Wisconsin Trip

It seems like every year I end up taking one trip I hadn't planned on at the beginning of the year.  This is a very good thing, yet it's also challenging for me.  I'm a meticulous planner, and taking a trip I didn't have as much time to plan for can stress me out.  Luckily the trip I ended up taking to Wisconsin in October of 2023 was not as stressful or hard to plan as I had feared.  The entire trip was built around playing in The Renaissance Cup, an annual gathering at a course designed by one of the greats, Tom Doak.  My partner and I had last played in a Renaissance Cup in 2018, and we both jumped at the chance to play in another one.  The trip ended up being full of surprises, both in Wisconsin and the Chicago area.

West Bend Country Club

Day one of the trip began with a flight to Milwaukee and a drive to Kenosha, Wisconsin.  Kenosha Country Club was designed by Donald Ross and was a great way to kick off the trip.  The routing, as always with Ross, is very strong, featuring a wonderful volcano-ish par three and a strong collection of par fours.

Kenosha Country Club, Par three 3rd hole

I stayed in the Kenosha area for my next round on day one.  The Club at Strawberry Creek was designed by Rick Jacobson, and is a links style course.  I particularly enjoyed the mix of short and long par fours.  Rick really understands flow in his designs, and they are always a ton of fun to play.

The Club at Strawberry Creek, Par three 4th hole

I drove to the Chicago area after my rounds in Kenosha.  I spent a couple days playing in the northern suburbs of Chicago.  My rounds began at sunrise on day two at Chick Evans Golf Course in Morton Grove.

Chick Evans Golf Course, Par three 10th hole

I made the very short drive to Wilmette for my next round on day two.  Westmoreland Country Club was originally designed over a hundred years ago by Willie Watson, and was re-designed by AW Tillinghast and William Langford a few years after it opened.  The course has been tweaked by Arthur Hills a few times.  He did a good job preserving some of the best qualities of Tillinghast designs.

Westmoreland Country Club, Par three 13th hole

I headed North to Winnetka for my next round.  The Donald Ross designed Indian Hill Club was my destination.  As usual, a strong routing from the master with an added interesting element of back to back par 3's at 9 and 10.

Indian Hill Country Club, Par three 13th hole

The Donald Ross theme continued for my fourth round on day two.  Northmoor Country Club has 27 holes, with 18 from Ross and nine from Larry Packard.  Nine of the Ross holes were closed for a restoration by Tyler Rae, so I played the other two nines.

Northmoor Country Club, Par three 8th hole

Believe it or not, after playing 63 holes of golf at four different courses, it was still only three o'clock.  I didn't want to waste the daylight, so I called a nearby course I had heard great things about. Lucky for me, I was able to play Briarwood Country Club, designed by Charles Alison.

Briarwood Country Club, Par four 14th hole

Day three of the trip began at sunrise again with a quick trip around the nine hole HeatherRidge Golf Course in Gurnee, Illinois.  The course opened in 1975 and genuinely surprised me for it's great collection of quality holes.

HeatherRidge Golf Course, Par four 1st hole

Libertyville, Illinois and The Merit Club was my next stop on day three.  Local architect Bob Lohmann designed the course at Merit in the early 90's, and it hosted the US Women's Open in 2000.  

The Merit Club, Par four 18th hole

I stopped by the par three course at Weber Park for my next round on day three. 

Weber Park Golf Course, Par three 4th hole

My final round on day three was another classic Donald Ross course, Evanston Golf Club.  The course continues to improve, as it will close next year for a restoration by the hot new Ross expert, Andrew Green.

Evanston Golf Club, Par four 5th hole

The fourth day of the trip took place north of Milwaukee.  West Bend Country Club, in the city by the same name, has a front nine designed by the golden age team of Langford and Moreau, with a back nine added by David Gill thirty years later.  Kye Goalby renovated the back nine in 2008 to look and feel more like the Langford/Moreau front nine.  He did a very good job and I thoroughly enjoyed this course.  This is easily the most underrated course in Wisconsin.  The elevation changes on both sides made for a thrilling round of golf!

West Bend Country Club, 11th green and 12th hole

I headed to Sheboygan next on day four for a round at the Jack Nicklaus designed Bull at Pinehurst Farms.  The course is brutally difficult, but also has some very good short par fours routed through the forest.

The Bull at Pinehurst Farms, Par four 7th hole

I stayed in Sheboygan for my last round of the day at Pine Hills Country Club.  The course moves up and down a large valley with the Pigeon River cutting through the property.  Pine Hills was one of the highlights of the trip, and combined with West Bend, would make for about as good a 36 hole day of golf as you can find anywhere in the Midwest!

Pine Hills Country Club, Par three 7th hole

The fifth day of the trip began about twenty miles west of Milwaukee in the town of Oconomowoc.  The Club at Lac La Belle was recently redesigned by Craig Haltom and utilized some additional property to create three new holes not part of the original design.  The new holes and the renovated holes fit together seamlessly, and the result is now one of the best courses in Wisconsin. 

The Club at Lac La Belle, Par three 11th hole

I headed about twenty miles south to Eagle, Wisconsin for my next round at Eagle Springs Resort.  The course here has one of the most photographed volcano holes in all of golf, the dramatic 2nd hole, pictured below.  The rest of the course is perhaps not as dramatic, but still very solid.  Eagle Springs was ranked by Golf Magazine as one of the 50 best 9 hole courses in the world.

Eagle Springs Resort, Par three 2nd hole, one of the best Volcano holes in existence!

Pace of play was very good during my morning rounds, so before my 2 pm tee time at a big course in Milwaukee, I had a delightful walk around the par three course at Hansen Park in Milwaukee.

Hansen Park Golf Course, Par three 4th hole

The final round of day five was a course I hadn't played in 17 years.  Blue Mound Golf & Country Club was designed by Seth Raynor.  I played the course on a trip to Whistling Straits in 2007, and was excited to return because the course had undergone some restoration work by Bruce Hepner and some of the Raynor templates were improved significantly.

Blue Mound Golf & Country Club, Par three 6th hole

I picked up my partner for our upcoming tournament at Sand Valley Resort and we made the drive west to Nekoosha, Wisconsin.  Before we tackled the courses at Sand Valley, we played a warm up round at nearby Lake Arrowhead Golf Resort.  We started out with the Lakes course, designed by Chicago area architect Dick Nugent.

Lake Arrowhead Golf Club(Lakes), Par four 15th hole

Since we were first out on the Lake course, we had some time to check out nine holes of the Pines course at Lake Arrowhead as well.  This course was also designed by Dick Nugent.

Lake Arrowhead Golf Club(Pines), Par four 6th hole

For our final round on day six we were fortunate to be a couple of the lucky few that got to play all 18 holes at the Tom Doak designed Sedge Valley course at Sand Valley.  The full 18 officially opens next Spring and a preview loop of ten holes had been available to resort guests for a few months.  The course was designed by Doak as a tribute to the great heathland courses in the United Kingdom, and features a unique par 68 routing.

Sedge Valley, Short Par four 6th hole

Our tournament, The Renaissance Cup, began on the morning of day seven at The Lido course at Sand Valley.  The Lido is very unique in golf architecture as it is the exact re-creation of the original Lido course that was built on Long Island, New York in the early 1900's.

The Lido, Par three 3rd hole, Eden

The Lido was originally designed by C.B. McDonald, and features all the wonderful templates that he and his associates Seth Raynor and Charles Banks incorporated into all of their designs. 

The Lido, Par four 5th hole, Cape

There is no denying the greatness of the new Lido course, and yet I found it very polarizing personally.  It has the widest gap I've ever experienced between best and favorite-as in, it's absolutely one of the best courses in the country, but I don't have it in my personal top 100 favorite courses.  The course is very difficult and the firmest and fastest course I've ever played, possibly too fast, which is something I've never said before.

The Lido, Par four 12th green, Punchbowl

The last day of the trip began with an early morning round at Lido.  On my third trip around the course I was finally able to exercise some demons on the two par five's on the front I had managed to screw up in my previous rounds.

The Lido, Par three 13th hole, Short

I headed northeast to Stevens Point for a wonderful spin around Stevens Point Country Club, which was wonderfully redesigned by Craig Haltom in 2016.  I had actually played nine at Lido with Craig the previous day, and got to tell him how much I enjoyed his work at another of his renovations, Lac La Belle.

Stevens Point, Par three 17th hole

The final round of the trip was fittingly the other Donald Ross course in Wisconsin, Oconomowoc Country Club.  I was surprised by the amount of elevation change at the course.  It moves masterfully through some hills and valleys and really builds to crescendo at the end.

Oconomowoc Country Club, Par three 6th hole

That's a wrap on my impromptu trip to Wisconsin.  Considering that I had no idea it was going to happen three months before it began, it turned out even better than I imagined.  Wisconsin is a state that is full of surprises and I can't wait to get back to experience more of it.

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Michigan Trip

Michigan is one of the best golf states in the United States.  Northern Michigan has amazing places like Crystal Downs and The Kingsley Club, along with many top notch public courses, and Detroit has one of the best championship courses of all time at Oakland Hills South course.  My trip to Michigan in 2023 focused on playing all the Ross courses I had left to play in Michigan, as well as many other great courses in Detroit, Grand Rapids, and a few in between.

