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By VW
Located just south of historic downtown Manistee, Manistee National Golf and Resort is home to two championship courses, in addition to a 42-room inn. This golf resort is a destination for thousands of diehard Michigan golfers every year. Each course is unique to itself, taking advantage of the environment it was laid out on. Cutter’s Ridge was built on a large marsh and makes use of the wetlands throughout the round. Equally challenging to both long-distance drivers and shot-making aficionados, Cutter’s Ridge offers five tees for varying skill levels.
| #1 |
The opening hole is a straightaway par 4. Make note of hole indicators. Carved wooden bears adorn each tee box (there is something to be said for the details). Keep your tee shot right to avoid the woods that line the left side of the fairway. This hole also earns distinction because it is one of the farthest opening holes from its clubhouse (you actually have to cross the highway to reach the first tee). |
| #2 |
A mid-length par 3 that requires a tee shot to carry the first of many marshes. The green is heavily guarded by the tree line on the left, so play right of center to avoid your first woodpecker or sand save. |
| #3 |
Place your target landing area for just right of the large tree that marks the dogleg on this par 4. While strategy dictates a play to the meat of the fairway or right, like many of the holes at Cutter's Ridge, you will be penalized for exaggerating the right side play. Your approach will be to an elevated green (a recurring theme among Jerry Matthew's designs). Aim left of center to take the green side bunker out of the equation |
| #4 |
A bogey golfer's tip for this par 5 is to shoot for GIR. Attempts to hit the green from your second shot are seldom rewarded because the green is tucked back and very narrow. Our attempts at going for the green in two landed our golf balls in a convenient spot to pick up on the way to 5th but did not help in making eagle or even birdie. While the ground was saturated at the time of play, the area in the front was bone dry and made up and down a challenge. |
| #5 |
Like beating the proverbial dead horse, at Cutter's Ridge, you have to be able to make quality shots consecutively. Long-ball hitters are penalized by the marsh that runs rampant throughout the course, forcing layup shots and challenging iron play. Such is the case on this par 4. From the whites, plan on playing your Hogan Hybrid 2 (you should have this in your bag, see product review coming soon) no more than 210 yards. From this location, a short iron will carry the marsh to the green for a makeable par. |
| #6 |
Take your driver over the right fairway bunker to a narrow landing area. The safer play is a 220-yard shot to the dogleg right, but safe play has been the rule for this course, so make up some ground and cut 35 to 40 yards off your second shot. From the dogleg, this is a pedestrian par 5. |
| #7 |
Once again, you are forced to play thinking man's golf on this par 4. You will have to carry two different marshlands to get to the green, with the landing area for tee shots less than 230 yards out into a relatively wide fairway. Bunkers guard the green front right and back, so distance is critical on your approach. |
| #8 |
Playing 136 yards from the whites, this par 3 again brings the marsh into play. Tee shots will face an elevated green with multiple tiers. |
| #9 |
Follow the tourist's guide to play this par 4. While rated the third most difficult hole on the course, the rating alone did not make it memorable. Queue the broken record because you will have to contend with the golf ball-devouring marsh that everyone at Manistee is so proud of. |
| #10 |
On this par 4, you have the option of cutting the right corner to shorten this hole significantly. You also then have the option to lose your ball in the thick woods that line both sides of this hole. The smart play is to the corner and in on this shorty. |
| #11 |
A straightaway par 4. Carry the marsh with ease and a short iron with take you to a well-guarded green, with bunkers front left and right. This must be an easy green to navigate as both of us meatballs one-putted it. |
| #12 |
The tee boxes are split on this short par 3. Whites will play from an elevated position that takes the water out of a direct line to the green. This green is huge and everything runs to the front and toward the water, over several tiers. |
| #13 |
You can leave your driver in the bag on this par 4 as your tee shot should target the 150 to 175 yard range to prevent landing or running up into the marsh. Aim left of the 150 marker to give you the best angle on approach. Your second shot will have to carry this marsh to an abbreviated green. |
| #14 |
Again, leave your driver and machismo in the bag on this challenging par 4. While playing 288 yards from the whites, the landing area for tee shots is about as wide as the seat of my pants. Coincidently, the front side of the marsh that lines the right side of the fairway begins about 210 yards from the tee box. Odds are that the average golfer can reach this area and will lose a ball to either the aforementioned marsh or the tree line on the left. You can go for the green or play safe; you can hit GIR with two 7-iron shots, putt out, and enjoy the site of your partner skimming the reeds looking for his Pro-V. |
| #15 |
The only long par 3 playing 175 yards. Straightaway par 3 and the easiest hole on the course. |
| #16 |
Birdie should be in play on this short par 5, playing just under 460 yards. The only memory that we have of this hole is that we didn't have to carry a damn thing to get to the green. On this course, on this day, that was enough. |
| #17 |
From the elevated tee on this par 4, you have the opportunity to gamble immediately. Course experts recommend a 3-wood to the wide landing area directly in front of the marsh. However, this strategy also brings the marsh into play on your approach shot. Take the risk and either crush your 3-wood or play a normal driver down the right-hand side. You will flirt with the possibility of losing a ball to the right, but this play leaves the green wide open. Take an extra club to reach the elevated green and aim dead center. Left or right is hazardous to your score. |
| #18 |
The closing hole at Cutter's Ridge, a par 4 just over 320 yards, is visual trickery at its finest. The entire hole slopes left to right from the tree line on the left to deep marsh on the right. The contour can force you to overplay to the left, while at the same time, willing you to the right. The fairway is bisected, so the smart play is a 200-yard tee shot, and then a mid- to long iron to the green. Stay left on your approach into the green because the marsh encroaches on the right, leaving little room for error. |
| There is a lot to be said about Cutter's Ridge, but frustrating may be the best one-word explanation. Ten lost balls between us (eight new Pro-V1s just purchased in the pro shop on sale) on this course should serve as a sufficient indicator of just how tight this course is. While we complain about this mutant marsh that surrounded us for four hours, the truth is, it is a fantastic natural hazard and, more than anything, defined this 18. Even in the mad rush to exit with whatever was left in our bags, the course left an impression, and to some extent, an invitation to try again in the spring. |
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| 1) |
Fee Factor
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19
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| We played in-season on a weekend day and got the weekday rate. Whichever you pay, it is right in the meaty part of the curve for a course of this distinction. |
| 2) |
Friendliness Factor
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19
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| Pro shop attendant ushered us through and got us out before a foursome. The valet snagged my glasses off the cart before I drove three hours. Fantastic, start to finish. |
| 3) |
Fringe Factor
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18
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| Once again, time constrictions forced us to load up and tee off. We were lucky we got to see the inside of the pro shop. However, word was the practice facilities were well-kept and readily available. One area of confusion could be the large green near the inn that is reserved for guests and a practice area reserved for attendees of the golf school. |
| 4) |
From 1st Tee to Handshake Factor
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18
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| While Cutter's Ridge didn't stick in our minds in the same way other courses have, the general feeling was that the architect took full advantage of the land and, despite typical Michigan weather, the grounds crew took excellent care of the course. |
| 5) |
Fun Factor
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18
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| Even though we repeatedly preach at each other about early rounds, we still find ourselves out with the dew and the cold. Despite those factors, we really enjoyed the experience and look forward to returning in the new season to challenge this course again. |
Website: http://www.manisteenational.com
Check out the Where to section: for places eat, drink, and stay around Manistee and northwest Michigan.
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