The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Area courses offer variety of features
Reddeman Farms emphasizes customer service
By Austen Smith, Heritage Newspapers
PUBLISHED: April 26, 2007
The staff at Reddeman Farms Golf Course in Chelsea does everything in their power to ensure golfers have the best experience possible, said co-owner Patty McCarthy.
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McCarthy and her staff have been longtime contributors to the community at large. That dedication is evidenced by the attention and customer service.
"The owners and the staff here are committed to making every golfer have a complete and enjoyable experience. We treat people as our friends as well as our customers," McCarthy said.
The facility features a full-service restaurant in addition to a pro shop and driving range. Reddeman Farms schedules a significant number of outings and banquets throughout the golf season, McCarthy said, and the ample amenities and abundant scenery provides a setting for everything from a golf outing to a community fund-raiser.
"We are outings specialists over here," she said.
Junior golf instructional programs are available in the summer, in addition to private lessons taught by instructor Bob Shaw.
McCarthy said this year for the first time the course will provide a special rate for junior golfers and their parents.
"We want to encourage young people to play. We thought this would be a good way to get (junior golfers) started," she said.
The par 72, 6,513-yard course is home to the Chelsea High School boys' and girls' golf teams. McCarthy said a lot of the student athletes who play Reddeman Farms will work there as a part-time job or after graduation.
The challenging-yet-forgiving layout is a typical length at 6,513 yards, but with undulating greens and a handful of unique holes that cut into the surrounding woods, Reddeman Farms presents a fun obstacle for both pros and weekend warriors.
McCarthy said first-time golfers remark about the peacefulness of the remotely located facility.
"We love to have golfers out here playing and to see people having a good time," McCarthy said.
"We'll take good care of (the golfers). My thoughts on the club is that it's the closest place to heaven I know. We are in the country, it brings you back down to Earth."
For more information, call 1-734-475-3020.
Unique holes, challenging play at Eagle Crest
The Eagle Crest Golf Club and resort has been a staple of Eastern Michigan University campus life since the course was first envisioned by PGA legend Gary Player and architect Karl Litten in 1989.
The 18-hole, 6,750-yard home course to EMU's men's and women's golf teams is defined by its drastic elevation changes -- including a 30-foot valley leading into the fairway at the Par 5 No. 10 -- and by water as the course abuts Ford Lake in Ypsilanti Township.
The course's signature hole, No. 16, encompasses all of the unique elements. The Par 5 monster nestles against water on the right and trees on the left. Golfers make their approach shot onto an island green.
David Horstman, manager and PGA pro, said first-time golfers at Eagle Crest are captured by the scenery and high level of challenge.
"A lot of people think that we're a private club because we're owned by the university," Horstman said. "But that's not true, we're a public course.
"One of the best features that we have is our location because we're located right off I-94. But we're kind of hidden away by Ford Lake, so golfers aren't distracted by noise coming from the highway."
Eagle Crest features a grass-tee driving range, full restaurant and bar, a pro shop and private and group lessons taught by Horstman.
Next to the golf course is the Eagle Crest Marriott Hotel. Horstman said there are packages available for groups to purchase rounds of golf and a hotel stay.
The course opened on March 24, but because of inclement weather hasn't seen the normal golf activity for this time of year. Despite the bad weather, Horstman said the greens and fairways are plush because they have been cut more than half a dozen times.
"We've already top dressed the greens and they are rolling great right now," Horstman said. "The weather hasn't really hurt anything except for revenue coming in. When it gets bad outside, we just basically shut down. It doesn't hurt equipment or the grounds at all."
For more information, call 1-734-487-2441.
Pine View features complexity, forgiveness
The 18-hole, 6,516-yard Pine View Golf Course in Ypsilanti presents a unique balance of finesse and power play.
A fairly young course at 15 years, the front nine features a number of holes cut into the surrounding woods, but maintains a sense of forgiving play at a medium range length.
The back nine opens up for those long, power bomb tee shots, but also adds more length and presents more of a challenge, said general manager and resident pro Scott Schimoller.
"It's a challenging course, but it's not overpowering," he said.
While water hazards are scarce throughout the course, hole design and trees present a capable challenge to veteran golfers and weekend warriors alike. Pine View also features a Par 3, nine-hole course.
The No. 8 signature hole is a picturesque dogleg right that is a classic example of the "risk-reward" tee shot, Schimoller says.
Pine View features a grass tee driving range, pro shop, restaurant and snack bar facilities in addition to private lessons instructed by Schimoller and PGA professional Kevin Osworth.
Schimoller says there is something pretty much for everybody at the club.
"I think we have a variety of challenging course features. We have mature trees and some unique holes," he said. "We also have facilities for beginning golfers who are looking to get into the game like the driving range and practice greens."
For more information, call 1-800-214-5963.
Hickory Creek acontrast of styles
Hickory Creek golf course in Superior Township is an enigma.
