Marquette Golf Club - Greywalls Course Part 4

Hole 16

Par 4
371 | 371 | 349 | 319 yards

You finally get a respite from the long holes on the par 4 6th hole.  This hole is a blind tee shot to a hole that is pretty much straight ahead.  

The best line off the tee is along the slope on the left side.  The fairway slopes pretty good from right to left so you want to try to avoid the left side.  Just don't hit too far right as a series of rocks run along that side, backed by trees which line the entirety of the hole. 

Once you get over the hill you have a clear view to the green.  A slope to the right of the green may save a wayward ball hit over there from the woods.  Avoid the left side as a hill right off the green will kick balls hit over there down into the trees.  There are a pair of bunkers sitting behind the green, hidden from view.

This is a picture taken from the right side of the green with the tees back to the left.  You can see how along the left side of the green the hole drops off into the trees.  Another large green here with a depth of about 35 yards and a width nearly the same. The right portion of the green is tiered above the left half.

Hole 17

Par 3
137 | 137 | 121 | 94 yards

The penultimate hole is the last par 3 of the day.  A short hole there is not much too this one.  A piar of bunkers guard the front of this canted oval green.

Seen from the back left you can see there is plenty of room to miss around the green, provided you miss the front bunkers.

As we finished this hole and were on the 18th tee, Jason Hougom who was playing in our party in the group behind proceeded to knock in his tee ball on 17 for an ACE!  Here is the video of him getting the ball afterwards.



Jason has not played golf much and wasn't too thrilled about the experience, not knowing how rare his feat was.  He proceeded to tee the ball up on 18 and drove it off into the left rough up in the rocks.  I had to go up there and find it, telling him he couldn't lose that after what he just did.

Hole 18

Par 5
533 | 533 | 463 | 442 yards

The final hole is a big downhill par 5 that requires an accurate tee shot.  If you can deliver one you can get a lot of extra distance as the ball bounds downhill towards the green.  TO do so you must avoid the chute of trees that the fairway passes down.  Also on the left side a rocky hillside awaits wayward shots down that side.

The fairway over the top of the hill, funnels on both sides into the middle.  With a lucky bounce your ball can find a friendly downhill trampoline effect, as mine did.

My ball actually tumbled down the hill around 315 yards from the tee.  I actually ran out of fairway, as you can see in the photo here, where a patch of first cut rough divides the start of the fairway and the fairway area that leads to the green.

This second fairway starts at about 150 yards out and this area is impressively massive.  After playing all day with much narrower landing zones, the nearly 70 yard wide fairway here feels unreasonably generous.

This is definitely a hole that encourages- almost demands- that you try to reach this green in two.

The green here is completely level with the surrounding fairway, even more of an encouragement to run something up from long distance.  Other than behind the green, where a hillside can come into play there is nothing standing in your way from taking on this 35+ yard diameter circular green.

Conclusion

What a remarkable experience Greywalls is.  I feel that pictures of most of these holes don't do the rugged beauty of this place justice.  They certainly have trouble conveying the elevation changes that are in play.

Some people might say some of the features are gimmicky or unfair.  While it is certainly true that on some holes a ball hit down the middle of a fairway can find trouble along a rocky embankment, to me that is part of the fun of this course.

Your round starts out with an undeniably breathtaking first tee.  Once you get to he fairway you get to experience some of the crazy fairway mounding that is mixed throughout the course. 

Holes 2 and 3 are good solid holes that could fit into many of the good "Northern" style courses you find in the upper Midwest.  They are not quite as extreme as the first hole.

Holes 4 through 11 are, in my opinion, the best stretch of holes.  Such great variety in layout, elevation, playability, and length are offered on these 8 holes that I would put them up against 8 of the best holes on any course in Minnesota I have played.

Hole 12 through 14 which all run adjacent to one another are maybe the most boring stretch of holes.  While they are all long holes they don't offer as much character as the 8 holes proceeding them and feel slightly ho-hum in comparison.

15 is a beast of a par 3, and 17 a memorable one with me witnessing the hole in one.

