DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. -- Even after 90 years, the trademarks of the old master remain at Warren Valley Golf Club, designed in 1922 by Donald Ross.
The inverted saucer green on the 14th hole of the Warren Valley's West Course would look at home at Pinehurst.
Pop-up mounded greens dominate the rest of the West and East Course. Their subtle breaks can be tough to read.
There are two kinds of customers these days at this 36-hole municipal course owned by Wayne County: Those looking for an affordable, fast round of golf and the purists who come to honor the legacy of Ross.
"The Donald Ross name alone brings people out here," said Glenn Busam, the head professional at Warren Valley.
After decades of neglect, when dozens of bunkers were reclaimed by Mother Nature and are now grassed over, Busam said the place is experiencing a rebirth. Conditions improved this year. Older golfers tired of getting beat up by too long and too tough modern courses are returning to the classic parkland playgrounds of their youth.
Both golf courses tip out at 6,200 yards with modest slope ratings less than 115 and are easily walkable. The banks of the Middle Rouge River come into play on seven holes of the par-71 West Course and four holes of the par-72 East Course. A career round is within reach for those who master the Ross greens.
The brick clubhouse, built in 1994, houses the Ross Room Bar & Grille and a banquet hall upstairs that can seat 300 guests.
Warren Valley Golf Club - West Course - hole 18
The narrow 18th hole on the West Course at Warren Valley Golf Club used to be considered among the toughest par 4s in Michigan.
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Warren Valley Golf Club - East Course - hole 18
The East Course at Warren Valley Golf Club finishes near the clubhouse.
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Warren Valley Golf Club - East Course - hole 7
The par-3 seventh on the East Course at Warren Valley Golf Club plays over the river.
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Warren Valley Golf Club - West Course - hole 15
The 15th hole on the West Course at Warren Valley Golf Club shows off some fall colors.
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Warren Valley Golf Club - West Course - hole 11
The 11th hole on the West Course at Warren Valley Golf Club is one of several that plays over the river.
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Warren Valley Golf Club - East Course - hole 1
The East Course at Warren Valley Golf Club is flatter than the West Course.
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Warren Valley Golf Club - West Course - hole 6
The sixth hole is a strong par 4 on the West Course at Warren Valley Golf Club in Dearborn Heights, Michigan.
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Warren Valley Golf Club - West Course - hole 8
The 298-yard eighth hole on the West Course at Warren Valley Golf Club drops off a ridge to a wide fairway below, making driver an option.
Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf
Warren Valley Golf Club in Dearborn boasts two 18-hole courses designed by Scottish architect Donald Ross. The par-71 West and par-72 East Courses both have traditional layouts that sprawl across rolling hills before settling along the banks of the Rouge River. The West Course has tree-lined fairways but they are generous and the greens are open and inviting. Tricky doglegs are shaped by the trees or the river.
Warren Valley Golf Club offers two courses that are situated alongside the Rouge River, sprawling across rolling terrain that is studded with stands of mature trees. The East Course is the longer of the two courses at 6,189 yards, but only by about 60 yards or so. There are four scenic holes on the golf course that incorporate the river. The fairways are generous but lined with trees and the open greens are fairly level in front, giving them an inviting feel.
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