Country Club of Birmingham East (East)

Overview: The East Course at the Country Club of Birmingham is a Donald Ross design in Shades Valley, where mature trees, rolling ground and traditional green complexes create a classic private-club setting. The course measures 6,644 yards at par 70 and is known for strategic shaping rather than excessive length. Ross’s routing uses the land’s movement to vary the approach angles, with the preferred position on one hole often setting up the next shot rather than simply maximising distance. The East remains a distinct course within a club that has maintained 36 holes on the same general property.

History: The Country Club of Birmingham was founded in 1898 and moved to farmland in Shades Valley in 1926. Donald Ross designed both the East and West courses there, an unusual 36-hole commission for one club. The West opened first on the new site, with the East following in 1926. Later stewardship and renovations have kept the East course close to its Ross roots, while the West has acquired additional design layers. The club’s history therefore makes the East part of a rare paired Ross property rather than an isolated historic course.

Did You Know? Donald Ross designed both 18-hole courses at the club’s 1926 site. Having two Ross layouts together is an unusual piece of American golf history, and it gives the East Course a direct architectural relationship with its neighbouring West Course.