The front nine features heavily wooded holes presenting a delicate challenge to golfers, while the back nine opens into a links-style course that fosters power play and lengthy tee shots.
"If you ask 100 people what kind of golf course (Hickory Creek) is, 50 people will say one thing and the other 50 will say something else," said longtime course manager John Speer.
Constructed in 1993, the 6,292-yard facility was originally built as a nine-hole course. Hickory Creek expanded to 18 holes just two years later.
Speer says first-time golfers are impressed with the two different styles of play required to properly navigate the course.
"It's a challenge for people without being overly treacherous," Speer said.
The No. 3 hole starts the long trek through the surrounding woods, where almost every hole on the front is cut through. The No. 17 signature hole features a lengthy drive from the tee box, only to set up an approach shot into a green that is built into a pond and features bunkers on three sides.
"That hole is another good test for our players," Speer said.
Some new features being added this year to Hickory Creek include new senior tees and widening of some of the fairways.
Speer says that adding the senior tees among a number of amenities that will help golfers enjoy the game.
"Our seniors are a very important part of the game. Building those tees has been requested over the years," he said.
A recently built clubhouse greets golfers when they arrive at Hickory Creek. Speer says they have facilities to handle outings and other community events.
Hickory Creek features a full-service restaurant, patio dining and a golf academy, where players can get everything from club regripping to private lessons.
The golf academy is manager by resident professional Chuck Seavey.
For more information, call 1-734-454-1850.
A new name, a new era for Harbour Club
Harbour Club in Belleville is a golf course on the rise.
After maintaining a nine-hole property for more than 40 years as part of the Harbour complex along South I-94 Service Drive, the Denton Road links will be expanded to an 18-hole facility under the Providence property management company, said general manager and golf pro Rich Wake.
The longtime Belleville "hidden jewel," as locals like to call it, is even getting a new name.
"The course now is going to be called Providence Golf Club," Wake said. "We're in the middle of a transition right now, hopefully it will bring some more business to Belleville.
"I don't think (the changes) will affect business. We're kind of like the talk of the town right now because we're upgrading the golf course complex, adding a restaurant."
Despite the new management and new moniker, Harbour Club still provides the same challenging-yet-forgiving play that it has provided residents for years.
The 3,281-yard, Par 9 facility features a unique hole layout with highlights coming on two horseshoe Par 4's. Wake, who has been at the course for five years, says most first-time golfers at Harbour Club are pleasantly surprised at the high level of challenge presented by a nine-hole course.
"It's like a little hidden gem," Wake said. "(Golfers) are very surprised. Most people think that it's just a Par 3 course. The course beats pretty much everybody; it's very good challenge."
Butting into Belleville Lake, the course features a handful of water holes and tree-lined fairways.
Harbour Club is the home course for the Belleville High School's boys' and girls' golf teams. Private and group lessons, taught by Wake, are available.
For more information, call 1-734-699-8844.
Waterloo course owner living a dream
Located in the heart of the Waterloo Recreation Area, the Waterloo Golf Course in Grass Lake features a serene landscape in addition to challenging play.
The course lays out on the short side at 5,500 yards, Par 68, but the tricky and delicate nature of the course is defined by its natural surroundings.
"We have lots and lots of trees, and we have a lot of wetland areas. I think we're in the record books for that one," said pwner and PGA professional Keith Haglund.
Originally built as a nine-hole facility 18 years ago, the course was expanded to 18 holes in 2001.
Haglund says Waterloo is unique because it's situated in the parkland.
"I think being out here in the recreation area is our biggest thing," Haglund said. "We have a lot of bikers go by here and there's camping galore; lot of campgrounds around.
"And that appeals to a lot of people who want to be out in the recreation area, they have the best place for being in a quiet and serene area."
Haglund said that most of the players come from Jackson, as the course sits on the border of Washtenaw and Jackson counties, but also attracts players from Dexter, Chelsea and Metropolitan Detroit.
With Haglund and his family owning and operating the course since its construction, Waterloo is a family-run business. The longtime golf professional says it always was a dream of his to own a golf course.
"It's worked out pretty good for all of us," Haglund said. "I work in the shop, the kids work on the course, I don't think it could have worked out any better."
The Waterloo golf course features a pro shop and snack bar facilities. The course has a handful of outings each year and also features junior golf programs and lessons.
Haglund says the junior program is something they have been doing for a year and they typically get about 20 to 30 kids who learn about the game of golf and then get to play on the course.
For more information, call 1-734-522-8527.
Thorne Hills an area gem
The Thorne Hills golf club is a gem rising from the foothills of Carleton.
The 5,800-yard, 18-hole facility features well groomed fairways and greens, and paved cart paths.
Staff at the course describe the facility as family friendly with an abundance of picturesque scenery.
The Par-72 course presents a challenge for the veteran golfer in a handful of tree-cut holes and a number of ponds and fountains.
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