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By House and VW
Fall is a great time of year to live in Michigan. The air is cool, the colors explode, and tee times, once coveted, are yours for the taking. No more planning weeks in advance. In late September and October, you can walk on and play ready golf. However, there are obvious drawbacks; it is dark at 7:00. Don’t play that new Pro-V at 6:59 PM. It will be gone. Also, as the season winds down, the leaves fall, making finding your ball a golfer’s nightmare—the annoying byproduct of our “color change.” The upcoming winter is the end of the golf season in the great state of Michigan—talk has turned from booking a foursome to football, hockey, and basketball.
This course hosts six sets of tees. My helpful hint is if you normally play from the white tees, play from the whites. Don’t make the mistake we did and go by the yardages. We thought it would be way too short because everyone in our group was a long ball hitter (except me). If we had played here before, we might have known this and saved some strokes. Trust me—the holes are difficult enough without adding yardage.
| #1 |
A straight forward par 4 starts your round. The greens recovered amazingly well since being aerated two weeks prior. |
| #2 |
Everyone pars this par 3 with a generous green. Stay out of the massive greenside bunker on the front left. |
| #3 |
Blind tee shot on this tighter par 4 with hilly terrain. Watch out for the enormous greenside bunker to the right. |
| #4 |
First of the very difficult par 5s... |
| #5 |
I am disappointed by the amount of rocks in the bunkers. If you have a bunker shot, make sure your playing partners are at a safe distance or they could be dodging more than just golf balls that you are hitting. |
| #6 |
Stay left because water is prominent on the right. The bunker in the middle of fairway before the green will give you a shot you don't want! |
| #9 |
After a forced carry to the fairway, make sure you stay left because there is only trouble on the right. |
| #10 |
The back starts out with this difficult par 4. Water along the left side and a bunker to the right leaves you with a tight landing area. Once you navigate that and make it to the green, you have an undulating surface to contend with. |
| #11 |
Brought the most excitement of the round. This needs to be the signature hole. A wicked par 5 with two carries over marshy wetlands. The second shot is actually harder than the first carry! I was able to stick my approach shot from 120 yards out for a makeable 10-foot putt. I was the envy of the group when I walked away with a par. |
| #12 |
Carry the marsh to a large green with multiple levels to it. |
| #14 |
Another par 5 with a forced carry! This time it's only one and it's the second shot. By now you should have your yardages down, right!?! |
| #17 |
If you go long, most likely you are in one of the four large greenside bunkers. The green is large but tough. |
| #18 |
The layout of the course is phenomenal. There are several blind shots and forced carries. It is a shot maker's course more than a big hitter's course, although both would enjoy the round. Heck, you could just drive the course (although probably not permitted) and fall in love with the layout. |
| This was my last round of the season. Subtle moments sneak up on me to remind me how blessed my life is- I was looking for a tee in my bag and looked up to see my best friends joking around and enjoying the day together. On this October day, I felt pretty happy with life and golf. I didn't play my best, but hell, no one did- but we had a great time just having "guy time." Now I have to wait through another cold winter to master this game of golf, but more importantly, I'm looking forward to spending more quality time with my true and trusted friends on the links. |
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| 1) |
Fee Factor
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19
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| Fantastic value for the price. You are getting a top-level golfing experience at a fraction of the cost. |
| 2) |
Friendliness Factor
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18
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| The staff was exceptional. The gentleman in the pro shop was extremely friendly while the gentleman in the 19th hole was polite and quick with the food on the turn. |
| 3) |
Fringe Factor
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16
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| A driving range, chipping green, and a putting course are provided. All of those are extremely well groomed. The pro shop and 19th hole are both small but nicely organized. |
| 4) |
From 1st Tee to Handshake Factor
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19
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| I can't stress enough how great the layout is at this course. For fall ball, the conditions were remarkable. I know this track sees a lot of rounds in a year, but you would never notice it when you are playing. To me, that is a sign of a great course. |
| 5) |
Fun Factor
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19
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| I played with some of my favorite golfing buddies, so it was hard to have anything but an exceptional time. This is a golfer's course. It will challenge you, punish you, and sometimes even reward you. What more can you ask for? |
Website: http://www.grandegolfclub.com/
Check out the Where to section: for places to eat, drink, and stay around southwest Michigan.
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