Patti Engineering Insight

Here is a summary of my memorable 18 Holes: 

1. 1. Bethpage Black – Par 4 – 430 yards – A.W. Tillinghast (1936) – Farmingdale, NY
   2. Genesee Valley Meadows – Par 3 – 213 yards – Ellis, Arndt & Truesdell (1963) – Swartz Creek, MI
   3. Wawashkamo – Par 4 – 336 yards – Alex Smith (1898) – Mackinac Island, MI
   4. LaCosta (South) – Par 4 – 382 yards – Dick Wilson (1965) – Carlsbad, CA
   5. Arcadia Bluffs – Par 5 – 583 yards – Warren Henderson/Rick Smith (1999) – Arcadia, MI
   6. Masterpiece (Treetops) – Par 3 – 180 yards – Robert Trent Jones Sr. (1987) – Gaylord, MI
   7. Oak Quarry – Par 4 – 403 yards – Dr. Gil Morgan (2000) – Riverside, CA
   8. Doral (Blue) – Par 5 – 563 yards – Dick Wilson (1962) – Miami, FL
   9. Indianwood (Old) – Par 4 – 343 yards – Wilfrid Reid (1925) – Lake Orion, MI
   10. Crystal Downs – Par 4 – 395 yards – Alister Mackenzie (1929) – Frankfort, MI
   11. The Orchards – Par 5 – 607 yards – Robert Trent Jones II (1993) – Washington, MI
   12. Shepherd’s Hollow – Par 3 – 226 yards – Arthur Hills (2000) – Clarkston, MI
   13. The Hills (Boyne Highlands) – Par 5 – 570 yards – Arthur Hills (2000) – Harbor Springs, MI
   14. Aviara – Par 3 – 201 yards – Arnold Palmer (1991) – Carlsbad, CA
   15. Torrey Pines (South) – Par 4 – 477 yards – William F. Bell Jr (1957) – La Jolla, CA
   16. Oakland Hills (South) – Par 4 – 406 yards – Donald Ross (1918) – Bloomfield Hills, MI
   17. Oakhurst – Par 4 – 493 yards – Arthur Hills (1998) – Clarkston, MI
   18. The Heather (Boyne Highlands) – 451 yards - Robert Trent Jones Sr. (1967) – Harbor Springs, MI

• Front 9: Par 36 – 3,433 yards
• Back 9: Par 36 – 3,826 yards
• Total: Par 72 – 7,259 yards

Some Facts:

• Old but Good: 10 of the 18 holes are over 40 years old, 5 of the 18 are over 70 years old.
• Favorite Architects: Arthur Hills – 3 Holes, Robert Trent Jones Sr. – 2 (His son also did 1), Dick Wilson – 2
• Back is Tougher: I added nearly 400 yards to the back 9 holes, that sets up for my game as I usually do better on my 2nd nine holes.
• Location: 12 holes are located in the state of Michigan (6 of which are “Up North”), 4 holes are in California (Southern), 1 in NY, and 1 in Florida.
• Demographics: 8 holes are public, 6 are resort, and 4 are private.

Posting about golf for the past 4 months has me thoroughly pumped up for the golf season this year. Right now I am sitting through a Michigan Ice Storm, but I know better weather is coming soon. Opening Day for the Tigers is six weeks away. Shortly after that I will get the sticks out, and start sloshing around the local courses for the spring thaw. See you on the Links.

Everett Kircher bought 40 acres near Boyne Falls, Michigan in 1947. The person who sold Kircher the land laughed at the idea of building a Ski Resort in such a remote location and hence gave him the land for $1. The Resort, known today as Boyne Mountain, was the first resort in the Midwest to have a chair lift. Kircher eventually made money off of several patents for chair lifts and snow making/grooming equipment. In 1964, Kircher bought a 2nd ski resort, known then as Harbor Highlands and renamed to Boyne Highlands.

