Stonebridge Golf Club Review

I’ve been struggling with writing this review for some time now because I’m really undecided about the course. From tee to green, Stonebridge is a fine track, with plenty to offer every skill level. At the same time, I absolutely hate that this fine course winds through a community of McMansions of the nouveau riche.

Designed by Arthur Hills, Stonebridge has made a number of Detroit area Top Ten lists and the design certainly warrants it. Largely open, the challenge comes from strategically located bunkers, marshlands, ponds and swales. It’s a course that would be right at home on a coastal plain.

Stonebridge measures 6481 and plays to a 71.5 from the whites, and plays 6932 to a 73.6 from the blues. I played the whites to a good score, but thought that the blues would not be that much more difficult.

One of the nice things about the layout is that it offers a good mix of risk and reward. There are quite a few holes that will tempt players to “go for it” at the risk of an inflated score.

Brae Burn Golf Course
Plymouth, Michigan
(734) 453-1900

Overall Grade: B+
Value: C+ (overpriced for the current market)
Walkability: B+ (Its hilly, but doable for a healthy walker)
Course Conditions: B+
Practice Facility: B
Food: B - nothing fancy.
Teacher’s Comments: A good basic course.

Brae Burn reminds me a lot of my favorite Uncle. He was never held up as an example for praise in the family, and was a little rough around the edges, but was always a lot of fun.

One of the older courses in Washtenaw County, Brae Burn was built in 1920. As such, it’s a little on the short side, clockign in at 6,411 from the blues and plays to a par 70. The rating/slope is 70/120.

Brae Burn’s biggest claim to fame is “The Monster”, a 617 yard double dogleg par 5. The first bend is left; the second almost 90 degrees right. There is absolutely no way to get to the green in two.

University of Michigan Golf Course
Ann Arbor, Michigan

What do Augusta National, Pebble Beach and the University of Michigan Golf Course have in common? All were laid out by master course designer Alistair MacKenzie.

I’m never going to get to play Augusta. And it’s unlikely I’ll get to Pebble Beach ... but the UM “Blue” course is a terrific substitute.

Rolling Meadows Golf Course
Whitmore Lake, Michigan

Built in 1978 by the Fielek family, Rolling Meadows is a friendly course: friendly to the pocketbook and friendly to the player. It has just enough variety and interesting holes, to get me to go back, in spite of some relatively poor course conditions.

The front nine begins with a short dogleg par four, a short straightaway par four and a relatively easy par three. But don’t give way to disappointment, because from there the holes become much more interesting.

I liked the fifth, a slight dogleg par four that slopes down to the 150 marker and from there left back uphill to the green. Treelines will catch a slice or hook, but a good straight blast will give you a chance to hit a lofted iron that will stick to the sloping green.

The eighth is a 145 yard par three over a depression at an elevated green. The treeline on the left will play on your mind and make you think about staying right. But a large solitary tree there hides sand trap trouble. If you’re not confident in your target golf, aim for the wider area in front of the green and then pitch up and on.

On the back nine, the par five 11th is a lot of fun. Rip a driver off the tee to corner of the dogleg left. Then hit a wood and a wedge straight at the flag.

The 14th probably could be called the course’s signature hole, as it calls for a couple of strategic decisions. It’s a dogleg right par four with a pond guarding the front of the green and light woods on the inside of the bend.

From the tee, you need to decide how close to the right you want to cut your shot. If you can keep it close without going into the woods, you can probably take a direct shot over the pond at the green for your second shot. If you swing it left to the far corner of the bend, though, you may find the approach shot too far for comfort. Laying up short of the pond may be a better decision. I like holes with this sort of risk-reward. 

The 14th is rated as the course’s toughest, but I’d actually vote for the 231 yard par three seventeenth. It’s a downhill shot that needs to be threaded between trees over a pond, while keeping it to the left of a bunker. Madness. (photo, top left)

Fom the back tees, the course measures 6474 with a slope of 119. The whites are 6048 with a slope of 119.

Course conditions on the day I visited were not so good. Tee boxes were in poor shape , and there were bare spots in the fairways. The greens were all in good condition, though.

Another complaint I had was a lack of yardage markers.

Be sure to bring mosquito spray, especially if you are playing in the morning or evening.

You can see more photos and a course walkthrough here.

Rustic Glen Golf Course
Saline Michigan

Overall Grade: C+
Value: C ($15 - $37)
Walkability: A
Course Conditions: C+
Course Design: C+
Practice Facility: B
Food: B - nothing fancy.
Teacher’s Comments: You won’t mistake this for a premium course, but it’s fun nonetheless.

I had fun at Rustic Glen.

There aren’t any particularly memorable holes. Course conditions were merely adequate. And the routing can sometimes be confusing. It is frankly, not a great course.

But I had fun. And if you’re looking for a cheap and relaxing round of golf, I think you will too.

Rustic Glenn is a farm course, laid out on land adjacent to US 12 six miles west of Saline. The original nine were constructed some thirty years ago; the second in 1999.

The course has a good mix of holes. Some take you across open fields, others through thin woods. There are uphill and downhill tee shots and forced carries. Some require target golf; others are “grip ‘em and rip ‘em.”

Ypsilanti, Michigan
Overall Grade: B+
Value: A+ ($15 - $30)
Walkability: A
Course Conditions: B
Course Design: B
Practice Facility: NA
Food: C - nothing fancy.
Teacher’s Comments: An interesting, enjoyable and affordable course.

It would be easy to overlook the Green Oaks Golf Course. It’s a municipal that’s not located in the best of neighborhoods, and the greens fees are low even by Michigan standards. I will admit that when I started out, I didn’t have high hopes.

But I was pleasantly surprised.. Green Oaks is a fun, and interesting test of golf.

The course is decently long, measuring 6,780 yards from the blues, and 6,172 from the whites. It’s got a good mix of strategic and power holes and ultimately forced me to use nearly every club in my bag. Bunkers—both greenside and fairway—abound. Eleven of the holes have bends that require good tee shot placement. Water comes into the play on eight of the holes. Trees often limit your club choices.

Leslie Park Golf Course
Ann Arbor, Michigan

2007 Update: I’ve been told by several people that course conditions at Leslie Park are now very bad. One said that he won’t go back. A result of budget cutbacks in Ann Arbor?

Leslie Park is one of two municipal courses in Ann Arbor—and it is by far the better of the two (although the other, Huron Hills, has its charms).

Playing at 6591 yards from the back tees, and with a rating/slope of 71.9/127, Leslie Park has the firepower to challenge better golfers. And yet, bogey golfers need not fear: the course plays nearly 800 yards shorter from the whites.