Arg's Travel Log

[Argonne69]

Man cannot live by golf and beer alone. I guess. Lol. Took @So_Cal's recommendation and stopped at Higgins Lake State Park for a quick dip in the refreshingly cool water. Perfect activity on a hot day. Reminded me of the family trips to the beach as a child.

 

 

 

[So_Cal]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

Man cannot live by golf and beer alone. I guess. Lol. Took @So_Cal's recommendation and stopped at Higgins Lake State Park for a quick dip in the refreshingly cool water. Perfect activity on a hot day. Reminded me of the family trips to the beach as a child.

 

 

 

One of my favorite lakes.  Looks like it was a nice day. 

[Argonne69]

Uneventful drive to Traverse City. I have rounds booked at The Bear, Manitou Passage, and Sundance at A-Ga-Ming. 

 

I'll be in Petoskey next week, and have booked rounds at Belvedere and Hidden River. I'm on the Boyne website looking to book a Friday round at The Moors, and I see that Bay Harbor Preserve/Links is $414, with only a single tee time available. Ouch. Thankfully I played the course years ago, among with Highlands Hill and Ross. 

 

 

[So_Cal]

25 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

Uneventful drive to Traverse City. I have rounds booked at The Bear, Manitou Passage, and Sundance at A-Ga-Ming. 

 

I'll be in Petoskey next week, and have booked rounds at Belvedere and Hidden River. I'm on the Boyne website looking to book a Friday round at The Moors, and I see that Bay Harbor Preserve/Links is $414, with only a single tee time available. Ouch. Thankfully I played the course years ago, among with Highlands Hill and Ross. 

 

 

Nice lineup you have there Arg.  Ever played Black Lake?  Always wanted to play that Rees Jones design.  Probably challenging base on other designs of his that I’ve played. 
 

Are you playing Greywalls?  Another one that looks fun, albeit cartball golf. 

Edited June 2, 2023 by So_Cal

[cassel191919]

7 minutes ago, So_Cal said:

Nice lineup you have there Arg.  Ever played Black Lake?  Always wanted to play that Rees Jones design.  Probably challenging base on other designs of his that I’ve played. 
 

Are you playing Greywalls?  Another one that looks fun, albeit cartball golf. 

If you're ever back in the area make sure you get to black lake. It is in the middle of nowhere, but a pretty awesome golf course. Used to be nice to mix it with Elk Ridge, hate that it disappeared. 

[Argonne69]

59 minutes ago, So_Cal said:

Nice lineup you have there Arg.  Ever played Black Lake?  Always wanted to play that Rees Jones design.  Probably challenging base on other designs of his that I’ve played. 
 

Are you playing Greywalls?  Another one that looks fun, albeit cartball golf. 

 

Might have to checkout Black Lake. It's an hour from Petoskey.

 

Yeah, the plan is to play Graywalls in a couple of weeks. I'll be in Marquette for 2 days, so hopefully it's not closed for a tournament or something silly.

 

[So_Cal]

2 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Might have to checkout Black Lake. It's an hour from Petoskey.

 

Yeah, the plan is to play Graywalls in a couple of weeks. I'll be in Marquette for 2 days, so hopefully it's not closed for a tournament or something silly.

 

If you play the other course with Greywalls, Marquette GC maybe?  I think that’s a Langford Moreau.  Wonder if it’s any good.  Certainly Lawsonia is a blast 

[Argonne69]

13 minutes ago, So_Cal said:

If you play the other course with Greywalls, Marquette GC maybe?  I think that’s a Langford Moreau.  Wonder if it’s any good.  Certainly Lawsonia is a blast 

 

I was looking at the NMU course.

 

[Argonne69]

Ooh, that's mighty tasty. A Belgian dubbel at The Filling Station Microbrewery (Ales by the Rails) in Traverse City. Looks to be an old railway station. Their Belgian Tripel is on deck. The flatbread pizzas look tasty. 

 

 

Had to get some food in my tummy, so a flatbread pizza was the default choice. Not bad. Pepperoni and garlic. Powerful breath. Lol. 

 

 

The Tripel takes the sting away. 

 

 

Edited June 2, 2023 by Argonne69

[Argonne69]

I was thinking of making the hour drive from Petoskey to Treetops to play the Fazio course. I don't really want to drive an hour each way on two days, though. Treetops or Black Lake? 

 

[Jose c.]

Black lake Is a real gem and should be easier to get on,only because like cassell said its in the middle of nowhere.

[Net_5]

Belvedere, Hidden River and Black Lake would be our choice.
 

