Boyne Mountain: The Alpine Course
The resort’s second oldest layout is not second tier
By Tom Lang
Boyne Resorts has a lot to be proud of in the golfing world.
Choices like elevated views of Lake Michigan/Little Traverse Bay at Boyne’s Bay Harbor, and the first championship course ever built in northern Michigan – The Heather, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. and voted the 2019 National Golf Course of the Year – are just two examples which can tend to overshadow very nice golf on other layouts; like The Alpine.
The latter was the second course ever installed at Boyne, in the 1960s. Boyne now has 10 golf destinations in Michigan located above the earth’s 45th parallel. The Alpine is one of two courses at Boyne Mountain, along with sister course The Monument, which was fourth in the Boyne Golf construction timeline.
Each August, The Alpine hosts the prestigious Tournament of Champions, a uniquely special event put on by the Michigan PGA Section that molds pros and amateurs, men and women, juniors, mid-Ams and senior golfers together at one event to go head-to-head, sans varying tee boxes.
“Personally, I love the Alpine and it may be my favorite Boyne course,” said Kevin Helm, executive director of the Michigan PGA. “That is not meant to take anything away from the others, I just like the layout, mix of holes, and how everything is pretty much right in front of you.
“Combine that with consistently excellent turf conditions and you have a great venue to host our Tournament of Champions. We hear a lot of similar feelings from the players as well. The greens can be difficult to read if you do not have a lot of experience playing there, but players still talk about how much they enjoy playing the Alpine.”
Although it’s sometimes cliché in the golf world to say ‘no two holes are alike’ that phrase does aptly describe the Alpine. For example, even the three dogleg left holes each play differently and have their own distinguishing look and needed strategy.
Designer Ray Hearn developed a 10-year plan to change and update, in some small and some big ways, all of Boyne’s golf properties.
At The Alpine, fairway rough around bunkers has been cut down to fairway height. It provides a clean and cool look, but also makes the course more playable for the recreational golfer… but doesn’t necessarily make it easier to score for tournament golf.
I found the greens to be relatively large compared to other courses. They have very little undulation, but that said the slight breaks in the greens can be very hard to detect and read, to make putting just as difficult as if there were many hills and swales in the putting surface.
Speaking of putts, when reading do not forget where the mountain is in relation to the angle of your putts. Most will break away from the mountain top, even those that look flat, in the direction of Deer Lake in the valley.
Hearn’s plan included implementing a shorter cut around most of the greens to make them feel extra expansive and more attractive – and to increase a golfer’s choice to chip or putt when off the edge.
A nice change was on hole 2, a shorter par 4. The second shot is a full carry to the green to clear a pond, so one improvement was to take out a bunker just over the water but before the green to remove the penalty of just making it over the water, to only drive up and find the beach.
Check out The Alpine and any of the other delightful Boyne choices in northern Michigan.
BOYNE Golf New Short Course Named Doon Brae
BOYNE Golf’s newest, and 11th overall, golf course in Michigan has been named Doon Brae.
It’s the new par-3 short course located on the backside of The Highlands Main Lodge and is scheduled to open summer of 2024.
“What excites me most is how beautiful and different it is,” said Bernie Friedrich, Director of Golf Course Renovations and Development at Boyne Resorts said about the course constructed on the downslope of an active ski hill. “There are three or four stacked wall bunkers. Instead of using tee boxes, we'll have just one marker on each hole and let guests play wherever they want.
“And the greens are inspired by some of the great ones around the world. They're not copies of any specific greens, but they look different and are big. There's a lot of excitement about short courses. We want to keep people excited about golf and wanting to play. If playing 18 or 36 holes is not enough on any day, this gives golfers another option.”
The name Doon Brae, where Doon means going down into a valley and Brae means steep bank or hillside in Scottish, is fitting as the routing of the course is set along the hillside that doubles as a ski slope during the winter months.
Michigan golf course architect Ray Hearn was selected to create Doon Brae, among other work he’s been doing to renovate several courses in the BOYNE Golf portfolio.
“Drawing on our inspiration from the British Isles allowed us to create scaled down versions of famous template greens highlighted by The Short at National Golf Links,” he said. “Other green templates include Eden, Punch Bowl, Redan, Reverse Redan, Volcano, Steep Slope, Postage Stamp, and Biarritz."
The course, which will measure 993 yards from the back and 678 yards from the forward areas, will feature a variety of fun yardages with downhill, flat, uphill and sidehill lies, generally moving horizontally back and forth across the slope. Holes range from 57 yards to 134 yards, with very few uphill walks.
The new course, along with the 1.5 acre nine-hole Himalayan-style putting course, are both designed to be fun for everyone. They will create an entertainment area for golfers and families alike to hangout well into the evenings, creating a new level of energy in this space. The golf course will also be lighted, play music, along with food service and fire pits.
"Guests will really enjoy the uniqueness, character and fun atmosphere around the new course and putting green," said Josh Richter, Senior Vice President of Golf Operations for Boyne Resorts. “And with the new Himalayan putting green also being built, we're creating a pretty cool and huge golf gathering space. Guests can gather for games and fun, while enjoying their favorite beverage and taking in all the beauty of Northern Michigan. It's going to be a heck of a space for all to enjoy in way that is best for them. Having music playing as well will make it a fantastic entertainment environment."
Masterpiece is Simply That
By Tom Lang
Sometimes there’s great power and simplicity in a name.
At Treetops Resort, that is certainly true with the original course onsite designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. – The Masterpiece – which opened in 1987.
The very first hole grabs a lot of attention when visitors pull into the main entrance at the resort’s original south location, as the first hole meanders downhill right at you. All the other resort golf was added to the Treetops North location about 5 miles up the road, where golfers will find the Smith Signature, the par 3 Threetops, the Smith Tradition and the Fazio Premier.
With a slope rating of 147, the Masterpiece is a beautiful modern architecture type design, but since it was completed several decades ago the layout could be called ahead of its time. There’s an excellent use of the natural landforms with twists and turns, including the No. 6 hole – often considered the most iconic in the Treetops collection. It’s there where Jones looked out over the Pigeon River Valley landscape and told then-owner Harry Melling, he should call the place Treetops.
I found that there is great use in the design of high elevations and some lower areas where water naturally collects on the property, especially holes 8 and 9.
While there are so many good holes to choose from on the Masterpiece, my favorite string of three consecutive back-to-back (to back) are 13, 14 and 15. They may not stick out in a lot of golfers’ memories, but the variety and sightline views are wonderful. Hole 13 is a medium-length par 3 hitting to a two-tiered green over a small gorge with water in the bottom. On 14, check the yardage off the tee because the end of the shorter fairway – not far past the 150-yard barber pole – has a severe drop off into natural rough that could snag a golf ball for life. But keep your drive near the 150-yard marker on the flat fairway and you will have a clean shot over a ravine to an elevated green that is skinny but deep. The land disappears behind the green as well, so some precision is needed.
No. 15 is yet again another highly-elevated tee, on a short par 4 down into a valley before going back up a little to the perched green – a green which is heavily guarded by bunkers yet is still playable by virtue of the fact this lower-than-avg golfer made a 4-foot par putt.
While playing the Masterpiece in September, I came across two women having the time of their lives. They were sporting new Treetops lap blankets, a gift from the resort for their longevity of visits.
“You don’t have to be intimidated here,” said Sheri Everitt of Sterling Hgts. “We’re on the Masterpiece right now; we originally thought we could never play the Masterpiece, like ‘we’re not worthy.’ But we’re having fun here. It’s relaxing with the views.
