[Brendan Dolan]

I was wondering if any body had any information about Milwaukee Country Club?  I remember hearing that a USGA event was being held there in the next couple years.  Thanks.

Brendan

[T_MacWood]

The current course is a CH Alison design redesigned by RT Jones. Alison's course replaced a short-lived course designed by Walter Travis. Is there any specific information you're looking for?

[Brendan Dolan]

Thanks.  Any holes of note, as I know it is an extremely highly regarded course.  I hope to play some time in the near future, as I live in the Milwaukee area.  Also I would appreciate any pictures that people might have to help give me an idea of what the course looks like. Thanks.

Brendan

[Anthony_Nysse]

Brendon,
  Patrick Sick, Golf Course Superintendent, occasionally posts here-hopefully he'll see this!

Tony Nysse
Asst. Supt.
Long Cove Club
HHI, SC

[Mike McGuire]

I toured MCC this fall with Ron Prichard. It was a trip as this was the first course i ever saw...(caddie)

There were some very steep sand flashed bunkers ( ie: #13 greenside).  Ron didn't think this was an Alison bunker.

Anyone know of Alisons bunker style?

[RJ_Daley]

That is a typo, it is Pat Sisk, who is the super at MCC.  If he ain't frozen into a tundra cube, maybe he will take some holiday time to look in here...

[Jeff Goldman]

I had the chance to play there this summer, and talk to Pat Sisk and Skip Simonds about the course.  Really outstanding.  According to them, much of Alison's bunkering remains, and, who'sever it is, it is terrific, with high sand faces.  Some of the work by Jones is, hold your arms, very well done, especially the 9th hole, a short par-4 with "Big Mouth", a bunker guarding the green.  One other hole where his work is evident is on the back (14?), with fairway bunkers that resembled Stanley Thompson's work - maybe Jones did it relatively soon after his apprenticeship.

Only real blemish, is a par-5 (4?) on the front redesigned to accomodate a larger driving range (where have I heard that before??), done by Hills, which has been modified in an attempted fix.

Great par 3s, and condition was outstanding when we played.  Pat Sisk gave us an education in a short time, and it was tremendous.  They have the 200(8?) mid-am coming.  should be great to see.

Jeff Goldman

[Anthony_Nysse]

Thanks RJ! I'm the one who's sick!

Tony Nysse
Asst. Supt.
Long Cove Club
HHI, SC

[Brendan Dolan]

Thanks, for all the information.  Seems like a great place.

Brendean

[mark chalfant]

Brendan: MCC is an artistic routing that gently unfolds over
rolling terrain.There is a charming mix of long and short two shotters. For example the 332 ninth is solidified by a well guarded landing area as well as  by a fine green complex(RTJ) that sports a false front. Some drives at Milwaukee CC are launched from elevated tees which radiate out from the lovely stone clubhouse.Well bunkered landing areas and  greens with lovely nuanced contours distinguish this course. Some putting surfaces are barely above grade while others cling to plateaus (#6).The par 3s are memorable. The sand encircled 8th (174) and the humbling 17th which climbs to a target 232 yds away are both a joy to play. The finshing hole that tumbles over much of  its 430 yards is rugged but scenic.Alison created very good sight lines on most holes and features on this splendid site are nicely integrated into their surrounds. In sum, this Alison design with thoughtful RTJ bunkering is a coherent blend of golfing challenge and parkland elegance.

[Mike McGuire]

A few boxing day photos. (Hopefully not to many)

In its present location MCC was originally designed by Alex Robertson in 1911. Additional land was aquired and the course was redesigned by Walter Travis 1n 1924. The members were not happy with the new routing. Long walks between greens and tees, steep banks to climb and a 9th hole that  was nearly 300 yards from the clubhouse - a problem for members playing a short round. In 1928 (Only 4 years old!) the course was completly redesigned by Charles Alison. In 1974 Robert Trent Jones provided a renovation plan. His plan called for removal of some fairway bunkers, added some greenside bunkers,  extended some tees and widened a few fairways. It was implemented between 1974-76 with little disruption of play.

#1


#2


#7


#8


#9


#10 tee The Milwaukee river


#11


#12 from the bridge


#13 .....NOT an Alison bunker


#17

[T_MacWood]

I toured MCC this fall with Ron Prichard. It was a trip as this was the first course i ever saw...(caddie)

There were some very steep sand flashed bunkers ( ie: #13 greenside).  Ron didn't think this was an Alison bunker.

Anyone know of Alisons bunker style?

Alison was known for his steep bunkers--sometimes flashed, sometimes grass faced, often a combination of the two.

He often elevated his greens (either on a natural or man-made knolls) and the bunkers would built well below the green, in effect creating very deep bunkers.  He had a distinctive style....his bunkers are often quite large (it is not unusual to find bunkers as large as the greens they are guarding), mostly simple in outline (although there are exceptions) and steep.

[Jeff Goldman]

Alison was known for his steep bunkers--sometimes flashed, sometimes grass faced, often a combination of the two.

He often elevated his greens (either on a natural or man-made knolls) and the bunkers would built well below the green, in effect creating very deep bunkers.  He had a distinctive style....his bunkers are often quite large (it is not unusual to find bunkers as large as the greens they are guarding), mostly simple in outline (although there are exceptions) and steep.

Tom, that fits in with what I saw at Milwaukee CC, and what Pat Sisk confirmed as Alison bunkers.  The photos are great but do not give a real sense of just how steep and flashed some of the bunkers are.  Even the first one on the left of the first fairway is an amazing speciment.  Also may explain why big mouth on 9 fits in so well.

