Loop Links, no. 3
Golf in Detroit... sort of
What belongs in a golf newsletter? Should it be a paid fluff piece on Treetops? How about a feature-length ad on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, is that what Michigan golfers are into?
I have gripes with how golf is covered in this state, including how said coverage is bought and paid for, if you couldn’t tell. My goal with Loop Links is to keep things short, and keep the content relevant to what golfers care about. I’ll tell you what I like, but I’m not here to do PR. I’ll tell you what I don’t like, but I’m not here to be malicious for the sake of #content. I’m happy if that ends up being a feature, and I’m also happy if it results in simply some short unsubstantiated rumors. Speaking of…
DeVries in the D
A curious thing happened right after Christmas, when out of nowhere Mike DeVries retweeted a Dec 6, 2022 message from an account named DeVries Golf Detroit.
I had been peripherally aware of a proposed idea in the past few years to build a course in metro Detroit that was designed by Mike DeVries. I had assumed, however, that the plan had fallen through after more than a year of silence, but here was a signal that something might still be in the works. To follow this lede, I visited the DeVries Golf Detroit website, and reached out to the e-mail address posted to find out more information.
The response I got was, well, that there is no information ready to go public yet. So here we are in the unsubstantiated rumor mill. I’ll keep this boiled down to the things that I feel fairly confident in, based on a mixture of people I have talked to and pure conjecture:
I have a very general idea of where the site is, and it is by no means whatsoever IN the metro area. BUT, for the intents and purposes of having a Mike DeVries design in Southeast Michigan, it would more than suffice.
The model for the course, as mentioned on the website, is a semi-public model based on Cape Arundel, Belvedere, and Pasatiempo. In short, members will control a portion of the tee times, and the public will have access to what is remaining.
The amount of funding needed is an aspirational number. As I mentioned in Loop Links, no. 2, funding a public course without the backing of an established resort or casino is something not often seen these days. The success or failure of this project could be a bellwether for where we stand on such projects.
If the plans proceeds, I think we will hear more in early to mid-summer.
I have two conflicting thoughts at the same time. If we see this DeVries course come to life, the limited public tee times might make the prices we eventually see at The Cardinal look reasonable. At the same time, I’m still 100% on board for seeing Mike get some more work not only in Michigan, but in my backyard. The only thing that would make me happier is if Mike was finally hired to do a restoration on the University of Michigan Golf Course!
Will Black Bear Survive?
Last summer, I featured Black Bear on #MIGolfCourseAerialOfTheDay, and folks teed off on it (see what I did there?). Reports back were that the ownership had let the course go to waste, and it didn’t seem like there was a very long future ahead for golf being played there. I performed a wellness check last week to see if there were any signs of it being permanently closed, and this is now the first image on the Black Bear website:
I have nothing else to offer, except hope for better times ahead for Black Bear.
First Tee of St. Clair Shores
This was passed my way recently:
Are we sure about this one?
Value Destination - Ann Arbor
I used to live in Chicago. Golfing in the city, especially during the weekend, usually meant you were sharing the course with every golfer in the city at the same time. The alternative was the suburbs, where the drive plus the round meant committing 6-8 hours of your day for 18 holes. Nightmare material.
I moved back to Ann Arbor in 2020, and it was a revelation. In my 30 years or so of living in Michigan, I never fully appreciated how easy it was to golf here. In 8 or 9 years in the greater Ann Arbor area, I foolishly also never recognized that there were so many great options so close to home. Perhaps you are thinking that value and Ann Arbor were never a pair of words that you considered putting together, but let me give you a short tour.
University of Michigan GC
To me, UMGC is not just a value play in Ann Arbor, but possibly one of the best deals in the country. Sure, if you show up as an unaffiliated guest, you will pay a premium roughly equivalent to what you will find at other premier courses in the state. Finding an alum to play with is not the most difficult thing, however, given one of the largest living alumni bases in the US (you can also reach out to me, I love hosting). Once you’ve accessed the guest rate, you are playing one of the few Alister MacKenzie courses available stateside at a max of $70 on weekends.
