Course Review:
Timber Ridge Golf Club

By Kiel Christianson,
Senior Writer

East Lansing, MI - Timber Ridge Golf Club began life in 1989 as one of the best new courses in the nation, according to several national publications. Then maintenance issues arose. In particular, dense undergrowth resulted in many lost balls and slowed play. Even worse, the thick stands of towering pines lining just about every hole and surrounding so many greens impeded the circulation of air to the bentgrass greens. Sultry summer conditions soon caused heat and mold damage, and conditions overall began going downhill.

Last season, however, marked the first under new ownership, a management team committed to making Timber Ridge one of the best in the state. As reported last year in our exclusive course review, the new team decided to invest in some major reworking of specific trouble spots on the course to improve both conditions and playability.

For example, along the left side of the first fairway, they removed a wide swath of trees, opening the dogleg left a bit, so that short or pulled tee shots don't automatically translate into lost balls and lost strokes. The once tree-filled area is now rough - heavy rough - so not being in the fairway is still penal. But it's penal to the player who hit the shot, not to the foursome behind him, who no longer have to wait for errant shots to be tracked down in the woods.

The very same improvement is also responsible for the vastly improved condition of the green on the par-3 16th, which is nestled down in the trees and fronted by a pond. The once-thick trees along the first fairway used to keep air from moving over this putting surface, causing severe headaches for the grounds crews, who used large fans to keep it cool and dry. Now, with those trees gone, the 16th green is as impeccably smooth as the others on the course.

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Finally, aside from the first fairway, a number of other spots around the course were grubbed out, and gnarly underbrush was replaced with Georgia pine straw. Now, if you happen to hit one awry, you'll still be able to find it and, quite likely, be able to play out off of the straw.

Pro Dan Bankson reports nothing but positive feedback on the changes from players both new and old. "No one has said that we made it too easy," he smiles. "The course is in better condition now, I think, than it ever has been." He's not just boasting, either.

Although a bit slower, Timber Ridge's hand-mown greens are equal in quality and condition to those found at some of the top-ranked public courses in the state, such as Elk Ridge and Black Lake.

Despite all the improvements, greensfees at Timber Ridge have only increased a few dollars over last season. After all, as Timber Ridge's slogan says, "It's about the golf." And playing a tough yet playable, well-conditioned course at a reasonable price is what golf is about.

Timber Ridge
16339 Park Lake Road
East Lansing, MI 48823-9401
Phone: (517)339-8000
1-800-T-Ridge-2 (in Michigan)
www.golftimberridge.com