Michigan Golf Journal February 2018

DŝĐŚŝŐĂŶ EĞǁƐ Many holes of the third 9 have ƚŚĞ ƐĂŵĞ ĂƉƉĞĂů͘ The course was designed by ƚŚĞ ĂĐĐůĂŝŵĞĚ :ĞƌƌLJ DĂƩŚĞǁƐ ĂŶĚ ŽƉĞŶĞĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƉƵďůŝĐ ŝŶ ϭϵϵϰ͘ dŚĞ ϭ͕ϰϬϬͲĂĐƌĞ ƉƌŽƉĞƌƚLJ has wonderful views and abundant wildlife found among ƚŚĞ ĂƩƌĂĐƟǀĞ ŚĂƌĚǁŽŽĚƐ ĂŶĚ meadows surrounding Lake tĂůĚĞŶ͘ ƉůĞĂƐĂŶƚ ŚŝŬŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ biking trail runs throughout the area as well. My assessment includes the ƌĞĐŽŐŶŝƟŽŶ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞƌĞ ŝƐ Ă ŶŝĐĞ ƐĞůĞĐƟŽŶ ŽĨ ďƵŶŬĞƌƐ ĨŽƌ ĐŚĂůůĞŶŐĞ and strategy, but they are not ŽǀĞƌĚŽŶĞ͘ EŽ͘ ϲ ŝƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ůŝƐƚ ŽĨ ĨĂǀŽƌŝƚĞ ŚŽůĞƐ ĂƐ ĂŶ ƵƉŚŝůů ƐŚŽƌƚĞƌ ƉĂƌ ϰ ŝŶ ǁŚŝĐŚ ƚŚĞ ŐƌĞĞŶ ĐŽŵƉůĞdž ŝƐ Ă ŚƵŐĞ ďŽǁů ƐŚĂƉĞ ǁŝƚŚ ƌĞůĂƟǀĞůLJ ƐƚĞĞƉ ƐŝĚĞƐ͘ /Ĩ ƚŚĞ ƌŽƵŐŚ ŝƐ ĐƵƚ ƐŚŽƌƚ ĂŶ ĞƌƌĂŶƚ ĂƉƉƌŽĂĐŚ shot could roll back down onto the green and allow a birdie try ʹ ďƵƚ ŝĨ ƚŚĞ ƌŽƵŐŚ ŝƐ ůŽŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ďĂůů ƐƟĐŬƐ͕ ŐŽŽĚ ůƵĐŬ ĐŚŝƉƉŝŶŐ ŝƚ ŽƵƚ ĚŽǁŶŚŝůů ĂŶĚ ŐĞƫŶŐ ƚŚĞ ďĂůů ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ ŶĞĂƌ ƚŚĞ ŚŽůĞ͘ ^ƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƉ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ďŽǁů ďĞŚŝŶĚ ƚŚĞ ŐƌĞĞŶ ĂŶĚ ůŽŽŬŝŶŐ ďĂĐŬ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ a wonderful, elevated view of the ŽǀĞƌĂůů ƉƌŽƉĞƌƚLJ͘ dŚĞ ƐĂŵĞ ĐĂŶ ďĞ said for the 14 th tee box. While the golf course is fun, ŝŶǀŝƟŶŐ͕ ĂīŽƌĚĂďůĞ ĂŶĚ ƉĞĂĐĞĨƵů͕ ƚŚĞ DĂũĞƐƟĐ ǁĂƐ ĐŚŽƐĞŶ ĂƐ 2017 Golf Course of the Year for a variety of reasons, including standards set by the MGCA: an ŽŶŐŽŝŶŐ ĚĞŵŽŶƐƚƌĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ƋƵĂůŝƚLJ͕ ĞdžĐĞůůĞŶƚ ŽǁŶĞƌƐŚŝƉ ĂŶĚ ŵĂŶĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ͕ ƉůƵƐ ŽƵƚƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ĐŽŶƚƌŝďƵƟŽŶƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ and to the game of golf. ͞dŚĞ DĂũĞƐƟĐ ŚĂƐ Ă ƌŝĐŚ ƚƌĂĚŝƟŽŶ ŽĨ ƉƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐ ŐŽůĨĞƌƐ ǁŝƚŚ ĞdžĐĞůůĞŶƚ ĐŽŶĚŝƟŽŶƐ ĂŶĚ ŽƵƚƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ŝŶ Ă ďĞĂƵƟĨƵů environment,” said Kate Moore, ĞdžĞĐƵƟǀĞ ĚŝƌĞĐƚŽƌ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ D' ͘ ͞dŚĞ ŐŽůĨ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ DĂũĞƐƟĐ ŝƐ ĞdžĐĞƉƟŽŶĂů ĂŶĚ being recognized as the 2017 'ŽůĨ ŽƵƌƐĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ zĞĂƌ ŝƐ ǁĞůůͲ deserved.” ^ŽŵĞ ĞdžĂŵƉůĞƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ DĂũĞƐƟĐ͛Ɛ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĂƌĞ ƵŶŝƋƵĞ ĨƵŶĚ ƌĂŝƐĞƌƐ ůŝŬĞ ĚƌŽƉƉŝŶŐ ŐŽůĨ ďĂůůƐ ĨƌŽŵ Ă ŚĞůŝĐŽƉƚĞƌ ǁŝƚŚ ĐůŽƐĞƐƚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƉŝŶ ǁŝŶŶŝŶŐ Ă ƉƌŝnjĞ͕ ƚŽ ƉĂLJŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵƌ ƌŽƵŶĚ ŽĨ ŐŽůĨ with a donated turkey before dŚĂŶŬƐŐŝǀŝŶŐ͘ >ŽĐĂů :ƵŶŝŽƌ ůĞĂŐƵĞƐ ĂŶĚ ŚŝŐŚ ƐĐŚŽŽů ƚĞĂŵƐ ƵƟůŝnjĞ ƚŚĞ DĂũĞƐƟĐ ĂƐ ǁĞůů͕ ĂŶĚ ŵĂŶLJ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƐĂŵĞ LJŽƵƚŚ ŐĞƚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĮƌƐƚ ũŽď Ăƚ the golf course. “In a state that is full of great ŐŽůĨ ĨĂĐŝůŝƟĞƐ͕ ƚŽ ďĞ ƌĞĐŽŐŶŝnjĞĚ by our golf course owner’s ĂƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝƐ ǀĞƌLJ ŚƵŵďůŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ an honor,” Fountain said. “This ƌĞĐŽŐŶŝƟŽŶ ŝƐ Ă ƚƌŝďƵƚĞ ƚŽ ŽƵƌ ǁŽŶĚĞƌĨƵů ƐƚĂī ǁŚŝĐŚ ŚĂƐ ƚĂŬĞŶ ŐƌĞĂƚ ƉƌŝĚĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ǀŝƐŝŽŶ ǁĞ ŚĂǀĞ ƚŽ ŵĂŬĞ ƚŚĞ DĂũĞƐƟĐ ŶŽƚ ŽŶůLJ Ă ƚŽƉ ŐŽůĨ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ďƵƚ Ă ƉůĂĐĞ ǁŚĞƌĞ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ĂƌĞ ƉƌŽƵĚ ƚŽ ǁŽƌŬ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ ƉůĂLJ͘͟ DŽƌĞ ŝŶĨŽ͗ ǁǁǁ͘ŵĂũĞƐƟĐŐŽůĨ͘ĐŽŵ