[Mike McGuire]

Tom -

So the bunker #11 (my previous post) above and #13 below are Alison? They must have budgeted a lot of time to maintain these..no?

[Mike McGuire]

  Even the first one on the left of the first fairway is an amazing speciment.  Also may explain why big mouth on 9 fits in so well.

Jeff -

Do you think those fairway bunkers on #1 are set at a peculiar angle? Looks like the hole should go to the left of them..?

[Jeff Goldman]

Mike,

It does look like the first fairway may have shifted to the right some.  I don't have my notes with me, but Messrs. Sisk and Simonds pointed out places where fairways had shifted sideways or been narrowed.  Also, they were pretty clear about what was Alison and what wasn't, and, I have to say, most of the work by Jones was about as good as I have seen from him on a classic course.  

Jeff

[Mike McGuire]

Jeff Goldman getting it up and down on # 9.  Gives you a better idea on the steepness of the bunkers. Shows a little of the false front on the left.

[T_MacWood]

That greenside bunker on #13 is Alison. I'm not sure about #11...my guess would be it was CHA.

[Brendan Dolan]

Mike,

Thanks for the excellent photographs.  Really looks like a neat old course.  Thanks.

Brendan

[Patrick_Sisk,_CGCS]

Brendan,

Milwaukee Country Club is scheduled to host the 2008 U.S. Mid-Am along with Brown Deer.  The contract is still being ironed out with the USGA and it should be “official” very soon.

For a Golden Age course it is surprisingly intact from the original Alison design.  Mr. Jones was here in the ‘70’s and primarily worked on fairway bunkering.  As Jeff stated he did completely rebuild the #9 green, this was done to accommodate a pool.  To his credit the work was very close to the Alison model and, save for some minor bunkering details, it is difficult to recognize the green as being foreign.  A few runway tees were also built during this period as well (2, 7, 15, 16 and 17).  Mr. Hills worked on the par 5 third and the par 4 fourteenth in 2000 prior to me coming on board.

Over the past four years we have been restoring the greenside bunkers to their original shapes and depths.  With our heavy native soil it is very simple to determine where the original margins were by simply excavating to that point.  Many years of adding sand to the bunkers left them shallower than desired.  In most cases we have gone down an additional 3 feet to reach the original depth.  The slopes on the greenside bunkers are up to 60 degrees in most cases, we’ve become very creative in how we manage those faces. The greenside project will be complete this spring.   Aside from loosing a few feet from the original margins of the hazards and some depth, the greenside bunkers have been 95% untouched since Mr. Alison was on site.

Recently we have, with some great assistance from highly respected architects, recovered measurable and important fairway widths on holes 11 and 18 as well as restore some shot value (make the fairway bunker relevant to all golfers) by way of additional yardage on 18.  We’re also continually reclaiming lost putting surfaces on the perimeters of the greens, i.e., pushing the greens out toward the bunkers, it’s amazing the great hole locations that are now back in use.  We plan on continuing this type of renovation/restoration for the next three years and at that point we’ll concentrate on the fairway bunkers and shortening the course to accommodate kids, seniors and some of our women members.

Our tree management program has been in full swing for the past four years and we are harvesting bumper crops each winter.  That's all I'll say on that topic!

MCC may be one of the best preserved examples of Alison’s work in the U.S.  The work being done now is quite minor in the grand scheme as evidenced by the fact that it is being done in-house as opposed to hiring outside contractors.  I hope anyone interested will make the effort to attend the ‘08 Mid-Am.

Patrick Sisk, CGCS
Milwaukee Country Club


P.S. Jeff, that’s me watching you escape from “Big Bertha”.  What happened to the photo of me doubled over in laughter?

[Jeff Goldman]

Pat,

I know that was you in the photo.  As to the other pic, I didn't want to infringe the dignity of the club by showing their golf course superintendent losing it over someone buried in Big Bertha (or getting it up and down for par).  

Jeff

[Brendan Dolan]

Mr. Sisk,
Thanks for the information.  Looks like an excellent course and I defiantly plan on attending the 08 Mid-Am.  What are some of the holes of note architecturally and why?  Thanks.

Brendan

[Patrick_Sisk,_CGCS]

Brendan,

The pars 3’s are super and vary greatly, as are the short par 4’s (9 & 11).  Keep in mind this type of course was built when match play was the game.  The strategy and options available throughout the course don’t necessarily favor a long hitter.  The pars 5’s are pretty short by today’s standards but some steps will be taken to change that as much as possible, at least in one instance.

As far as architectural features, it’s tough to beat the left greenside bunker on #11 and the left greenside bunker on #13.  One can not see the putting surface and often times the flag stick from the bottom of these hazards. They look like waves beginning to break out toward the approach and to think that these features, along with many others, were probably built using a horse and plow is fantastic. That being said, each hole is unique unto itself and although the principles remain the same there is certainly enough variety to make the course very interesting.

This course has to be judged and studied by the sum of it's parts.  I don’t personally have a favorite hole.  I do have a few that I don’t care for as much as others but I’ll keep that opinion to myself.  

Pat Sisk

[Brendan Dolan]

Mr. Sisk,
Thanks for the information.  I look forward to seeing Milwaukee CC sometime in the future.  

Brendan Dolan

[Brendan Dolan]

Mr. Sisk
Thanks for the offer.  For some reason I can not send you a message.  I will definitely take you up on your offer sometime in the near future.  Happy Holidays.

Brendan Dolan    

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