| #1 |
Kick your round off with this par 5, the longest hole on the course. An elevated tee box has you shooting into a valley of trees. Bunkers and heather are along the left side as you go up a hill to an elevated green slightly left of center. It's a tough starting hole if you aren't accurate with your first two shots. |
| #2 |
This par 3 has a two tiered green in the shape of a kidney bean. Hit to the side where the pin is or you will be left with an almost certain 3-putt. The right side of the green is high and much easier than the lower tier. Bunkers are placed to punish an errant aggressive shot. |
| #3 |
Aim just left of the fairway bunker on the right. It will give you a good look at the green. The left side is tree lined and should be avoided. The green has many subtle curves, so take your time to look at it. |
| #4 |
Carrying the water off the tee on this dogleg right par 4 won't be a problem. The bumpy fairway gives you a challenging second shot to a slightly elevated tee. |
| #5 |
This long par 4 is my favorite hole on the course. They call it "The "Cape Hole" because it is a severe dogleg left with water along the entire left side. Land your tee shot between the two bunkers. Everything on the fairway slopes to the water. This hole looks like a reverse "C" from above. It is not a gimmicky hole, just a fun one. VW played it perfectly for a nice tap-in birdie. |
| #6 |
This is a tough par 3 with a small bunker high right and big bunker lower left with an elongated green with drop off of a few feet. You can bail out short, but I will rarely suggest that. Be aggressive on this and go for the pin. |
| #7 |
VW calls the fairway on this par 5 "wavy gravy" due to the numerous mounds of undulation. The cut lines on the fairway give it a Salvador Dali meets Wrigley Field feeling. Bunkers off the tee are really too short to factor in unless you miss hit. Everything funnels to the right. The second shot is blind, but the tree line to the left lets you aim 20 feet left of the furthest tree. There's a nice two-tiered green. |
| #8 |
Put your tee shot right of fairway bunker for optimal placement to give you a good look at the slightly elevated green on this par 4. |
| #9 |
It's a dogleg left par 4, with trees guarding the left side. Aim short of the bunkers to the right. |
| #10 |
The assistant pro told us that it looks like a baby elephant was buried there. The green is mean-a small table top smack dab in the middle that falls off to the primary portion of the green. If the pin is on the "table top" (which it was for us and usually is), you could be in for an easy 3 putt. We were both lucky to get away with 2 putts. |
| #11 |
It's the longest par 5 on the back. From the tee box, this looks to be an ordinary par 5. The left side is lined with pines. Bunkers are before a green tucked behind a mound (this is classic Ray Hearn) on the left side. As long as you don't put one in the trees, you should be able to pick up a stroke here. The green has a nice drop off if you go long. As easy as it looked from the tee, it is a really challenging hole that plays nicely. |
| #12 |
Your target is to the right of the two fairway bunkers on this dogleg right par 4, leaving you a nice second shot to a smallish green. Trees line the right side of the green. There is a drop off to the left of the green with a large bunker. Note the pin placement. If its short, try running it up there. If the pin is deep, be aggressive to stick it. |
| #13 |
Aim at the left of the center bunker. The second shot is a short iron over the mound to a small green that slopes top to bottom and right to left. |
| #14 |
This shorter par 4 has an elevated tee box and water behind the green. There are bunkers all over the place, so don't get sloppy and pick your spot. The green is elongated, sloping right to left with subtle changes. This is another really fun hole. |
| #15 |
This Par 3 has greenside bunkers back and left and a mound that fronts the green on the left side, although not as evident as on other holes. If you go long, you will have trees to stop you ball! |
| #16 |
There's a blind tee shot on this short par 5. Trees line the left side with a severe drop off. Take your tee shot over the front bunker. This will give you your best attack angle. The green has two large shelves. Be aware of pin placement because it drops off in the back. Be on the proper shelf because this green is tough. |
| #17 |
There's an elevated tee box on this par 3. Again, take note of the pin placement because the green slopes top to bottom. A downhill putt is not a fun way to head to the last tee box. |
| #18 |
Carry the marsh on this finishing par 4. Aim at the bunker in the middle of the fairway. Knock your second shot stiff and you will be waving to the gallery as you make your way to the green. |
| The three finishing holes are really something special. This was just a day trip for us, but it would have been nice to stay at the resort. Raymond Hearn is creeping up my list of favorite golf course architects. The way he designed a links course in a northern Michigan setting all outside of Kalamazoo/Battle Creek is nothing short of spectacular. |
| 1) |
Fee Factor
|
19
|
| We found the rate to be very reasonable for a top-notch course. |
| 2) |
Friendliness Factor
|
19
|
| The assistant pro was extremely polite. He walked us to the first tee and met us with a smile at the halfway house. After the round, he came out of the pro shop to ask us which hole we liked the most. He didn't know who we were until the very end when I told him about our site. |
| 3) |
Fringe Factor
|
17
|
| We didn't utilize the practice range, but it seemed nice enough. The pro shop was small but had all the essentials. |
| 4) |
From 1st Tee to Handshake Factor
|
18
|
| It is well designed and maintained. Five sets of tees to offer golfers of all levels an enjoyable experience. |
| 5) |
Fun Factor
|
19
|
| This beautiful course has some very memorable holes. In my past career, my company was going to have an offsite meeting here and play golf as a team building event. I'm sure that it would have been one of my favorite days in my prior company. |
Check out the Where to section: for places to eat, drink, and stay around Augusta, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo and southwest Michigan.
