Golfing the Wilderness at Fortune Bay

The Wilderness golf course was built at the Fortune Bay Casino in 2004.  The casino is owned by the Bois Forte Band of the Chippewa.  Since its introduction it has received numerous awards including rating as one of the top 2 casino courses in the country several times, the number one new public upscale course in the country by Golf digest, and for this year rated as number 40 greatest public courses in the nation by Golf Digest.

I really love this course and we have played here every year since 2006.  This is our traditional first course we play.  The course says it is about one hour from Giants Ridge but really the drive is about 35-40 minutes.  I have not really spent that much time in the casino but the golf course and club house are superb.  The clubhouse has a really good restatraunt so if you come plan on sitting down after your round for some good food.

I really took a lot of pictures during my rounds during this trip so I hope you dont mind the extra shots. 

I golfed with my Dad, my father-in-law, and brother-in-law.  On this day we played from the white tees so that we could all play together.

The course was a mixture of more open holes and holes that require precision.  With the mix of greeat conditions and tree lined holes it is always a thrill to play.  On the day we played the superintendent must have had a fight with his wife as the pin placements were absolutely diabolical.  From being a pace or two off the green, to hanging on the edge of a precipe, to hiding behind bunkers or a ravine in the green, they were some of the hardest positions I have seen.

After warming up at the range with the free balls included in the green fees we headed off to the course.

Hole 1 is a long par 5 at 562 yards to start with.  A rock wall divides the fairway to an upper shelf on the left and a lower area on the right.  The rock wall should did not come into play off the tee as I can carry the distance over the wall.  For shorter hitters the lower area has more room.  The second shot is a wide open landing area but several fairway bunkers and rough prevent you from getting too close to the green.  The third shot is to a well gaurded and multi-tiered green.

Notice the green here.  The pin was on the edge of the first tier.  My father-in-law had a six putt!  After coming to the green on the lower tier it took him 2 putts to get the ball up onto the second tier.  After watching his ball come up short and roll back to him he finally got to the correct level but ran by the hole to make sure he was up.  On his third putt he hit what should have been a putt that went maybe 2 feet by but instead caught the hill and agin found himself on the lower tier.  Another shot up the hill and two more finally let him get down. This was a sign of things to come as you will see...

Hole 2 is a 426 yard par 4 that has elevated tees to a straight ahead hole location.  A large leaf like bunker on the right makes for a decision.  Lay up short and have a 200 yard shot to a green heavily gaurded in front with bunkers or play a driver and miss the bunker.  The decision is made harder by how the fairway narrows next to the bunker with trees left.  With a good drive you need another good one to make the green.  The green is fairly shallow but wide.  Todays pin was back not far from the back edge of the hole. 

Hole 3 is a daunting looking par 3 from elevated tees to a tiered green over water and protected short by an enourmous looking bunker.  This hole had one of the easiest pin placements of the day since the upper tier hill provided a backstop you could use to get the ball to funnel back to the hole.  The hole only plays 166 yards so if you just focus on hitting that shot and ignore the view the hole should not be that hard.

Hole 4 puts the pressure on again with a par 4 that is short at 330 yards but requires a lay-up off the tee due to the split fairway.  A large rock wall divides the upper and lower levels like hole 1.  The green is large an undulating.  This time the hole was placed on top of a mound making close placement crucial.

Hole 5 is another precision par 4 that is a dogleg right.  The hole plays 330 yards and requires at most 200 yards off the tee.  Placing your tee shot center or center left is best for a shot to the green.  The green is one of the most menacing you will find with a large ravine dividing the green in two.  An approach hit to the wrong part of the green spells doom.  luckily my ball was pin high on my second and I did not have to contentd with "the ditch".

Hole 6 backs off the precision shots a bit and is a 375 yard par 4.  A bunker right off the tee and a waste area left makes hitting the fairway crucial.  The green here is large and deep.

Hole 7 is the shortest par 3 on the course and offers a great view of the north woods behind the hole fro mthe elevated tee.  I tried to get too cute with the very front pin location and came up just short landing in the bunker.  The ensuing next two shots finally got me on the green and I got down in two for a bitter double on what should be the easiest hole.  I recommend not taking that bait and instead play for the middle of the green.