After finishing the 1st hole, the only flat lie you are likely to have for the rest of the day is on a tee box. There is minimal travel required between green and tee, so even despite the hilly terrain, which will get your heart rate elevated enough to simulate a few of your own US Open or Masters moments, I find it to be a great walk. The 6th green is iconic, and the more you play the course, the more you appreciate how solid and smart it is. The only complaints you will ever hear from me is that a tree management plan is badly needed, and that 18th hole needs some rethinking. That’s small stuff, though. I still find myself remarkably lucky to live nearby and call it my home course.
Washtenaw GC
One of the oldest courses in the state, dating back to 1899, this was a find for me when I moved back, and is still under the radar for a lot of golfers I talk to, even golfers in the area. Value, design, conditioning, they are all through the roof. Let me talk design first.
The greens at Washtenaw are some of the boldest and most fun in the area. They retain a lot of the original mounding and shouldering around the edges of the surfaces, surfaces which are slowly expanding out to reach those edges through a gradual restoration plan led by Ray Hearn. Larger greens are just easier to hit, while also bringing in more exciting slopes and pin positions to play across. On the front 9 alone, I can list a number of favorites to start the round. The 1st green greets you with a massive surface, but an imposing false front to navigate right off the bat. The 2nd green is smaller, but one of the waviest, most fun surfaces in the round. You will usually have a wedge in your hand when the 6th green greets you at the end of a long par-5, maybe the toughest club to place when the first half of the green is all false front and the back edge falls off a cliff. It’s an intimidating shot. And then there’s the 8th hole. It’s wacky. It shouldn’t work. Yet it remains one of my favorites on the course, with a blind uphill shot to a borderline punchbowl green. It’s easy to hit, but so severely sloped that birdie and double bogey are both on the table.
As part of the restoration plan, the course is also gradually, but heavily, peeling back layers of trees throughout the property. I am a big fan of this, as it is revealing a piece of land that gets better as you see more of it. Maybe even more importantly, as a tree-lined parkland course, the trimming of the existing trees makes all of the difference in the world. With the low-hanging branches removed from most of the trees around Washtenaw, you (and by you I mean me, of course) can spray driver into adjacent fairways and still have a chance at recovery. It’s not a great chance, or always the smartest move, but it’s so much more interesting than the automatic jail you are in at places like UMGC.
The value at Washtenaw impresses as much as the golf. I often play on weekdays, but I don’t recall the last time I’ve paid more than $45 for a round there. Not only that, but it’s one of those Michigan gems in that it’s pretty much always open if there isn’t snow on the ground. Even then, I’ve putted through some lingering snow there, so it’s not a hard and fast rule. I’ve also played rounds in March where the green surfaces played truer than some overpriced courses in metro Detroit in mid-summer. That crew does an outstanding job there, and I can’t overstate that enough.
Leslie Park
Called a muni gem by Tom Coyne, I’ve criminally neglected Leslie Park. It gets a bit of a bad rap due to it’s weekend pacing, which can be abysmal. Even at $55 with a cart on weekends, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are sweeping dew. Like most public courses, however, you will find things to be much more agreeable if you can get out for a weekday round, and at $25 walking you won’t find a much better deal around.
The course is designed by Larry Packard, who is most notable for his Copperhead course at Innisbrook. He has a few other designs in Michigan, not many of which that have wowed me, but Leslie Park is a really solid course at a muni price. There is good land with a decent amount of movement, a nicely flowing routing on the front 9, and the occasional severe green to have some fun with.
There is a nice stretch in holes 11-14, although I don’t enjoy the back 9 routing quite as much, as it feels a little cramped and disjointed with the criss-crossing walks between greens and tees. That area of the back 9 has a trick up its sleeve, though, if you visit in late summer or fall. I don’t know if it’s an affiliation with the nearby Leslie Science and Nature Center or what, but the stream that cuts through the back 9 turns in late summer to essentially a monarch and pollinator sanctuary. So you get your yellows and purples and greens all growing through that area, and it’s a sight to behold. For me, it’s an exemplary use of muni land and something to replicate anywhere that muni golf is under threat.
Eagle Crest
This used to be one of my spots back in grad school. I thought it was reasonable at the time, not great. That was going on 15 years ago now, so I am due for a revisit. I’m hearing it mentioned more frequently in itineraries for area trips now, possibly due to some updates to the course around 2012. I can certainly see the appeal to visitors, as it plays down to and up against Ford Lake several times.
Per the Eagle Crest website, the course is now open as of Monday, February 5th, and at spring rates it looks like a round will cost you around $40 with a cart.
