Royal Colwood Golf Club

About the club

This course is known for the ancient, stately trees that dot the back nine, and are responsible for the par 4 16th receiving the nickname of the Cathedral for its secluded green amid the branches. In many ways, the Colwood resembles the Shaughnessy, which is natural since Arthur V. Macan designed them both during his fifty-plus years as an architect. Thus both courses exploit a scenic backdrop, though the Colwood may be the lesser given its very level setting, which Shaughnessy tried to make up for by crafting some very tricky greens and forbidding bunkers and by engineering holes that demand a wide variety of shots. The par 3 7th is a particular standout, a downhill hole with a noticeable bump on the green. When it opened in 1913, the Colwood was one of a handful of courses that combined such features, and it remains an intriguing and trying course.