Arlington Greens Golf Club

Arlington Greens Golf Club sits in Granite City, Illinois, a Mississippi River industrial city just across from St. Louis. Designed by Robert B. Harris and opened in the mid-1960s, the course represents the era's accessible public golf movement, bringing regulation-length play to a working-class community in the Metro East region. Harris, a regional architect active primarily in Illinois and Missouri during the postwar decades, designed straightforward layouts that prioritized playability and maintenance efficiency over dramatic features. The course occupies relatively flat terrain typical of the American Bottom floodplain, with modest elevation changes and mature tree lines defining many holes. The routing follows a traditional out-and-back or looping pattern common to municipal-style designs of the period, with fairways bordered by hardwoods and occasional water features that add strategic interest without severe penalty. Greens are generally medium-sized with gentle contours, reflecting the design philosophy of accommodating a wide range of player abilities. Arlington Greens serves as a neighborhood course for Granite City and surrounding communities, offering affordable daily-fee golf in an area where public access options have historically been important. The layout provides a straightforward test that rewards accurate iron play and course management rather than length alone. The facility operates with the practical focus typical of municipal and daily-fee courses in smaller Midwestern cities, emphasizing value and accessibility for local golfers.