Freeways and Fairways: The Woodlands Course at Whittaker
By Tom Lang
I took advantage of some free time on Labor Day weekend to go play the Woodlands Course located right on the Michigan/Indiana border along I-94 heading toward Chicago. That entire New Buffalo area is a hot spot for Chicagoans looking for a quiet Michigan getaway along the beautiful shoreline of Lake Michigan.
Who could blame them?
Whenever I see a golf course that bumps up against a freeway I like to check them out when possible. Due to their locations, often times they get passed by in the public’s rush to their final destinations.
My experience at The Woodlands Course at Whittaker was a mixed bag, to which I would give it an overall average rating – but thankfully it seems to be on an upswing. The course design is nice, the surroundings very natural (despite the front nine bordering a railroad track and the Hole 14 green up against I-94), but the conditions have been suffering. Allow me to explain:
At the Woodlands, which turns 30 years old in 2026, I found greens and green complexes that are for the most part in really great shape. New sand in the traps, smooth putting surfaces and some re-seeding of a couple surrounding areas. I could tell that they were coming back to life under new management.
But by the staff’s own admission, some tees were really rough. In a couple cases, some grass burnout was bad enough that some of the tee boxes were closed. Most of the fairways were in good shape but did have occasional bad spots – but that can describe almost any course, even private clubs. Woodlands’ staff said tee boxes are the next big project.
Here is how one reviewer described his experience, posted August 2 on GolfNow:
“I first want to state that I and my group of golf buddies were one of the first to play this course when it opened. No massive clubhouse, just a double wide trailer on a stone parking lot. Cost: $38 with a cart. The course was pristine and the greens were already fast and true. From that opening in 1996 to about six years ago the course stayed that way. For whatever reason things started going south quickly. I just played this weekend and the course is far from pristine, but is on the road to recovery. Progress is being made but is taking time. Greens are slower than normal but run true. I hope the mission statement from the new management stating they will bring it back to its glory days is true. Only time will tell.”
My first experience revealed much of the same, but I liked the layout, the nice mix of green complexes with bunkering and some without sand, and a hardwood tree-lined course capturing the natural beauty of SW Michigan. The front-nine played tighter – on the back nine the trees were pushed back further and the driver could come out of the bag. Many wetlands dot the course and add a nice challenge to the layout. Lots of nature were out and about. Curiously, I don’t recall a single dogleg turning right – they all seemed to turn left.
Hole 12 is a beautiful downhill par 3 to a green complex shaped like a bowl to help catch shots. Hole 14 is a dogleg left wrapping around a pond to a fun green. That is the closet point to I-94, where you can also see the ‘Welcome to Indiana’ sign.
I paid $125, way too much for the experience on a holiday weekend at a currently average course, be here’s hoping for its comeback to give the New Buffalo area a great option for golf.