We usually hit Black Lake as the last stop before the bridge then head straight to Gladstone before continuing west.  Gladstone is a hidden gem without a resort budget or greens fee.

[So_Cal]

8 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

I was thinking of making the hour drive from Petoskey to Treetops to play the Fazio course. I don't really want to drive an hour each way on two days, though. Treetops or Black Lake? 

 

It’s been a long time since I played Fazio.  I remember it being pretty and hilly.  Walking is probably out of the equation there.  

[Argonne69]

A mostly pleasant round this morning. Warm and sticky, but at least I beat the late day heat. Certainly could have done without the stupid mandatory cart policy again. Wound have been a nice walk. 

 

Yup, it's a bear alright. The Bear at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. Jack put some teeth into this one. Curious why it doesn't show up on GolfWeek's best in state list. The layout is a hybrid parkland/prairie/wetland course. Trouble everywhere you look. Solid bunkering. Tough green complexes. Water on most of the holes. Native grasses and wetlands galore. There's a little bit of elevation change, but the mounding provided plenty of opportunities for uneven lies. Surprisingly not much left/right movement. Jack usually has a couple of sweepers with forced carries over the corner. 

 

Tough off the tee with the forced carries and ponds/wetlands awaiting. The rough was very thick, so minor misses could be played once you found the ball. Big misses are deadly. Approaches were tougher. Most greens were on the small side with some odd shapes. Pins tucked into narrow fingers, and/or buried behind a bunker. Plenty of greens swung around the back of a pond. The 18th was a good example. Up and downs were very tricky. Plenty of opportunities to short side yourself, and throw in the green contours and thick rough. Putting was a challenge, but not crazy so. Typical Jack greens with multiple tiers. 

 

Par 3s were very good, although I would have liked to see a short one. Three had forced carries, and the 17th was long. 5s were very good. The 3rd and 15th were both short solid risk/reward holes with water guarding the front. Short 4s were sadly nonexistent. 

 

Conditions were rather wet. It hasn't rained in days, so they had the sprinklers dialed up to 11. The cart was kicking up rooster tails on many fairways. Rough was nasty. Typical bunkers with plenty of ungroomed sand. Greens were firm and rolling 10. A few iffy spots that didn't really come into play. 

 

Played the Blue/White combo at 6347 yds (72.0/144). Yeah, that slope is about right. Driver was a bad boy today, and with the wet fairways I was getting very little rollout on the few decent drives. Managed a whopping 6 greens. Scrambling was better than average, but seven bogies and a double was as good as it was going to get. 

 

This one gets 7 cows. Great looking course, minus the few houses. Tough, and borderline unfair, but it's a good test. Reminded me of the Nicklaus course I played in Delaware last May. Would like to see a couple of short 4s. $115 for a weekend was a little pricey, but not unexpected. Definitely worth a visit. 

 

[Argonne69]

The Bear at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, Acme, MI 

 

 

 

Go or no-go on the 3rd. The early morning shadows don't help. 

 

 

Approach on the 5th 

 

 

 

 

 

Approach on the par 4 18th 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/eaufm5kpsbm0n50/AACeIeTT7K33P3x0kDUN6F_ka?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

Buzzed around the course in less than two and a half hours. Heck, the brewpubs aren't even open. Luckily the resort is right next door to my RV park, so it was back to Bessie where I'll shower up before heading into town for a pub crawl and a late lunch BBQ platter. 

 

[So_Cal]

20 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

A mostly pleasant round this morning. Warm and sticky, but at least I beat the late day heat. Certainly could have done without the stupid mandatory cart policy again. Wound have been a nice walk. 

 

Yup, it's a bear alright. The Bear at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. Jack put some teeth into this one. Curious why it doesn't show up on GolfWeek's best in state list. The layout is a hybrid parkland/prairie/wetland course. Trouble everywhere you look. Solid bunkering. Tough green complexes. Water on most of the holes. Native grasses and wetlands galore. There's a little bit of elevation change, but the mounding provided plenty of opportunities for uneven lies. Surprisingly not much left/right movement. Jack usually has a couple of sweepers with forced carries over the corner. 

 

Tough off the tee with the forced carries and ponds/wetlands awaiting. The rough was very thick, so minor misses could be played once you found the ball. Big misses are deadly. Approaches were tougher. Most greens were on the small side with some odd shapes. Pins tucked into narrow fingers, and/or buried behind a bunker. Plenty of greens swung around the back of a pond. The 18th was a good example. Up and downs were very tricky. Plenty of opportunities to short side yourself, and throw in the green contours and thick rough. Putting was a challenge, but not crazy so. Typical Jack greens with multiple tiers. 

