Pine Trace Golf Course

When you mention "Pine Trace" in this area, you have people that either love it, or hate it. The main complaint is that the rangers really move you along. AFAIK, that's good. I'm tired of 4:45+ rounds, and Pine Trace will move you through in 4:30 or better.

I've played Pine Trace probably 30 or 40 times in the past 4 years. It used to be my course of choice after work, but I've since moved to a University course which has saved me some cash. The greens at Pine Trace are ALWAYS in excellent condition. The course plays fair, and has some difficult par 5's on the back. While a couple holes that are position play, it's a nice mix. I'm not a fan of courses which are all bombers courses, or all position. It plays to 6350 from the blues, and I believe around 6700 from the Blacks. The course seems short when playing from the blues because most of the yardage is made up from the four par 5s which range between 520-590 in length. All but 1 par 4 is under 400 yards.

#1 starts out as a blind tee shot, dogleg right with your approach as a downhill shot. You can spray this shot right without too much trouble, but a shot down the left side of the FW is ideal. OB is left, so don't snap hook one. If you're coming in from the right, the green angles away from you and is very shallow. From the left you're going right up the gut of the green and is a little easier shot.

#2 is a longer par 3 at 185 yards. It plays a little longer than this, as the front of the green is slightly elevated, so a poor shot that doesn't carry all the way there will end up short. There's OB and trees left, and trees to the right.

#3 is a good risk/reward par 5. A shallow green, a stragically placed bunker at about 140 from the green will test your course management and ball striking on the 2nd shot. Leave it short of the bunker and a difficult approach shot ensues. But take the risk of hitting over the bunker, with OB left and trees to the right, and you could be rewarded with a short iron to the green. You can't go over this green.

#4 is a short par 4 which is another great risk/reward shot. It's only 325, but water on the left, and some trees that jut out into the fairway are on the right. If you play a 180 yard shot, you can hit below the trees on the right, and have a 140-150 into a large multi-tiered green. But pull out the driver and you'll either have to hit a very high shot over the trees, or a cut shot around them. But if that ball doesn't cut, the water comes into play. I think a hole like this the perfect way to make a short par 4 very interesting.

#5 is a short par 3 at only 125 yards. Another 2 tiered deep green makes club selection important. It could play from 110-140 yards. Don't go left of this pin as the slope of the green will kick the ball left, and will make for a difficult up and in.

#6 is a sharp dogleg right that goes around a lake makes for another risk/reward. You can take a long iron, hybrid or FW wood off the tee to hit it around 200-220 off the tee, which will give you about 140-150 in length. But hit a driver and cut some of the corner, and you could be only 100 from the green.

#7 is a tough par 3. This hole is definitely unfair for the short hitter, and a couple of pine trees are place right in front of the green, about 40 yards from the center. These trees have grown way too much in the last few years and are more in play, rather than being a visual distraction as I believe was first designed. I hope they take out the largest of these trees in the near future. The green is a shallow wide one that is slightly elevated. The miss here is to the right, as anything left will kick into some marsh. The green is two tiered, with a hump in the middle. It's worth 1/2 stroke to get your ball on the proper tier.

#8 is a good par 5, dogleg left. There's a similar hole on the back, and both require a good tee shot either in length or in position to get around the large pine trees in the corner. Don't cut too much off otherwise you'll face a difficult shot from the left rough. This hole is reachable for the big hitter, but the green is very narrow and going left of this green results more often than not your ball bouncing into the hazard. The green is deep but narrow. Again, 2 tiered.

#9 is a fun par 5, with a very elevated tee box. A sharp dogleg left, it looks reachable, but when you get ready for the 2nd, you'll notice the pond in front of the green. The smart play is a mid iron to about 100 yards, then a wedge close in.

The first two holes on the back offer a real scoring opportunity. #10 is a short par 4 (they are all short from the blue tees), which looks like you can drive the green since it's nearly a 90 degree dogleg. Nothing is really blocking you from going for it except for a couple of bunkers, but unless you can fly the ball 290, you won't get there, and you'll end up with a terrible angle into this deep green (from the FW it's deep). Play it smart, hit into the middle of the FW, and you'll have just 100 or less yards, into a narrow deep green that slopes heavily from back to front. Try to keep the ball under the hole here, as the downhill putt is VERY fast.

#11 tries to lure you in. With water on left and in front of the green, and OB right, a smart play is about 200-220 off the tee to have a short iron in. Just don't be short!

#12 is a difficult par 4 because it's hard to get the proper line for the tee shot. A downhill dogleg right, you can hit anything from a long iron to driver off the tee. 3 very tall pine trees block the right side of the green, so if you try to cut the dogleg and end up in the right rough, you'll have to hit a very high wedge into this green.

#13 is a tough par 3 that play slightly uphill. OB to the left and a drop to the right makes for a good tee shot. Another deep green, club selection is very important.

#14 is a good par 5 that requires precision on the 2nd shot. A dead straight hole, a large tree on each side of the FW guard the green at around the 80 yard mark. You can try to go for it in two with a huge drive, but you'll be punished if you're off line by those trees.

#15 is another sharp dogleg left with marsh on the left side. I've seen huge hitters take it over the corner, but IMO it's not worth the risk. A decent drive will leave you about 120-150 out depending on how far left you hit it. Another two tiered green will require proper club selection, but don't go over this green.

The finish at Pine Trace is a great mix of holes that require some real shot making if you want to finish even par...

#16 is a difficult par 5. A dogleg left requires a long tee shot, otherwise you must be on the far right side of the FW. The 2nd shot is slightly downhill that looks fairway wide open, but the proper play will be to the left side of the fairway. The green is slightly elevated and surrounded by bunkers. It angles from the front left to the back right and is very shallow. This green always seems to be very firm. This is a very difficult approach even with a short iron.

#17 is a scenic downhill par 3 that plays anywhere from 180-205 depending on the pin position. A creek crosses in front of the green, but unless you hit a real dog of a shot, it's not in play. A large green, it's all about hitting a solid shot with the proper club. The green has 3 tiers and can be a difficult putt.

#18 is the hardest par 4 on the course as well as the longest at only 418 from the blue tees. The hole is a slight bend to the left, but you can't really see that from the tee. It's an uphill blind tee shot through a chute of trees. Hug the left side will give you your best angle to the green. The green is large and undulating, and is guarded by a creek that goes in front, left, and right of it. The most important thing on this hole is finding the fairway so you don't have to battle the long rough. A downhill approach shot, a 4 is a great score on this hole.

Larry,

 

Great review.

 

When you say a "University course" and list Rochester Hills as your location, can I guess it is Oakland University?

 

I have my handicap done through Pine Trace (I go to school in Milwaukee, and go home to Michigan during the summer), but I've only played the front nine, and the course was in pretty good condition, but I'd rather play other courses in the Metro Detroit area (University of Michigan, Oakland University, The Orchards, etc.)

 

-Thomas

Thomas, yes, I belong to Oakland U. I plan on rejoining this year, so if you're ever interested, drop me an e-mail.

 

My main complaint for Pine Trace were the 9 hole rates. Apparently they don't have any twilight, so playing there after work would cost me $32 for just 9 holes. That's more than I pay for walking 18 @ Oakland U!

 

Also the beauty of Oakland is that I can get in 18 holes starting at 4:30 or so.