“For the value, and being three hours away from metro Detroit, it’s an easy drive, the service, that staff have all been outstanding. The price is great; and you can look for specials.”
Her long-time friend and playing partner, Karen Gray of Troy, was giddy about spending time with her friend up north.
“Because we book with the same agent, Kristen Hughes, we always get the same elegant room, with a kitchen,” Gray said. “But what excites us the most is the elevation of the tee boxes. It’s hard to find this anywhere else in Michigan. The high tees is why we love it here. And I love the Lee Trevino hole (on Threetops).”
Eagle Crest Golf Club Has It All
Indoor, Outdoor, College Training and more
By Tom Lang Photos by Randy Mascharka
Golfers like me appreciate when course owners and operators never rest on their laurels – always evaluating what they offer to the golfing public and, if needed, at least making small adjustments to keep things fresh when possible.
Eagle Crest Golf Club along I-94 in Ypsilanti is just such a place – although its recent adjustments are not small at all. They are HUGE.
Already ranked No. 5 in Southeast Michigan by the Detroit Free Press, and 13th nationally for best public courses based at universities, Eagle Crest is a calming resort atmosphere on Ford Lake. When there, golfers won’t even notice or hear tens of thousands of cars flying by on the nearby section of freeway connecting Ann Arbor and Detroit Metro Airport.
While several sections of the course have been renovated in the past 10 years, the new, huge addition is the two-story Clubhouse expansion with its TrackMan Simulator Room. The new 2,200-square-foot facility has 4 TrackMan bays and lots of people gathering spaces – but what sets it apart from any indoor facility I’ve ever seen in Michigan: the back wall is all glass, and from its high perch it overlooks the golf course with sprawling Ford Lake in the background. It’s without a doubt one of the best golf views in Michigan, especially when golfers are cozy warm inside during the off season.
Additionally, the men’s and women’s golf teams at EMU have their own new building right next door. The new two-story tall EMU Performance Center is 13,000 square feet, where almost the entire men’s and women’s golf teams will have room to practice simultaneously, said Stephanie Jennings, the women’s head coach and also the first ever female Michigan PGA President.
“It’s a game changer,” Jennings said emphatically. “It takes our golf programs (men and women) into a whole different level of where we can go now. A lot of the teams that have been performing better than us have had buildings like this for a while, and now we’re going to have better facilities than some teams we compete against.
“So, it’s getting the top recruits to come in and see what we have, not only that building, but the golf course right here that’s all connected and how we can showcase the sport of golf here at Eastern Michigan.”
The public TrackMan Simulator Room ‘showcase’ opened just before Thanksgiving and golfers have already been in to hit balls, track their swings and golf ball statistical patterns, play one of 265 simulated course choices from around the globe, and enjoy great food and drinks with their friends and family while gazing out the wall of windows.
The four TrackMan bays allow golfers to measure all parts of their swing, flight line, the club speed, ball speed, smash factor, and more – and get it all on video from 3 cameras in a split screen. An app will allow review of all those characteristics at any time.
“I’ll start looking at how I’m turning, how I’m rotating – the things that I’m working on – so when I have a few minutes or cannot sleep, I can break it down anytime on my laptop or on my phone,” said Eagle Crest GM Wes Blevins, now in his 13th year.
“The whole point of doing this building was to keep up with (golf) technology, and with what is happening in the golf industry,” Blevins added. “Indoor simulation rounds just keeps getting bigger and bigger,” he said, adding that it’s a good alternative not just for indoor golf but for people who don’t have the time for 4-5 hour rounds of golf outdoors.
Blevins touched on the fact that the number of people that play ‘off course’ golf has grown to the point its numbers are greater, by a few percentage points, than the number of people who play traditional on-course golf. Some of those numbers include both types of golfers, but still, think about that for a minute.
Additional recent figures from the National Golf Foundation say an estimated 6.2 million Americans hit golf balls with a club in a golf simulator (or facility like TopGolf) just within the past year, a total that’s surged 73% compared to pre-pandemic levels. In 2019 and years prior, simulator participation had hovered just under 4 million.
Eagle Crest has developed an Indoor/Outdoor Practice Club (IOPC) Membership. For $250 per month, members get unlimited one-hour time slots non-peak times – Mondays through Thursday before 4:00 – on TrackMan. During peak times the membership provides a 20 percent discount. Included is two 1-hour lessons from a PGA pro, 10 percent off pro shop purchases and no initiation fees and no penalty for cancellation.
The outdoor portion also includes unlimited balls and time on the driving range, short game practice area and putting greens.
Blevins envisions people using the indoor facility not just in cold weather, but some might use it in the summer in the more comfortable air conditioning to warm up and analyze their swing before going outside to play 9 or 18. Then there is a second level – a wide open room for parties, holidays, wedding showers, and more. The onsite Marriott will be booking corporate events and the bays are open for those kinds of events as well.
Tournament Quality Golf:
In addition to being the home course for the EMU college teams, Eagle Crest hosts NCAA events, high school state finals and national junior tournaments. In 2025 and ’26 it will host the NAIA women’s college national championships.
Blevins said the coaches love coming to Eagle Crest because it’s all self-contained with the hotel, new performance center, large and good-looking range overlooking the lake, plus food all in one spot.
“They can stay here overnight, they eat here,” he said. “They can park their vans and not have to go anywhere else.
“And with the Marriott right here, it really is a great staycation type place. There’s lots of things to do without the long drive.”
Heading Outside:
Playing Eagle Crest has always been a lot of fun for me, but with the almost 10-year long tree removal program concluded, plus individual hole improvements and some fixed drainage challenges near the lake, it’s a great new experience if you haven’t tried it lately. There’s significant elevation changes not normally found in SE Michigan, with great water views on most of the course.
Hole 14 is the start of my favorite 4-hole stretch. It’s a severely dropping par 3 that has been opened up to more lake views behind the green – a wide open sightline to Ford Lake appears where the view didn’t exist before. All in all, the hole is much more visually appealing than in prior years.
Hole 15 is a shorter par 4 with a tee shot over the corner of a pond that runs the entire left side and juts in to protect a significant portion of the front of the green; yet bail out room remains on the right side of the approach.
Hole 16 is a very stout par 5. The tee shot requires a carry over a marsh to a wider landing area since more trees have been cleared out. The approach shot is to a peninsula green that extends out into the lake and is one of the nicer views on the golf course. Tree removal also on the left with some drainage repair has made the fairway firmer than before. Hole 16 was also lengthened.
Hole 17 is one of the toughest par 3s around if you play the back NCAA tees, making that a 250-yard poke. For normal golfer mankind from closer tees, it’s a beautiful par 3 with a good sized green protected by a wrap-around bunker that keeps balls hit to the right or long from going into the pond.
So much is going on at Eagle Crest we need more space, but check for yourself at: https://eaglecrestresort.com/
Coming in Spring: The Cardinal
The new course at Saint John’s Resort will marvel many
By Tom Lang
There is growing anticipation for the grand opening of The Cardinal, a new 18-hole championship course at the formidable Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth.
There is a reason the property used to be a full-time Catholic Seminary – turned luxury resort with a stunning wedding chapel dating back to the 1940s – as one could literally call the landscape ‘God’s Country.’
The beautiful, rolling land surrounding the seminary-turned-high-end hotel and conference center is the current-day setting for the new golf-centric development. Picturesque, tree-lined, and filled with wildlife is not an often expectation in such a densely populated surrounding area very close to I-275 and I-96/M-14.