16 and more so 18 leave you with a memory of the great elevation changes this course offers.  Both of them featuring big downhill tee shots.  18 does everything it can to give you the opportunity to make a great score to end your round.

When I first got onto the property I had no idea what lay in store up the hills at Greywalls.  I hope that if you are ever in the U.P. of Michigan and looking for a place to golf that you give Greywalls some serious consideration.

Take Greywalls and pair it with a couple of other great courses.  You have Sweetgrass nearby in Escanaba MI, plus its new course opening in 2018. You also have Timberstone Golf Course in Iron Mountain.  These three places make for tremendous destination for an Upper Michigan road trip which I would highly recommended. 

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Marquette Golf Club - Greywalls Course Part 2

Hole 4

Par 4
425 | 379 | 316 | 256 yards

The 4th hole is an intimidating tee shot that must find the narrow chute of fairway running between the thick trees on either side.

The fairway is a bit wider than it appears off the tee.  A rocky hill on the right obscures part of the fairway from the tee.  The fairway is actually two distinct portions.  On the left half you have the upper fairway and on the right you have the lower portion.  The fairway is split by a rocky slope.

It is a forced carry to the fairway over native grasses and wetlands.  It is about 225 yards maximum carry from the tips to the fairway.

A ball hit down the right side will find the lower fairway and a partially blind shot to the green over the hill on the right edge of this hole.  A drive that can carry the hill on the left can get a big kick forward if it can reach the far side and the large down slope there.

With a good drive down the left you can see how your ball can shoot forward leaving a very short shot into the green.  All told the fairway here is almost 70 yards across so it should be fairly easy to hit.  The hazard is a ball down the middle that catches the rocky slope and gets hung up in the surrounding grasses.

With a natural slope coming in from the right this green offers an option to bank it in from right to left.  There is not much room to miss left as the rough is fairly close to the putting surface on that side.  Missing right, short or long, is not too bad with a sizable chipping area into this 40+ yard long green that is canted diagonally from the center line of the fairway.

Hole 5

Par 4
312 | 312 | 284 | 251 yards

With only a distance of 312 yards one would think this could be an easy hole but it has a variety of hazards to make up for the lack of distance.

Of the tee it is an uphill tee shot to the fairway.  It requires a carry to the fairway of 180 yards from the back tees.

Missing to the right you will find the trees that line that entire side.  Missing left of the lone pine tree will find the rocky slope framing the opposite side of the hole.  The hole does dogleg left once you reach the fairway.  A bold tee shot would be a driver at that solitary pine.  If hit on the proper line you can get very close to the green.

My tee shot was just a bit left of the fairway and this is the lie I found myself with.  Thick rough on top of rock.  Not fun.  You can see that further up the hole a sheer rock cliff comes into play down the right side.

That 50 foot rock wall is right up against the right side of the green.  On the left side of the green is another rock outcropping.  The green is basically in a gap between these two rock faces so hitting the green is important.  This is a deep green at just under 40 yards and is nearly 25 yards across.

Behind the green it falls away down to the cart path and the trees beyond.  This is a fun hole but one that can definitely benefit from having played a couple of times to know how to play it.

Hole 6

Par 3
188 | 178 | 151 | 137 yards

The 6th might be my favorite hole on the course.  A longish par 3 that plays in a variety of ways depending on which tees you play from.

From the back tees the green is essentially level, or slightly below you.  However, to reach the green you must carry the entire distance.  A rock wall marks the start of a fairway landing area short of the green.  This extends 100 feet to the green but is so steeply sloped back towards the cliff that anything hit short of the green may not hold this area.

The green is surrounded on the other three sides by rocks.  The green here is pretty massive.  It is about 30 yards in both directions and is shaped somewhat like a giant apple.  There is both a false front and back though so the actual playing area is less that it appears.

From the forward two tees I think this hole is almost more daunting as these tee boxes sit in the valley below the back tees and the green.  These shots are shorter but require playing a massively uphill tee shot.

A view from the rock wall immediately behind the green looking back at the tee boxes in the distance.

The front left of the green falls off as does the back right of the green.

