Central Michigan courses that compete with the North

By Brandon Tucker, Managing Editor

Every autumn, the leaves change color and drop to the ground and the once warm summer weather becomes a frigid cold in Michigan. Snow-covered courses shut down for the winter and golfers flock south with the Canadian geese in search of a substitute for "America's summer golf capital".

But once spring comes around, the snow melts and the ground thaws. Michigan's golf courses and resorts once again take center stage. For golfers, the state is position "A" during the mid-summer months. It is the mix of perfect summer warmth, rolling landscape and of course, the Great Lakes that give Michigan a little something extra that cannot be duplicated anywhere else in the Midwest.

You can find courses as fine as anywhere in the country in Michigan. Likewise, you can pay as much to play here as any other premium venues in the U.S. such as Hilton Head, Scottsdale and Monterey. It isn't necessary to pay a bundle however in Michigan to play the best. The state has the most golf courses per person than any other state, and it is third overall in courses with 814 (and growing each year). A byproduct of this oversaturation is value like few other Midwestern golf destinations can offer.

Here is the honor roll in Central Michigan, boasting great golf for less than $50.

Forest Akers West

Forest Akers West, located on the Michigan State campus, has been touted as one of the finest in the state (ranked as the No. 4 public course in Michigan by the Detroit Free Press) ever since MSU graduate Arthur Hills revamped the course in 1992. The addition of new, tougher bunkers, redesigned greens, as well as length, has put the course in the upper echelon in Michigan. Weekend greens fees top out at just $42.

Course manager Ken Horvath says it isn't deception or hidden hazards that make the challenge, just a solid test of golf.

"It's a good, competitive course," says Horvath. "It can be deceivingly easy-looking because there's nothing tricky to the eyes."

To score well, club selection at Forest Akers is paramount. Plenty of trouble awaits long approach shots. "You can't go long over the greens," warns Horvath. "It makes your chances of getting up and down much harder."

New to Forest Akers West in the fall of 2001 is the Henry Center, which is a convention center aimed at bringing businessmen from all over the world to Michigan State for training seminars and teaching. Among the complex amenities are a new hotel along with a lounge, restaurant and spa. The new complex could very well be mistaken for any northern Michigan golf resort, and the course is just as pleasurable and challenging as any northern course.

Timber Ridge Golf Course

East Lansing is home to another challenging and picturesque course, Timber Ridge. Timber Ridge barely squeaks onto the value list with a $50 weekend rate, but a round is worth every penny. The course is nationally recognized as not only a great value, but an all-around top public course in the nation, rivaling $100 per round big dogs. Golf Digest ranked it as one of just 12 public courses to receive a five-star honor.

Opened in 1989, it is newer than its neighbor Forest Akers West. The land's rolling terrain, over 60 types of mature trees and wetlands will make any golfer forget they weren't playing prestigious Boyne or Treetops courses. A recent switch in management a couple years ago added to some needed course improvements but just a slight bump in greens fees.

Katke Golf Course

An hour northwest of East Lansing is another university course offering championship golf at a fraction of the price. Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids is the home course of Ferris State University and the Professional Golf Management program, one of just four campus locations in the nation.

Hosting the PGM program means the golf facilities must be first class and this is the case at Katke. 52 bunkers litter the 6,674 yard track. The course is plenty difficult from the tips with a 72.5 course rating. The greens fees for Katke are a steal, at just $24 walking on the weekends.

Pierce Lake

The most foolproof plan if you are looking to play cheap golf is to find a local municipal course. However, too many muni's aren't kept in good enough condition and the layouts are usually dull. Pierce Lake Golf Course in Chelsea, owned by Washtenaw County offers both an exciting layout and more than suitable course conditions. Golfers can get on for as little as $31 on the weekends.

Pierce Lake is plenty challenging, playing more than 6,800 yards. It winds through water, marsh and tight, wooded fairways. A confident tee ball is the only way to go here, as numerous tee shots require a significant carry over marsh to narrow landing zones. The back nine is especially unique with three par-3s, par-4s and par-5s. The par-3 18th is no cakewalk for a closing hole at 234 yards and water on the right reeling in slicers.

Timber Trace

Many courses in Michigan claim to have a "northern Michigan feel." This slogan makes golfers eyes, trying to spare a little change and a three-hour drive, light up. However, a course merely with pine trees or small doses of heather doesn't constitute this "feel." Many of these courses are placed along a busy highway and aren't kept in premium condition like the resorts they attempt to emulate, or at least fabricate.

Timber Trace, a course opened in 1998 in south Central Michigan fits this "feel" in every intricacy.

Most of Timber Trace winds through tall, skinny pine trees and softly rolling terrain. It is so heavily wooded that most of the time the only hole on the course you can see is the one you are playing, giving golfers the intimate feeling their foursome is alone on the course. After a five minute cart ride between the 13th and 14th hole, there is a drastic change in setting. For four holes, the course plays an open links-style, weaving though windswept heather. After the 16th hole, you take the 5-minute cart drive back to the par-3 17th, where pine-filled fairways greet golfers once again.

While the course saw some growing pains in its first few years, the shape of the course is ready to rival the best with quick, large greens and well-manicured tees and fairways.

These central Michigan courses prove after all it is Michigan, not just northern Michigan that is deserved of the prestigious "America's summer golf capital" title. Rather than pay a bundle up north, cheap, convenient and most importantly quality golf can be found all over the central Michigan area.

January 1, 2003