After playing there in early October, what went through my mind was: A nature preserve with tee boxes and flag sticks.
The massive remodel in Plymouth – turning the former quaint 27-hole Inn at St. John’s Golf Course property into a championship level 18-hole course, with a bonus 7-hole par 3 short course and a 1.5 acre 18-hole putting course – has transformed the property at Five Mile and Sheldon Roads.
And in the process, resort golf has become a reality in metro Detroit. The Cardinal is slated to open in the spring. It is a public golf course with a country club atmosphere and experience.
Award-winning designer Ray Hearn headed up the project and believes all the elements are there to attract golfers of all skill levels – people who are just getting into the game, as well as families and friends of wedding parties or corporate outings who just want to have a little fun on the large putting course while they visit the resort for socializing or business.
“The growth of par 3 short courses and putting courses nationwide make great sense, especially with a hotel on property,” Hearn said. “You’ve got a lot of new people entering the game of golf. People want to have some quick fun, and then there’s Carl’s Golfland right there with a driving range and all the equipment.
“With a set up of 5-tees (on The Cardinal) you can do what you want based on your skill level. Pick the right tees and you’ll have a good time. You’ve got it all there with the longer 18, to play nine – or go to the 7-hole short course or 1.5 acre putting course.
“It’s Southeast Michigan,” he added. “This site is surrounded by buildings and residential and commercial sites to the north and west, yet this property is a beautiful oasis.”
All the investments have been made by the Pulte Family Foundation. After expenses are paid, all revenues will go into the Foundation for distribution to worthy charities. Golfers will literally golf for a good cause.
Typically in course reviews I pick my favorite 3-hole stretch. This course is so good I have expanded it to six – holes 13 through 18 – an excellent culmination to the end of a half day on the course.
The 13th is a par 4 with a sharply left-to-right slopping fairway to try holding, before the approach to the elevated green.
The 14th goes over the corner of a pond to the large par 3 green. Then 15 goes over the same water (from the back tees) to a fairway highly protected with a huge bunker on the right.
Hole 16 is a gorgeous par 3 with the tee and green level to each other, but with a huge natural valley splitting the gap. No. 17 is a shorter par 4 slight dogleg right, followed by the closing 18th hole. What used to be a short closing hole has been changed to a longer par 4 with an uphill blind tee shot (aim for the brick tower) to a wide fairway and green complex guarded by a large pond on the left that wraps behind the green.
Come back to MI Golf Journal in April for a longer review, and visit: https://www.saintjohnsresort.com/plymouth-michigan-golf-course-st-johns
Lynx Golf Course a Natural
High-end public golf found in Allegan County
By Tom Lang
Since relocating to west Michigan a couple years ago, I have had the chance to sample more courses outside of the metro Detroit area.
The Lynx Golf Course is one of those pleasant surprises.
Nestled on land high above and down along the mighty Kalamazoo River, the Lynx is a beautiful course in a very natural setting, sans two holes and one cart ride with condos along the way but which are pushed back from the playing area.
Hole No. 1 leads off with a great example of what golfers will find on their day. The fairway first appears flat and boring, but hit it to the end of the fairway and you’re faced with a 75-foot elevation drop to the green. Beware, however, that going long over that green, and many others and you’ll find big trouble.
The second hole, also a par 4, has a nicely elevated tee box starting the hole which has a large tree left that can cause some headaches.
Get to hole number 3 and the view widens to the more open part of the golf course – tree lined but more appropriately called tree outlined on holes 3-6.
Holes 4 and 7 each have a large tree just right of center of the fairway that has to be factored in with your tee shot to make sure the way is clear for the approach to the green.
The two par 5s on the front (holes 5 and 8), are both uphill to elevated greens, so from the tips at 526 and 488 yards, respectively, they are a little more beastly compared to the other holes.
In general, the Lynx has a fair number of blind shots, so playing it a couple times will make golfers more aware of the intricacies of the layout.
I played the front nine with Cathy Ptacek (and her husband) of Allegan and couldn’t have had more fun – a classic definition of how golfers can meet at the first tee as total strangers but during the round have a very enjoyable time together.
“I think the Lynx is very lady friendly,” Cathy told me. “Especially from the forward tees. I think it’s around just 4,450 yards, so as long as you have a good tee shot, the holes play pretty well.
“I think it’s very peaceful here,” she added. “I like that there’s not a lot of condos or houses around, except for a couple holes on the front, and the rest is pretty much just nature, so I like that a lot. I like the back nine the best. I think it’s a little bit more picturesque, with the river running through it. There’s a couple dog leg lefts but they play really nice and it’s laid out well.”
Unfortunately, I had to call it a day after nine holes but based on Cathy’s comments and what I saw on the front, I’d say a return trip to experience all 18 will be well worth the drive.
Freeways and Fairways: Clearbrook
By Tom Lang
Nearing its 100th birthday in 2026, Clearbrook Golf Club and Restaurant is clearly a special place.
And its location is very unique in having two holes (13 and 14) bordering I-196 – yet is only one mile from the quaint town of Saugatuck and just a hop, skip and a jump from the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Clearbrook’s history makes it special, as well as two distinct nines that test every part of your game. The front nine crisscrosses up and down and back and forth across a brook spanning over 2,000 linear feet trickling through the bottom of a fairly deep valley. Trees are plentiful but not intrusive unless you are way off line.
The back nine, which is about half the age of the original nine, is set more amongst the trees on the property. The fairways are tighter, but again, not suffocating. My favorite 3-hole stretch on the back is the closing three holes of 16-18.
No. 16 is a par five that turns a little, twice, to a green approach shot guarded by water left. The 17th is a classy par 3 over a small extension of the same water found on 16, and it’s usually into the wind.
After a short cart ride to the par four 18th that’s located back on the original property, you will find a highly elevated tee box and a large pond looming at the bottom of the hill on the right. The tee shot requires a decision to layup left of the water and in front of the creek – making your second shot uphill to the green that much longer. Or if you have a better-than-average drive you can clear the creek and have a shorter chip to the elevated green.
I’d say the signature hole is No. 5. It’s a shorter par 5 with an elevated fairway that drops off out of nowhere to a deep valley with the brook running through it to clear on your approach to the green. Even more challenging is the brook forks right in the middle of the action, leaving a few choices on open patches of grass. You might have to play it a few times to figure out the best choice of strategy.
If you have never played the course but the name sounds familiar, maybe you read the December 2022 edition of MI Golf Journal which highlighted the fact that Kirk Cousins, the former QB at MSU and current NFL quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, purchased the golf course from Jim and Candy Jeltema.
The Jeltema’s first interest in the property when buying it nearly 40 years ago was always the restaurant/clubhouse, which was expanded about the time the course went from 9 to 18 holes. They are hospitality people by trade, having held executive positions at the Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island before becoming entrepreneurs in the food and golf business in Saugatuck.
They continue to own and operate the restaurant, while leasing the golf course from Cousins, who should become more involved in future years, likely after football.
In the meantime, the Jeltemas continue to offer great food and beverages at what resembles a supper club mixed with family atmosphere. Their summer seating is doubled when including the porch outside overlooking a very well-attended-to garden that treats the eye and adds a flair of total relaxation after a round of golf.
More information at: clearbrookgolfclub.com
Freeways and Fairways: Eldorado
The Cadillac course along US-131
By Tom Lang
This course review is part of an occasional series that looks at golf courses found along Michigan interstate freeways – those you drive by frequently, or on that annual vacation, but never seem to have time to stop and explore. Here is my assessment:
Eldorado is a golf course that is either blessed or cursed to be right in the easy line of site for golfers heading north on US 131 every weekend because most are driving right past it with visions of further-north resorts dancing inside their dimpled heads.