Making a two putt even if you are safely aboard is no guarantee on this sizable green.

on the 6th green you are at one of the higher elevations on the course besides the first tee.  Behind the green you can see the massive shared fairway of the upcoming 9th and 10th holes.  Turning to the left you can see the par 4 7th you are about to play.

Hole 7

Par 4
489 | 432 | 347 | 347 yards

From the elevated perch that the 6th green shares, the 7th tee boxes are either highly elevated or,  if playing, the forward tees somewhere down the hill.  Speaking of hills, this is the parking area for the carts and the hill you need to climb back up to get to the back tees.

This par 4 features another fairway similar to the 4th hole, with two fairway levels bisected by a rock cliff.  Unlike on the fourth hole, this rock cliff wraps around the far side as well, making for a sheer drop at around 200 yards from the green.

The intended line here seems to be to the upper fairway.  There is danger to hitting here though because the hidden cliff cuts across at about 280 yards from the back tees.  A ball that doesn't fly that cliff can get an unlucky bounce and get lodged somewhere on the cliff face (I know, one of my playing partners had that happen).

If you can clear the cliff face and hit the lower portion of the fairway, the rest of the way to the green is open, provided you stay out of the trees.  There is another set of smaller rocky cliffs on the left side of the fairway (hidden from view as you play down the hole) but with them being 130 yards out they are unlikely to be in play.

This is the cliff face that runs across the fairway.  We are about to try to find a ball that ended up somewhere at the base of this rock face in some very thick grass.

Looking back up the fairway from near the green you can see how this hole descends pretty much from tee to green.

A look back from behind this unprotected green.  This is a really deep green, 50 yards from front to back. Missing on either side or behind the green, your ball will run off into a sizable chipping fringe.  The right side is the most severe runoff and would be the side to avoid.

Hole 8

Par 4
343 | 328 | 328 | 298 yards

The 8th is a tight driving hole.  The fairway slopes strongly from right to left so a shot down the right is preferred.  A pair of rocky mounds sit down that right side though and require either attempting to carry them or play to their left.  You don't want to play more right than the right greenside bunker in the distance though as more rocks await you down the right side of the hole over the top of the mound.

The first of these mounds is even with the start of the fairway which is a carry of around 130 yards.  To reach the second mound from the tips is 180 yards.

An ideal conservative tee shot would appear to be a 200 yard shot hit just at the base of the rock mound.  If properly played it will kick left and end up near the 150 yard stake.  A more aggressive shot with driver should be at the right side of the green.

From the forward tees this hole is much less visually narrow.  The rock mound is still in play but the length of the fairway is better exposed.  You can see that to the left of the rock mound is a trio of bunkers sitting among the native grasses.

The approach on this hole requires carrying a slope in front of the green to a triangular two tiered green.  Sitting on either corner, short of the green are a pair of deep greenside bunkers.  A front pin like we had requires hitting to the lower of the 2 tiers.  Hitting a back pin, especially one tucked into one of the corners makes this hole much harder.  With the green being 30 yards deep it can also make for a couple more clubs on your approach.

A look back down the hole shows the multi-tiered green and the size of the fairway over the top of the rocks.

Hole 9

Par 4
389 | 389 | 358 | 284 yards

The final hole on the front is one with a fairway shared by the 10th hole.  Looking out at the expanse of fairway it can be hard to know where to aim.  Your target is actually to the left of the stand of trees. A large cross bunker must be carried in order to have a short approach.  To carry that bunker from the tips requires at least 260 yards.  If you can pull that off you will have 100 yards in.  A shot played right of that bunker is safer obviously but that brings the trees into play and may prevent a direct approach into the green.

Over the top of the cross bunker the fairway runs uninterrupted to the green.  The green is perched on the edge of a precipitous drop-off  both behind the green and to the left.  A slope to the right of the green can kick balls back onto the putting surface.  There is a bit of an upslope right in front of the green so shots running up may not get there.

Whatever you do try to avoid the left side (unlike me).  Hitting down there brings in a couple of rocky patches and lots of rough.  I managed to find my ball and hit a great flop way up the hill onto the green but I failed to convert the putt on another 30+ yard deep oval green.

