Lake Orion, Michigan
Indianwood’s Old Course is a timeless, thoroughly restored Wilfrid Reid design that delivers championship-tested shot values and a strong sense of golf history. The 2025 restoration brings back authentic green and fairway features for a strategic test that rewards the thinking player. This is a private, top-tier classic worth the journey for architecture lovers.
The Old Course at Indianwood is a masterclass in classic American parkland architecture, updated for the modern era without sacrificing its soul. With rolling landforms and a routing that dances across shifting terrain, the 2025 restoration has revived expansive greens, wider fairways, and original bunkering—bringing Reid’s strategic brilliance back to the fore. Every hole offers real choices, with green complexes and fairway angles rewarding creativity, patience, and courage alike. The authentic 1920s feel is palpable from tee box to clubhouse, delivering one of the Midwest’s purest old-school tests.
Wilfrid Reid, a founding member of the PGA of America, imbued Indianwood with old-world inspiration and classic shot values—the 2025 restoration honors and amplifies that DNA.
This long downhill par 3 demands a pure strike and a cool head. Pin placements near the edges bring restored bunkers into play, while the classic green complex rewards smart middle-of-green plays.
Resist chasing tucked pins—safe shots to the center leave you in play for par.
Miss long or left, and you’ll face a brutally difficult up-and-down from restored bunkers.
Superbly restored greens and fairways; fast, firm surfaces with classic bunkering.
Efficient but unhurried private-club pace; play moves but never rushed.
Traditional Midwest private—respectful, with an undercurrent of history.
Conservative, collared shirts and country-club golf attire required.
Modern muscle won’t conquer Indianwood—precision and patience are your best weapons on this strategic routing.
Expanded greens and restored run-offs demand both high and low recovery shots—sharpen your chipping and putting.
Wind can rise suddenly, especially on open par 3s—prepare mentally for ball-flight and club adjustments.
Old Course opens, designed by Wilfrid Reid & William Connellan
Hosts Western Open, won by Gene Sarazen
Hosts U.S. Women's Open (Betsy King wins)
Hosts U.S. Women's Open (Patty Sheehan wins)
Hosts U.S. Senior Open (Roger Chapman wins)
Major restoration of greens, greenside bunkers, and fairways
When the Western Open stopped at Indianwood in 1930, the legendary Gene Sarazen claimed victory on these classic fairways. The echoes of championship golf have never left—the club quickly joined the upper echelon of American private courses.
In 2025, the club took a bold step to recapture its 1920s soul—restoring green sizes, fairway widths, and strategic bunkering to Reid’s vision. The result: a course as compelling for architects as for competitors.
Hosting two U.S. Women’s Opens and the 2012 U.S. Senior Open, Indianwood’s Old Course has seen the game’s greatest under pressure. Its routing and greens stand tall among the nation’s classic championship venues.
The storybook 1920s clubhouse will stop you in your tracks—a warm, wood-paneled welcome that completes the time-capsule feel before you even step on the tee.
Hosted three separate USGA national championships in the last 40 years.
The clubhouse is a designated Michigan Historic Site with a storybook Tudor style.
Restored in 2025 to original green sizes and bunkering.
Gene Sarazen, U.S. Open champion, won the Western Open on this course in 1930.
The course’s revival has sparked talk of a return to national Top 100 relevance.
Nationally ranked Donald Ross masterpiece—iconic U.S. major site.
Host of the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic; Donald Ross pedigree.
Accessible, architectural favorite; acclaimed suburban layout.
Premier public daily-fee in the metro area—underrated and enjoyable.
Affordable city muni for a warm-up round or extra loop.
Rochester, Troy, or Auburn Hills for best access to metro courses and classic private clubs.
Courses with the most similar DNA profile — matched by deviation shape across all eight playing characteristics.
Why it matches: The Union League Golf Club at Torresdale is a natural next stop after Indianwood Golf & Country Club - Old Course: it a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character.
Why it matches: If Indianwood Golf & Country Club - Old Course is your kind of course, Fenway 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 Flossmoor Country Club's own setting.
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