The eigth hole is one of the signature holes, a 456 yard par 5.  The hole curls around water on the right.  The fairway is large off the tee but does slope pretty severly towards the water so you should attempt to be left.  They say this is a reachable hole in 2 but with the large wolf print front right and another bunker left, actaully making that shot is not for the faint of heart.  Laying up for a 3 shot hole offers a lot of options.  The green

Hole 9 is downhill par 4 at 342 yards.  A bunker left comes into play off the tee so the better shot is to play 
to the right.  I smashed a drive here to have only a wedge to the green.  The pin was again tucked to the extreme right, luckily with the good tee shot I was able to place the ball not far away to get par.

Aside from the stupid double on 7 I had I bookended that hole with a pair of bogeys. Other than that, all pars.

So onto the back nine.

Hole 10 is a bit of a daunting tee shot.  Similar to hole 1 a rock wall divides the fairways. A gain this should not come into play and the fairway is actually pretty open on this 403 yard yard par 4.

I got onto 10 in two but had my first three putt of the day for a bogey :(

Hole 11 is an uphill dogleg left 383 yard par 4 that plays back towards the casino and hotel.  A large bunker at the dogleg requires you to play short of that as left is really a small place to hit.  The green is another tiered affair.  I got lucky and hit my shot perfectly and my ball funnelled of the side hill to the pin.  The pin was again hanging from the top tier and made for some nasty putting for those on the wrong level.

Hole 12 is a pretty hole that looks a lot like one hole 11 at the Legends.  A short 129 yard par 3, your tee shot is critical as the green has some nasty mounds to contend with.

Look its me!

Hole 13 runs along Lake Vermillion on the left.  A risk and reward hole that offers more risk than reward.  A short 301 yard par 4 that you can dare to try to go for but to do so you must carry the lake and avoid bunkering on the left of the green.  A better play is to make it two 150 yard shots and go for par, which I did.  This was the first time I did not try for the green playing this hole and the first time I did not make double :)

 The back tees on this hole are out on a penninsula on the lake

 Gulp.  Go for the green?

Hole 14 reverses direction from 13 and is a 341 yard par 4.  Sand runs along the entire length of the right side of the fairway here.  To the left deep is a bunker I found with my drive.  To the right of the green is more water.  From the bunker I was able to get onto the front edge of the green.  The bad thing was the pint was in the back.  This green is gigantic, about 50 yards front to back but fairly narrow.  I had a great two putt for par from where I was uphill to the pin.

The 15th is a double dogleg par 5 at 458 yards that requires either a layup if you play straight or a carry over the trees on the left if you want to hit driver.  Laying up makes this a 3 shot par 5 for sure.  Forcing you to layup is a marsh area.  Laying up requires a good poke over this to set up your third shot.

Hole 16 is a back to back par 5 with 15.  This one is 486 yards.  An uphill tee shot looks at bunkers surrounding but short of the fairway.  Once over thie hill you have two options, go to the an upper right elevated fairway or hit to the lower left fiarway.  The left fairway is more accessible but requires an uphill shot to the green. The right side is longer to reach but if hit well the ball can roll down to the green which the fairway funnels down onto.  The green iteslf is another nasty affiar that you can not go long on.

Hole 17 is a 144 yard par 3.  Bunkered on both sides, hitting the green is the first challenge.  Getting it close to the pin is the next one.  The pin was tucked behind a ridge in the green and required a carry over the right side bunker when we played.



Hole 18 is a great finishing hole that is a downhill par 4 with a forced carry over water on your second shot.  At 408 yards I crushed my drive and was inside 100 yards for my second.  Too bad I skulled my wedge.  The good thing was it was on-line and ended up just short of the green.  I was able to get up and down for my par.

I ended up with 8 straight pars on the back.

In total this was probably the best round I have played.  Especially given the challenging pin placements today.  I putted lights out with only one three putt and several one putts to save pars.  No birdies on the day but only 3 bogeys and one double, which still bugs me.   A total of 77.

I guess my mojo from Mississippi Dunes continued.  Lets see how I can do tomorrow when we play The Legends.