Michigan Golf Journal August 2018

^ƵŵŵĞƌ ZŽĂĚ dƌŝƉ tŚĞŶ ŐŽůĨ ůŽǀĞƌƐ ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ ƚĂŬĞ Ă ƐƚĞƉ ďĂĐŬ ŝŶ ƟŵĞ ʹ ƚŽ ĂŶ ĞƌĂ where courses that follow the natural contours of the land ǁĞƌĞ ƉůĂLJĞĚ ďLJ ůĞŐĞŶĚƐ ůŝŬĞ tĂůƚĞƌ ,ĂŐĞŶ͕ 'ĞŶĞ ^ĂƌĂnjĞŶ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ŽƚŚĞƌ ǁŚŽ͛ƐͲǁŚŽ ďƌŝŐĂĚĞ ŽĨ ŐŽůĨ ŚŝƐƚŽƌLJ ĚŝƐƉůĂLJĞĚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ǁĂůůƐ ŝŶƐŝĚĞ ƚŚĞ ϭϵϮϬ͛Ɛ ŐŽůĨ ƐŚŽƉ ʹ ƚŚĞ ĨĂŵĞĚ ĞůǀĞĚĞƌĞ 'ŽůĨ ůƵď ŝŶ ŚĂƌůĞǀŽŝdž ŽŌĞŶ comes to mind. dŚĞ ŚŝƐƚŽƌLJ ŝƐ ũƵƐƚ ĂƐ ƌŝĐŚ at Belvedere as some of the most famed courses in the ĐŽƵŶƚƌLJ͘ /ƚƐ ƌĞƐƵŵĞ ŝŶĐůƵĚĞƐ ŚŽƐƟŶŐ ϰϬ DŝĐŚŝŐĂŶ ŵĂƚĞƵƌ ĞůǀĞĚĞƌĞ ZĞĐůĂŝŵĞĚ By Tom Lang ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉƐ ŽǀĞƌ ƚŚĞ decades, and the course is Ă ƐƚĂƉůĞ ĨŽƌ ƉůĂLJĞƌƐ ǁŚŽ ůŝŬĞ to use hickory clubs. Many Michiganders also know that tŽƌůĚ 'ŽůĨ ,Ăůů ŽĨ &ĂŵĞƌ dŽŵ tĂƚƐŽŶ ƐƉĞŶƚ ŵŽƐƚ ƐƵŵŵĞƌƐ as a youth in northern Michigan and considers Belvedere his beloved club. LJ ŇƵŬĞ͕ ƚŚĞ ŽƌŝŐŝŶĂů ŚĂŶĚͲ ĚƌĂǁŶ ĂƌĐŚŝƚĞĐƚƵƌĂů ƉůĂŶƐ ďLJ tŝůůŝĂŵ tĂƚƐŽŶ ;ĂŶ ĂƉƉƌĞŶƟĐĞ ŽĨ KůĚ dŽŵ DŽƌƌŝƐͿ ǁĞƌĞ ƵŶĐŽǀĞƌĞĚ ŝŶ ϮϬϭϲ ŝŶ ŚĂƌůĞǀŽŝdž͘ tŚŝůĞ ĞůǀĞĚĞƌĞ 'ŽůĨ ůƵď ƌĞŵĂŝŶĞĚ ŽŶĞ ŽĨ the best designs in Michigan, ĂŶĚ ŵŝŶŝŵĂů ĞǀŽůƵƟŽŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŐƌŽƵŶĚƐ ƚŽŽŬ ƉůĂĐĞ ƐŝŶĐĞ ŝƚƐ ŽƉĞŶŝŶŐ ŝŶ ϭϵϮϱ͕ ƚŚĞ unearthing of the original drawings caused a desire from ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ƚŽ ĂƉƉƌŽǀĞ Ă ƚǁŽͲ LJĞĂƌ ƌĞƐƚŽƌĂƟŽŶ ƉůĂŶ ƌĞƚƵƌŶŝŶŐ the golf course greens, fairways and many of its tees to the hand-drawn design. The ĐŚĂŶŐĞƐ ǁĞƌĞ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ĂƌĐŚŝƚĞĐƚ ƌƵĐĞ ,ĞƉŶĞƌ͛Ɛ ŚĞůƉ͘ Most changes consisted of ĞŶůĂƌŐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƉƵƫŶŐ ƐƵƌĨĂĐĞƐ on greens, which in many cases ŶŽǁ ĐĂƵƐĞƐ Ă ĚƌŽƉ Žī ŽŶ ƚŚĞ edges. A bunker was added on the right side of the fairway on No. 7 as a key strategy ĐŚŽŝĐĞ Žī ƚŚĞ ƚĞĞ͘ dŚĞ ŐƌĞĞŶƐ ŚĂǀĞ ĚĞůŝĐĂƚĞ ƵŶĚƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ƚŚĂƚ ĂƌĞ ŵĂŶĂŐĞĂďůĞ ĚĞƉĞŶĚŝŶŐ