Meadowbrook Country Club

On day one in Michigan I landed in Detroit and drove about an hour west to the town of Bath.  Eagle Eye Golf Club, designed by Pete Dye and Chris Lutzke, was my opening round of the trip.  The course features some trademarks of Pete Dye designs, as well as some very good new stuff that was obviously the Lutzke influence.

Eagle Eye Golf Club, Par four 9th hole with 18th green in background.

I continued west to Grand Rapids for the second round on day one.  Kent Country Club, designed by Donald Ross, was one of the biggest surprises of the trip.  Ross courses come in many shapes and sizes, with some having lots of the original design left, and others only having the basic routing.  Kent featured a very strong Ross routing that moved perfectly over the undulating property.  I would love to see a proper restoration of the bunkering in the future, but what is there now is delightful.

Kent Country Club, Par five 4th hole

Day two of the trip began with a quick sunrise round at Terra Verde golf course in Nunica, a short drive from Grand Rapids.

Terra Verde Golf Course, Par three 14th hole

Next up on day two I headed to Grand Haven, very close to Lake Michigan, for a round at the newly redesigned American Dunes Golf Club.  The course was re-worked by Nicklaus design and is a wonderful tribute to fallen military and their families.

American Dunes Golf Club, Par three 4th hole

For my next round on day two I made a short drive south to West Olive for a round at the Rick Smith designed Wuskowhan Players Club.  As the name would indicate, the course was founded as a destination for great players, with a superior practice facility and a challenging course that forces you to execute a wide variety of shots in order to be successful.

Wuskowhan Players Club, Looking back at the Par four 18th hole

I headed about thirty minutes north of Grand Rapids to Pierson for my last round on day two.  Pilgrim's Run Golf Club was designed by Mike DeVries, best known for his Top 100 design at The Kingsley Club.  The course is everything you love about DeVries as a designer, with bold features mixed with a wonderful set of greens and a great variety of holes.

Pilgrim's Run Golf Club, Par three 16th hole

Day three began with a Mike DeVries design in Grand Rapids, Mines Golf Club.  Mike did an amazing job at Mines taking an undulating, but not very interesting site, and transforming it into a very creative and fun course.

Mines  Golf Club, Par three 11th hole

I headed back towards Detroit after my early morning round.  My mandatory stop along the way was Shadow Ridge Golf Club in Ionia, which features nine holes of Donald Ross.  The Ross nine features some wonderful variety including a blind uphill 250 yard par 3!

Shadow Ridge Golf Course, Par four 14th hole

I returned to the town of Bath for my next round on day three.  Hawk Hollow Golf  Club is a 27 hole course that was designed by Jerry Matthews in the 1990's and is right next to Eagle Eye, where I began my trip.

Hawk Hollow Golf Club, Par four 27th hole

I finished pretty early at Hawk Hollow and managed to make it to Detroit with enough daylight to play another quick round.  I found a nine hole course near my hotel to check out.  Somerset Golf Course was a fun little walk surrounded by houses.

Somerset Golf Course, Par three 6th hole

The fourth day of the trip started with one of the most anticipated courses of the trip, Bloomfield Hills Country Club.  The course was designed by Harry Colt, one of just a few he did in the United States.  Mike DeVries did some restoration work in 2020 and the results have been very well received.  Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate, as you can see in the picture.  But even rain couldn't spoil such a special course.

Bloomfield Hills Country Club, Par four 12th hole

I headed to nearby Bloomfield Township for my next round on day four.  Forest Lake Country Club was designed by William Diddel in the 1920's and had brought in Arthur Hills in recent years to renovate the course.  The course is currently undergoing another renovation by architect Chris Wilczynski, so I was only able to play holes 1 to 10.  What I played was very enjoyable, and I'm sure the final product will be very strong.

Forest Lake Country Club, Par three 11th hole

My original plan for my final round on day four was to play St. Clair Golf Club, designed by Donald Ross.  The course is located northeast of Detroit, right on the border with Canada.  Luckily, I called the course before I left, and was told they were currently closed due to the excessive rainfall overnight, and weren't sure if they were going to open that afternoon.  I didn't want to drive an hour and a half only to find out that the course was closed, so I decided to improvise.  

Meadowbrook Country Club, Par five 17th hole

There was one golf course I really wanted to play on the trip but had been unable to confirm.  I called them and lucky for me the rainy weather had resulted in a few cancelations.  So I was able to play what would become the highlight of the trip, Meadowbrook Country Club in Northville.  The course was originally designed by Willie Park Junior in 1916.  A wonderful restoration by Andy Staples in 2016 preserved what was left of the original Park course while incorporating features that are hallmarks of Park designs into the rest of the holes.  The result is spectacular, and Meadowbrook is absolutely one of the best courses in Michigan. It belongs in the top 100 courses in the US.

