27 Rogers restored a grander scale to bunkers during his 2021 project, as seen on the seventh When considering Plum Hollow and its designer Hugh Alison, two thoughts come to mind. The first is Alison’s big scale routing, which makes excellent use of the Rouge valley and the ridges and deep swales caused by its various tributaries. Of Alison’s routing, unchanged since 1921, only the third and fourth holes make no use of the deep swales and serve to remind us of the flat farmland which surrounds the course. Starting with the first hole the second shot plays across the swale which begins at Lahser Road and crosses the first, second, ninth and tenth holes before entering the Rouge. On the back nine, the big scale of the property becomes more evident, and all the holes make use of the contours created by the creeks and river. Plum’s bunkering, when viewed in hindsight, was neither consistent from hole to hole nor at a scale appropriate to the property. Was this Alison’s fault or Wilfrid Reid’s, who was retained in 1928 to rebunker a course less than a decade old? Our information regarding Alison’s original bunkering is scant… actually nil. Our earliest photo is an aerial from 1937, long after Alison’s original efforts and those of Reid and others. Drew Rogers’ recent renovation has only improved the routing with his change to eleven. He moved the fairway right to play along the ridgeline, removing trees and opening up long views into the Rouge valley. Rather than a short ‘get well’ hole, it becomes a strategic one from the tee onwards. Taking inspiration from other Alison courses, such as Japan’s Hirono, Rogers has created a big-scale bunkering scheme that now compares with the best of Alison’s work. Plum Hollow is again ready to take its place among the best, and most fun to play, courses of the Detroit area. Alison, Rogers and Plum Hollow Golf historian and writer Anthony Gholz provides insight into Alison’s original design of Plum Hollow and the impact of Drew Rogers’ work A 1937 aerial of Plum Hollow, one of the earliest photos the club has of Alison’s design
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=