In a state with no shortage of great golf, Indianwood Golf & Country Club holds a distinction almost none of its neighbors can claim: a course old enough, and good enough, to have hosted the best players in the world across nearly a century. Set on rolling, sandy ground in Lake Orion — Oakland County, about forty miles north of downtown Detroit — Indianwood is the rare American club where a round is also a walk through golf history.
The story begins in 1925, when the English architect Wilfrid Reid laid out what is now the Old Course. A former touring professional who had learned the game on the great links of Britain, Reid built Indianwood in the heathland style of the English and Scottish courses he knew best — firm, sandy, wind-exposed, framed by fescue and bunkering rather than trees. It was an unusual thing to find in the American Midwest then, and it remains one today: a genuine links-inspired test in a region of tree-lined parkland courses.
A Course Built for the Wind
What makes the Old Course endure is the same thing that made it radical in 1925. Reid routed the holes across open, undulating terrain where the ground game matters and the breeze is always a factor — a course that rewards shot-making and creativity over sheer length. Generations of architects and panelists have admired it precisely because it doesn't look or play like anything else around Detroit. It is heathland golf, transplanted to Oakland County and aged into something singular.
That character is why the course has held up against the modern game without losing its soul. The Old Course doesn't need to stretch to absurd lengths to defend par; it asks players to think, to flight the ball, and to respect the contours. For a club, that timelessness is an asset money can't manufacture.
A Championship Résumé Few Can Match
The pedigree is in the record book. In 1930, the Old Course hosted the Western Open — then one of the most important titles in the game, and a championship the era ranked just below the majors — won by the immortal Gene Sarazen. Six decades later the USGA came calling: Indianwood staged the 1989 U.S. Women's Open, won by Betsy King, and returned for the 1994 U.S. Women's Open, won by Patty Sheehan. In 2012, the national-championship spotlight came back once more for the U.S. Senior Open, captured by Britain's Roger Chapman.
Four national championships on one Michigan golf course. It is a roll call that places Indianwood in conversation with the most consequential clubs in the country — and a credential most clubs spend a century chasing.
Saved, Restored, and Renewed
Like many clubs of its era, Indianwood weathered hard chapters. The Depression cost its original owner the property, and it took a local Lake Orion businessman, Carl Ruebelman, to buy the club and bring it back to health in the 1940s. Its modern standard, though, was set in 1981, when Stan Aldridge purchased Indianwood and led a sweeping restoration of both the golf course and the clubhouse.
The clubhouse Aldridge created is the one members know today: new oak paneling, a signature tower, antique stained-glass windows, and a brick exterior that gave the building the timeless, settled character a hundred-year club deserves. It was the work of an owner who understood that a great club is as much about its rooms as its routing.
That stewardship is now a family story, and the next chapter is being written by the generation that grew up inside it — with a clear ambition to return Indianwood to the national rankings its history has always merited.
Two Courses, One Hundred Years
Today, Indianwood is home to two eighteen-hole courses — the historic Old Course and the more modern New Course — giving members both a championship test and a complement of everyday golf. Having a second eighteen means the membership is never crowded onto a single layout, and it gives the club the flexibility to host events without ever closing its doors to members.
A century on from Wilfrid Reid's first routing, the Old Course remains the headline: the kind of golf that travels well, the kind that gives a club a story worth telling far beyond its own zip code. In a Metro Detroit market dense with fine private clubs, that distinction — a true heathland championship course with a USGA pedigree — is exactly what sets Indianwood apart.
Indianwood at a Glance
Membership classifications and current initiation fees and dues are shared directly by the club's membership office upon inquiry.
Joining the Club
Indianwood is a private members' club; it does not publish its membership pricing. Classifications, initiation fees, and dues are shared directly by the membership office, and for a club with this history — a Wilfrid Reid course, four national championships, and a hundred years of standing in one of golf's most competitive markets — the conversation is one worth having.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Indianwood Golf & Country Club?
At 1081 Indianwood Road in Lake Orion, Michigan — Orion Township, Oakland County, about 40 miles north of downtown Detroit.
Who designed the course?
The celebrated Old Course was designed by English architect Wilfrid Reid and opened in 1925 in the heathland style of the great British links; the club is also home to a second eighteen, the New Course.
What championships has Indianwood hosted?
The 1930 Western Open (Gene Sarazen), the 1989 and 1994 U.S. Women's Opens (Betsy King and Patty Sheehan), and the 2012 U.S. Senior Open (Roger Chapman).
How old is the club?
Indianwood dates to 1925 — one of Michigan's century-old clubs — and was extensively restored after Stan Aldridge purchased it in 1981.
How do I inquire about membership?
Membership inquiries are handled directly by the club — details at iwgcc.com.