But maybe you should slow down next time and give it a try. When I did in June, I was paired up with a father-son duo from California, who did just that – and we had a great time.
“We’re taking a day or two to get to our destination (Treetops) and this is one of the spots my dad pointed out on the way up last night and we thought we’d check this place out,” said Chris McKeon of Carlsbad, CA as we stood on the 18th tee. “No expectations. We had no idea what it is, and it turned out to be quite the gem.
“There’s a lot of open space, and there is a really nice look across the course. Very good views, and you can drive the ball without relying on being really tight, except a couple holes on the back nine. But for the most part it’s fairly wide open and you can let it rip. Super big greens, very fun course.”
The open property appears to be former farmland, in part because a clean white home and freshly painted red barn sit across the road to the south. The front nine is pretty wide open, except for the approaches to some greens where it’s narrowed down by trees. The back nine has more water come into play by far. Approximately one-third of the property has marsh land in which the back nine meanders its way to and fro.
No. 8 is interesting in that the tee box is tightly surrounded by trees, but it opens up to a wide fairway, which then squeezes down on the par 5 to a very skinny area at the end of a dogleg left, requiring an approach over the marsh to an elevated green with mounding across the back to catch long balls.
The closing holes 9 and 18 share a combined green that is beautifully shaped and adds a great amount of character to each finishing hole. Hole 18, a longer par 4, requires a solid drive off the tee or you’ll have a layup before going over a large pond to the large putting surface.
“I think it’s awesome here,” said David McKeon. “My son and I like to do these golf trips and have discovery golf, where we just pick a course, drive to it and see if we can get on.
“The people in the pro shop here were fantastic, and I would also say that everybody in Michigan that we’ve met, from dinner last night and the course we played (Bay Harbor), to this one, super people here in Michigan. A lot of nice people who have been so friendly to us.
“Eldorado is very different from what we play back home,” he added. “There’s more trees on this course than any we’ve played in CA. It’s got many forced carries and when you’re a high handicapper it’s been a challenge, but it’s been a blast.”
Course Review: Stonebridge Golf Club
By Tom Lang
Stonebridge Golf Course in southwest Ann Arbor was ranked the No. 8 public course in metro Detroit last fall by the Detroit Free Press.
It was a good call.
Despite living in metro Detroit for 30 years, I had never seen the course until early this May, when on a reconnaissance mission with three other golfers planning to host a charity event there in August.
It will be a good event.
Stonebridge is the Arthur Hills design set within the confines of a housing development. But the good news is it’s not confining. The houses are pushed back away from the playing area quite well, so as to not be intrusive on a majority of holes.
The fairways are wide and inviting off the tees. Playing the 6,000 yard tees, this 18 handicapper made it around quite well, sans the terrible day of chipping and putting (that said, the green complexes were partially responsible). Most greens had one or two flat ‘perches’ for challenging hole locations, and if your approach shot/chip didn’t find or stay on said perch, putting was a harder test of skill on the remaining undulating surfaces.
The par 3s were a workout. Even from the almost forward tees, two of them were 170 yards long. No. 4 is a gorgeous par 3 over the corner of a small lake. Then No. 6 has the tees set in a wide-open area, but on the way to the green things get very tight with sand bunkering and trees shrinking the gap immensely.
Hole 11 is a very unique par 4 with a 90-degree turning dogleg right. Following the cut fairway makes it almost 400 yards long, but just for fun I chose to layup the drive short right, which left only 145 to the green, over some water. The trade off is if you follow the fairway longways, you are hitting it to a skinny green that is very deep as to allow many club choices. Yet coming from the side like I did, the green is very thin ‘front to back’ (think Augusta National’s No. 12; wide but almost no depth). My ball wouldn’t hold the skinny green from that angle and trickled over and into the rough.
No. 14 might be my favorite. It’s pretty, and pretty tricky for the second shot. The par 5 turns right at about where most player’s drives would land. From there on in, the very wide fairway gets narrower due to a lake extension that you cannot easily see encroaching the fairway from the left, with the right side guarded by very large bunkers. The run up to the green is probably the skinniest section of fairway on the course.
A creek runs through the entire property, coming into play many times. And if you like watching small airplanes, the front nine is in the landing pattern of the local air strip. Lots of small and homemade planes to entertain the eye from below.
Maybe that’s another reason for terrible chipping and putting.
Course Review: Iyopawa Island Golf Club
Coldwater Lake
By Tom Lang
What I like about golf in Michigan is that we have so many different golf courses that cater to all kinds of golfer skills, price ranges, land features and golf challenges.
Per Google, I recently happened upon a course I never heard of before while hoping to get the winter rust off the clubs by taking advantage of one nice day near the end of April before another rain/sleet/snow cold snap came along. Anything within a one-hour drive, that seemed different than others, and might not be crowded would do.
I found such criteria in Iyopawa Island Golf Club, situated on an island in the middle of Coldwater Lake, 3 miles north of the Indiana border.
The course opened 91 years ago in 1932 and has always been 9 holes and will stay that way – since the golf course already takes up about 80 percent of the island and family cabins and homes take up the remainder along the shoreline rim.
It’s not a breathtaking golf course – but it is perfect for families, beginners and intermediates to the game – without boring the accomplished golfer who might be joining them. To last for over nine decades and still be going strong proves this out as a needed option for summer vacationers.
The layout has three each of par 3’s, par 4’s and par 5’s. Forward tees are at 2154 yards with the backs at 2781. Only one sand trap, on the par 3 5th hole, requires a golfer to hit over it, and there’s only four bunkers on the entire course. The only water is what you can see between the homes of Coldwater Lake.
Due to being on an island in a shallow lake, the only elevation challenges come on holes 1 and 9. A deep valley runs across both fairways, and when you are in it on 9, you’ll have a totally blind shot to the closing green.
All greens are void of any major undulations, but the 7th and 8th are heavily slanted from back to front, and depending on the pin placement could easily become three-putt or worse.
Verbal lore claims that the location of the golf course used to be a sunflower farm, but now trees rim the property and line many fairways, but are not intrusive.
All in all, Iyopawa Island Golf Club is a great location for families to recreate and for long hitters to leave the driver in the bag but still have a nice time. It’s very affordable and is in a remote, soothing location. Would I suggest driving more than an hour to try it; no. But with its location not too far from Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and Jackson, and right off the I-69 freeway on the way to Indianapolis and points south, it could be a nice break from the car for vacationers to fit in a quick nine.
Small Town Golf Course Steeped in Senior PGA Tour History
By Tom Lang
It’s not often golfers can walk into a clubhouse and see the walls adorned with multiple dozens of personal stories and photos of life for a Michigander on the PGA Tour.
Yet you’ll find that very modest museum-like setting in the small town of Brooklyn in nearly the dead center of Michigan, just SE of Jackson. The course – the Hills’ Heart of the Lakes – has been owned by former PGA Tour Champions star Mike Hill, and his wife, Sandy, for more than 35 years. Their daughter, Kristen, has been working there and managing it ever since.
Older generation Michiganders will recall that Mike, now 84, was a ‘journeyman’ PGA Tour golfer who won three times on Tour – but when he reached the then Senior Tour, he burnt the field to win 18 times, nearly topping $1 million his first year of 1989, then surpassing it in 1991, becoming only the second player to do so. Those are huge paydays compared to current adjusted dollars.
