Golf in Alton

Alton perches on limestone bluffs above the Mississippi River at one of its most dramatic bends in Madison County, where the river curves sharply and the Illinois shore rises to commanding heights. The city has a layered history: it was the site of the final Lincoln-Douglas debate in 1858, a Civil War prison camp, and the birthplace of jazz legend Miles Davis in 1926. Robert Wadlow, the tallest person in recorded history, grew up here, and a life-size bronze statue stands downtown near the riverfront. The bluff-top streets offer views across the Mississippi toward the Missouri shore that few Midwestern cities can match. Three golf courses serve the city, each taking advantage of the terrain that distinguishes Alton from the flat-bottomed communities further inland.