Meadowbrook Country Club is a

country club A country club is a privately owned club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Typical athletic offer ...

in Northville Township, Wayne County, near

Northville, Michigan Northville is a city in Oakland and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,119 at the 2020 census. Northville is a suburb of Metro Detroit and is located about west of the city of Detroit and northeast of Ann Arbo ...

. The idea for Meadowbrook Country Club, a private

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

and

social club A social club may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation, or activity. Examples include: book discussion clubs, chess clubs, anime clubs, country clubs, charity work, criminal ...

, came about in 1916 when 23 Northville businessmen purchased of the Fred C. Cochran Farm. The club was named after a brook, which ran through the property. Its

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

hosted the

PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

, won by

Doug Ford Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario since June 2018 and leader of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party since March 2018. He ...

. Willie Park, Jr is credited with designing the original Meadowbrook 6-hole course which are present-day holes #10, #11, #7, #2, #3, and #18. Meadowbrook has hosted The

Motor City Open The Motor City Open was a PGA Tour event played at various clubs in and around Detroit for just under two decades. The PGA Tour record for the longest sudden-death playoff was established at the 1949 Motor City Open. Cary Middlecoff and Lloyd Mang ...

which was a PGA Tour event played at various clubs in and around Detroit from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. The PGA Tour record for the longest sudden-death playoff was established at the 1949 Motor City Open, played at Meadowbrook. Cary Middlecoff and Lloyd Mangrum played 11 holes at Meadowbrook Country Club and were still stalemated when darkness arrived. Tournament officials, with the players mutual consent, declared them co-winners. Meadowbrook hosted the Motor City Open in 1948, 1949, 1954, and 1959. Winners in those years were: * 1959

Mike Souchak Michael Souchak (May 10, 1927 – July 10, 2008) was an American professional golfer who won fifteen events on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s, and played for the Ryder Cup teams in 1959 and 1961. Early years Born and raised in Berwick, Penn ...

* 1954

Cary Middlecoff Emmett Cary Middlecoff (January 6, 1921 – September 1, 1998) was an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour from 1947 to 1961. His 39 Tour wins place him tied for tenth all-time, and he won three major championships. Middlecoff graduated as ...

* 1949

Lloyd Mangrum Lloyd Eugene Mangrum (August 1, 1914 – November 17, 1973) was an American professional golfer. He was known for his smooth swing and his relaxed demeanour on the course, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Icicle." Early life and family Mangrum ...

(co-winners) * 1948

Ben Hogan William Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997) was an American professional golfer who is generally considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He is notable for his profound influence on golf swing theory and ...

Meadowbrook's early histories

An early history was written in 1954 by the club historian, William H. "Uncle Bill" Aston. Members of Meadowbrook's Historical Committee believe the original was published in the program for the 1955 US Open. Aston's history exists in several similar, but not identical, iterations. The best version hangs in a frame over the fireplace near the Centennial Dining Room at Meadowbrook Country Club. Another history was written by Jim Frantz. He caddied at Meadowbrook Country Club from 1922 to 1931. He then moved away and did not return until about 1980. He played the course and then wrote to the club sharing his memory of the early days and compared the course as it existed then with what he found in 1980. His thoughts were published in the February 1981 edition of "Forward Press", the club's magazine for members. He also donated the water fountain next to the caddie door at the first tee. A plaque over the fountain memorializes his gift.

References

External links

* {{coord, 42.437, N, 83.447, W, display=title Golf clubs and courses in Michigan Sports venues in Wayne County, Michigan Sports venues completed in 1916 1916 establishments in Michigan