Part 1
Part 3
Part 4

Marquette Golf Club - Greywalls Course Part 1

Introduction

Sitting on the South shore of Lake Superior, 3 hours straight north of Green Bay, Wisconsin sits Marquette, Michigan.  Marquette is home to the Northern Michigan University and identified as number seven of the 20 Best Places to Live by Outdoor Life Magazine.  It is just a couple of miles west of Sugar Loaf mountain and about an hour east of  the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  The population is fairly small, just over 20,000 but that makes it the largest city in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

I drove up here from Escanaba, MI, which sits on the southern side of the U.P. on Lake Michigan.  It is just over an hours drive up to Marquette.  

The reason for this drive is to play at the Greywalls course; part of a two course layout at the Marquette Golf Club.  Marquette GC is a semi-private club and Upper Michigan's only 36 hole course.

Driving up to the course you can see the Heritage course as you turn into the property.  The Heritage course is the original 18 holes and it looks like a very typical old-school parkland style course.  This course was originally designed as a 9 hole course in 1926 by William Langford and Theodore Moreau, with the second nine constructed in 1969 across the street to the north of the original nine.

Driving up the lane to clubhouse and parking area you pass between the 10th hole on your right and the 13th to your left.

Further up, you'll pass the clubhouse and then directly ahead see a very small pro-shop and attached cart storage.  I did not check out the clubhouse but the proshop is one of the smallest I have seen in a long time.  Immediately adjacent to the proshop is a small parking lot with another lot up a short drive into the hills behind

Driving onto the course I was a bit trepidatious.  While the Heritage course looked like it was in fine shape, it did not look like a "destination" course.  I could not image how the Greywalls course earned such a great reputation.  But then I could not have imagined what a different world I would find once I headed to the Greywalls course.

Before moving on to Greywalls, first I wanted to show quickly the limited practice area.  For a 36 hole course the range is very small.  We were here at the same time as a college girls team was practicing, and trying to accommodate our 16 guys and the college team was challenging.  The range can handle about 10 people on it.  With the hitting stations all the way back it is still only 290 yards to the end of the range and the street beyond.   When we were there it was irons only.  I am not sure if this is a permanent restriction but it seems likely to be the case.  Right behind the range is a 60 foot round putting green.  There are no practice bunkers but the green does have a small chipping fringe around it.

There is not much signage telling you how to get from the pro shop to Greywalls but is is a bit of a hike.  Walking Greywalls would not be recommended.  While it is possible the elevation changes and the hike to get to the first tee are enough to discourage almost anyone.

Greywalls is located to the south of the Heritage course.  To get there hop on your cart and take the path at the top of the upper parking area.  It is a drive to the first tee, which sits in the center of the course.  Along the way you will catch glimpses of some of the holes you will face.  Very quickly you will see what a completely different course Greywalls is to the Heritage course.  I don't know that I have ever been on a property that features such night and day different courses.

Greywalls

Designed by Mike DeVries and opened in 2005, Greywalls is one of the most unique and exciting courses that I have ever played.  It is currently ranked as the #10 course you can play in Michigan.  At its peak it was #2 and debuted as one of the top 10 new courses in the country.

When I look back at my experience the best way I can think to summarize it is: Imagine playing one of the great northern Minnesota courses like Fortune Bay or Giants Ridge but then dropping the course onto a mountain.

What you will find here is rugged beauty.  Set amidst crazy elevation changes, featuring some insane rolling fairways, in play rock outcroppings, and all-in-all wonderful conditions.  This is the personification of the phrase "Pure Michigan" to me.

Like I said before, this is truly one of the more remarkable rounds of golf I have played in a long, long time.

The course offers 4 sets of tees.  The Championship tees do not crack the 7,000 yard milestone but don't be fooled. The rating of 144 gives an indication that troubles abound here- sometimes even right in the middle of a fairway.

Tees	Yardage	Rating	Slope
Championship	6,828	144	73
Back	6,537	138	70.7
Middle	5,908	130	68.2
Forward (M)	5,258	118	67
Forward (W)	5,258	137	70.8

Here is a Google Maps image of the course with hole numbers defined.  This image is tiled with North off to the right and East at the top.  You can see a couple of the holes of the Heritage course to the far left.