Boyne Mountain was the first Ski Lodge in the Midwest to offer golf, a course that Kircher built himself. For Boyne Highlands, Kircher hired Robert Trent Jones, Sr. to build the “Heather” which opened in 1967.  The Heather is presently ranked #70 on the list of Golfweek Magazine’s “Top 100 Resort Courses.”

The Heather is a little over 7,000 yards from the Tips and slopes at 141. The finishing hole is a terrific challenge. Playing at 451 yards, and going downhill from the tee to a pond, a long drive from the tee can reach the water. You are going to be left with at least a 160 yard shot over nothing but water going for the green on your 2nd shot. Bailout position is to the left.

Each May I go on an annual golf outing “Up North” with anywhere from 28-40 people. We call it the “Long John” golf outing as we have had to wear “Long Johns” because of the widely varying temperatures in early May. For 7 years in a row we went to Boyne Highlands and always had our last round at the Heather. For the first six years I put one in the drink as a bunch of drunk golf buddies were jeering from the behind the green on #18. I am happy to report, the last time I played the Heather, I was the only one in my group to hit the green, landing one 20 feet from the cup as our group went on to a par, winning the annual outing.

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!

My office is a twenty minute drive to Oakland Hills Country Club which has two great courses. The North Course, a par 70, 6,660 yard gem, is ranked #19 by Golf Digest in the State of Michigan. The South Course, a beast at 7,445 (par 70), is Ranked #17 in the United States (#2 in Michigan) by Golf Digest.

Oakland Hills was designed by Donald Ross in 1918. When it opened, Walter Hagen was the first club pro. The Club had a major redesign in 1951 when Robert Trent Jones beefed up the course for the the 1951 US Open. Recently, Rees Jones, his son, has lengthened the course from 6,974 yards (1996 US Open) to 7,445 yards. The list of Major Championships held at Oakland Hills rivals that of any course in the country:

• 1922 Western Open – Mike Brady
• 1924 U.S. Open – Cyril Walker
• 1937 U.S. Open – Ralph Guldahl
• 1951 U.S. Open – Ben Hogan
• 1961 U.S. Open – Gene Littler
• 1972 PGA Championship – Gary Player
• 1979 PGA Championship – David Graham
• 1981 U.S. Senior Open – Arnold Palmer
• 1985 U.S. Open – Andy North
• 1991 U.S. Senior Open – Jack Nicklaus
• 1996 U.S. Open – Steve Jones
• 2002 U.S. Amateur – Ricky Barnes
• 2004 Ryder Cup – Team Europe
• 2008 PGA Championship

I have played each course at Oakland Hills once. I played The South Course about 2 weeks after I shot 94 at Bethpage Black. We were to play the Blue Tees (6,819 yards, par 72, slope 133) which rated easier than Bethpage Black, and I was excited at the possibility of busting 90 on the South Course!

I can’t remember my exact score that day, but it was somewhere in the 110′s.  The rough at Oakland Hills is like no other. It completely sucks up your ball and hitting out of it is like launching a marble out of steel wool. The greens have undulations and breaks that you swear defy physics, and if you do read a break right, good luck judging the speed as you feel like you are putting on the hood of your car.

The 16th Hole is the signature hole at Oakland Hills. In 1972 Gary Player hit a miraculous 9-iron from under a willow tree over the pond to about 4 feet to make a birdie. If you push your drive at all, you are in the Hazard. The big boys need to club down as you run out of fairway at 270 yards. Your iron shot must be accurate, as pushing it will put you in the Hazard, and pulling it puts you in bunkers. Hitting out of the Bunkers is extremely dangerous as the green slopes towards the water.

If you come to my area and get an invite to Oakland Hills, I would suggest 2 things:

• Invite me along as I want another crack at the South!
• Try to get through the 16th hole without dropping one in the pond  (I am o for 1).

See you there!

