Northland began play on a different site at the end of the nineteenth century and expanded to 18 holes by 1912. In 1921 the club acquired approximately 160 acres “above the hill” and chose to commission an entirely new course on that ground rather than re-work the existing layout. Contemporary club history and a detailed retrospective written in the 1980s for the membership agree that a plan by William Watson was initially in hand (reportedly suggested by Ross himself), but the board ultimately engaged Ross to design and supervise a complete new course. Ross is documented as taking the commission in late 1922; construction proceeded in phases, with the new 18 placed into play in 1927. The same retrospective records at least one instance of Ross returning to revisit the routing around the ninth hole after members questioned why it did not return to the clubhouse; the corridor width on the narrow property was cited as the reason to leave the ninth situated away from the house. The club’s own historical note characterizes the present course as essentially the Ross plan with “a few modifications,” a description that aligns with the extant routing lines and sequence of holes.
The course’s national stature soon followed. It hosted the Western Amateur in 1946 and, a decade later, the U.S. Women’s Open—events that acknowledged Northland’s capacity to test elite fields and that also generated extensive local coverage of the Ross greens and the dramatic topography.
Unique Design Characteristics
Northland’s routing climbs briskly from the clubhouse, working back and forth across the hillside to extract yardage and angle variety from constrained width. The second hole (short par 4) sets an early tone: a lay-back drive to a tight shelf and a blind, uphill approach to a green that the club describes as “slop[ing] severely from back to front”—a configuration that instantly emphasizes position below the hole. The third continues the ascent nearly 100 feet to a two-tiered green and the first expansive lake views.
Ross’s use of false fronts is explicit and repeatedly encountered. The seventh—rated the #1 men’s handicap hole—is a long par 4 whose green has a pronounced false front that “rejects balls more often than not”; the seventeenth, a medium-length par 3 descending toward a natural drainage basin, also presents a steep false front that denies run-ups. Multiple greens (e.g., 2, 4, 6, and 18) are called out by the club for strong back-to-front pitch, creating the recurring demand to favor approaches short-left or below the hole and to avoid recovery from past the pin.
The closing stretch is the course’s most photographed sequence and illustrates how Ross exploited the lakeward fall of the land without resorting to excess earthwork. Fifteen drops roughly sixty feet from tee to green, its approach funneled into an “extremely well-bunkered” target that nonetheless offers ample putting surface if the tee shot finds the fairway. Sixteen continues downhill to a front-right-guarded green that punishes shots long; the home hole turns back uphill to a large, diagonally pitched 18th green where staying under the hole is again the prudent play.
Surviving examples that most clearly display Ross’s hand include the uphill-to-crest sequence at 2–3 (use of grade to create blind, exacting approaches and reward line-of-charm drives), the false-front pair at 7 and 17 (classical run-off behavior and aerial-vs-ground contrast depending on wind), and the downhill 15–16 pairing (angle-dependent second shots into guarded targets while leveraging long views). The course tour’s descriptions—and the way those notes echo period accounts praising the new greens—suggest that many original green pads and their strategic bunker relationships remain on their Ross footprints.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s late 1910s–1920s commissions in the Upper Midwest, Northland is significant as a full, from-scratch hillside course for an established club electing to relocate rather than tinker with an older plan. The Watson-versus-Ross episode documented for the membership is also notable: the board’s pivot to Ross resulted in a comprehensive build that tied the holes to the lake-facing slopes more cohesively than the earlier sketches contemplated. The course immediately entered the national conversation by hosting the Western Amateur (1946) and later the U.S. Women’s Open (1956), the latter remembered not only for its champion (Kathy Cornelius) but also because Ann Gregory became the first Black woman to compete in a USGA championship, giving Northland a place in broader American golf history. In recent decades, Northland has periodically appeared on classic-course ranking lists and, as of 2022–23, was recognized by Golf Magazine as the #3 course in Minnesota—a contemporary acknowledgement that the essential Ross design still resonates.
