South Haven, Grand Rapids, and Saugatuck Trip Report June 2018

[Argonne69]

I'm in Grand Rapids to attend the Meijer LPGA Classic, and I'll be playing a few rounds on the trip. I'll be post course reviews as I go, and pics when I get home.

 

I started the trip with a round at Hawkshead GC late this morning. The course is a relatively flat prairie style layout. Nothing fancy here. There's very little trouble off the tee, with few fairway bunkers, and fairly wide fairways. The greens are very benign. A couple of them have some challenging undulations, but for the most part they're fairly flat. The course has a few shorter par 4's, but they don't pose much of a challenge. Generally shorter holes require precision. The par 3's were fairly boring.

 

Course conditions were very good. The fairways were a little soft, but I was still getting plenty of roll on my drives. The greens looked great, and rolled with moderate speed. I'd like to see them a little faster, but no real complaints.

 

Good day ballstriking with 11 fairways and 12 greens. I had three birdies, including one with a nice 36 foot putt.

 

Overall the course left me underwhelmed. It's a decent layout, but not particularly challenging. It could use more bunkering, and a few more green complexes with some teeth.

[Argonne69]

I teed it up at Thornapple Pointe this morning. We're played through a light rain, but that didn't spoil the round. When I think of prairie style courses, something like this comes to mind. There are trees on some of of the holes, but for the most part it's rolling terrain with lots of native grasses. And I do mean lots. If you can't hit it straight, don't think of teeing it up here. Water comes into play on several holes, including two tough par 5s. Fairway bunkers are in play on many holes. The greens are fairly challenging. A few are meh, but a number have enough break to test you. Two minor complaints. The par 3s are boring, and its location along the interstate and next to the airport means a little less tranquility than you'd expect on such a secluded course.

 

Course conditions were excellent. The greens rolled smooth, although they were on the slow side due to the rain. The bunkers were in nice shape, and had a nice unkept look.

 

Solid round ballstriking with 9 fairways and 12 greens. Only managed 1 birdie though. I couldn't quite adjust to the green speeds.

 

I have no problem giving the course a solid recommendation.

 

[Argonne69]

I finished the trip with a round at Ravines GC in Saugatuck. This Arnold Palmer design is a parkland/wetland design. Most holes are boarded by thick trees, but they rarely come into play unless you sail one wide. The holes have a lot of wetlands and areas of native grasses, giving it a prairie feel. There are a lot of forced carries off the tees over wetlands, but the carry isn't that great. I loved the isolated feel of the course. You could only see a handful of homes along the course, and the vast majority of the holes are isolated from one another, so you really feel like your in your own world out there. The course has a few quirky holes, but nowhere near the number typical of a Palmer design. Working the ball off the tee both ways can really come in handy here, as you have sweepers both ways. The green complexes were tricky, but not cruel. There are a few short par 4's that a really breather holes, as they don't pose a lot of danger that you'd expect on a short hole. The par 3's were very good, and two of the par 5's were monsters. One was a 602 yard beast, and the other was a nice risk/reward hole with water running down the left side.

 

Conditions were decent. A few areas were very wet, but given that it didn't rain last night, I think someone left the sprinklers on too long. The greens were rolling very nicely. Unfortunately the groups in front of us felt that they didn't have to rake bunkers, and I wound up raking a number of them throughout the round.

 

Saved the best for last. 'Not sure what I did with my driver swing, but I turned my hook back into a nice draw. 'Hit 12 fairways and 14 greens. Only 1 birdie, though. My wedges were awful this morning, as I kept pulling them left. I managed to hit the greens, but much too far away for a legit birdie try.

 

Overall I'd say this is a must play. I generally don't like Arnold's designs, and they tend to be overly quirky. The Bog outside of Milwaukee is a good example. However, I though this one was well designed.

[Argonne69]

Hawkshead GC (Front 9)

 

#1

 

 

The par 5 2nd (Dogleg right)

 

 

 

The par 3 3rd

 

 

#4

 

 

The par 5 5th

 

 

 

The par 3 6th

 

 

#7

 

 

#8

 

 

#9

 

[Argonne69]

Hawkshead GC (Back 9)

 

#11

 

 

The par 3 13th

 

 

The par 5 14th

 

 

#15

 

 

The par 3 16th

 

 

The par 5 17th

 

 

#18

 

 

[Argonne69]

Thornapple Pointe (Front 9)

 

#1

 

 

#2

 

 

#3

 

 

#4

 

 

The par 5 5th, 613 yds from the blue, and 633 from the tips.

 

 

 

The par 3 6th

 

 

The par 5 7th. Kick it through the uprights.

 

 

The par 3 8th

 

 

#9

 

[Argonne69]

Thornapple Pointe (Back 9)

 

#10

 

 

#11

 

 

The par 3 12th

 

 

The par 5 13th. Wonderful hole.

 

 

#14

 

 

The par 3 15th

 

 

The par 5 16th

 

 

#17

 

 

#18

 

[Argonne69]

Ravines GC (Front 9)

 

#1

 

 

#2

 

 

The par 3 3rd

 

 

The par 5 4th

 

 

#5

 

 

#6

 

 

 

#7

 

 

The par 3 8th

 

 

The par 5 9th (Dogleg right)

 

 

[Argonne69]

Ravines GC (Back 9)

 

#10

 

 

#11

 

 

The par 3 12th

 

 

#13

 

 

The par 5 14th. The Beast.

 

 

#15

 

 

#16

 

 

The par 3 17th

 

 

The par 5 18th. It's only 22o to the marsh on the left. It's 290 to the end of the fairway up the right, but it's tight.

 

[Argonne69]

Fun trip. The unexpected rain on Saturday morning was a bit of a letdown, but it could have been worse. My rankings for the courses would be:

 

1) Thorneapple Pointe: Good mix of holes. Liked the elevation changes. The native grass areas were very penal, so bring your straight clubs. On the down side, the par 3's need to be torn out and replaced with something interesting.

 

2) The Ravines: Loved the isolated feel. Fun greens. After looking at the pics, though, it occurred to me how many holes looked the same. A handful of holes stood out, e.g. #9, but otherwise it was a lot of repetition. Needs at least one standout par 3. The course could also use some additional fairway bunkers.

 

3) Hawkshead: Not a bad layout, but just boring. 'Definitely needs for bunkering. Greens need some more contouring. 'Probably worth a one-time visit.