The climb up to the first tee is a pretty amazing journey.  Once you get to the top you will find another small putting green and a starter shack that also offers refreshments.  The day we played, there were no beverage carts on the course and you will not come upon the shack until the tenth tee, so keep that in mind.

Standing on the practice green it is pretty hard to focus on putting with the panoramic views that are afforded to you.  You can see for miles out onto Lake Superior.  On a clear day you can even see Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore some 50 miles away.

Hole 1

Par 5
579 | 545 | 509 | 477 yards 

Perched adjacent to the practice green is the first tee at Greywalls.  There is no easing in period here, as the day starts with a tough driving hole and a par 5.  It is hard to depict the elevation difference between the elevated back tees and the fairway.

The fairway is canted diagonally from the tees, effectively making this a dogleg right, however the dogleg occurs before the fairway comes into play.  A carry of 200 yards is required to reach the fairway from the back tees.  There is a fairly sizable landing area initially.  It is framed by three bunkers lining the far left side.  This fairway slopes left to right and down the right side, the hole drops off- in some places more severely than others.

The fairway is choked down by a gully coming in from the right side.  This gully is about 300 yards from the back tees.

From the main fairway landing zone, looking towards the green, the hole drops sharlpy before rising again towards the green.

This hole showcases what you will find throughout the round- massively undulating fairways.  In a lot of pictures it is hard to capture the elevation changes but this shot does a pretty good job of showing the maybe 30 foot drop in the middle of the fairway.  It is pretty amazing from an agronomy standpoint that they can keep some of these areas in such good shape.  It is actually important that you pay attention when driving carts on this course.  Be mindful of what lays ahead, even when in the middle of the fairway!

Around 200 yards out the fairway is squeezed down by a ridge of rocks divide the hole into the upper left section and the lower right rough that runs off into the woods.

Once you carry those rocks, the fairway opens up again to a relatively generous landing zone.  There are still some pretty good undulations though, including a trough at about 120 yards that you want to avoid.

The green is not guarded by any bunkers.  It is about 35 yards deep, though not as wide.

The green is slightly mounded so shots hit to the edges will fall off into the chipping collection areas that surround all sides.

Seen here from behind the green, you can see some of the crazy elevation changes on just this first hole alone.  It is going to be a fun day!

Hole 2

Par 4
425 | 397 | 364 | 322 yards

The second hole is a shorter par 4 with a blind hazard off the tee.  The fairway landing area runs out about 100 yards from the green. 

Beyond the fairway landing zone, the hole falls over a rocky cliff as it turns slightly to the right before reaching the green.  The best play here is a driver down the left side of the fairway.  If you play down the right side you can find your second shot partially blocked by the trees hugging that side closer to the green.

A shot here of the typical rough you will find once you leave the primary cut of rough. Keeping the ball in play is paramount here.  Trying to advance a ball from this thick grass is nearly impossible.

From the 150 yard steak you still can't see the cliff that sits just ahead of you.  The green is quite a bit below you from this distance so judge your approach to account for that.

The green is tucked into a cove of trees on the right but it offers a friendly slope off to the left.  You can play your ball a long ways to the left of the green and still have it kick down onto the putting surface.  There isn't much room to miss elsewhere though, so make sure your distance control is good to avoid losing a ball into the trees.

Hole 3

Par 3
174 | 164 | 146 | 115 yards

The first par 3 of the day is a medium length hole that is guarded by a pair of bunkers, one sitting back left and the other off to the right of the green.

There is room to miss short on this green, with about 30 yards of fairway in front.  Before reaching this area it is a forced carry over native grasses.  This green is pretty severely sloped back to front.  A back left pin is the probably the hardest spot to get to.

Shown from the left side of the green, this hole has plenty of danger if you miss the green.  You'd likely prefer finding the bunkers on a miss rather than the gnarly rough that is the alternative.

Looking back at the green from the next tee, you can see the green is a fairly large oval about 30 yards wide and 20 deep.

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4