 

Par 3s were very good, although I would have liked to see a short one. Three had forced carries, and the 17th was long. 5s were very good. The 3rd and 15th were both short solid risk/reward holes with water guarding the front. Short 4s were sadly nonexistent. 

 

Conditions were rather wet. It hasn't rained in days, so they had the sprinklers dialed up to 11. The cart was kicking up rooster tails on many fairways. Rough was nasty. Typical bunkers with plenty of ungroomed sand. Greens were firm and rolling 10. A few iffy spots that didn't really come into play. 

 

Played the Blue/White combo at 6347 yds (72.0/144). Yeah, that slope is about right. Driver was a bad boy today, and with the wet fairways I was getting very little rollout on the few decent drives. Managed a whopping 6 greens. Scrambling was better than average, but seven bogies and a double was as good as it was going to get. 

 

This one gets 7 cows. Great looking course, minus the few houses. Tough, and borderline unfair, but it's a good test. Reminded me of the Nicklaus course I played in Delaware last May. Would like to see a couple of short 4s. $115 for a weekend was a little pricey, but not unexpected. Definitely worth a visit. 

 

The Bear used to be even more challenging.   They softened it up quite a bit.  Probably not on Golfweek as Nicklaus courses are not en vogue.  Still a fun round in a beautiful area. 

[Argonne69]

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Found a taproom that looked like it had potential, but it's on the fence. 7 Monks Taproom had a fairly impressive lineup on their website, but of course they just tapped out the Belgian Quad that I was eyeing. Don't really like bottled beers, as one can't sample them before dropping $12, but not much choice. My first selection, a Westmalle Tripel, was out of stock. Grrr. Wound up with a Chimay Cinq Cents Tripel. Somewhat tasty, but me thinks the bottle has been sitting in the cooler a wee bit too long. Hoping the Chimay Blue Grand Reserve Belgian Strong or Rochefort 10 Quad is a little better. 

 

 

Went with the Rochefort 8 Belgian Strong Ale. Good choice. 

 

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by Argonne69

[ode1]

On 6/2/2023 at 1:43 PM, So_Cal said:

If you play the other course with Greywalls, Marquette GC maybe?  I think that’s a Langford Moreau.  Wonder if it’s any good.  Certainly Lawsonia is a blast 

Played Greywalls and Heritage on 5/16....got lucky as GW opened that morning.  Greywalls is a real roller coaster but a blast to play.  Played Heritage for the first time and IMO a must play just for the L&M greens, which are a dead giveaway.  The other holes are decent to good especially 15-16-17 as you have some serious elevation change.  18 unfortunately is a real stinker!

 

17 hours ago, Net_5 said:

Gladstone is a hidden gem without a resort budget or greens fee.

☝️This.  So much fun to play!

 

I'd add Pine Grove CC to the list as well.

[Argonne69]

29 minutes ago, ode said:

Played Greywalls and Heritage on 5/16....got lucky as GW opened that morning.  Greywalls is a real roller coaster but a blast to play.  Played Heritage for the first time and IMO a must play just for the L&M greens, which are a dead giveaway.  The other holes are decent to good especially 15-16-17 as you have some serious elevation change.  18 unfortunately is a real stinker!

 

☝️This.  So much fun to play!

 

I'd add Pine Grove CC to the list as well.

 

Thanks a bunch. Added Heritage, Gladstone, and Pine Grove to the agenda. 

 

[Argonne69]

Smoke and Porter Public House. Not the best Q I've had on the journey, but still tasty. Portions were small given the price. Ribs were very tender and tasty. Brisket was tender, but could have used a little more fat. Pulled pork was decent. Beans were meh, and the German potato salad was different. The Memphis sauce was tangy, and surprisingly the vinegar based St Louis sauce was very good. Generally not big on vinegar sauces. Can't give it a big thumbs up, but not a lot of barbeque in the city.

 

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by Argonne69

[Bubb]

My son and I are playing the Bear on Tuesday. His index is 2.6 but he’s terrified after reading your review.

[So_Cal]

8 hours ago, ode said:

Played Greywalls and Heritage on 5/16....got lucky as GW opened that morning.  Greywalls is a real roller coaster but a blast to play.  Played Heritage for the first time and IMO a must play just for the L&M greens, which are a dead giveaway.  The other holes are decent to good especially 15-16-17 as you have some serious elevation change.  18 unfortunately is a real stinker!

 

☝️This.  So much fun to play!

 

I'd add Pine Grove CC to the list as well.

I take it the Langford/Moreau course is called Heritage?  DeVries should do some restoration work on it.  Bet it has decent bones.  

