MichiganGolf.com Notebook: Busy Summer at Treetops

By Jason Scott Deegan, Senior Staff Writer

GAYLORD, MI -- What a whirlwind month for Rick Smith and the Treetops Resort.

Smith, a talented architect and famous teaching instructor, became the owner and managing partner at the resort, just days before the Par-3 Shootout, featuring PGA Tour legends Fred Couples, Lee Trevino, Phil Mickelson and Arnold Palmer. The resort, one of Michigan's finest vacation and golf destinations, was owned by original founder Harry Melling until he died in 1999. After months of negotiations, the Melling family sold the resort to Smith, whose other partners include Fred Poling, Bob Eaton, Al Wisne, John Bates, Bob Lanigan and Bob Siera. The Melling family will remain a minority partner.

"It's something I've always wanted," Smith told the Detroit News. "Treetops has a special place in my heart. I'm excited to be the owner of a resort where I started 16 years ago. … When Harry died it was a very sad time. The family pondered what to do, and we've talked about this for the past 18 months."

Smith is a big name in the world of Michigan golf. Not only does he instruct stars like Mickelson and Lee Janzen, he designed two of Treetops' courses - the Smith Signature course and The Tradition - and the "Threetops" par-3 course that hosts the Par-3 Shootout every year. His Rick Smith Golf Academy at Treetops is nationally recognized.

It remains to be seen what kind of changes the new management will make. Besides Smith's courses, Treetops also is home to "The Masterpiece," an up-and-down design by Robert Trent Jones, and the "Premier," the only Michigan course designed by legendary Tom Fazio.

"I'm fortunate to have such a supportive group behind me," Smith told the paper. "They've said, 'Make it a great place, the best we can make it.' Our goal is to improve the resort, develop it and make it the best there is."

That will be quite a challenge, as Treetops is in the middle of the golf capital of northern Michigan. At least 20 other top-notch designs are within 20 miles of the Gaylord/Grayling area known as the "Gaylord Golf Mecca," a marketing effort by the courses to attract out-of-state player.

Treetops isn't the only course that has gone through a management change in recent months. The shakeout in the economy has had a profound effect in the makeup at many of Michigan's courses and resorts.

For example, the Manistee National Golf Resort was sold at the public auction held in Grand Rapids in April. The Preserve Golf Club in Fenton and Blackheath Golf Club in Rochester Hills, a great links design, also recently changed management. Blackheath was bought by the owners of Devil's Ridge Golf Club in Oxford and is now offering great deals to senior and women players.

There are still more courses on the market. The Black Bear Golf Resort in Vanderbilt is available for a sale price around $2 million. Anyone interested in more information can e-mail Mike Kahn at golfmak@aol.com.

As for Treetops, it should continue to thrive, even in a bad economy, thanks to its great courses and its popular Par-3 Shootout. Couples, a fan favorite, really did a number on the trio in this year's event.

A day after missing a 3-foot putt worth $140,000, he collected himself to pull in a cool $410,000. Couples made three of the four birdies posted in the second and final round. He collected $280,000 when he birdied the 148-yard 14th hole and validated that with a par on the 172-yard 15th.

AMATEUR PUBLINX: Despite a hot summer and a lack of rain, The Orchards Golf Club in Washington Township is primed and ready to test the nation's best amateur players at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship on July 15-20.

The Robert Trent Jones Jr. design, which opened in 1993, should put up a good fight at 7,001 yards against a talented field of 156 players who qualified from across the country. The Publinx doesn't allow players who are affiliated with private country clubs to participate, while the U.S. Amateur, which will be at Oakland Hills Country Club in August, does.

The Publinx is a big story in Michigan for two reasons. First, it was the brainchild of James D. Standish Jr., a life-long Detroiter and former USGA Executive Committee member who created the event in 1922.

"This is a dream come true," said John Standish, James' son, of the APL coming to Michigan.

The other story line is the nine Michigan players in the event - seven qualified through Michigan and two others through Dayton, Ohio. The only Michigan-born player to win the APL is Sam Koscis, a legendary amateur in Michigan. Each of those Michigan residents hope to win the APL's biggest prize, a berth in next year's Masters.

Eric Jorgensen of Grandville; James Fuller of Dryden; Andy Ruthowski, of Muskegon; Dan Urban Jr. of Grand Rapids; Russ Cunningham of DeWitt; Casey Luban of Sand Lake and Ian Harris of Walled Lake all qualified on June 14th at the Marysville Golf Course.

"People will see great golf (from these players) when they are here," said Ron Dalby, owner of The Orchards.

