St. Clair Golf Club
St. Clair, Michigan

Grade: B-
Teachers’ Comments: They added a moustache to the Mona Lisa.

Opened in 1917, St. Clair River is a very nice Donald Ross Course, with all of the Great Architect’s hallmarks. That is, it is a nice Ross course until you get to the twelfth. At that point, it turns into a rather pedestrian housing development Jerry Matthews course. It magically turns back into a Ross on the seventeenth.

According to a staff member I spoke to, what apparently happened is that some years ago, the original holes 12 - 16 were sold for a housing development. Matthews was hired to replace the original holes, routing them through another development. Frankly, I think he did a terrible job. I knew from the moment I saw 12 that it wasn’t a Ross. Twelve is a forced carry over a marsh to a large green that slopes from back to front. It oozed development course.

What I can’t figure out is why the architect couldn’t put in five holes that emulated Ross. There certainly are enough Ross examples out there to borrow. Its as though someone hired an architect to add a room to a 19th century farmhouse and he built a modernist design in steel and glass. Perfectly functional, but not in keeping with the spirit.

Overall, I enjoyed the course. The members are lucky to be able to play thirteen great classic holes. I’d like to see photos of what it looked like originally, though. It would quite a different experience without the trees lining the fairway, and I suspect that trees were not part of the original experience.

Conditions in the heat of the summer were very good, as you might expect from a private club.

St. Clair is a private club, but you can find coupons on sites like Group Golfer for a round (that’s how I made it on). They may also have space available if you call. If you do go, make time to eat in the dining room. The food was terrific.

College Fields
Okemos, MI

Grade: B-
Teacher’s Comments: A good course marred by a few bad holes.

Located just a mile from Michigan State University, College Fields is a very nice course that’s about four holes short of being excellent.

College Fields is a prairie course (and I mean that in the best possible way), mostly flat and open, playing through or past the occasional stands of trees and marsh. Bogey golfers—and especially the less accurate will score well here. Danger comes mostly from mounding and bunkers. On a windy day, it’ll play link a links course.

However, with the exception of just one hole on the back nine, golfers are never in real danger of losing a ball in trees or water. If the bogey golfer plays from the correct tees, he will score well.

From the back tees, College Fields measures 6,482 yards and plays to a 72/136. From the middle tees, it’s a 5,941 that plays at 68.4/129.

The greens are on the large side, and are very puttable. I don’t think golfers will find a lot of tricky reads to struggle over here.

Most of the holes are fun, but a couple really stand out in my mind. I loved the eighth, an uphill par four measuring 346 from the whites.

The seventeenth

I also liked the par three seventeenth, which involves a 203 yard downhill shot. I don’t normally like such long threes, but this one is visually comfortable, and has so much fairway in front of the green that I thought it fun.

The eighteenth

The ninth and eighteenth share a double wide fairway. Interesting.

The Fourth

There were for me, however, a few jarring holes. The tee shot for the fourth plays under major power lines. Ugly and distracting. There is plenty of land available in that corner of the course, but from aerial photos, it is clear that all that extra space is reserved for a housing community.  Ruin a hole. Sell a house.

Another that seemed out of place was the thirteenth. Unlike the course’s other wide, generous layout, this one is tight and nasty. I bogeyed it, but did not enjoy the trip.

The par 3 fifteenth is awkwardly placed—almost amateurish.

Seven plays right up to a scraggly old house and yard where I was distracted while putting by a crew of guys banging away on an old junker truck in the back yard.

It is difficult to comment on conditions at College Fields, because I played there late in the season, long after most sensible golfers had hung up their cleats. Still, for a November day, it was on good shape. If you extrapolate that to high season, I expect that you’ll find everything first rate.

A big point in favor of College Fields is that they encourage walking. There are just a couple of uphill spots where you’ll find the going difficult and even those are not particularly tough.

Peak greens fees rates are pretty good: $55 with a cart and $39 walking. Midweek, you can play for as low as $29 and $19. Play and walk on a midweek afternoon, and you’ll be rewarded.

More Photos Below:

Stonehedge North
Augusta, Michigan
Grade: A-
Teacher’s Comments: A fine course well worth return visits.

Stonehedge North is the newest of the five Gull lake View Resort courses. It is more open, less spacious and perhaps less scenic than the others, but still a great deal of fun.