Current Condition / Integrity
The Ross routing is intact. The club’s own history page states that apart from “a few modifications,” the course played today follows the 1920s plan. Over time, bunkers have been filled and added and tees stretched; a length-and-bunker project is reported to have begun circa 1999. In 2009 the club retained restoration architect Ron Prichard to prepare a master plan addressing “old masters” character—tree work, recapturing green perimeters and surrounds, and bunker presentation among the priorities—with the grounds staff sharing plan graphics and progress updates publicly. Around the same period, outside commentary by Bradley Klein prompted discussion of reducing vegetation that had encroached on corridor width and lake vistas; subsequent club communications emphasize renewed attention to the putting surfaces and surrounds that are central to Northland’s identity.
On-course evidence available to the public—particularly the club’s hole-by-hole guide—points to continued preservation of hallmark elements: (1) steeply pitched, often elevated greens that reward below-the-hole play (2, 4, 6, 18), (2) false fronts that repel marginal approaches (7, 17), (3) diagonal or flanking bunkers protecting ideal lines (15, 16), and (4) maintenance of the uphill-crest / downhill-vista sequencing that defines the round’s rhythm (2–3 on the way up; 15–16 on the way down). The club also built a new clubhouse in 2006 after razing the previous structure, without altering the essential golf footprint.
Sources & Notes
Northland Country Club — “History” page (club website). Provides the 1921 land acquisition above the hill, Ross’s commission for a completely new course, and the 1927 opening; characterizes later changes as “a few modifications.”
Arthur V. Montague, “A history of the course at Northland Country Club” (June 1986, club historical pamphlet). Details Watson’s early involvement, Ross’s acceptance of the commission in late 1922, supervision of construction, the ninth-hole controversy, and the 1927 opening; includes note that Ross reserved land for possible additional holes.
Northland Country Club — “Course Tour & Scorecard” (hole-by-hole). Documents specific features cited here: #2 blind uphill to steeply pitched green; #3 ~100-foot climb; #7 false front; #15–16 downhill with guarded approaches; #17 false front; #18 large green sloping back-right to front-left.
Northland Country Club — Official Scorecard (PDF). Confirms 18 holes, par 71, 6,825 yards from the longest tees, and current ratings.
Golf.com, “Best in State 2022: Minnesota.” Lists Northland #3 in Minnesota and notes Ross’s 1927 work.
Western Golf Association — Western Amateur Champions. Confirms Northland as 1946 host site (champion Frank Stranahan).
USGA Championship Database — 1956 U.S. Women’s Open (Northland Country Club). Confirms host venue and champion (Kathy Cornelius).
Duluth News Tribune (Aug. 2009), “Green preservation expected to alter Northland Country Club.” Reports on Bradley Klein’s remarks to the club about overgrowth and future restorative work emphasizing the greens.
“NCC Grounds” (club blog, 2009). Notes the board’s selection of Ron Prichard to develop a course restoration master plan and includes plan graphics.
Northland Country Club — “Golf” page. Confirms current facilities (practice range, instruction, course yardage and par) and membership status (private).
DSGW Architecture — project page and news. Notes the 2006 replacement clubhouse (relevant to present facilities, not to the golf routing).
The Statesman (Univ. of Minnesota–Duluth student newspaper), “Northland Country Club swings into 113 years” (Oct. 2012). Provides narrative color on Ross’s two visits, the ninth-hole episode, the 1999 length-and-bunker effort, and the 2006 clubhouse replacement; useful as a secondary source that quotes the then-superintendent.
Uncertainties / Disputed Points Needing Primary Verification
• Extent and dates of Ross’s on-site supervision after 1922. Montague (1986) states Ross supervised construction and includes a specific anecdote about the ninth hole; a later newspaper feature adds that members paid to bring him back a second time. Board minutes and correspondence would clarify frequency and scope of returns.
• Attribution for late-1990s bunker/length work. Public articles acknowledge a 1999 project but do not consistently credit an architect. Trade press hints at outside involvement yet is incomplete online. Confirmation would require club construction files, contracts, or architect plan sets.