dictates whether you risk the green in two. The approach is framed by bunkers and angling contours, demanding shrewd layup decisions or a bold strike to a well-protected putting surface.
Long hitters can try to reach in two over the trouble, but most must calculate both layup angle and pin access for the third. Approaches from the wrong side are fiercely punished by green contours.
Miss left or long and the recovery becomes nerve-wracking, with nearby bunkers and tough lies making up-and-downs rare.
Bentgrass greens and fairways in strong private-club shape, with consistency and green speeds that reward confident putting.
Orderly, unhurried pace typical of private clubs; afternoon or late-day rounds likely move briskly.
Classic club feel—polished but not stiff—with members who value competitive golf and tradition.
Standard country club attire—collared shirts, no denim, and proper golf shorts or pants required.
Accuracy off the tee is often more rewarding than distance—practice finding fairways with hybrids and long irons.
Green complexes are subtle and multi-sectioned; spend practice time on 30-40 footers adjusting for contours and speeds.
Wind exposure on the open nine makes the punch or knockdown shot a valuable weapon.
New Course opens, designed by Bob Cupp & Jerry Pate
Runner-up, Golf Digest Best New Private Course award
The New Course rose not from a master plan, but from stitched-together acreage across the road—assembled and envisioned by Indianwood’s owner to complement the Old. This origin story gives the layout its unique, layered personality.
Indianwood members enjoy a rare privilege: classic golden-age design on one side of the street, modern Cupp-Pate strategy on the other. For local players, The New Course is where tournament weeks and Members’ Matches heat up.
Players can’t get comfortable, as swirling breezes on open holes force creative trajectory work, while the wooded side demands laser-precision and disciplined approaches to avoid severe penalties around the perched greens.
The New Course nearly grabbed Golf Digest’s Best New Private Course award the year it opened, a rare feat for Michigan. Since then, it’s quietly staked a reputation as a genuine, challenging test for club members rather than as a headline-seeking destination.
Opened with immediate national attention as a Golf Digest runner-up for Best New Private Course.
The New Course was created by assembling land across the street from Indianwood’s historic Old Course.
Course personality famously shifts between open, windblown holes and tight, wooded corridors.
Green complexes are perched and demand pinpoint distance control—local members call them “the real defense.”
Scenic, rolling public-access gem with strong architecture
Brand-new resort-style public layout, great for travelers
PGA Tour pedigree and bookable stay-and-play options
Classic Detroit private club for the lucky-invited
Auburn Hills or Lake Orion for easy access to both Indianwood courses and the region’s best public and private golf.
Courses with the most similar DNA profile — matched by deviation shape across all eight playing characteristics.
Why it matches: If Indianwood Golf & Country Club - New Course is your kind of course, Wollaston Golf Club is worth a look because it a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character.
Why it matches: What links these two? A comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character — a familiar feeling, expressed in Vesper Country Club's own setting.
Why it matches: If Indianwood Golf & Country Club - New Course is your kind of course, The Union League Golf Club at Torresdale is worth a look because it a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character.
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