Freeways and Fairways: Snow Snake

By Tom Lang

    At first glance off the freeway exit north of Clare along southbound U.S. 27, Snow Snake Ski and Golf doesn’t appear to be a likely place to experience fun and compelling golf.

    You’d be mistaken.

    All is well in the wintertime as the ski runs which are designed for families, and a safe space for kids and other downhill beginners, are covered in snowy white. But in the summertime, the entrance looks nothing like a place to play quality golf.

    You’d be mistaken, again.

    Much of what you need to know about playing Snow Snake will reveal itself on the first four holes of the property that are tucked away from the ski runs – as the opening four holes introduce you to the different facets of the game you’ll experience that day.

    No. 1 is a somewhat blind tee shot to a fairway eventually going downhill and is guarded by a huge tree on the right front corner of the green.

    Hole 2 is a very short par 3, but the green is challenging. It slopes front to back, with a large pond behind the green; so avoid going long like your scorecard depends on it. The same can be said for the 18th green, by the way.

    Hole 3 is a medium length par 4 with a turn slightly right to left. At No. 4 the challenge steps up. You need to get your drive as far as possible down the fairway, ideally inside the 150-yard mark, because from 100 yards in, the remaining landscape is a deep gorge. You need as short of an iron as possible to get over it and still hold the green that’s perched on the other side of the gorge. 

    The valley to clear is all mowed at rough length so if you come up short you still have a shot, but not an easy one.
    Holes 7 and 8 are back-to-back par fives with No. 8 being the more beastly. The same gorge that trickles through the property on Holes 4 and 5 has to be cleared on the tee shot to get it up to the fairway, which is slightly above tee box level. But just like Hole 4, the lower valley is mowed so you can find your ball and play it if you do come up short. Even from the middle white tees it’s a 220-yard carry to get to the Fairway grass.

   One of the women co-owners in the family business, who as a child rode horseback through the hilly property now hosting the 18 holes, told me that women enjoy the course in part because of all the extra landscaping and flowers that are planted around tee boxes and some greens. Two female master gardeners are hired to handle that part of the course.

    Not many leagues play at Snow Snake; rather their main clientele are golfers heading north, and local lake property owners. The general manager describes Snow Snake as the first “up north feel” course people come across after all the flatter land of southern central Michigan.

    The closing trio of holes are as good as any finishing holes you’re going to find on a parkland course. No. 16 and 18 are right to left par four dog legs and 17 is a par three going over a deep depression with water at the bottom. The green looks and feels higher in the air than the tee. Hole 18 finishes with the largest water hazard on the property as the backdrop and has a nice little bubbling stream on the right side feeding into the pond. 

    At the conclusion of my round, I was tired from it being a hot July day as I looked over my unimpressive scorecard, yet I could not stop smiling.