I am presently watching Tiger Woods tie Arnold Palmer for 4th place on the All Time PGA win by lapping the field at Torrey Pines South (as I write this he is up 11 strokes!). Tiger will have a 2nd shot at Torrey Pines in 2008, as it will become the 2nd municipal course to host a US Open, Bethpage Black being the other course in 2002 (again in 2009).

The Torrey Pines Golf Courses were built in the 1950s by William F. Bell Jr. who took over the project from his diseased father. In 1999, Rees Jones, who’s Dad was Robert Trent Jones Sr., restored the course for Championship play increasing the length to over 7,600 yards. It is presently ranked #90 by Golf Digest among Public Courses in the United States.

The day I played Torrey Pines, we played it from the Blue Tees because that is where all the groups in front of us where teeing off from. The Blue Tees were well over 7,200 yards which is still the longest I have ever played a golf course! The course really does not have a lot of trouble, but the length will make it a challenge. A bogey golfer like me will feel that there are ten par-5′s on the course (the number of holes over 450 yards). I am happy to report I was ecstatic to take only 104 strokes to go around the course.

In true California fashion, a San Diego resident will pay $87-$94 to play the South Course, while they rake non residents over the coals ($227-$263). I somehow got the resident fee, thanks to my smooth talking buddy Dave. If you get to San Diego, where the weather is always beautiful, give Torrey Pines a try. Take along Dave as he can save you a buck fifty.

My greatest moment in golf happened on this hole on May 31, 2003. I was a horrible golfer at that time and had just recently started to keep an index which was well north of 30. My final score would be 106 that day. My playing partners, all customers at Ashworth, Inc. would all shoot between 80 and 86 so my main objective was keeping my pace of play up.

As we approached #14, we were playing the back tees (190 yards) and I was playing with a Strata Ball that I had found a couple holes earlier. The green was about 40 feet below the tee, so I grabbed my 4-iron. My shot landed about 10 feet in front of the cup, at which point one of the members in the foursome said “that has a chance” just before the ball rolled into the cup. It is my only hole-in-one (In fact I have never even witnessed another hole-in-one).

There were some people on the balcony of the condos to the left that helped us celebrate the accomplishment by cheering. I really had to work to compose myself for the tee shot on the next hole. The bar at the clubhouse was pretty empty after the round, so I got off cheap in the time honored tradition of buying the house a round. A friend, Kevin Winship, of Winship Studios, snapped the picture above for me when we were in California later that year getting some marketing pictures.

The Aviara Golf Club, designed by Arnold Palmer, was opened in 1991. It is the center piece of the Four Seasons Resort in Carlsbad, CA. The course is very beautiful and exceptionally maintained. It is fun to play and has plenty of elevation changes. Like a typical Palmer Course, though not easy, it provides a fair challenge. I have stayed at Aviara with my wife and highly recommend the resort. The rooms are clean, the facilities are great, and the staff is both friendly and helpful.

Boyne has 2 Resorts and Eight Golf Courses located in Northern Michigan. Four of the Golf Courses are located at Boyne Highlands in Harbor Springs, MI. The newest of which is the Arthur Hills Course (2000). The Course has lots of teeth as it is a Par 73 which slopes at 144 from the back tees.

Like many other courses on my list, this course has a ton of elevation changes with Hole 13 as the signature hole on the course. The drive from the 12th green to the 13th tee is an adventure itself. The winding cart path seems to climb in to the woods forever.

As you reach the light, you seem to be on top of the earth. There is a 150 foot elevation drop from the tee to the green. You must be accurate with your tee shot as you need to land somewhere on the plateau below. If you push your shot you are lost in the woods (but you may see a deer). If you hook your shot, it will roll all the way to the fairway for the 12th hole, at which point you will be asking directions on how to get back to the 13th hole.