Of Gull Lake View’s quintet, Stonehedge North was the last I played. I was expecting another walk in the hilly woods and was thus a little disappointed when the front nine didn’t match the template. Stonehedge North’s front nine is relatively open and flat. Further, the holes don’t have the same feeling of isolation that I enjoyed on the other tracks.

The back nine becomes somewhat more hilly and wooded, but never to the level of its older sister courses. It is also correspondingly more difficult than the front nine.

This is not to say that I did not enjoy the course. I really did. Upon reflection, I realize that had I played this course first, I would be raving about it rather than tingeing my words with slight disappointment. This is a course that is a cut above most.

In a somewhat unusual layout, the holes at Stonehedge North are perfectly balanced. Each nine has three par 5s, three par 4s and three par 3s. I liked the extra par fives, since I typically score pretty well on those. Not so on the par threes, but in my round, I also had not one, but TWO chip-ins on the par threes for birdie (on four and eight). I also took a quadruple bogey when I tin cupped the par three eleventh, which called for a shot over a lake to a narrow green against a hillside.

I think golfers of all skill levels will appreciate not only the balanced sides, but the variety of holes. There are some on grassy prairie, a couple with close-lying trees and a few that use water as a strategic element. Most are relatively flat, or gently rolling, but significant elevation changes also are there. Everyone is going to have a couple of favorite holes—and those are not likely to be the same.

For the most part, the greens at Stonehedge North are quite large, and golfers will do well by playing slightly short and letting the ball release. Bunkers have nice strategic placement around the greens and in likely fairway locations.

Stonehedge North stretches to 6,673 yards at the back, with rating of 71.8/127. From the middle tees, it shortens to 5,785 and a 67.6/117. Course designers were Charles and Jon Scott.

As is usual, I’ll caution bogey golfers to keep it on the fun side by playing it forward.

Conditions on the end-of-season day I visited were very good. As with all the Gull Lake View courses I’ve visited, it is clear that management takes good care of all its properties.

Rates are fairly reasonable, given the quality of the course. Greens fees on weekdays are $39, and $44 on weekends. You can play all day for $50 and $57.

As with all the Gull Lake View courses, I am anxious to return.

This review has been sponsored by Sweetwoods Park Golf Club in Kent.

More photos below:

The Medalist
Marshall, Michigan

Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: A top quality, fun course.

Management for The Medalist bills it as a “championship, links-style course.” Only part of that is correct. In my mind, The Medalist has absolutely nothing in common with links golf.

It is, however, a top quality, championship course. Lots of courses bill themselves as “Championship,” but the Medalist has the paperwork to prove it. It has hosted the 2001 Women’s State Championship, the 2010 Michigan State Junior Golf Championship, and the 2011 Michigan Junior State Amateur Championship. The Medalist also has hosted numerous USGA qualifiers including most recently United State Amateur Public Links qualifiers in 2009, 2010, and 2011.

So if The Medalist is not a “links” course, what is it? I think The Medalist is a stellar example of midwestern golf: there are some open holes, a few that involves swamps, and others that meander through hardwood forest. Throw in some gentle elevation changes, and you have a course whose holes are as diverse as any landscape you’ll play.

(An aside: non-seaside courses should avoid the impulse to call themselves “links.” I know that “links” has a certain cachet, but course owners should be proud of what they have and not try to make golfers believe it is something else altogether.)

The Medalist begins with three treeless holes, all relatively flat. It then turns through a wooded, swampy area until hole twelve. Holes twelve through eighteen open up a bit more, with forested areas trees along one side or the other, and often light trees between holes. Seventeen deviates a bit, in that it is a par three that requires a heroic shot over a swamp to a three club hill. That one is a round wrecker.

The Seventeenth at The Medalist

There are in fact four holes that require precise mid- to long carries over swamp. Other than that, the fairways are relatively generous. Bogey golfers should be able to keep the ball in play, if not always finding themselves with a proper angle to the hole. Pay attention to the scorecard or your GPS to avoid spots where the fairway narrows and puts you in danger.

From the back tees, The Medalist stretches to 6,995 yards and plays to a 74.7/139. From the middle (white) tees, it’s a 6,201 yarder at 71.1/132. In all, the Medalist has five sets of tees that vary not only in distance, but in angle.

