Michigan Golf Journal November 2021

Continues on next page>> 31 November 2021 www.michigangolfjournal.com landscape with a handful of modern agronomy improvements via interesting green complexes and a wide variety of shot angles. Waste bunkers with pockets of naturally eroded sand in the elevation change areas, and scrub brush throughout, define the course’s main obstacles, but they still allow for hittable recovery shots. The layout is walkable from every green to the next tee, not surprising with Ross, but the hills make it a decent workout if taken on by foot. The recent renovation also included lengthening the routing by about 300 total yards. “It’s just beautiful here; I don’t think there’s a bad hole or a bad view,” said cart partner Greg Warfel of Richmond VA, who works at GolfTech as an instructor. “There’s good width in the fairways without being boring about it. This course gives you a lot of interesting visuals that tighten up the hole but then you get up on the fairway and think, ‘there’s more space than I thought.’” A totally different look and feel from Southern Pines is Talamore Golf Resort, about 10 minutes away. It is a well- manicured course with no waste sand areas but rather well-defined bunkers and only one lake to cross, off the 18th tee. Several sand bunkers are deep with tall grass faces, like links courses found in Great Britain, to challenge even the best sand players. Most fairways are wide but play roomier in that any golf balls that leave the fairway typically find all other vegetation cleared out from under the thousands of stately pine trees, and covered with the Sandhills region obligatory pinestraw, making recovery shots fairly easy. “This is a fabulously maintain course,” said playing partner Jason O’Brien, a pilot for United Airlines living in the region, and former pilot for Kalitta Air freight at Willow Run Airport. “You cannot beat the conditions year-round. What I really like about it though is it truly challenges you to hit every club in your bag. It’s not driver, wedge. And there’s holes you might hit driver, but you should have hit 5-iron.” Talamore: