LochenHeath still public, for now

By Kiel Christianson, Senior Writer

WILLIAMSBURG, Mich. -- When you think of throw-back or minimalist golf course architects today, one of the names that regularly pop up is Steve Smyers. The Florida-based course designer has laid out well-regarded tracks from Tampa to Illinois to England. His flagship effort in the Wolverine State is LochenHeath Golf Club, a 7,049-yard, par-71 course overlooking the east arm of Grand Traverse Bay. Opened in 2001, plans are to turn LochenHeath private at some point in the not-too-distant future. So if you want to play this baffling yet beautiful thrill-ride of a course, there's no time like the present.

Smyers is a devoted student of strategic design. In a recent interview with TravelGolf.com, Smyers summed up his design philosophy as follows: "I think that you've got to challenge the golfer by getting him to think about the golf shot. You know most people don't know how to, or they don't think their way around a golf course.You really make players think when you don't limit their options, when you don't instruct them to hit it here or pay the price, when you make them wonder and create indecision."

True to his credo, Smyers' first Michigan design offers loads of indecision from tee to green. When LochenHeath does eventually go private, it will be the quintessential "members' course" - only those fortunate enough to play it many times will be able to quiet the inner doubts stirred up by Smyers' architectural chicanery and hit the shots required to score well here.

According to Jeff Coble, LochenHeath Head Pro, the membership numbers will determine when the course goes private, though there's no official word what that number is or how far away from that magic number current membership stands. Judging by the still unbuilt clubhouse, though, it would appear that revenues have not yet peaked. At present, the course offers stay and play packages in conjunction with several local hotels, and a tempting golf and dinner package with Travino's restaurant. "We will still likely have some high-end stay and play packages after turning private," predicts Coble.

A Paradoxically Grand 'Minimalist' Design

LochenHeath displays the hallmarks of Smyers' minimalist design philosophy - golfers just won't see them. There are no imposing granite hole markers here, just modest tee stands. And golf cart paths are well-hidden from view, adding to the overarching atmosphere of an links course (although some cart paths are so far away from greens as to raise pace-of-play worries).

The philosophy as it plays out at LochenHeath has generally been praised by critics. The course was named one of the top ten new courses in the nation by Golf Magazine, and was ranked as the seventh-best course in Michigan by Golfweek.

Coble points out that higher handicap players will find the course comparatively forgiving off the tee. "The driving areas are pretty generous, so players aren't penalized off the tee. They really need to be on with their shorter approach shots, though. There are lots of collection areas and false fronts."

And herein lies the rub: Although the green complexes are reminiscent of Scottish links courses, they feel somehow more contrived. The impression is that they are more purposely penal than just naturally formed by nature and grazing sheep. False fronts and false sides are plenty, which in themselves are not a problem. However, the remaining putting surfaces on some greens are so small as to be severely limited in their pin placements. Take, for instance, the 549-yard 12th, where nearly one-half of the green consists of a false front.

Smyers uses the indigenous natural wonders to excellent effect on many holes. The petite par-4 7th, which measures just 309 yards from the tips, is one of the prettiest short par 4s in the area. Traverse Bay stretches along the right side of the fairway, and cavernous bunkers dot the left side. The small, difficult to read green is guarded by a staunch stand of hardwoods, as well.

The 574-yard 9th is a thrill-ride down hill from the tees. A good drive will roll and roll and roll some more into reasonable two-shot range. The fairway is much wider than it looks from the tee, but the approach to the bowl-shaped green is tricky: The putting surface is tucked behind two gaping traps.

As lovely as the scenery is on the back nine, first-time players here will find some shots - or entire holes - awkward. The 378-yard 11th offers a breathtaking tee shot some 80+ feet down to the fairway, but then the hole is marred by a green that is almost too cute. The left-to-right angle of the green to the fairway makes all yardages seem wrong. As I was searching for my own ball over the back of the green, I found six more (and a couple were way back there), so I am not the only one to have trouble here.

The only clumsy driving hole is the 575-yard 15th, where golfers are greeted with a tee shot through a notch in the hillside to a fairway that cannot be seen at all. As the architect said in the quote above, he doesn't like to "instruct players to hit it here," and this hole indeed lacks even a subtle hint about where to hit it.

On the off chance that your drive ends up in the ribbon-like fairway (which mine somehow did), there are many places in that fairway from which you cannot see any more of the fairway in order to lay up (which I did), or the green, should you want to go for it (which I did, but I couldn't, so I didn' t). According to Coble, there are plans to raise the tees here to give mere mortals - and non-members - the chance to see where it is they are supposed to be aiming their ball.

Unique Golfing Experience

Golfers familiar with Smyers' past work will find a good bit about LochenHeath to be consistent with his other courses. At the same time, there is a whole lot here that will not seem prototypically "Smyers." The severe undulations in the land, and perhaps Smyers' reluctance to move tons of dirt may have engendered some of the features that make this such a unique course.

No other layout in the Traverse City area compares with respect to LochenHeath's singular combination of scenery, flawless conditioning, shot-making options, and rather extreme green complexes. And only the Nicklaus and Player courses at the Grand Traverse Resort compare with respect to greens fees, with all three courses coming in over $100 on peak-season weekends.

When the course does eventually turn private, there will be many members who will absolutely astound their guests with savant-like course knowledge of the sort one can only glean from repeated playing of a track that fools the eye and questions the fortitude of golfers to the extend of LochenHeath.

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September 25, 2003