Meadowbrook Country Club, Par three 6th hole in foreground, Par three 11th hole in background

Day five of the trip began with a quick walk around the par three course at Lake St. Clair Metro Park.  This is a delightful pitch and putt that is a great place to bring anybody learning the game.  I wish more big cities had places like this.

St. Clair Park, Lots of Par threes!

I headed to Grosse Pointe Farms for my next round on day five.  The Country Club of Detroit is a golden age design from Colt and Alison, but mostly Alison.  Great bunkering is what makes an Alison design, and this course is a great example of it.

Country Club of Detroit, Par five 9th hole

I next tackled the short course at Country Club of Detroit.  The course is seven par threes and two par fours, and was added in the 1960's by Robert Trent Jones.  It's a very good companion to the big course, and a great place to test your wedges and short irons on the tiny greens!

Country Club of Detroit, Par three 3rd hole

Birmingham Country Club was my next destination on this day.  The back nine was added by Tom Bendelow sometime in the 1920's and the entire course has been worked on by many architects over the years.  Most recently, Bruce Hepner completed a very strong renovation.  The course has a unique routing with the front nine mostly being the inner nine and the back nine wrapping around the front.

Birmingham Country Club, Par four 6th hole in foreground, Par three 3rd hole in background

For my final round on day five I headed to West Bloomfield Township for a round at the Charles Alison designed Orchard Lake Country Club.  Colt/Alison designs were a big theme of this trip and this one was my second favorite course played on the trip.  The boldness of the property is matched by the design.  A restoration by Keith Foster accentuated the wonderful original design.

Orchard Lake Country Club, Par four 18th hole

Day Six of the trip was a triple delight of Donald Ross courses.  First up was the North course at Detroit Golf Club.  Most of the North, and some of the South, is used for the Rocket Mortgage Classic on the PGA Tour.  The North is a better championship course with long par fours and tougher greens.  The interesting side note to this day was that because of overnight rain in the Detroit area Detroit Golf Club was walking only.  As it turned out, so was my final destination, so for the first time in my life, I walked three different courses in one day.  Stats on this unique journey will follow after the third course.

Detroit Golf Club North Course, Par four 7th hole

With nobody on the course because of the walking only conditions, I headed right off my second round of the day at the South course at Detroit Golf Club.  The South is the more fun course, with some quirky greens and a very good collection of par threes.

Detroit Golf Club(South), Par three 11th hole

After walking 36 holes at Detroit, I was a little tired.  I headed to Bloomfield Hills for my third round of the day at Oakland Hills Country Club.  I was not at Oakland to tackle the famous South course which has hosted many major championships, but rather to see the North course, also designed by Donald Ross.  When I arrived, I was informed they were walking only as well.  Lucky for me, I was up for the challenge!  My recent weight loss and focus on my health aided in my ability to complete all 54 holes walking, while still playing surprisingly well.  My stats for this unique day are below:

Steps: 12300-DN, 11550-DS, 11480-OHN, Total=35,330, 15.1 Miles

Scores: 73DN, 64DS, 72OHN, Total Strokes=209

Time: 2:03-DN, 1:54-DS, 1:58-OHN, Total Time=5 hours, 55 minutes

Oakland Hills Country Club, Par four 11th hole

I began the final day of my trip about thirty miles north of Detroit in Rochester Hills.  The Wyndgate Country Club was designed by Craig Schreiner in the 1990's.  The course has a very unique cobblestone entrance drive, and a very elaborate English themed clubhouse.

Wyndgate Country Club, Par three 6th hole

I headed east of Detroit to Grosse Pointe Woods for my next round on day seven.  Lochmoor Club was originally designed by Walter Travis in 1917, and retains some of what made Travis one of the great architects of all time.  Perched greens and artistic bunkering make this course a delight to play.

Lochmoor Club, Par three 11th hole

The last round of my Michigan trip was at another Donald Ross designed course, Dearborn Country Club.  Located very close to all things Ford in Michigan, Dearborn is a course that maintains some of what Ross designed, with work from several others over the years.

Dearborn Country Club, Par five 3rd hole

As I said in the opening, Michigan is a very golf rich state.  I'm nowhere near done seeing all the great courses it has to offer.  I hope to return to Northern Michigan in a couple years to check out the re-opening of Tom Doak's first design at High Pointe, as well as the many great public courses in the Northern part of the state. 

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