Mike recently told me about the family’s financial challenges as his regular Tour life was slowing down. In the early 1980s, they didn’t have enough money to retire so Mike needed to work while Sandy continued to teach school.
“I guess the reason we have a golf course is because I was forced to make a living and golf was something I thought I knew a something about and knew I couldn’t make a living in farming,” Mike said.
The former course owner eventually contacted the Hills to try selling to them, but they decided on a lease agreement to start in 1984. They had 6 golf carts and 9 holes. Within two years the Hills’ made enough money to buy the property outright, and it was after Mike’s first year on the Senior Tour they decide they could afford to build the back nine – which Mike designed with the helpful knowledge of playing great courses all over the country.
I’m glad they did. The back nine is a little hillier and has more interesting turns compared to the first 8 holes that are basically straight, designed by old Ford co-workers in the 1950s with push-up greens, which the Hills’ updated with strategic bunkering.
“It’s a very challenging course even though it’s under 6,000 yards,” Mike said. “I believe there are very few people who can shoot even par there. The greens are a little tricky and we keep it in wonderful shape.
“I think the experience of seeing all the golf courses that I’ve played really played a big role in how I could (manage) this golf course; and being able to make money on the senior Tour gave us the money to buy equipment,” and keep it in great shape to this day.
“My wife and I used to be able to go up there and play anytime we wanted, and now we have to make a tee time. So, that tells you something about your course.”
Hole 16 is the signature hole at 410 yards. A player’s slightly-downhill drive needs to stay short of the large irrigation pond, which golfers need to clear on their approach to a large green. Both 17 and 18 are shorter par fours, both at under 300 yards – an example of how little land remained when building the back nine.
“When you come to 17 (a long poke uphill) and 18, they are fairly short holes,” Mike said. “But if you go ahead and think you can drive them you can make 6s and 7s pretty quick. But if you play smart golf and take an iron off the tee then pitch it onto the green, you’d probably make birdies and pars. Using driver, it’s easy to end up in the hazards or the swamp.”
In the end, things all boil down to family and small town pride and atmosphere. People come from Toledo and Detroit often with the easy access of I-94.
“I think people come here because we keep the course immaculate,” Kristen said, echoing her father’s comments. “It’s beautiful, a great place, and we have a homey feel here being in a small town. People come to the area for all the lakes in the area.
“It’s a really nice story (dad’s career and the course),” she added. “I think people enjoy it here, so we’re lucky. Golfers are always pretty optimistic people, so they’re always looking forward to the next good experience – and that’s what we do.”
Freeways and Fairways: Lake Michigan Hills
This course review is part of an occasional series that looks at golf courses found along Michigan freeways – those you drive by frequently, or on that annual vacation, but never seem to have time to stop and explore. Perhaps next time you should:
By Tom Lang
Anytime I’ve been near Benton Harbor, on my way to Harbor Shores or the private Pointe O’ Woods, I have noticed along I-196 northbound just above the I-96 interchange an attractive opening in the trees that is Lake Michigan Hills Golf Club.
The 1st and 10th tees are located at some of the highest elevations on the property, so the first shot on either nine you get to try bombing a long drive even longer – but be cautious because both holes have water near the landing areas.
And if you like trees, you will enjoy Lake Michigan Hills the rest of the tour.
The front nine holes are all pretty straight, with the only slight turns in the fairway on holes 1, 2 and 9 – and I do mean slight. There’s a good mix of elevation changes all the way around but, on the front, they are in the form of elevated tees. On the back nine there are significant elevation climbs on the 12th and 17th holes. In fact, the latter is such a long par three that goes so much uphill I would lobby that it be changed to a short par 4, even if they did not move the tees back a little. Those were the two toughest holes on the course for me, a 17-handicap.
Unlike the front nine, the back has three consecutive hard dogleg turning holes, Nos. 14-16 that bend and wrap alongside each other in parallel formation – like three boomerangs side-by-side. The first and last of the trio are par fours, while the No. 15 is a longer par 5 creating the outside border.
You feel like you’re playing a parkland course until reaching holes 5, 7 and 8 – where it seems obvious it’s where the most recent updates to the course have occurred. No. 5 is a par 4 with a valley dipping in the fairway, and a green complex that used to be surrounded by trees. But those have been cleared out for the most part and replaced with sand dunes and tall native grasses. It’s one of the areas that comes in closest contact with the freeway.
The 7th hole green was made a double shared green with the 10th hole, and when playing the 7th that doesn’t seem to come into play. But when you play the latter hole the visuals of that double green should make you double check which flag you are hitting to.
No. 8 is a par three that underwent the same transformation as No. 5 – I almost felt transported to Arizona for a hole, until coming back to reality of a Michigan tree-lined course on No. 9.
In 2023, Lake Michigan Hills is scheduled to have an all-new fleet of GPR carts, but GPS probably won’t tell you that when in doubt, all putts break slightly toward Lake Michigan, about 10 miles away.
More info found here.
Freeways and Fairways: Riverside
This course review is part of an occasional series that looks at golf courses found along Michigan interstate freeways – those you drive by frequently, or on that annual vacation, but never seem to have time to stop and explore. Here is my assessment:
By Tom Lang
This course in Battle Creek offers the unique combination of city skyline views and tree-lined fairways on peaceful rolling hills to navigate for a fun round of golf.
It also just barely qualifies as a freeways and fairways course because the freeway it sits along is only 3 miles in total length itself, I-194, the paved tributary connecting I-94 to downtown Battle Creek to the north.
A few things jump out at Riverside: price, green conditions and vistas.
This is a former country club in Battle Creek, near the Kalamazoo River that snakes through town – thus the name even though the river is not really visible. The current owners keep the prices low but the experience high. The first tee offers a really cool view of the Battle Creek skyline from the course’s highest point. It’s a unique way to start your round albeit not as large as you’d find in a major city.
I played it in early September, and the greens were in fantastic condition (sans the lazy golfers who don’t repair their ball marks). I was so surprised at how pristine the greens were with no visible blemishes or groundskeeping errors of any kind that I had to double check with my friend after the round to see if he saw what I did. He agreed.
That said, like most golf courses, some tees were a little beat up from being too shaded and not getting enough sun for re-growth. There were also a few bunkers in need of dire attention, and when I asked a grounds worker nearby, he said new sand had been on order for many months but with supply chain issues it hadn’t been delivered yet.
The front nine is more wide open than the back, which is a tunnel ride away under Columbia Road to access. I liked holes 10-12 as my favorite stretch of three in a row. No. 10 is a medium to long par 4 dog leg left and slightly uphill to the green. No. 11 is a slight dogleg left where golfers have to clear the corner to approach the green, which is elevated above the valley guarding the front. No. 12 is a very attractive par 3 with a large green.
But my favorite individual hole is the par 4 16th. The tee shot is blind as the fairway tuns left and steeply downhill on your approach shot. Water guards the right side of the green to require an accurate shot in.
All in all, Riverside a great course at a great value.
Leelanau: Bahle Farms
By Tom Lang
The first time I ever ventured more than 10 miles into Leelanau territory just north of Traverse City was to visit Bahle Farms Golf Course. That was only last year, in the summer of 2021.
And it keeps drawing me back.
The layout was developed by the Bahle family, a multiple-generation name on the peninsula, on parts of the family orchard. It’s now owned by the youngest golf course owner in Michigan at age 26, suburban Chicago transplant Crosley Duckmann, who spent most summers visiting family on the peninsula growing up. When he learned he could combine his love of golf and his fascination with Leelanau Peninsula, the young man found his calling.