Bogey golfers should play from the middle tees to maximize their fun. Tee shots from further back will require carries that bogey golfers are likely not prepared to make.

The greens at The Medalist are memorably large. I would swear that a couple are at least three clubs deep. Further, I have not played a public course whose greens were faster or more smooth. The combination makes it easier arrive in regulation, but places more pressure on putting. A ball that hits the green can roll a long way before stopping, and I sometimes found myself twenty yards from the hole. It took me half a round to make the adjustment to the speed.

One of the very large greens at The Medalist

Conditions on the day I played were fabulous. Fairways were lush; tee boxes were in good shape. And the greens! Championship quality.

The Medalist allows walking, and I recommend that you do so.  It is a very pleasant walk, with only a couple of leg straining uphill points. I saw lots of juniors toting their bags on the day I played.

Prices are reasonable. Walking is $37 midweek; the fee is $54 with a cart. You can, however, get a much better deal if you book online on their site.

As a side note, after the round, head a mile or so further down the road to Turkeyville. That’s right. Turkeyville. It’s a turkey farm/ restaurant/ ice cream parlour/ dinner theatre/ gift shop/ antique/ craft show/ flea market/ campground/ water park that has to be seen to be believed. Get a turkey dinner to eat there, or take a big bag of turkey sandwiches and trimmings home to the family (I do whenever I play in the Marshall/Kalamazoo area).

More photos below:

Stonehedge South
Augusta, Michigan

Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: Gorgeous; Fun

There are five courses under the Gull Lake View Resort umbrella: Bedford Valley, Gull Lake View East and West, and Stonehedge North and South. All are excellent. Of these, I think Stonehedge South was my favorite.

As with the others in the set, Stonehedge South is a big course. The holes are spread out over many acres and played mostly in isolation. Groups often will have the sensation of being the only one on the course.

Stonehedge South takes full advantage of the rolling, forested terrain. Holes appear to have been “found” rather than “made.” My impression is that dirt moving was kept to a minimum. Distances from green to tee are not huge, but the holes are always distinct and natural looking.

Distinct, and memorable. After each hole, I would say to myself: that was really nice. And after a short walk, the next would unfold, just as pleasant as the first. The scenery is as nice as the design.

Stonehedge South is a tough walk, though. The hills and vales will take their toll on the less fit.

From the back tees, Stonehedge South stretches to 6,656 yards with a rating and slope of 72.4/133. The white tees are 5,775 and play to a 68.4/124. Play this one forward and the bogey golfer will have a lot of fun.

Challenge on this course is provided by elevation changes and relatively tight, tree lined fairways. Golfers who spray the ball are going to have a long day. That’s another reason to play forward. Keep the driver in the bag and go for accuracy off the tee. You’ll lose fewer strokes.

Greens are relatively large and not particularly difficult to read. The course has the usual greenside bunkers and perhaps a dozen fairway traps. Interestingly, though, there’s no water on the course.

Conditions on the day I visited were top notch—on par with the best I’ve played. It was the fall, and the fairways had for the most part been cleared of leaf debris.

The clubhouse is fairly well appointed, and the food is decent. I had a sandwich at the turn.

This is a course that I think is well worth the hour and a half drive from GolfBlogger World Headquarters in Ann Arbor. I am planning a return soon.

Gull Lake View East
Grade: A-
Teachers’ Comments: Among my favorite courses.

Just north and west of Battle Creek and near Augusta, MI,  lie a sextet of courses that, collectively, are among the most fun I’ve played: Gull Lake View East and West, Stonehedge North and South, Bedford Valley and Yarrow. Gull Lake East is one of five owned by the same company (Yarrow is the odd man out).

Gull Lake View East feels big. Wandering through forest, over hill and stream, it takes full advantage of the area’s varied topography. I get the sense that these holes were “found” rather than “made.” There are lots of elevation changes and eight holes involve small, natural looking ponds.  There is a nice variety to the hole designs, with only the par threes qualifying as “straight.” Five I would call doglegs; the remainder have gentle bends that give pause for thought without provoking desperation.

A digression for some thoughts on doglegs: In my mind, strong doglegs often inspire as much desperation as the forced carry and little more interest than a perfectly straight hole. In all three cases, the tee shot is often reduced to one consideration: hit it as far as you can. On forced carries, failure to launch is penalized with a lost ball. On many strong doglegs, falling short automatically adds at least one shot to your score. Straight holes ask a player to hit it as far as possible to play as short an iron as possible to the green. On the other hand, I find that gently bending holes offer a lot of options off the tee, as well as opportunities for creative recoveries.

