Glen Oaks ( Wilfred Reid & Conellan ?) Michigan

[mark chalfant]

As a teenager I played many rounds at this 1920s course north of Detroit. I took it for granted at the time. In retrospect, it was  a fine routing over lovely land, that used some ravines and gullies very well. It had a stellar set of five par threes, most of which had different playing qualiities,looks, and nice green sites.   

Glen Oaks also had many fine par fours. Among them the dogleg sixth (360 yards) ,11,12, and the hilly18.  Does anyone know if this 6,300 yard course still exists  ?

[Chuck Brown]

It still exists.  It is being run by Oakland County, which is doing a creditable job of operating a number of quality muni's.  Much better than the disastrous operation of the courses in Wayne County (including two Ross layouts in the latter).

They did some tinkering to the layout.  They added one very short, tight Par 4 (12th hole) on the back side, with a new green and what is sort of a new 1/2 hole, the 11th.  You can see those in the aerial link below, at teh far north end of the property.  They are fairly crummy holes.  The old holes still pose some good shots.  This is a mature golf course built on decent land with a ravine that comes into play on a pair of very similar mid-length par 3's near the clubhouse.  (By the way, the Glen Oaks clubhouse is very nicely renovated.  I know of a couple of private courses in our district who would happily trade theirs for the Glen Oaks clubhouse, although because it is a muni, is run nothing at all like a private club.)

This course is about a mile and half due west of Franklin Hills CC, the hidden-gem Ross jewel.

If you went back to play after all these years, I think you'd be pleased with the general state of affiars and the overall preservation, and you'd be disgusted by the 12th.

[Edit. -- I fogot the link!  Here it is...]

http://www.golfworldmap.com/usa/michigan/glenoaks/index.html

[Sven Nilsen]

Not Reid & Conellan, but Willie Robertson.

Detroit Free Press June 25, 1939