Bahle Farms Golf Course is nestled on the high ridges of central Leelanau County. Of the courses I have played in Michigan, this little-known course is easily in Michigan’s top 5 courses of those laid out on land with so many drastic elevation changes and rolling hills.
The tee boxes at No. 10 and 11 (the photos shown here) are easily 90-100 feet above the fairways below. The images are taken standing on each tee box but look like they are taken by drones – and literally every hole except the par 3 Hole No. 4 over a pond and No. 13 (which cuts through the heart of a cherry orchard) is built on land that goes uphill or downhill or crosses sharp valleys – while many have slanted fairways along the way.
To call it naturally rolling countryside is an understatement.
“Every single hole is designed in a way that they aren’t the same to any other,” Duckmann told me last year. “Our elevation changes are magnificent. It’s very beautiful out there, and you get not only great views on the course but of the surrounding county as well. You get big, huge, long views of forest areas and orchards (and of Suttons Bay).”
My favorite stretch of three consecutive holes is 10-12. No. 10 kicks off the back nine from the highly-elevated tee on the par 4 that goes back up to a slightly elevated green. No. 11 is a huge drop off par 3 to a large green, but the view from the tee over the valley can be districting, in a good way. No. 12 is a long par 5 that slowly climbs back uphill to reach the level of the 13th hole, which cuts through the still-harvested cherry orchards.
“Our motto is not selling golf, we sell a good time on a golf course,” said marketing and events director Melissa Obis. “We take that to heart; we really care about the experience people have when they come out here. There’s a few holes where you see other golfers, but for the most part you are in your own world and surrounded by such beauty, the elevations, the hills, the trees; then the view of Sutton’s Bay out on the back nine. It’s really hard to beat.”
All rates always include carts as this is not a walkers’ course. Don’t try to be a hero.
Any golfer that wants a true ‘Northern Michigan’ experience with grand views and a challenging up and down golf course layout – this is one you’ve got to try.
More information found here.
Other Things To Do:
Numerous cider and wine producers are within a few miles of Bahle Farms. If you’re a gambler, the Leelanau Sands Casino and Lodge is a short drive to the north of Sutton’s Bay, one of the most beautiful and quintessential small town northern villages stocked with shopping, a classic movie house, eateries and great homemade ice cream.
Leelanau: Northport Creek
By Tom Lang
In the most northern portion of the peninsula, the small shoreline village of Northport has what I would call a hybrid golf course that serves many needs in the community.
For starters, it creates all its own power with solar panels. The Jerry Matthews design, which opened in the summer of 2014, is also routed in loops so people can easily play 6, 9, 12 or 18 holes which all come back to the clubhouse.
Northport Creek is also different in that it’s purposefully an economic engine beyond the course borders. The village receives 5 percent of all revenue, and the management team specifically recommends restaurants and other retail options in the downtown area to help support the region’s businesses. There is purposefully limited food service at the golf course so people go visit eateries in the area, like Mitten Brewery Co., Garage Bar-B-Q and New Bohemian Café.
“The people who utilize the course in the community have seen that’s it’s become an asset to the village and the area, because people come to play golf and then also do other experiences here in Northport.
“Traveling golfers that try us will find a fun and challenging golf course,” said general manager Chris McCann, who was born in Northport and graduated from high school there. “It’s playable for all abilities and all ages. We have tees for juniors (1905 yards) and experienced players (3015 yards) and everything in between.”
Common characteristics of the course include that only the par 3s have full line-of-sight of the greens from the tee boxes. All other holes are routed going a little downhill or uphill or with enough dogleg to hide the green. Most greens also have an east/west or north/south spine in them to create various pin placement sections.
The parcel of land moves gradually and was once a cherry orchard that was foreclosed in 2011. A former automotive engineer, Bill Collins, was the lead investor to develop it and give it back to the town at some point, but eventually the deal became a 5 percent profit share. A main goal was to provide a new recreation option to help the village with health and economic opportunities, after another 18-hole course closed in 2000. Adding the solar electric panels was always part of the masterplan, mostly to handle irrigation and clubhouse power.
The first 6 holes are a loop to the east with the 6th green back at the clubhouse. No. 7 starts and goes to the southwest for the final 3-hole loop. A few years back it was named one of the "13 Great Nine-Hole Golf Courses" by Golf Vacation Insider.
“We have a lot of people that as long as there’s an open spot on the first tee, they’ll keep going around for more,” McCann said. That’s not surprising since the course is not over-crowded, playing at about 13,000 rounds per year.
One of those would be summer resident Matthew McGowen. The 18-year-old will enter Michigan State this fall from his home in Colorado. He spends most of his summers with extended family in Northport.
“I think it’s great,” he said as a course for everyone. “I was able to play it starting when I was 7, with my older cousins. There’s a good mix of all ages of kids and adults. I’ve played every tee here (moving in progression with age from green to blue), and you can still play it fast even when you’re younger. It feels secluded and it’s nice to be outside. I’ve never gotten bored here.”
Other Things To Do:
Just a short distance north at the tip of the peninsula is Leelanau State Park, which includes the Grand Traverse Lighthouse.
There’s also hiking trails that lead out to Lake Michigan, where a large area of dune grass and sand create an area the locals call the magic carpet.
Leelanau: Sugar Loaf The Old Course
By Tom Lang
If you like the challenge of aiming at smaller greens, mixed with lots of up and down terrain and wooded fairways, then The Old Course at the base of Sugar Loaf Mountain along the west edge of Leelanau Peninsula is for you.
With an average of 5,000-square-foot greens, a handful at the end of tight tree-lined fairways, this circa 1965 golf course is a shot makers challenge.
The front nine is more open and eases any golfer into their round, but it still takes concentration. No. 2 is a medium par 4 but plays longer because the green is perched high above the fairway. The green complex is made more interesting by the fact it’s a shared green with No. 5, which is located on the back addition of the green. The front nine is almost 3,300 yards from the tips, leading to the back nine that is over 3,500 yards.
“We’re not a city course. We’re out in the beautiful part of the country,” said Chris Wakeman, the GM and a mainstay at the course now enjoying his 40th anniversary on property. “Most people are used to flat, open golf courses, and you’re not going to find that here.”
Especially on the back 9.
A ravine runs through the final 9 layout, crisscrossing many holes.
No. 14 is the No. 1 handicap hole at 433 yards with a very tight fairway – which ends with a huge tree on the front right side of the green, aptly named the “Eisenhour Tree” in its resemblance to the former green obstacle on the 17th at Augusta National.
The ravine is most dramatic on the 17th hole, what used to be the longest hole in Michigan when it was first built. At 618 yards from the tips, it’s still a challenge getting to the green in regulation which is made tougher by the fact the large green (in this case) is very highly perched above the more cavernous fairway. Its landmark is a huge rock pile in the middle of the fairway that most people are hitting over on the second shot.
The closing hole is an easier par 3 framed with an old farm silo at the back of the green. A stone in the silo indicates it was erected in 1916.
Another portion of history includes the golf course’s former association with the Sugar Loaf ski resort, which shut down in 2000. More than two decades later the new owner of the former ski property just this July removed the last remnants of overnight accommodations and ski lift equipment from the property. Due to a small series of golf course name changes since the ‘60s, when people called on the phone in recent years, staff would find it easier to explain, “we’re the old course at Sugar Loaf,” which eventually stuck for the current name.
Wakeman and his staff pride themselves on great service, good conditions and affordable pricing.
