Orchard Lake Country Club

Orchard Lake Country Club occupies rolling terrain northwest of Detroit in one of Oakland County's most established residential enclaves. The course was designed by Harry Colt and Charles Alison during their influential North American tour in the 1920s, a period when the British partnership brought strategic design principles honed at Sunningdale, Pine Valley, and other notable projects to courses across the United States and Canada. The routing takes advantage of natural elevation changes and mature tree corridors characteristic of southeastern Michigan's glacial landscape. The design reflects Colt and Alison's preference for strategic variety over penal difficulty, with fairways that reward thoughtful positioning and greens that feature subtle internal contours rather than extreme undulation. The property's wooded character and proximity to the lakes that define the area provide both scenic backdrop and occasional strategic influence on hole corridors. Several holes move through tighter tree-lined passages while others open to broader playing corridors where wind and angle of approach become more significant factors. The club has maintained a traditional private membership since its founding, with a clubhouse and facilities that reflect the community's long-standing social and recreational traditions. While Orchard Lake does not host professional tournaments, it represents the kind of thoughtful golden-age design work that Colt and Alison produced throughout the region during their brief but productive period of American collaboration. The course remains a well-regarded example of their approach to routing and green complex design adapted to Midwestern topography.