Masterpiece golf course at Treetops Resort in Gaylord still lives up to its name
GAYLORD, Mich. -- The view from the sixth tee is the one most talked about spots on the Masterpiece golf course at Treetops Resort, but in reality, the scenery doesn't stop for 18 holes.
The story goes that architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. told former Sylvan Resort owner Harry Melling that he should call his resort "Treetops" because all Jones could see were the tops of trees from the elevated perch of that now famous par 3. In fall, it's even more beautiful.
All this scenery, though, masks a dangerous 7,007-yard layout fraught with peril, where drop-offs lurk around every twist of the fairway.
The Masterpiece, which opened in 1987, is the toughest of all the golf courses at Treetops, from the daunting opening tee shot over a ridge on a great par 5 to the final approach shot over a narrow neck of fairway to the 18th green. In between, Jones delights golfers with five par 3s, a peninsula green on the par-4 eighth hole, an island tee on the par-4 ninth hole, a Herculean hill to climb on the par-5 10th hole and a hidden ravine crossing the 14th fairway.
It all adds up to great fun, as long as you don't take your score too seriously.
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