“There’s a lot of new people coming, and we’ve experienced quite a bit of that the last few years, and that’s a good thing,” Wakeman said. “We do depend on our local market; they carry us through the spring and the fall. We have about a seven-week season, from mid-June to mid-August, when we start to see the exodus happen (of vacationers heading back down state).”
A perfect reason to give this course a try come fall. But don’t wait past October 31, the annual shut down date.
Leelanau: Manitou Passage Golf Club
By Tom Lang
In its early life, Manitou Passage was called King’s Challenge, an Arnold Palmer signature course cut through the woods at the base of the since-closed Sugar Loaf ski resort.
In more recent years, after a slight redesign of a couple holes, golfers still enjoy the traditional Arnold Palmer-style layout with magnificent views, tree-lined fairways and cool breezes coming off the nearby Lake Michigan shoreline.
“Obviously an Arnold Palmer design, and what that means is if you hit it to where it’s designed to, you’ll be rewarded; and if you don’t, you’re going to get punished. Yet I think it’s very fair,” said new GM Josh Schlump, formerly of Ann Arbor.
“I think it starts when you first pull in…we’re going for the wow factor,” Schlump said about the clubhouse and restaurant, the nicest building of all four courses in this series. Palmer memorabilia and his umbrella trademark abounds, from both his amateur and pro championships.
“The thing people are most surprised at when they get here is the overall layout of the golf course,” Schlump said. “We get the compliments like, ‘hey, that’s a fantastic layout,’ or ‘on No. 17 I can’t believe that elevation change,’ and the always, ‘gosh, that view from No. 8 is really cool.’
“The two nines are completely different,” he added. “Some people are a little frustrated that the turn but when we tell them it opens up on the back side, then they smile a little.”
The first hole is fairly wide open, and most golfers can reach it in regulation, but from that point forward the front 9 is fairly tight.
“On holes 2-6 you need to just hang on there and stay as close to even par as you can,” Schlump said.
No. 8 is the highlight hole of the round. It’s a long, downhill traversing par 5 that also acts as the property’s highest lookout point. The back tees are a must visit even if you are playing your round more forward – as most golfers should. Some trees were strategically removed along the tee boxes’ right side to clear a visual path to both Manitou Islands off on the distance horizon of Lake Michigan. The course is 12 miles from the shoreline, and the view at No. 8 tee gives the course its name. It’s a perfect example of hundreds of Leelanau Peninsula’s picturesque views to the west up and down the shoreline of Lake Michigan, and Grand Traverse Bay to the east.
The turn features possibly the easiest hole on the course, No. 9, then 10 is a reachable par five to kick off the back nine. Both 11 and 12 are shorter par fours to keeping easing you into the trip homeward, with additional birdie opportunities on holes 16-18.
Friday, Sept. 9 is a big day for Manitou Passage. They are hosting the First-Annual Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital Charity Outing, to benefit the legend’s work in central Florida. Hospital reps are coming as well, to enjoy all the Michigan fall colors. You can join in by contacting the course. The event is the day before Arnold Palmer’s birthday.
Other Things To Do:
Just like all the Leelanau courses featured this month, none are all that far away from downtown Traverse City. And of the four courses, this one is closest to Sleeping Bear Dunes by a couple miles over The Old Course.
Schlump said that most families and couples use overnight accommodations at The Homestead, while buddy groups utilize Airbnb’s more often.
All-in-all, the peaceful, pristine landscape of the entire Leelanau Peninsula should be first and foremost enjoyed to the maximum. It could be the best trip you always thought about but never gave a shot – until now.
Links at Hunters Ridge is Evolving Beautifully
By Tom Lang
There’s been a lot of activity at The Links of Hunters Ridge near Howell the past few years, culminating in some excellent golf experiences for local regulars and newcomers alike.
One of the newbie’s is long-time mid-Michigan newspaper-columnist-turned-radio and TV-host Jack Ebling, who joined me for a round in early June. Now he’s threatening to become a regular.
“The Links at Hunter’s Ridge exceeded my expectations,” Ebling said. “And they were pretty high when I got there. The bottom line? I’ll be back!
“The layout was easy to follow, interesting and just tough enough. Of course, it always helps when you par the first three holes after a 10-month layoff. But reality returned soon enough (to my game.) You could tell they’d taken some extra steps to make the day fun. There was lots of TLC at The Links Course. And I’m sure the people there care about what we think. That’s not always the case.”
High Quality Design:
The Links at Hunters Ridge was designed by Jerry Matthews and Paul Albanese, the latter who was onsite almost daily for two years overseeing the construction in the mid-1990s on the Miesle family farm, dating back several generations of theirs to the 1870s. Within a few years of opening, Hunters Ridge hosted a U.S. Open qualifier.
My favorite stretch of holes on the front nine are holes 4-6. The 4th is a short par four that goes a little uphill and slightly to the right.
The 5th is a downhill par 3 requiring a good poke to clear a marsh, to a thin front-to-back, but wide green. I suggested to the assistant superintendent who joined us that day to add a sand bunker all the way across the front with a ‘beach’ style flow into the pond. It would make the carry from the tee a little less yardage but for those still coming up short they could find their ball but won’t get a free ride out of the sand either.
Then comes No. 6, a long par five that has a creek cutting across and one of the few large trees on course to navigate around.
Perhaps the crowning jewels, though, are the closing holes. The 17th tee is the highest point on the property from where you can see the entire course and drops 45-60 feet to the par three green. Then 18 is a par 5 risk-reward hole with water guarding the right side of the three-tier green complex.
The new owners the past four years have painstakingly paid attention to the details to make improvements as the course approaches 30 years of serving mostly SE Michigan golfers. Albanese has been hired again, to provide a master plan for the next decade or so.
Some new bunkers were installed to create obstacles for golf’s distance changes the past quarter century. All bunkers are full of new sand without any lips, so balls hit toward bunkers have a chance to roll right through and into green grass.
The clubhouse has been freshened up but wasn’t big enough to add a full kitchen, so the owners designed a food truck to their specs to serve all the traditional golf course fare, but assuredly some non-traditional food as well. A highlight for Ebling was the ‘Hunter Burger,’ a half-pound blend of wild board, bison, elk and wagyu beef, topped with fried onions, Swiss cheese and chipotle sauce… you know, your average golf course burger.
“My favorite part of the visit was the people,” Ebling said. “They made you feel like family. Jim (the super) and Jenny (one owner) couldn’t have been better unless Jim had traded scores with mine. And I’d never seen a food truck like that.”
Go to: www.golfhuntersridge.com for more information.
Gull Lake View Resort Invests Nearly $2M for Golfers
By Tom Lang
There is no resting on laurels for Gull Lake View Resort near Battle Creek, in Augusta.
Located halfway between Detroit and Chicago, the fourth-generation family resort, one of the largest in the country with six golf courses, won National Golf Course of the Year in 2021 for its highly-rated Stoatin Brae layout.
When some courses would sit back and simply buff the shine on such a trophy, the staff and family owners at Gull Lake View got to work to make even more improvements to carry the torch long into the future.
Where most of the renovation is most noticeable is in the 67 condos, utilized most often for family and buddies’ trips (yes, women have buddies’ trips too, which have been increasing), but the huge investment can be seen all over the multiple properties. They can sleep about 280 people per night on property.
“We spent a lot of time with the lodging,” said resort president Bill Johnson. “The buildings were first put up in the 1970s so we updated them with new beds. Three buildings got all new floors in the Villas, where we have our ‘Stay and Plays.’ We put in all new cabinets in the kitchens, and we’ve always kept updating the appliances as needed. Just trying to modernize the experience for guests.”
