Northern Michigan Golf Guide – Michigan Golf Courses and Resorts

Cedar River – Hole #1

By Ken Ducker

A fellow by the name of Tom Weiskopf came to the little town of Bellaire in northern Michigan and when he departed he left behind one whale of a golf course. Tom, as you know, knows a little about golf and from what I saw playing the Cedar River Golf Club he also knows quite a bit about golf course design.

What makes a great golf course? The experts may talk about sand, grass, bunker placement, water, yardage and things like that. To me it all boils down to beauty and how playable the course is. The Cedar River Golf Club has all the beauty any course would be happy to have and is fun to play. What more could we ask?

You can play this course from about 6000 yards (white) to around 7000 yards (black) with the blue tee’s in between and the lady’s play to 5300 yards. After you pick the tees you want to play, the fun begins.

This course is carved out of Northern Michigan hardwoods that make a perfect frame for the hole you are playing. The trees are set back just far enough to give you enough room if your shot is a little off line but they will come into play if you get a little too wild. The whole course is on gently rolling hills that can make for some very interesting shots. Take the big hardwood-lined fairways and add the hills and gullies and you may want to take your next shot with a camera. Keep in mind that one part of the Shanty Creek complex includes downhill and cross-country skiing, so that should give you some idea of the kind of terrain this course was built on.

The bent grass fairways are wide enough that you don’t know how you can miss them, at least that’s what they tell me, but I enjoyed the roughs also. Unfortunately the roughs are also where they seem to like to put the bunkers. Most of the bunkers on this course are placed to keep you honest more than anything. If you hit a decent shot you reap the reward; if not, a bunker may be the place to look for your ball..

The greens are large and undulating but not overly so. They are fun greens to putt – sneaky brakes in them that makes no putt a sure thing. Unlike some greens I have played on, all these greens are fair, but you still have to look over the putts to spot those gentle breaks . Oh, did I mention the bunkers. They have them. In most cases you will have plenty of green to shot at but, depending on pin placement, you may want to challenge the bunker. It’s that old risk reward thing. Go to the open part of the green and face a long putt or go for the short putt and risk a sand shot. Since we golfers tend to lose our smarts on shots like this, we also hit a lot of sand shots.

I personally am not a fan of open golf courses but, surprisingly, one of the two open holes on this course sticks out in my mind. A short par four with nothing but water between you and the green with the fairway surrounding the right side of the small lake. A smart play would be to grab a 6 or 7 iron and play it safe and still have an easy shot at par. Do we do the smart thing?? Of course not, we grab the driver and see how much of the lake we can cut off. At least we do that the first time we play the hole; next time the 7 iron will be a good choice.

Weiskopf gave us three short par fours on this course but he also made these holes some of the most fun to play because of the placement of either sand or water.

From the time you tee it up until you sink the last putt you will have hole after hole of enjoyable golf. Hole 18, by the way, is one great finishing hole. A long narrow green with water to right and sand to the left So right down to your last iron shot this course gives you beauty and thrills.

Personally I would like to thank Mr. Weiskopf for giving us such a great golf course. You should put this one on your “must play” list, you won’t regret it.

Ken

Cedar River Golf Club – Hole #7

Cedar River Golf Club – Hole #8

Cedar River Golf Club – Hole #16

• See – Shanty Creek Resorts – Cedar River – Photos

More Information on Cedar River Golf Club at Shanty Creek >>>>

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Fazio Premier- Hole #1 – View from the tee.

By Ken Ducker

If you have never had the pleasure of playing this game that gives us so much frustration (and pleasure) in the Gaylord area, well, you are in for a treat when you do. You will find it hard to believe that our great relatively flat state can have these kinds of hills and ravines that you will encounter in the Gaylord area.

Smack dab in the middle of this sits Treetops, with four courses and an unbelievable par three. One of which is The Fazio.

Located at Treetops North, the Fazio Premier easily could have been called Hidden Valley, or Wilderness Valley, but those names were already taken by other courses in the Mecca. The Fazio weaves back and forth from one tree lined valley to another with an occasional ridge top hole thrown in for good measure. Once in a while they found it necessary to cross over in the middle of a ridge so they put a tee on top and gave us a par three or a great shot to a valley floor falling away in front of you.

From these kinds of tees, you will understand why this complex is called Treetops.

They don’t waste any time getting that message to you either. From the first tee you can see the tops of trees for miles. This may be one of the greatest starting holes in the country. At least in Michigan. I’m a farm boy, what do I know about great starting holes around the country.

You stand on the first tee with miles of valley filled with trees before you. This will be the first time you dig the camera out of the bag, but it won’t be the last.

