Hole 17

I have had the pleasure of playing Oakhurst more than any other course as we joined there in 2002. The Club has many families with young kids. Children can play (and are encouraged to play) the course with their parents as long as pace of play is kept up. The summer swim program is fantastic as my daughter has participated the past 5 years (And if you allow me to boast a little, she was the 2007 11-12 year old league champ in the freestyle!).

As recently as 2006 was ranked in the top 25 courses in the State of Michigan. It was designed by Arthur Hills and opened in 1998. It plays 7,041 from the back tees. With 6 different sets of tees you can choose how difficult you want to make the course (this is great for me, as the clients I take out there vary greatly in skill level). On 10 out of 18 holes you must carry a hazard at some point, but there is usually a good bit of room to spray your drives. The course is tough but fair.

Hole 7 is the club’s signature hole, but my personal favorite is number 17. I could not find a good picture of 17, so I had to use Google Earth to get a satellite view. 17 is a LONG par 4 which follows the shortest par-4 on the course (303 yards). The hole runs straight down hill so you can get some nice roll on a well struck drive. If you pull your shot you may be lost in the woods to the left. Pushing your shot could lead to O.B. on the right. If you do hit a good drive, unless you get a great roll, you are faced with a 200+ yard down-hill shot to a green that has a hazard in front of it. Many people will play a 100+ yard shot to the hazard, then play a 100 yard shot to the green, thus playing the hole like a par 5.

If you are looking for a great Family Club in Northern Oakland County, give Oakhurst a call. You can call the Membership Department at (248) 391-3300, x137 (and tell them I sent you). I will see you at the pool or on the course!