They’ve added all new golf carts to Gull Lake View East and West and Bedford Valley – and while the public won’t necessarily see it, lots of new equipment for the grounds crew to make their jobs easier, more efficient and making for more pleasant grounds for the golfers to enjoy. There are also plans to rebuild many cart paths this summer.
One popularity point for Gull Lake View is its location between Chicago and Detroit, and not too far from Indianapolis (3.5 hours). Johnson said being a lake region with hilly land and the closeness to large cities makes it attractive; basically 2.5 hours in either direction. “Those things really help us stay in the game.”
While Stoatin Brae gest lots of attention, as it should for its masterpiece links design on one of the highest points in Kalamazoo County, the formidable Bedford Valley continues to host important state tournaments annually, like high school state finals. It also used to host the Michigan Open, and regularly still hosts the Michigan Sr. Open.
According to Johnson, the theme is ‘big.’
“It’s a good old-fashioned golf course. There’s no tricks,” Johnson said. “It’s big. The bunkers are big, the greens are big. The trees are big. And the yardage can be big (when necessary). Bedford withstands the challenge, for all ages and genders.”
Stonehedge North has also hosted Div. 3 college tournaments as Gull Lake expands in more of those style events.
Last year the resort hit a milestone in that someone from every U.S. state (lower 48) has now been to Gull Lake View Resort. Getting Golf Course of the year in 2021 helped push some new guests to travel a long way give it a try.
“We’re getting some international play too,” Johnson said. “We have some people coming over from Scotland because they want to see Stoatin Brae (which from day one has intentionally had a Scottish feel). And every year the course matures more and more. A super fun golf course that keeps getting highly-rated. I still say the Stonehedge courses are under-rated.
“All is good at Gull Lake View.”
Sister Courses Highlight Great Golf in Oceana County
Located near very popular Silver Lake State Park
By Tom Lang
This is the 60th anniversary year for Oceana Golf Club, north up the coastline from Muskegon.
Members and locals are ecstatic to have reached that milestone, especially considering that the local public course – first designed and built by townspeople from Shelby and Hart banding together to make their own hometown course – was about to shut down after Year 57.
Its second lease on life came thanks to a local native who grew up in the area, played golf at Shelby High and eventually made it big in the financial investment services world.
Jason Wenk, 41, lifted the property out of financial stress and sure closure just months before Covid-19 temporarily shut down golf in early 2020 and he has since placed his resources into making improvements that have long-time golfers feeling giddy like a teenage girl feeling her first crush.
Multiple improvements were made two years ago during Covid’s first months; like fixing a serious draining issue on holes 1 and 9, adding new irrigation, remodeling the clubhouse and securing newer power carts.
We first brought you the historical back stories in a 3-part series in 2020.
The most noticeable changes came in late last year and are now open for play – a brand new downhill par 3 and a former drivable par 4 being combined with a nearby par 3 to create a challenging dogleg left par 4 with major risk-reward elements.
“We really looked forward to the new par 3 as they were building it,” said newer member Doug Grigonis, who drives 30+ minutes from Whitehall to play Oceana’s rebirth. “And when they changed the par 4 No. 7 (now combined to make a new Hole 8) with the big dog leg, that really improved that hole. It’s a lot more challenging now, and it’s just a great set up. The front 9 is really improved with these two changes. The whole place is coming up; and it’s nice.”
The new 5th hole is cut out of northern Michigan tall pines that form a horseshoe-shaped barrier around the back and two sides, with a waste bunker covering the right side to save wayward shots from reaching those woods. The drop off from the elevated tee is at least 75 feet, maybe more, and is 172 yards from the upper tips.
The back tees on what used to be hole 5, but is now 6, are still in their elevated location at the highest point on the property with a drop exceeding that of the par 3, to a par-5 fairway below that turns slightly right near the large green. To make up for adding a new hole, the new hard left turn dog-leg 8th hole was reconstructed as described above.
Other additions were some fountains placed in ponds to help aerate the water and help golfers see deceptively hidden water hazards.
Almost a mile-and-a-half of new asphalt cart paths were added to help preserve grass conditions.
Staff also added 15 tee boxes, to spread out the yardages more proportionally front to back and allow people to have added options to fit their games.
“We’re drawing a lot of new people from Muskegon and Whitehall, south of us 30 minutes,” said 31-year head pro Marc Inglis. “They’re willing to make that drive, because of the conditions, and the experience they’re getting here at Oceana Golf Club. The condition Corey (Parmalee) and his grounds crew keep it in is immaculate – which is all part of a capital improvement plan we’ve had going. We’ve improved and added to the equipment, and it makes night and day difference with what you can do with a golf course. It’s really paying off.”
Inglis said staff numbers have doubled since the year 2019 when the doors were almost shuttered.
The back 9 kicks off with the par five 10th hole, which traverses up and over two huge ridges and through two deep valleys to an elevated green. Holes 13 and 15 also have perched greens on the same ridge that holds up No. 10 green, with a neighboring forest as the backdrop on all three.
Benona Shores also sees rebirth:
A neighboring course less than 15 minutes away and closer to the Lake Michigan shoreline, Benona Shores, was also where Wenk played as a child. His only career hole-in-one came there on the 6th hole as a pre-teen. Combined, the two courses are very close to the famous dune rides and other summertime fun activities at Silver Lake State Park on Lake Michigan – which provides breezes almost daily on the course.
Wenk didn’t intend to purchase Benona Shores (where, as a child, he’d pay for golf at the back door of the family farmhouse still on-site), but the previously family-run par 60 course – designed mostly for summer vacationers – recently lost its patriarch leader. Combining the two courses under the same ownership made perfect sense, especially being geographically close with the ability to share resources. The personal family ties didn’t hurt either.
“The two courses, including Benona, we look at it more like we’re the steward of these places, not the owners,” Wenk said. “This is a time in which we have the responsibility to take care of these places and make sure they’re here for a long, long time.
“The course has always been phenomenal. The land is just really special. The biggest mistake we could have made there was messing it up (the course).”
Nothing looked messed up to me – just primed for great community golf and a better-than-normal recreational opportunity for summertime visitors to the region. I played it in late June and had a glorious time. Unfortunately, many people see par 60 and rebuff it as a ‘par 3 executive’ course. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Benona Shores is a tough track, but without any par fives makes it more enjoyable for a wide range of golfers; those people learning the game, while it remains challenging for those more experienced.
I enjoyed most the starting holes on both nines. Hole 1 strikingly goes up hill to the halfway point, then all downhill to the nicely shaped two-tier green. That par 4 is followed by two par 3s that each traverse uphill, followed by strikingly downhill par 4 that sharply turns right at the elbow. All four are tree lined, before getting into a more open part of the course that’s flooded with apple, pear and apricot trees away from the fairways that were left standing from the former orchard the course is carved into. Holes 10 and 11 are us tough and attractive as any par 3-par-4 holes.
It’s clear why Wenk said the course was top-notch already – his investments are almost all to buildings and equipment. The clubhouse has been renovated and is to be expanded; the parking lot is no longer just a beat-up grassy patch, as new landscaping features greet arrivals, and brand-new power carts with super-plush seats await us for traveling the undulations of the land.
Local golf courses mean so much to thousands of people across the state – as gathering places in open green spaces, recreation for good health and well-being, charitable and economic support in the community, socializing with friends, and making new ones.
All of the above and more are why small-town golf courses are critical to communities, and these two sister courses are getting the job done in style.