The fairways on this course are wide. You get the feeling that you can’t miss them. Well that’s just a feeling. It can be done, and most likely will be, believe me. They are in great shape, and if it weren’t for the fairway bunkers they would be all you could ask for.

Large hardwoods line each hole, and keep other holes out of sight, so you play each hole as if you have the course to yourself.

This course plays under six thousand yards from the white tees, to give you a beautiful and relaxing round of golf. Drop back to the black tee’s and add a thousand yards to the length, and all you have left is the beautiful part. You now have a lot of work in front of you. Plan on long irons and fairway woods to greens that are tough with any iron.

The Fazio has a lot of elevated tees and greens that gives you some great views of the contrasting color between the darker green of the rough and the lighter green of the fairway. As you stand there and look at the fairway work its way around the bunkers and trees up to the green, you realize there is a lot more to like about this game than hitting a ball with a stick. On this course that’s a view you get many times.

The greens are large and well designed. It seems that the more challenge there is getting to the green, the easier it is to putt. On the other hand, a hole that a good drive leaves you with a short chip shot to the pin, you can expect greens that challenge your putting skills. Watch out for tiers and slopes that leaves your ball in unexpected places.

So if a good drive leaves you with a short shot to the green and the word “birdie” pops into your mind, beware, theirs trouble just ahead.

Two of the par threes you’re hitting to a green below you, so drop and wind make club selection a challenge. The other two are on the long side, and one is over water.

Unless you’re playing the black tees, you can at least think about getting home in two on the par fives. The challenges on these holes are putting and well bunkered greens that seem to want to collect golf balls. The bunkers around these greens are not all that easy to get out of either.

You will find a real variety on the par fours. Elevated tees, elevated greens and quite often both on the same hole. Gentle doglegs, sloping fairways, bunkers, trees and more scenery that you brought film for. I told you that most of the holes run along a valley floor, so it tends to kick you ball back to the fairway. I like that.

All this put together in a package that does Mr. Fazio and Treetops proud. Don’t miss this one, and don’t forget your camera.

Ken

Fazio Premier – Hole #7

Fazio Premier – Hole #11

Fazio Premier – Hole #18

• See – Treetops Resort – Fazio Premier – Photos

More Information on Treetops Resort – Fazio Premier >>>>

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Gaylord Country Club – Hole #5

By Ken Ducker

Five miles west of Gaylord in a setting of hardwoods and gently rolling terrain is the Gaylord Country Club. This not a private club, and you can walk it if you so desire. This is one of the four courses that was here when I arrived, and it has developed into one of the most enjoyed in the mecca.

Designated by Golf Digest in their Places to Play supplement as a “GREAT VALUE”. It’s been called “The best kept secret in the North” by one paper.

This should tell you that this is one that you will like.

When you talk about the Country Club you talk about the greens, they will compare to any, bar none. How many greens can you hit into with a long iron and expect it to check up. You can here. Many of the breaks on these greens are so subtle that you hardly see them, but they are there.

Over-reading the greens is another problem. Play them to break four inches, it will break three. As you may have guessed, short putts are not my strong suit. (I get very few gimmeys) You will enjoy the challenge of these greens.

The par threes are roughly the same length,(150-160 yds, white tees) but they are well bunkered, and depending on pin placement can be a real bear. There is enough trouble around these greens, that if your not on, be close.

One of the par fives is definitely reachable in two, and the other three can be reached by the long knockers. The short par five is an easy par, if you play it safe and don’t go for the bird. (we don’t, we want the bird)

This is a dog leg right, that you must hug a pond to have a shot to get home in two. You could try to drive the pond but that take’s 200 yards plus of carry, and there is O.B. to the right of that. The green is well bunkered (of course) and going for the bird gets the bogey as often as not.

The par fours are a very good mix of short, medium and long holes. The shorter the hole the more trouble there is to get in to.

My favorite hole on the course is a hole that has been driven. It has three large traps and a small pond to protect it from the very brave (or foolish). A good drive leaves you a simple wedge in to a good size green. You still have to clear the sand or pond. If you are like me, you give it a little extra, which leaves you to the back of the green with a down hill putt back. Its just a great little hole that tests your nerves and skill, not you power.

All and all, the whole course is like that, a skill course more than a power course. Great greens, nice setting, well maintained. What more could you ask for.

Try it, you won’t be disappointed.

Ken

Gaylord Country Club – Hole #8

Gaylord Country Club – Hole #11

Gaylord Country Club – Hole #18

• See – Gaylord Country Club – Photos

More Information on Gaylord Country Club >>>>

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