Play starts each day at 8 a.m. - with stroke play the first couple of days and match play on the weekend -- and is free to the public. For more information, visit www.usga.com or www.usapl.org or call the Orchards at 586-786-7200. The Orchards is located at 62900 Campground Road.

MICHIGAN AMATEUR CHAMP: He isn't even in college yet, but Korey Mahoney already owns one of Michigan's most prestigious titles - he's the Michigan Amateur champion after a rousing finish on June 22 at the Country Club of Jackson.

Mahoney, an 18-year-old from East Lansing who will play college golf at Eastern Michigan University, sunk an 85-yard wedge shot on No. 16 for an eagle to turn the tide in a 2-up win over Andrew Ruthkowski, 19, in the finals of the tournament. The shot evened up the match and clearly gave Mahoney the momentum to win the final two holes with a par on No. 17 and a birdie on 18.

Mahoney is the youngest state amateur winner since Brian Atkinson in 1994. Mahoney finished 12th and his team second in the state tournament his senior year, while Ruthkowski played No. 4 at Michigan State as a freshman this spring.

CHANCE OF A LIFETIME: So you're a 15 handicap and you figure you'll never get the chance to rub elbows with Tiger Woods on the golf course. Well, here's your chance of a lifetime.

To raise money for the charities involved with the Buick Open in Michigan, event officials are holding a silent auction and dinner on July 27 at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc.

But you don't have to be present to bid on the ultimate prize - a round of golf with Tiger himself. The starting bid is $10,000, but many expect the final price tag to be pushing $100,000 and possibly much more if a bidding war begins.

There are other great prizes as well. Another package allows you to meet Tiger Woods at the Buick Scramble at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, on October 6. The starting bid for this prize is $5,000. For a list of items to bid on or to call in your bid, dial 810-767-8570.

GRAND OPENING AT THE JACKAL: After years of planning, ski slopes are now also immaculately sculptured fairways, transforming the Ski Lodge at Mt. Brighton from a one-dimensional winter haven to a summer operation filled with birdies and pars.

Although the driving range has been open for more than a year, The Jackal Golf Course at Mt. Brighton officially celebrated its grand opening. The course, a 6,702-yard creation by Bruce Matthews, has been a dream come-to-fruition for Mt. Brighton president Joe Bruhn.

The course, completed for a cost of nearly $2.5 million, should help Mt. Brighton's bottom line, which has struggled at times with Michigan' s mild winters the past few years.

"This will iron out our ups and downs," Bruhn said last year. "All our income (was) within three months. Now we're a year-round business. Our expenses will go up, but so will our income. We can look at things differently. You'll see an improved Mt. Brighton."

Skiing at Mt. Brighton's two hills has become a favorite with locals not wanting to drive the four hours to reach bigger hills in northern Michigan. The largest vertical drop on a trail is 250 feet with the longest run being 1,350 feet. The hill features 26 runs with seven lifts and 11 towropes.

But the golf course, located at 4141 Bauer Road, is truly an engineering feat.

The first tee box was built high up on the ski hill, held in place by a retaining wall, with the 351-yard hole, a dogleg right, sprawling some 150 feet below. A large tunnel was cut through the top of the ski hill between No. 7, a monstrous 425-yard uphill hole, and No. 8, a 353-yard dogleg right that drops severely downhill. Be weary of the 11 bunkers on this hole.

No. 9, a 257-yard brute from the tips, plays much shorter because the elevated tee box is also more than 150 feet above the green.

The mammoth ski lift poles that line the fairways of certain holes add to the quirkiness of the layout around the ski hills, but as the course rolls into the woods on the back of the property, it transforms into a wetland, tree-lined design that is tight and tough to score upon.

But it's also scenic. A waterfall that can be seen from No. 12 and No. 18 and a ton of bridges add to the course's appeal.

The final piece of advice? Bring plenty of balls. Twelve holes require carries over wetlands or there is significant water in play. For more information, call Mt. Brighton at 1-810-229-9581 ex. 231.

CRYSTAL MOUTAIN UPDATE

Crystal Mountain, a great Michigan golf resort, is getting even better, as the Kinlochen Lodge and Clubhouse starts to take shape.

The new 27,000-square-foot clubhouse, which is a cross country ski center come wintertime, is the first in a series of new facilities to open. The three-story building will house the clubhouse, the pro shop, the Thistle Pub and Grille, locker rooms, offices and 12 one- , two- and three-bedroom condominiums. Outside, a grand patio will welcome golfers back from the resort's two courses, the Mountain Ridge and Betsie Valley.

The 100-seat, year-round restaurant is scheduled to open mid-summer, with the condos available for rent in October.

July 12, 2002