Michigan Golf Journal May 2021

grill room – or to enjoy a cold one from some three dozen beer options and local craft brews, on the very large veranda overlooking the 18 th . And that passion rubs off on the rest of the staff who want to give each golfer a great experience – golfers like 11-handicap Gayle Ruhl, a woman who is not a member but said she plays the course at least once a week. “I think PohlCat is more challenging for my game,” Ruhl said in comparison to other area courses. “I like the yardages, and it’s more fair now that they changed some of the tee boxes. I think the staff is great and they’re very friendly – that’s another reason I come out here.” Playing the Course: The PohlCat has an intriguing opening four holes and even better closing four holes (aesthetically anyway) in my opinion – and frankly the other 10 in between are pretty darn good. In fact, if you asked the designer himself, the toughest part of the course is the middle stretch that is much more wide open than the bookend quartet of holes. “Those last four holes are such a good combination of length (variations), open, little doglegs, things I look at,” Pohl said this spring. “But really the meat and potatoes of this golf course are right in the middle of the course; 7-12 are good a 6-hole stretch with par 4s and 5s and the toughest par 3. So that area, you really Continues on next page >> 13 May 2021 www.michigangolfjournal.com Hole 17 green