Michigan Golf Journal February 2018

ŽǀĞƌ ƐƚŽƌLJ ƚŚĞLJ ĂƉƉĞĂƌ ƚŽ ͞ŚĂŶŐ͟ ŽŶƚŽ ƚŚĞ side of a long mountainous ridge. dŚĂƚ ǁŽƵůĚ ŶŽƚ ďĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƉĞŽƉůĞ͛Ɛ ĮƌƐƚ ƚŚŽƵŐŚƚƐ ŽĨ ĂŶ /ŶĚŝĂŶĂ ůĂŶĚƐĐĂƉĞ͕ ďƵƚ ŝƚ ƌĞŇĞĐƚƐ ƚŚĞ ƌĞĂůŝƚLJ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ,ŽŽƐŝĞƌ EĂƟŽŶĂů &ŽƌĞƐƚ ĂƌĞĂ ŝƐ ĞƐƐĞŶƟĂůůLJ ĨŽŽƚŚŝůůƐ leading to the mountainous Kentucky region. Dye moved huge amounts of ĞĂƌƚŚ ƚŽ ĐƌĞĂƚĞ ƌĞůĂƟǀĞůLJ ůĞǀĞů ĨĂŝƌǁĂLJƐ ŽŶ ƚŽƉ ŽĨ ĂŶĚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ sides of the rolling hills. The end ƌĞƐƵůƚ ŝƐ ŵĂŶLJ ĞdžƚƌĞŵĞ ĚƌŽƉͲ ŽīƐ͕ Śŝůů ĐůŝŵďƐ ĂŶĚ ĐĂǀĞƌŶŽƵƐ valleys lining the fairways. These ĨĞĂƚƵƌĞƐ ƉůĂLJ ŝŶƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŶĞĞĚ ĨŽƌ ǀĞƌLJ ƚŚŽƵŐŚƞƵů ĐůƵď ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ͕ ďƵƚ ǁŚĞŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂůů ŝƐ ŬĞƉƚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĨĂŝƌǁĂLJ ŝƚ͛Ɛ Ă ǀĞƌLJ ƉůĂLJĂďůĞ ůĂLJŽƵƚ͘ dŚĂƚ ƐĂŝĚ͕ ƉŝĐŬ ƚŚĞ ƌŝŐŚƚ ƐĞƚ ŽĨ tees to enjoy this course. There ĂƌĞ Ɛŝdž ƚĞĞ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶƐ ƌĂŶŐŝŶŐ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ƟƉƐ ŽĨ ŵŽƌĞ ƚŚĂŶ ϴ͕ϭϬϬ LJĂƌĚƐ to the forward tees at ϱ͕ϭϮϭ LJĂƌĚƐ͘ LJĞ ŝƐ ƋƵŽƚĞĚ ĂƐ ƐĂLJŝŶŐ ŝƚ ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ƉŝĞĐĞ ŽĨ ŝŶůĂŶĚ ƉƌŽƉĞƌƚLJ he’s ever worked. The challenges ŽĨ ŚŝƐ ĨĂŝƌǁĂLJ ĚƌŽƉ ŽīƐ ĂŶĚ ƌŝƐŬͲ reward shots are balanced by greens that generally don’t have ƐĞǀĞƌĞ ƐůŽƉŝŶŐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƵƫŶŐ ƐƵƌĨĂĐĞ͘ Ƶƚ ƚŚĂƚ ĚŽĞƐŶ͛ƚ ŵĞĂŶ ƐƵďƚůĞ ďƌĞĂŬƐ ǁŽŶ͛ƚ ĨŽŽů LJŽƵ ʹ they will. And some greens are ƐƵƌƉƌŝƐŝŶŐůLJ ƐŵĂůů͕ ĞƐƉĞĐŝĂůůLJ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ĞŶĚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ůŽŶŐ ƉĂƌ ϰ ƐŝdžƚŚ ŚŽůĞ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ƐŝŐŶŝĮĐĂŶƚ ĚƌŽƉ Žī ŽŶ the back side overlooking the valley. ,ŽůĞƐ ϯ͕ ϳ ĂŶĚ ϭϴ ĂƌĞ ƐƚŽƵƚ͕ ƐǁĞĞƉŝŶŐ ůĞŌ ĚŽŐůĞŐƐ ǁŝƚŚ ŵĂũŽƌ ǀĂůůĞLJƐ ŽŶ ĞĂĐŚ ƚŚĂƚ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞ ĐĂƌĞĨƵů ĐŽŶƐŝĚĞƌĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƌƌĞĐƚ ĐůƵď ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ůĂLJƵƉ Žƌ ͞ŐŽ for it” strategy. The tee boxes at holes 8 and ϭϭ ĂƌĞ ĞƐƉĞĐŝĂůůLJ ŐƌĞĂƚ ůŽŽŬŽƵƚ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ƐƵƌƌŽƵŶĚŝŶŐ ĨŽƌĞƐƚ and the two small towns below ;&ƌĞŶĐŚ >ŝĐŬ ĂŶĚ tĞƐƚ ĂĚĞŶͿ͕ but there are so many wonderful views from virtually every green ĂŶĚ ƚĞĞ ƚŚĂƚ ŶŽ ŽŶĞ ůŽĐĂƟŽŶ can be singled out as best. Each golf hole is gorgeous and very entertaining in its own right but the overall wow factor is what will bring in the masses for many years to come. Ɛ Ă ŐŽůĨĞƌ ĮƌƐƚ͕ /͛ŵ ŶŽƚ Ă ŚƵŐĞ ĨĂŶ ŽĨ ĐĂůůŝŶŐ ŽƵƚ ĂŵĞŶŝƟĞƐ ůŝŬĞ ĐůƵƵƐĞƐ͕ ďƵƚ ƚŚĞ ĐĞŶƚĞƌƉŝĞĐĞ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ LJĞ ŽƵƌƐĞ ŝƐ ƐƉĞĐƚĂĐƵůĂƌ in historic grandeur. The subtle sͲƐŚĂƉĞĚ ƚǁŽͲƐƚŽƌLJ ŵĂŶƐŝŽŶ ǁĂƐ built on the site at the absolute ƉĞĂŬ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŽƉĞƌƚLJ ŝŶ ϭϵϮϴ ĂŶĚ ĨŽƌ Ă ƟŵĞ ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ŚŽŵĞ ƚŽ /ŶĚŝĂŶĂƉŽůŝƐ DĂLJŽƌ ĂŶĚ ĨŽƌŵĞƌ ŽǁŶĞƌ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ &ƌĞŶĐŚ >ŝĐŬ ^ƉƌŝŶŐƐ Hotel, Thomas Taggart. For ƉĞŽƉůĞ ǁŚŽ ůŽǀĞ ĞĂƌůLJͲĐĞŶƚƵƌLJ architecture with a modern touch, having lunch and looking around ŝŶƐŝĚĞ ŝƐ ŝŶƐƉŝƌŝŶŐ͘ ŽŶĂůĚ ZŽƐƐ ŽƵƌƐĞ͗ Stately, elegant, classic and ŶĂƚƵƌĂů ʹ Ă ƚLJƉŝĐĂů ŽŶĂůĚ ZŽƐƐ design. dŚĞ ŐŽŽĚ ƚŚŝŶŐ ŝƐ ʹ ǁŚĞŶ ǁŽƵůĚ ƚLJƉŝĐĂů ZŽƐƐ ĞǀĞƌ ďĞ ĐŽŶƐŝĚĞƌĞĚ Ă ďĂĚ ƚŚŝŶŐ͍ The Ross Course balances the resort’s modern Dye design with ŝƚƐ ŚŝƐƚŽƌŝĐĂů ƟĞƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĂƌĞĂ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ ǁĂƐ ŝŶŚĂďŝƚĞĚ ďLJ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ůŽŽŬŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ƐƉĞĐƵůĂƟǀĞ ͚ŚĞĂůŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƌĞůĂdžĂƟŽŶ͟ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŵĂŶLJ ŵŝŶĞƌĂů ƐƉƌŝŶŐƐ͘ /Ŷ ƌĞĐĞŶƚ LJĞĂƌƐ ƚŚĞ ƌĞƐŽƌƚ ƐƉĞŶƚ ĂůŵŽƐƚ Ψϱ million to restore the course back ƚŽ ZŽƐƐ͛ ŽƌŝŐŝŶĂů ƉůĂŶƐ͘ EŽǁ ŚĞĂĚŝŶŐ ŝŶƚŽ ŝƚƐ ϭϬϭ st golf season, the Ross Course was the site of Walter Hagen’s 1924 PGA ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉ͘ ZŽƐƐ͛ ĚĞƐŝŐŶ ŐĞŶƚůLJ ŇŽǁƐ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƚŚĞ ĚƌĂŵĂƟĐ͕ ŶĂƚƵƌĂů ƌŽůůŝŶŐ ƚĞƌƌĂŝŶ͘ / ƐƵƐƉĞĐƚ ZŽƐƐ ũƵƐƚ ŶĞĞĚĞĚ ƚŽ ĮŐƵƌĞ ŽƵƚ ŐŽŽĚ ƌŽƵƟŶŐ