October Notebook: A Month Full of Treats in Michigan

By Jason Scott Deegan, Senior Staff Writer

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI -- Already boasting one of Southeast Michigan's premier private courses, the Wyndgate Country Club recently opened the Westwynd course, a 6,902-yard semiprivate design that's completely different than its sister course.

Director of Golf Kevin Muir said the Westwynd, designed by Kansas City-based Craig Schreiner, might have opened earlier than September, but last year's fall weather kept workers from seeding the final four holes. Early reviews have been mixed.

The front nine is a fun test of golf and gives strong players a chance to score well with three par-3s and three par-5s, but the back is where the course gets a little too tricky.

No. 10 is a brutal 623-yard par-5 that doglegs hard left around wetlands. Most first-time players will make the mistake of hitting it straight at the two fairway bunkers, but they'll most likely run out of room. You need to hit a blind tee shot to cut the corner. Then the second shot is probably a layup to a hidden wetland at the 100-yard mark. The green sits perched above the fairway.

But No. 15 is the hole Muir gets most complaints about. It's a quirky 336-yard par-4 with a huge wetland area fronting the green. Since the carry is so long from the blue tees, there's really not much risk-reward built into the hole. Most will layup, which is no guarantee you'll stay inbounds, either, because the landing area is so small.

Muir said yardage books, which are on order, should greatly help players on No. 10, but No. 15 might require some changes.

"The course architect is coming to visit in October, and he'll definitely be consulted," Muir said. "We didn't want to make another par-3, but who knows what we'll do there."

Beyond the two speed bumps at No. 10 and No. 15, the Westwynd is every bit as advertised - it could soon develop into one of the top five courses in metro Detroit. What other course has taken the time, and money, to create brick-paved cart paths? Course conditions have matured nicely, too.

The par-3s are varied and dynamic, and the par-5s are filled with risk-reward shots. The par-5s at Nos. 5, 7, 10 and 14 all demand a carry over a natural hazard on the approach shot.

To make up for the tough par-5s, many of the par-4s are shorter than normal - five of them are less than 400 yards from the tips -- demanding straight tee shots placed delicately between titanic-sized bunkers. The sand traps give the course something truly unique. Each bunker lip is at least a foot high or more. They're so deep, you're often forced to chip out sideways or lay up short of the green.

"Without a lot of trees, (Schreiber) used the massive bunkering to tighten the course," Muir said. "You can certainly get your money's worth (of shots) getting out."

Several double greens and fescue grasses give the Westwynd a links feel.

Prices are $75 for 18 holes, and $40 for twilight rates. Tee times are spaced 12 minutes apart to help pace of play, which can be slow since the course can be tough to decipher the first time out. For a tee time, call 248-608-7820. The course is located at 4161 North Adams.

More Shakeups

Art McCafferty of the Michigan Golfer Magazine is reporting that the Otsego Club is for sale. Owner Keith Gornick is working with Chicago-based Sheldon Good & Company to handle the sale of the resort, which has grown into one of Michigan's finest summer escapes.

The timing of the move comes as some surprise as the resort recently opened the Tribute to add to its lineups of the Lake, the Loon and the Classic in the heart of the Gaylord Golf Mecca.

Michigan's resort scene has seen a dramatic shift of leadership in the last nine months with the sale of Treetops from the Melling family to Rick Smith and his partners and the death of Boyne USA founder Stephen Kircher.

Ready for the Ryder Cup?

Yes, the Ryder Cup is less than a week old and preparations have already taken off for the 2004 event at the South course at Oakland Hills Country Club in metro Detroit. Fresh off a successful 2002 U.S. Amateur, Oakland Hills officials flew to the Belfry to get a better understanding of how to run a Ryder Cup properly in terms of sponsorships, parking, crowd control, volunteers and every other pertinent detail. The PGA of America has even sent out its first media kit to Michigan golf writers.

Oakland Hills has already announced that architect Arthur Hills of Arthur Hills/Steve Forest and Associates worked with superintendent Steve Cook to add improvements to the North Course for the Ryder Cup, including building a new 25,000-square foot practice tee that is located near the first tee and will be used primarily for the Ryder Cup. Also, five new bunkers were added and two greenside bunkers were rebuilt on the first hole.

Amateur players and course members have already enjoyed the upgrades to the famous South course. A majority of the tee complexes were rebuilt and enlarged to create some added length. Green complexes were expanded to provide additional cup placements on holes 1, 9 and 14. Greenside collection areas were also enlarged on holes 2 and 11 and new greenside rough was added to every hole. New sand was added to every bunker, while 15 of them were reshaped in some way.

Ray Hearn Update

Plymouth-based architect Ray Hearn, who has designed many new courses throughout Michigan, including Moose Ridge and the Grande Golf Club, now has a new partner.

Raymond Hearn Golf Designs Inc. will now be known as Raymond Hearn/Paul Albanese Golf Course Designs, Inc., in acknowledgement of the ongoing contributions of Paul Albanese, the firm's new principal.

"Paul has been my Senior Designer since the company was founded in 1996 and this is just a formal expression of our shared approach to design and our passion for golf course architecture," Hearn said in a press release.

"It also seems timely in terms of some really intriguing projects, on some very special sites in far-flung locations, including the Bahamas, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Illinois, New York, Connecticut, Kentucky, and here in Michigan. We've grown, qualitatively as well as in terms of commissions, having opened an office in Port St. Lucie, Florida, in addition to our Plymouth headquarters. And of course, Paul is not only an excellent designer, he's a very good friend."

October 10, 2002