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 3

Hole 10

Par 4
336 | 336 | 320 | 283 yards

A short straight ahead par 4.  The right portion of this hole is the shared fairway of the 9th hole.

The rock in the center of the fairway should actually be considered the right edge of this hole.  On the left, the large rock outcrop frames the other side of the hole. Obviously there is plenty of room to miss right of the rock in the fairway, but this is due to the shared space with the 9th.

On the approach, you must avoid 2 hazards on either side of the green.  The left side has a large bunker and the right side has a large rocky area.  Playing in from the right side of the fairway can require you to carry over these rocks should the pin be on the right side.

All in all this may be one of the easiest holes on the course.  It is short and there is plenty of room off the tee with very little to worry about.  Assuming you get a good drive you should have a close wedge into the green.

Hole 11

Par 4
388 | 388 | 363 | 319 yards

Another fairly short par 4, the elevated tees here show you the myriad placement of bunkers that await you on this hole.  The smartest play here is too hit to about 140 yards out.  From there you play short of all of the bunkers and then have a fairly short second shot.

Playing a more aggressive tee shot, the best line would be down the right side to avoid the bunkers clustered down the left.  The right side brings some pretty severe mounds in play on the fairway though.  A shot that hits those hills isn't likely to run very far.

Your second shot will need to carry the bunkers into a 40+ yard deep green.  Provided you dont come up short, there are actually no bunkers around the green.

On your approach a miss to the right is the best mistake.  A hill there can feed your ball back onto the green.  A miss long or left will find a sharp bank just off the green.  A chip from down in this collection area is no fun on a short-sided pin.  This picture is from the next tee looking back at the green and the big slope off the green.

Hole 12

Par 4
491 | 463 | 382 | 350 yards

The 12th is a long but straight par 4.  A slight rise in front of the back tee prevents you from seeing the fairway clearly but just aim it down the middle.  A miss right is bad as trees line that entire side from tee to green.  Missing left offers more forgiveness.

On your second shot you will probably have a long ways in. A pair of bunkers sit in front of the green which is slightly elevated from the fairway making the long approaches a little harder.  Getting on here in two is probably not common for most people playing here, hence this being the number one handicap.

Hole 13

Par 5
559 | 534 | 514 | 434 yards

A second back-to-back long hole, this one is a par 5.   This one plays back in the opposite direction and adjacent to the 12th hole.  Again this one is pretty much dead straight ahead again.

Being the longest hole of the day, it is designed to encourage free swinging off the tee.  Down the left side a string of three bunkers start to come into play about 290 yards from the back tees. Another set of traps sit across the fairway on the left side another 100 yards up the hole from the first bunker on the left. Then closer to the hole, another 100 yards up is another set back on the left side.

The bunkering is really the only defense here.  They are well placed.  The first group on the left closest to the tee threaten only long drivers.  The next 2 sets of bunkers on either side of the hole are placed as dangers on the typical second shots being hit off line.

Closer to the green one more phalanx of bunkers stretch across the front of a triangular green complex.  Aside from the length of the hole the toughest challenge will be the green which has breaks in all different directions.

Hole 14

Par 4
449 | 449 | 414 | 401 yards

Yet another long hole faces you on the 14th.  This hole has the primary trouble down the left side where trees border the hole.  To the right it is more open, being adjacent to the 13th you just played.

The fairway landing area off the tee is pretty generous with no real trouble until you get to about 140 yards from the green.  From here the fairway squeezes down with the treeline encroaching more from the left, and a grove of trees sitting down the right side.

The green is crowned with a significant drop off on the left and back sides. It is another deep but relatively narrow target canted diagonally on your approach.  I would imagine the best line to play this hole is down the right side.  This prevents the primary danger of the trees down the left and allows for attacking the length of the green on your approach.

Hole 15

Par 3
240 | 202 | 179 | 129 yards

To cap off the string of long holes starting on 12 is the longest par 3 of the day, the 15th.

You have a forced carry to a wide open green.  There is a bit of fairway to miss short of the green, though that extends to only maybe 15 yards before falling off into the valley that separates the tees and the green.

This green is one of the rare ones where it is shallower than it is wide.  A good tee shot is required from the tips, being 240 yards away.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 4

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.

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