[So_Cal]

7 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Smoke and Porter Public House. Not the best Q I've had on the journey, but still tasty. Portions were small given the price. Ribs were very tender and tasty. Brisket was tender, but could have used a little more fat. Pulled pork was decent. Beans were meh, and the German potato salad was different. The Memphis sauce was tangy, and surprisingly the vinegar based St Louis sauce was very good. Generally not big on vinegar sauces. Can't give it a big thumbs up, but not a lot of barbeque in the city.

 

 

Really enjoying your tour Arg.  Obviously making me homesick as well 😂

[Argonne69]

I should be having the time of my life, but the no walking policies are making my blood boil. I can feel my arteries hardening as I type this. Manitou Passage today. I believe it's an Arnold Palmer design. Pretty parkland/prairie style layout with some very nice elevation changes on the front. The back has a nice elevated tee box on the par 3 17th, but otherwise it's pretty flat. Decent mix of left/right holes. Water on just a couple of holes, which is a bit odd for Arnold. Fairway bunkering was light, but greenside was quite good. 

 

Moderately difficult off the tee. A number of holes had fairly narrow chutes through the trees, although the fairways opened up a bit. A couple of forced carries. Rough was on the narrow side, and patchy in places, so slight misses could be trouble. Big misses were very penal. Approaches were tough. Smallish greens that were generally well guarded. There were a few that were benign, but most needed an aerial attack. Up and downs were fairly straightforward, as the greens didn't have a ton of contouring. Lies could be iffy around them, though. Putting was benign. 

 

The five par 3s were very good with a nice mix of lengths, and a couple with nice views from the elevated tees. 5s were fairly ho hum until the short 18th. Good risk/reward with a pond front left. Short 4s were nothing special. 

 

Conditions were good. With the lack of recent rain, the sprinklers once again got a solid workout, and left the fairways soft. Rough was patchy. Bunkers were excellent with nicely groomed wet sand. Greens looked am rolled smooth, but oh so slow. 9 tops. 

 

Played the Blue tees on the par 71 layout at 6257 yds (69.8/129). Driver continues to work well, but the soft conditions were stealing length. Toss in some small greens and the short game got a workout. One birdie and six bogies. Highlight of the day was actually getting the ball to the hole on the 17th for a nice 24' birdie. 

 

I'll give MP 6 cows. Very nice looking course, but it needs better fairway bunkering, and some tougher short 4s. 

$85 on a weekend was fine. Plenty of golf within a few miles of Traverse City, so not sure I can recommend the 40 minute drive out there. Definitely has a nice isolated feel, though. Probably worth the drive just to get away from the bustle of TC. 

 

 

[Argonne69]

Manitou Passage Golf Club, Cedar, MI 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full photo set: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7vl8zhmn93g4xvj/AACyKLyn_WzafUi4KU-6lQpUa?dl=0

 

[Argonne69]

I was going to stop at a couple of breweries on the west side of town, but when you buzz around a course in two hours, and finish nearly two hours before they open, it was on to plan B, grocery shopping. Lol. Don't really feel like making the 25 minute drive back into town on a busy Sunday, so I'll crack open a bottle of BCS this afternoon and watch the final round of the Memorial. 

 

[Argonne69]

I booked Black Lake for next Saturday. Still have a round on Sunday to book in the Petoskey area. Boyne Heather is $171. Probably too pricey and too many doglegs. 

 

Others options include Harbor Point, Boyne Alpine, Crooked Tree, Charlevoix CC, and Dunmaglas. Thoughts? 

 

[cassel191919]

14 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

I booked Black Lake for next Saturday. Still have a round on Sunday to book in the Petoskey area. Boyne Heather is $171. Probably too pricey and too many doglegs. 

 

Others options include Harbor Point, Boyne Alpine, Crooked Tree, Charlevoix CC, and Dunmaglas. Thoughts? 

 

The Heather is an awesome golf course, but very tough also Boyne prices can be high.  I really enjoy the courses at Boyne Mountain the alpine and monument they are fun, but not walkable since they are like a mile drive from the clubhouse. Have you played Belvedere already, that is one of the best and I heard the greens are insane fast from the lack of rain.

[Argonne69]

12 minutes ago, cassel191919 said:

The Heather is an awesome golf course, but very tough also Boyne prices can be high.  I really enjoy the courses at Boyne Mountain the alpine and monument they are fun, but not walkable since they are like a mile drive from the clubhouse. Have you played Belvedere already, that is one of the best and I heard the greens are insane fast from the lack of rain.

 

I have Belvedere booked this Wednesday. Hidden River on the schedule for Thursday, followed by Boyne The Moor on Friday.