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Post by hickoryghost on Nov 19, 2020 2:43:30 GMT -5
Sorry for the barrage of postings, but I'm finally having some time to get back to works-in-progress. I grew up near Ann Arbor and the U of M course was my first real introduction to "architecture" vs just a golf course. My main track was a terrible little course that cost about $10 to play. But every once in a while I would get to play the U of M course and the contrast blew me away. It felt like the biggest course in the world. And looking back on it, the features are pretty epic in scale. I left this build in a much more complete state than I remembered leaving it. It really only needs tree refinement. In TGC 2019, I was stuck with these theme trees, but the real course has a lot of pine trees and a wide variety of trees altogether. The problem is that there are a lot of them and it could take a while to do it right. I set this up so that I could dial it back to the original plans, but decided to first build out the current version since I have such nostalgia for it. Posting some pics in random order: The uphill approach to #10. This was the 1st hole when I was growing up and they eventually changed the nines back.  Hole 14. One of 2 boomerang greens on the course (6 is the other one). In this pic, there is also green between the 2 left bunkers on a higher shelf. Great Mackenzie/ Maxwell bunkering.  The difficult 12th hole. 220+ yard par 3 with a false front.  Approach to #4 w/ the tennis center behind it. That wasn't there when I was growing up. You'd think that they could have found a better place to put it...  From the right greenside bunker  The beautiful uphill par 3 8th hole. It's always been one of my favorites out there. Those trees behind the green should be pines.   Since it will be a while before the trees are corrected, I'll publish a beta in the near term. It plays well. |
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Post by blueblood1995 on Nov 19, 2020 3:26:45 GMT -5
Who designed this course? Was it someone of note? Loving your photos!
Just did a Google Maps. Looks like there is a little 9 holer tucked into the NW corner of the plot. Is this your terrible little $10 course?
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Post by theclv24 on Nov 19, 2020 6:07:47 GMT -5
Who designed this course? Was it someone of note? Loving your photos! Just did a Google Maps. Looks like there is a little 9 holer tucked into the NW corner of the plot. Is this your terrible little $10 course? Just some losers named Mackenzie and Maxwell, no one has ever heard of them. The 9-holer is Ann Arbor Golf and Outing. It's more notable as a parking lot on football Saturdays than as a golf course. My in-laws are members there. I always wanted to redesign the course using the lidar file, but it's all on the side of a hill, so I don't actually know the best way to improve it. |
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tdawgcincy
Weekend Golfer
Posts: 149
TGCT Name: Tony Theobald
Tour: Elite
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Post by tdawgcincy on Nov 19, 2020 8:10:53 GMT -5
I've never had the chance to play this course but spent many pre-games drinking by it! Looking forward to this.
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Post by hickoryghost on Nov 19, 2020 12:09:57 GMT -5
Who designed this course? Was it someone of note? Loving your photos! Just did a Google Maps. Looks like there is a little 9 holer tucked into the NW corner of the plot. Is this your terrible little $10 course? The course that I grew up playing was Brookside GC. It was a course that was laid out by the owner who was an amateur. For a long while, they had a horseshoe shaped par 5 with interior OB. But people started to easily drive the green, so they tried to defend against that by putting old tires on the interior- so that any shots would hit them and wouldn't chase through. I specifically remember my Mom driving the green on that hole and having a putt for double eagle. I don't want to rip on it too much because it was actually a great and cheap place to learn how to golf. But playing it a lot definitely made me appreciate better golf courses once I experienced them. And the U of M course was an enormous contrast in scale. It is very hilly for the Ann Arbor area, the bunkers are cavernous, and many of the greens are roller coasters. The only knock on it now is that it is relatively short for college play. But for even a scratch amateur player, it still holds up well due to all the hills. I would not say that it is easy. DeVries has wanted to do a restoration project there, but they prioritized building a new clubhouse over improving the course. It is easier to get donors to put money to something that they can have their name on. Hopefully the DeVries project goes forward at some point. The current version of the course has a lot of the Arthur Hills renovation in it. He did an OK job. I remember playing it before that in the 1980s and all the bunkers were sharp edged flash bunkers. Hills brought back more of the original style and took a lot of trees out, but he also deviated from the original plans in a lot of ways and it could be much better. |
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Post by theclv24 on Nov 19, 2020 15:57:02 GMT -5
I played it this fall and it dawned on me how many new areas there were with long uncut grass that used to be regular rough. Places where I used to hit my drives offline in college and then play my 2nd shot from are now lost balls. On the other hand, I think between the bunkers and the native areas the course looks a lot better aesthetically than it did before. The only thing that worries me is there are a lot of small trees around the course. Someday those will be big trees and block the views across the course, which look so much better now. UMGC sent me a survey this fall, so I told them exactly that.
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Post by hickoryghost on Nov 19, 2020 22:25:46 GMT -5
I played it this fall and it dawned on me how many new areas there were with long uncut grass that used to be regular rough. Places where I used to hit my drives offline in college and then play my 2nd shot from are now lost balls. On the other hand, I think between the bunkers and the native areas the course looks a lot better aesthetically than it did before. The only thing that worries me is there are a lot of small trees around the course. Someday those will be big trees and block the views across the course, which look so much better now. UMGC sent me a survey this fall, so I told them exactly that. Universities in general seem to not get golf. |
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Post by trip4563 on Dec 6, 2020 22:58:36 GMT -5
Super pumped for another mackenzie course!
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Post by trip4563 on Jun 16, 2021 13:14:10 GMT -5
any updates on this project?
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Post by estrellamamoneseg83 on Feb 11, 2023 8:45:25 GMT -5
Such a field on campus?
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Post by evanbrown7rb on Feb 12, 2023 6:24:09 GMT -5
I played it this fall and it dawned on me how many new areas there were with long uncut grass that used to be regular rough. Places where I used to hit my drives offline in college and then play my 2nd shot from are now lost balls. On the other hand, I think between the bunkers and the native areas the course looks a lot better aesthetically than it did before. The only thing that worries me is there are a lot of small trees around the course. Someday those will be big trees and block the views across the course, which look so much better now. UMGC sent me a survey this fall, so I told them exactly that. What a great looking field. When I was in school, I couldn't afford to play golf there. I was busy studying. Once I was asked to write a gender pay gap essay, I found studydriver.com/gender-pay-gap-essay/ for this. Of course this is not entirely correct. But when a person does not have time at all, then there is not much choice. After that I played a couple of times there. Still looks great |
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GeneCreemers
Amateur Golfer
I guess this isn't a search bar
Posts: 252
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Post by GeneCreemers on Feb 16, 2023 9:38:30 GMT -5
photos look awesome! Can't wait for the final product.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2024 5:47:37 GMT -5
cool
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