Radrick Farms
I’ve included this at the end, due to it being slightly more difficult to get on. The other University of Michigan-affiliated course, Radrick was the first 18-hole design by Pete Dye, and you need to know a U of M faculty member or donor for a tee time. If you can get on, it’s an absolute steal. I think the most I’ve ever paid to play is $85, and I’ve been on for as little as $28.
Like UMGC, it’s a great walk, and subtly just as strenuous in spots. There is a lot of land movement, even enough for a dropshot par-3 that you rarely see outside of Northern Michigan. For me, the demand of the greens and approach shots make it a thrilling challenge without being over the top. Highlights for me are the 2nd green, nestled into the hillside, the demanding 6th hole next to the barn, the beautifully framed short fours in 8 and 9, or approaching the challenging 14th green with the sunset behind.
Other Options
There are several other options in the area that, for one reason or another, wouldn’t be included on my list. Some are simply private, such as Barton Hills and Travis Pointe. They wouldn’t fit the ethos of this list as a value destination, but by all means definitely include either if you have a connection.
Others are public, where you might often see Stonebridge and Lake Forest included in lists of Ann Arbor places to play. You won’t find them on mine. Tee off at the Art Hills-designed Stonebridge, and you are about as likely to hit a cookie cutter mega-home as you are a fairway. If that sounds interesting to you, then by all means check it out. Lake Forest can give you good rates, but the routing is so bad. Unless horrible weather has you playing an empty course, you are going to watch the group in front of you all day. However, in Lake Forest’s defense, they did recently construct a large patio area, and it’s a low-key great spot on a nice day for dinner with the family. The kids can putt around on the practice green, or toss bags on the lawn, or generally just run around. The food is average, but the sunsets are great.
Lodging
I live here, so I know next to nothing about where to stay. There certainly aren’t a lack of options in the area, though, what with the 3rd largest stadium in the world being nearby and all. Just make sure to check the football schedule prior to any visits. Look at the stay and play packages at Eagle Crest, too, if you are planning on making a stop there anyways.
The Four Foundations of Golf
Despite a limited number of rounds, I’ve managed to shave about 3-4 strokes off of my handicap in total since 2020. No particular swing change has made this possible. In fact, I’ve tried hard to altogether eliminate any technical swing thoughts from my game. I do credit a couple of things, however. One is working on my mental game, and using techniques from The Inner Game of Golf. Consider that a full endorsement for the book.
Two, sort of independently, trying to figure out how to actually get anything out of hitting into a net in my garage for practice, I came upon the idea of working almost strictly on trying to hit the middle of the clubface more consistently, technique be damned. It’s a work in progress, for sure, but it’s been a helpful focus to make the game more of an athletic endeavor for me, and less of a game of playing Golf Swing. One of the resources that I used during this time was the twitter account of Jon Sherman. After a couple of years of following him, I finally went cover to cover through his The Four Foundations of Golf book.
Jon is really good on the X thing, and he breaks down his advice on mentality, outlook, strategy, and effective practice in easy to digest bites through his frequent threads. I almost hate to say that you can probably, if you wanted, just benefit from that info without getting the book. The book, as expected, is more thorough and more organized, so there is certainly a benefit to picking it up and keeping it in your library.
Here’s where the book really works for me. Jon uses a lot of data to back up his points, comparing the games of Tour pros, scratch players, and different handicaps up to 20+. This is done to help explain strategy, and also to help contextualize proper expectation setting. It’s a hard pill to swallow at times, facing up to the reality that we are just not as good as we think we are or should be, but it’s helpful to understand where our games suffer the most (double bogeys), where we can succeed the most (just getting anywhere on the green), and to remember the ultimate goal of the game (just hit the damn middle of the clubface). Jon’s book gave me some new perspectives to work through, while also reinforcing a lot of the things I was already working on, so I’m happy with what I’ve read and give it a full endorsement.
Thanks for reading! As you may or may not know, the engagement metrics for most social media platforms, especially Twitter, are either fake or dysfunctional, and social media is becoming an increasingly unreliable resource for reaching readers. So if you enjoy the newsletter, or even if you don’t, passing on a recommendation is the most helpful thing you can do. Even if it’s something like, “hey, I’m reading this newsletter called Great Lakes Loops, and it’s really terrible.” All press is good press!