C.H. Alison
C.H. Alison or Charles Hugh Alison (5 March 1883 - 20 October 1952) was a British golf course architect who also served in both World War I and World War II decoding ciphers.
C.H. Alison worked predominantly with Harry Colt and John Morrison with whom he formed Colt, Alison & Morrison Ltd in 1928. He also worked alongside the esteemed Alister MacKenzie on several occasions.
C.H. Alison's most-respected design in Milwaukee Country Club (1929), co-designed with Colt, was ranked among the Top 50 golf courses in America by Golf Digest in 2007. Alison's design style differed significantly from that of his partner Colt. Both, of course, subscribe to the strategic school of design that Colt himself had done so much to create, but a close inspection of some of Alison's courses shows him to be a more severe examiner of golfing skill than his mentor.
Alison's nine-year stay in the US saw him design more than twenty new courses but his greatest influence would be felt in Japan where, during a three-month visit in 1930, he laid down a legacy of similar importance to Alister MacKenzie's famous Australian trip. Tokyo Golf Club was the first sight the nascent Japanese golf world would get of the large, sinuous bunkers that Alison favored, and which became known as 'Alison's' in that country.
Alison's wanderings continued throughout the 1930s and whilst in Asia in 1930-31, he remodeled the Royal Selangor course in Kuala Lumpur, which had been established in 1893. He also worked in countries such as Morocco, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. He was also primarily responsible for the creation of the Royal Hague course in the Netherlands.