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By House
This was my first solo mission of the season. I had to leave VW at the hotel to let him fight off the flu by himself. Although I hate to leave a fallen comrade, duty calls and I had work to accomplish at “The Gem of Mid-Michigan Golf.” I arrived at the course late (which drives me a little more crazy than I already am) because I mistook the maintenance shed off US-127 as the pro shop. It was only after realizing that the fertilizer and lawn equipment were the only things there to greet me that I was in the wrong parking lot. The guys in the pro shop welcomed me (with all my flaws) like an old relative, and seeing that I was a (easily agitated) single, sent me out to the 1st hole to beat the crowd that was starting on the 10th that day.
| #2 |
Three well struck balls and I walk back to the cart with my first birdie of the day. |
| #6 |
When you approach the 6th tee area you will see a cluster of rock (and brick) cairns. This was created by the course Horticulturist to give you a creative outlet should you need to wait before you can tee off. Move a stone or two if you desire to find serenity and a calm spirit. |
| #8 |
This par 3 slopes down toward the green. The green is small with nice movement. Don't believe the handicap for this hole; it's short, but not easy. |
| #9 |
The signage warns you where to place your blind tee shot on this par 4 signature hole. With water to the left and a bunker to the right, you must navigate the hazards to land your tee shot safely. The approach shot to an elevated green is relatively mundane if you take enough club. The green has bunkers to the back and left and the green goes from back to front and right to left. |
| #16 |
This par 3 elevated tee has an elevated two-tiered shark tooth-shaped green. Deep and right are on one tier; the drop-off to the left lower tier is pretty severe. While teeing off, you will see semis and cars driving past in the background. Strangely, you don't hear the traffic once you arrive on the green (or maybe it's just because I was that focused). |
| #17 |
This interesting par 5 should be the finishing hole, but who am I to question Jerry Matthews? It is tree lined to the left (not to mention US-127 beyond those) and slopes to the right. The key here is not really distance, but to put your ball in the fairway. Depending how successful you were at that you can decide to go for it in two or lay up before the creek. There is a severe downhill just beyond 150 until the 100-yard marker. This is one green that actual was pretty tame. |
I enjoyed my journey in solitude as my round played in a brisk 2 hours and 40 minutes. The only times I really stopped were to acknowledge the subtle Matthews characteristics that abound this special course. I will remind you that I absolutely love lightning-fast greens. They are what I cut my teeth on in the beginning, and as a feel player, I understand how to play them. The Emerald is a perfect league course. Given the great equalizer of the greens, it will make it a fair round for all skill levels.
After the round, I went back into the pro shop and spoke to the Director of Golf Course Operations. I had to find out what the deal was with the ultra-fast greens. He told me that they even make them faster later in the season due to the lack of water hazards, bunkers, and other troublesome aspects. This course was originally a private 9-hole course called the Clinton County Country Club. Jerry Matthews came in and revamped the entire course in 1996 to make it an 18-hole track. Only a couple of par 3s resemble the original layout. The Emerald is not loaded with frills but is fair to all skill levels of golfers (except the unfair greens). These were probably the fastest greens I have played in my last 10 rounds.
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| 1) |
Fee Factor
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17
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| It is a fair rate for a well-maintained Jerry Matthews designed course. |
| 2) |
Friendliness Factor
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19
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| I had a great time meeting the guys in the pro shop. They take a lot of pride in this little course and it shows. |
| 3) |
Fringe Factor
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18
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| Outfitted with a driving range, chipping green, and putting green. The pro shop was nicely stocked with everything a golfer would need. The Emerald Bar & Restaurant looked like a fun place to meet up after the round. It was well stocked with all the snacks, sandwiches, food, and drinks anyone could want. |
| 4) |
From 1st Tee to Handshake Factor
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17
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| Beautiful oaks and maples line this well-designed and maintained course. It doesn't wow you over with long rides deep into the woods, but it was playable and fair (sans greens). |
| 5) |
Fun Factor
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18
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| How much fun can you have alone on a golf course? Well, if the layout is challenging enough and the greens make you doubt every read you make, I would say pretty darn fun! |
Website: http://www.emeraldgolfcourse.com/
Check out the Where to section: around the St. Johns area.
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