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

Golfing We-Ko-Pa Golf Club Saguaro Part 4

Hole 16

Par 4
328 | 315 | 290 | 290 | 279 yards

The 16th is a short dogleg par 4 that is designed to encourage not hitting driver off the tee. Another forced carry off the tee is required, but this one is a miniscule 150 yards from the tips to reach the fairway.

A string of bunkers run up the right side of the hole, framing the fairway and discouraging trying to cut the corner towards the green.  Another bunker visible from the tee, slightly to the left marks the location of the green.  This bunker sits right in front of the green and guards against long hitters.  There is a small gap to the right- but it offers only about a 10 yards wide gap between that front bunker and another that hugs the right side of the green.

Another deterrent to the short yardage is that this hole plays uphill from tee to green.  Here you can see the view from the corner of the slight dogleg and how the bunkers that sit short of the green and carved into the hill the green sits atop makes this one of the more demanding approach shots within the round.

Playing this as a conservative two shot hole should not provide much of a challenge though.  Certainly the tee shot should be easy to hit the generously wide fairway again.  More important on the 16th will be avoiding the hazards and taking enough club on your second shot to account for the elevation changes.

Here you can see a view taken from on the green and looking back down the hill.  My dad is in the front side bunker.  I just barely cleared that and my ball sits on the dormant fringe.

One thing I don't think I have stressed enough through this review is the impeccable shape the course is kept.  Look at this photo of the 16th green.  It is emblematic of the conditions of all the greens- just perfect.

Hole 17

Par 4
402 | 372 | 358 | 358 | 334 yards

A longer par 4 than the last, this penultimate hole features another wide fairway that slopes with the land from right to left.  Favor the right side to avoid the ball kicking left into the rough.  Another roughly 200 yards maximum carry is required to reach the fairway here, but again the fairway landing zone is a sizable 50 yards across.

Of course if you miss that fairway, your chances are not good for a clean recovery shot...

The fairway rises uphill to a crest about 90 yards from the green.  From there the fairway descends as it turns ever so slightly left.  This green is tucked behind a large bunker fronting the left side.  A left-most pin placement here might be one of the hardest locations to play to you will find.

This green is deeper than it is wide, with it being almost 30 yards from front to back.  Again keeping with the theme of the course, there is a fairly sizable collar all around the green, save for where that bunker sits.  This green is slightly crowned though so chipping from around the green will be uphill which is a bit unusual at Saguaro.

Hole 18

Par 4
508 | 490 | 470 | 411 | 411 yards

Sitting before you on the final hole of the round is a beast.  Topping out at over 500 yards and requiring a carry of 220 yards from the tips to just reach the fairway, wish yourself good luck before your tee shot here.

The shortest route to reach the fairway is to play up the right side.  The fairway here is lower than the fairway further up.  Balls struck to this side are likely to land on the upslope and not get much additional carry,. They may even roll back a bit, a decidedly unwelcoming sight on this length par 4. From this position getting onto the green with your next shot is not likely.

The left side of the hole descends downhill into the desert.  To carry the hazards carved into the hillside offers the best chance at having a manageable shot into the green.  This will require a carry of 250 yards though so hopefully you catch a good one on your drive.

The upper part of the fairway crests out at about 290 yards from the back tees.  If you can catch that the fairway does drop downhill.  This can provide a much needed yardage bonus for a really well struck ball.

Once you crest the hill in the fairway the rest of the hole to the green is laid out in front of you. A series of bunkers run up the left side of the hole.  The right has no hazards, other than the desert scrub.

About 80 yards from the green sits a strategical placed fairway bunker.  This is the likely landing zone for those playing from the lower fairway before the hill.  Just one more little hidden surprise that doesn't present itself until you come over the hill.

The massive bunker that sits down the left side starting at about 160 yards from the green and running over 60 yards.

On your approach the green is open in the front but has a bunker hugging the entire right side.  There is room to miss on all other sides of the green, though a trio of bunkers sit to the left and behind the green if your shot strays too much.

Another 40 yard deep green can add yet a little more distance to finish before you wrap up the round.

Conclusion

For the Yavapai, the phrase We-Ko-Pa translates to "Four Mountains". These are the hills you see to the east of the course. They are often a backdrop for the giant Saguaro cacti that are this courses namesakes. This beautiful desert landscape surrounds the perfectly manicured greens and fairways found on Saguaro.

This course is not the longest, and it plays as a par 71. If the wind is up though it can be a brute. With several short par 4s it means that other par 4s are some real beasts.  Pair that with a head wind and it could be a real challenge to score.

The par 3s each face four different directions of the compass, ensuring that if there is any wind you will get to experience the full effects on those.  Hopefully you'll not experience a tee shot into the wind on the 15th, with its 230 yard distance being challenging enough.

The layout of this course is not really desert "target" golf.  That kind of experience can be more found on the Cholla course.  Here, aside from mostly forced carries off the tee, it is grass from fairway to green.

Tees are placed close to greens and this is one of the few courses in Scottsdale you might actually consider walking (And they actually allow it!).

If you are in Scottsdale and have time for a short drive out of town for some great golf, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend We-Ko-Pa.

Which course is better?  Well, with the 36 hole specials offered, why not make a go of it and experience them both.

That would be a grand day indeed.

We-Ko-Pa Golf Club
18200 E. Toh Vee Circle
Fort McDowell, AZ 85264
866.660.7700
https://wekopa.com/


Part 1: Holes 1-3
Part 2: Holes 4-9
Part 3: Holes 10-15 Part 4: Holes 16-18