This is not always true, of course. There are doglegs that ask for a relatively short tee shot and longer second. And there are holes with carries that have areas where the less skilled can bail out. In my experience, however, those are rarities.

The fairways of Gull Lake View East are all tree lined, but generally are wide enough to corral all but the wildest shots. That, combined with the gentle turns, makes for a friendly course. The trouble comes from elevation changes and working angles. I enjoyed the thinking the course forced.

Gull Lake View West is walkable, but be warned that it’s a tough hike. The elevation changes are likely to leave all but the most fit gasping. I admit that it was one of the tougher tracks I’ve hiked.

Built in 1973 by Darl, Charles and Jim Scott, Gull Lake View East extends to 6,069 yards from the tips, where it plays to a 68.8/124. From the middle tees, it plays to 5,549 and a 66.8/119. Bogey golfers should play from the middle tees for an enjoyable round.

Conditions on the day I played were very good. Greens and fairways were in excellent condition, as were the tee boxes. There were, however, a couple of holes that, even in a dry fall, were a bit soggy. I don’t know how that could be avoided, however, considering the low lying areas and the adjacent swamp.

Prices are reasonable: $39 weekdays, with all day play for $50. On the weekends, it’s $44 with $57 for all day play.

Gull Lake View East is on the short list of courses that I would make a special trip to return to play.

The Emerald
St. John’s, Michigan

Grade: B+
Teacher’s Comments: Enjoyable, with lots of variety on the holes.

Anyone in Michigan travelling “Up North” along US 127 from Lansing will pass The Emerald on the left hand side just seven miles north of St. John’s. I passed by for years, each time thinking that “one day I’m going to stop and play.” In the end, I made a special trip, and am glad that I did so.

Originally a 9 hole private club, The Emerald reopened in 1996 after expansion and a reworking by Jerry Matthews. Since then, it’s been on several golf publications’ “Best of” lists.

The design offers a great deal of variety. There are doglegs left and right, and a double dogleg; open holes and tree-lined; downhill tee shots and uphill approaches; fairways that skirt water, and others in no danger at all. Add to this five ponds, and forty some sand traps. Some holes require target golf; others are grip-it-and-rip-it runways. The Emerald is generally flat, however, except for the holes that play along and over the creek that runs through much of the property.

If you can’t find a hole (or three) at The Emerald that you like, you’re not looking. I actually enjoyed them all except the par 3 fourth, which I thought excessively long, even from the middle tees at 207 yards. There’s no reason for a par 3 of that length. In my mind, a par 3 should require something of the player other than distance (precision, or distance judgment). The average golfer hits the driver 200 yards. Thus, this is yet another driver hole for the bogey golfer.

Players could potentially punish themselves at The Emerald. From the back tees, it measures 6,599 and plays to a 72.3/142. There’s no need to do this. From the middle, the course measures 5,867 and with a rating and slope of 68.7/128. That’s a much more reasonable length and difficulty level for the bogey golfer. Unless you’re a single digit handicapper, play from the middle tees and you will have a lot of fun at The Emerald.

Conditions on the day I played in late September were very good. Even in the “off-season,” fairways and tee boxes were in good repair. What leaves had fallen were cleared. Greens were excellent—fast and smooth.

After the round, I commented on the nice conditions to the manager, and he lamented that although they spend just as much—if not more—on maintenance during the fall, convention demanded that he lower his prices. I wanted to explain to him that it was a matter of demand, and not necessarily his costs, but ignored the impulse. Still, it was a good sign.

The Emerald offers a good value even at peak.. As of this writing, the price is $35 with cart Monday through Thursday. On weekends, 18 with cart is $55. But don’t take a cart. Walk. I found it to be a very walkable course, with the exception of a couple of holes with will make your thighs scream.

Here’s my suggestion, though. Play The Emerald in the fall to enjoy the color. Then head just a mile further north to Uncle John’s Fruit House and Winery. There, you can get a fresh apple cider (or even better, a hard cider) and donuts or a piece of pie. Uncle John’s is a landmark worth visiting all of its own.