Michigan Golf

Hello All, this may be my final post with regard to golf for quite a while.  I will be heading to China, first for vacation for about a month and then possibly to work.  I'll keep you posted on my travel blog.

Michigan is a wonderful place for golf.  If I could spend a year (with good weather) I don't think I'd be able to hit all of the nice to very nice golf courses in this state.  Although I must say most are only in the nice category not unlike North Carolina, Wisconsin or Minnesota.  Most of these states are very wooded and like Michigan the courses, again, although beautiful and well cared for begin to look the same with many being tree-lined fareways.

As you've probably read in previous posts what I am looking for in a great course is the "wow" effect; either in my first drive up to the course or more specifically on one or more of the wholes.

Playing in Michigan there are only three courses that have the wow effect of the ones I played and those three are Arcadia Bluffs, Forest Dunes and Harbor Bay, in that order.  And to be fair I didn't play Tullymore at St. Ives Resort which was highly ranked.  So it could possibly displace any of the three I mentioned.  My plans someday are to go back and play both Tullymore and play Harbor Bay again (this time in good weather).

Arcadia Bluffs, far and away, was my my favorite course.  From the moment you drive up to the clubhouse to the last hole there isn't shortage of "wows."  The clubhouse is spectacular and has just recently been finished to hosts guests and sets on top of the hill overlooking the entire course.  Beautiful views abound from the clubhouse.  And honestly there are too many wholes to recount which ones are "wow" holes and reach ones are simply challenging.  The only draw back I had in my entire experience at Arcadia Bluffs was with the idiot guy behind the counter at the end of the day.  Even though I told him I felt Arcadia Bluffs was my number one course he kept arguing with me that Forest Dunes and not Harbor Bay should be number two.  Like why should he care which I put as number two.  What a jerk!!

Anyway, enjoy the pictures in order of when I played them.  Sorry I don't have any of Harbor Bay.  It was raining and foggy on the day I played and I didn't actually finish the round, thus no pics.  And yet it still is my No. 2.

Shepherd's Hollow - #37 - by far my least favorite

Eagle Hawk - #81


Red Hawk - #40 - another with few "wow" holes

Lake Shore - The Gailes - #54

Black Lake - #35

Forest Dunes - #20 - Beautiful course in a wonderful setting.

Arcadia Bluffs - #10 - my number one course in Michigan.  If you haven't played it should be on you must play list.

Massachusetts Golf

Well, going from what will certainly be one of my favorite states to what will now be my least favorite state for golf - Massachusetts (I sure hope I misspelled it)!!  My plans were to play both Pinehills and Taconic but it looks like I won't play either.  One by force, one by choice.

My Pinehills experience was to say the least horrible.  Everyone that has talked to me or follows my blog knows that I call ahead to make a tee time and when doing so I mention that I travel with my dog and I always ask if 1) I can leash her on the cart with me, and if not, 2) can I then leave her leashed outside my van.  I do not want to leave her in the van for sometimes over 5 hours.  Not good and besides it is probably against the law in some states.

Well, Pineville wouldn't let me leash her on the cart but it was fine leaving her in the parking lot.  I always park near a grassy area so she has a comfortable place to lie and leave her plenty of food and water.  Well, I'm about tho hit my second or third shot on the 4th hole when one of the marshals come up and tell me the director says I can't have the dog on the premises.  Well, it was a cool day so I asked the marshal to go back and ask the director if I could just put her in the van for the remainder of the round.  When the marshal came back he told me no, the director said I have to take the dog off the property.  What a putz!!  And what's even worse is that when I walked into the club house to pay for my round of golf, you guessed it, there was a dog walking around inside the clubhouse.

What a complete jerk!!!  The only saving grace was that while I was packing up to leave a member came up to me and apologized for the director.  I say they should fire his butt and teach him some proper manners!!  If courses much better than Pineville let me have my dog on the course with me then Pineville needs to work on their rules.

Whew!!!

The other course in Mass. is Taconic which is the university course for Williams College.  I probably should have played this course before I went up to Maine.  Maine has some beautiful courses all of which are very reasonably priced.  When I called up Taconic to set up a tee time I do what I always do, ask what their rates are and ask about having Lusha with me.  They mentioned a rate of $145.  The rate in and of itself doesn't bother me.  Many of the really good courses charged that and more.  So on to Williamstown I go.

Upon reaching the golf course I start to question the amount of their rate.  The course is nothing special that I could see from the club house.  And they only charge their members $65.  After talking to a couple of members and no invitations to join them at their member rate I decided my money could be better spent on other courses.

So Massachusetts may be the only state in which I play no golf.  Ahhhhhhhh, I don't like their politics much anyway!!!  lol