There are 3 other courses at Boyne Highlands. The Heather (1967 – Robert Trent Jones) is a great tract and has not lost anything in 40 years. The Moor (1974), and the Donald Ross Memorial Course (1985), were both designed by Bill Newcomb who has left his mark on Michigan Golf. For the overall Golf experience, I prefer Treetops, but Boyne Highlands is a great place to spend a weekend.

As the crow flies, Shepherd’s Hollow is less than 1.5 miles from my front door. The course was designed by Arthur Hills and opened in 2000. The land for the 27 holes is leased from the Colombiere Center, which is a retreat center originally designed as a college for Jesuit Priests. You barely see a house on the course (though you may a priest’s cemetery).  The land has great elevation changes and is densely wooded. It is a course where your blood pressure quickly drops with all of the beautiful scenery.

It is ranked #12 overall in the State of Michigan and #37 in the United States among Public Courses by Golf Digest. One curiosity I found is that Golf Digest uses the 2nd and 3rd nine in its Rankings (Holes 10-27). I and many others I talk to have the opinion along that holes 1-18 make the best tract. I find 19-27 are “tricked up,” do not flow very well, and there are at least 3 holes which are unfair.

Hole #12 is a lengthy Par-3. If you push your shot you may end up in the woods, hooking will probably get you into a bunker. Take plenty of club as I always seem to end up short. There are several other great holes on the course. My favorites include the Par-5 4th, 13th, and 18th. The Par-4′s have quite a variance as you have monsters such as the 483-yard 11th and shorties such as the 345-yard 3rd. The variance of holes is one aspect typical of an Arthur Hill’s design that I find great.

If you plan to play Shepherd’s Hollow, prepare yourself for a slow round. I always find a round will take about 5.5-6.0 hours during heavy traffic time. You will find the food in the clubhouse great, as I have never had a bad meal there. If you come visit me, I will be glad to check it out with you. I must warn you that I prefer a crack of dawn tee time to avoid a long round.

The Orchards Golf Club, located in Washington, Michigan, was opened in 1993 and designed by Robert Trent Jones II. The name, “The Orchards,” is a popular name for a golf course, being used for at least 4 other courses in the United States.

The Orchards has been given several awards and is presently ranked the #14 public course in the state of Michigan by Golfweek magazine. It has been ranked as high as #12 by Golf Digest for the State of Michigan (although it was not listed in the 2007 rankings).

The course has 2 very distinct sides. The front 9 is pretty tight, has some blind shots, and is pretty heavily wooded. The back nine (my personal favorite) is links style with many elevation changes. The 13th hole measures a staggering 607 yards from the back tees (and it plays all of it!).

In 2002, the course hosted the 77th United States Amateur Public Links Championship. The Orchards has a great practice facility and the rates are fairly reasonable. If you get a chance to visit Washington, Michigan check it out, you will not be disappointed.

What is Golf Digest’s top ranked golf course in the State of Michigan?? It is a question that most people I ask get wrong. The first guess is usually Oakland Hills South (#17).

The correct answer is Crystal Downs which is an extremely private golf course located in Frankfort, MI. The course was ranked #10 overall by Golf Digest in their 2007 rankings.

Designed in 1929 by Alister Mackenzie the course is a Par 70 measuring only 6,518 yards from the tips. The Greens all resemble the top shell of a turtle and must have slate below them as they hold the ball about as well as a pool table. There are prevailing winds on the course that make it play very much like Arcadia Bluffs (which is 20 minutes to the south).

The 10th hole is right beside the clubhouse and there is a large window so that everyone in the clubhouse can critique your swing. The day I got to play there, it was very cold and the clubhouse was empty. This was lucky for me as I could not have played a much worse round than the one I played that day.

Crystal Downs has some great elevation changes and it has stayed pretty true to its original design (thus only 6,518 yards). The Greens are a huge challenge and probably are a bit unfair. I am not quite sure it deserves as high a ranking as it gets (I personally preferred Arcadia Bluffs) but I would certainly welcome the opportunity to play it again.