Destination Guide: Southeast Michigan
Destination Guide: Southeast Michigan
They love their sports in Detroit and their passion for golf has spread throughout the metropolitan area. Oakland County is home to Oakland Hills Country Club, which has hosted the Ryder Cup and U.S. Open. TPC Michigan, a Jack Nicklaus design, awaits in the shadow of the Ford Motor Company headquarters in Dearborn.
While there are plenty of exclusive clubs throughout the area for the auto industry elite, an impressive collection of daily-fee courses make the game affordable and accessible for everyone.
Another jewel of southeast Michigan is Ann Arbor, just 25 minutes from Detroit Metro Airport and home of the University of Michigan. When the Wolverines aren't packing the Big House on football Saturdays, this city has some of the state's best dining and culture that accommodates diverse tastes in music and arts.
About an hour northwest of Ann Arbor is the state capitol of Lansing, neighbor to East Lansing and home of Michigan State University. Golf is plentiful in this area -- including MSU's Forest Akers West Course and Eagle Eye Golf Club, a demanding design that is a regular on Top 100 panels.
Recommended: Pine Trace Golf Club in Rochester Hills
Pine Trace Golf Club offers 18 of the most challenging holes in southeastern Michigan. This public golf course was designed by Arthur Hills and built in 1989. It is nestled in among 193 wooded acres, featuring pine trees bordering all its fairways, and 60 acres of natural wetlands throughout the course. An abundance of natural features helps give Pine Trace a northern Michigan flavor.
Upon its opening in 1989, public golf in Michigan was forever changed. Pine Trace Golf Club set a standard that many have emulated but few have achieved. This first upscale public golf course in southeast Michigan introduced many different aspects to public golf. Professional golf course architecture, high maintenance standards and excellent customer service standards are all hallmarks of the Pine Trace brand.
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The Jackal Golf Club at Mt Brighton
Sprawling across a majestic landscape covered with spring-fed ponds and mature oaks, Jackal Golf Club at Mt. Brighton offers a challenging round as well as stunning scenery. The golf course shares the grounds with a ski resort, guaranteeing a variety of dramatic elevation changes throughout. more»
Coyote Golf Club
At 7,201 yards, Coyote Golf Club in New Hudson has a layout that will appeal to long hitters. The course requires more than just the ability to hit long drives, though, with abundant water features and numerous strategically placed bunkers. Accuracy and creative shot-making are necessary to successfully maneuver the variety of hazards. more»
South/West at Tanglewood - The Lion
Tanglewood in South Lyon is home to 27 holes of championship golf that are collectively known as "The Lion." The holes are dived into three nines: the North, South, and West; that are played in three different combinations. The South/West Course is tight, offering little room for error. more»
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by Brian ( Related Articles
Photo gallery: Devil's Ridge Golf Club in Oakland County boasts a northern Michigan feel
Devil's Ridge Golf Club in northern Oakland County has all of the trappings of a northern Michigan course without the four-hour trek up I-75. There is no development around the course, the service is superb, the price is right and the conditions of the bent grass fairways and greens are flawless. See the breathtaking views at Devil's Ridge in this photo gallery.
... full article »Looking for northern Michigan golf without the drive? Try Devil's Ridge Golf Club in Oxford
If you want to play golf in northern Michigan, here's a way to shave off about four hours from your drive. Go to Devil's Ridge Golf Club in Oxford instead. The course itself is a tale of two terrains. The first half wanders through lowlands. You'll fish the ball out of all sorts of wetlands and ponds. On the back, you'll often lose sight of your ball as it climbs over a ridge or falls out of view over a cliff. Heck, just the views are worth the small price of admission.
... full article »For pros and joes: The Orchards brings stellar public golf to metro Detroit
Only a handful of tournament-tested courses are a joy to play for the Joe Hackers of the world. Count the Orchards Golf Club in metro Detroit as another in a long line of courses designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. that appeals to the masses and still challenges the best. It's no small feat when a course architect finds the perfect balance between playability and tournament toughness.
... full article »Par-3 Strategic Fox course makes Fox Hills the ultimate golf facility in metro Detroit
Strategic Fox rounds out Fox Hills Golf & Banquet Center in metro Detroit with an opportunity for beginners to learn the game -- or better players to get in a quick round. You won't find any of the area's highest-ranked courses here at Fox Hills, but you will find three courses filled with locals who play their weekly game here because the value and shots are all there.
... full article »Shepherd's Hollow Golf Club north of Detroit: A peaceful, but never easy, feeling
At Shepherd's Hollow Golf Club north of Detroit, the land dictates the golf. It seemed an easy decision but results in steeply elevated greens and tees and not many even lies. Few holes here offer easy pars, and thick forest lines most fairways to swallow stray drives. Shepherd's Hollow is the golf course to play when you can't make it to northern Michigan, writes Brandon Tucker, and it may rank as a better value and experience.
... full article »Play golf in Ann Arbor like a local at revamped muni Leslie Park Golf Course
The UM football team may be in the middle of its worst stretch ever. But at least Ann Arbor's golfers can smile. Their two municipal courses, led by Leslie Park Golf Course, are shining as bright as ever. Leslie Park's 2009 nomination as the top muni in Michigan capped a run of improvements to a course that had withered on the vine for the better part of the decade. A new commitment to both conditioning and customer service has paved the way for Leslie Park's return to glory. Are you listening, Coach Rich Rod? It can be done!
... full article »Photo gallery: Shepherd's Hollow Golf Club in Clarkston
Continually ranked as one of the best public golf courses in Michigan since 2000, Shepherd's Hollow Golf Club sits on 350 acres of rolling terrain that you'd be more likely to find in northern Michigan over southeast Detroit. Most holes tumble up and down, and there are a fair amount of elevated tees and greens.
... full article »Photo gallery: The Orchards Golf Club in Washington
The Orchards Golf Club in Oakland County is the metro Detroit area's tournament test everyone can play. Opened in 1993 and designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the course sits on 525 scenic acres well away from metro Detroit.
... full article »The Orchards Golf Club in Washington: Metro Detroit's (public) tournament stage
You don't need a membership to play The Orchards Golf Club near Detroit. It's tournament-tested and will take Johnny Public's money every day of the week. The Orchards sets out to offer a "club-for-the-day" experience in a city full of prestigious clubs you can't play, Brandon Tucker writes.
... full article »Photo gallery: Leslie Park Golf Course in Ann Arbor
Leslie Park Golf Course, one of two municipal courses in Ann Arbor, is a classic design on the northern side of the city that has been renovated and redesigned by Arthur Hills. Leslie Park has received many improvements in recent years and was voted the top municipal golf course in Michigan in 2009.
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