Courses four through ten appear below in no particular order- Four-part series (Part two of Four)
Courses 4-10
Blythefield CC No. 12 / UM 18th >>
By Roy J. Akers — www.skyviewsports.net
Probably the most fun I have all summer is playing a lot of golf and playing golf courses that most of the public wishes they could play. A few golf courses on the list are resort or premium daily fee courses. That is the fortune of being a golf reporter, and with humbleness and gratitude, I played them all.
This ten-course list will be broken up into four articles, with courses seven through ten coming out first. The cavet is outside of the top five; there will be no order as all of the courses are OUTSTANDING. The top five wll be on the third day, and the final article will give five courses which will serve as my hidden gems played in 2025. They may never see the PGA/LPGA Tours, but they are truly outstanding as just fun golf courses.
Courses Four through six (Second Part of the Four Part Series)
Oakhurst Country Club in Clarkston, Mich. – Country Club
It is fair to say I have played this course a lot over the years. George Bowman is the only PGA Pro this club has ever had. Opened as a modern country club in 1998, this Arthur Hills course is a firm test of golf. With four sets of tees, this course Arthur Hills’ meticulously crafted eighteen-hole course at Oakhurst Golf & Country Club is a testament to his visionary design. Spanning 180 acres, the course features an elevation differential of seventy feet, strategically placed wetlands that come into play on eleven holes, and a scenic backdrop of oak, pine, and maple trees. Holes: 18 | Par: 72 | Rating: 74.4 | Slope: 144 | Yardage: 7,054. The course also has rock walls on 17 and 18 as a testament to an old farm on the property.
Grill Grand Opening Drone Footage
There are plenty of great holes and are defensed well. Not only are there wetlands and fescues, and rock walls, but very undulated greens and local knowledge is necessary on several of them. A couple of my favorites are the 7th hole. A massive tree grabs your attention and longer hitters will not only have fescues in front of the tee box, but a massive sand trap that will grab most golf balls. Forget that. Go left of the sand and the tree. Women usually have an advantage on most golf holes. Not here. The huge tree swallows golf balls. The hole also has a double bunker guarding the hole. You think you are on the green and you have a second set of bunkers. Then, the green is very tricky. We will drone this hole in 2026. It is a great and difficult hole.
The 17th hole plays as a bombers downhill great play. A huge rock wall awaits really long hitters. A huge wooded area has been cleared to the left. A set of fescues guards the green, but there is room between them and the massive green. The hole is listed as playing as a par four from 359 yards to 493.
The best part of playing the course is you could talk to ten members and get eight different answers on why they love the course.
The University of Michigan Golf Course – Ann Arbor – Daily Fee
This Allister McKenzie Design is simply an incredible golf experience. The University of Michigan Golf Course was designed in the late 1920s by Alister MacKenzie, one of golf’s all-time great architects and he is credited with being the ‘golf course architect of the 20th century” over Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones among others. McKenzie was known for using the land to frame his courses before bulldozers cleared land and repurposed dirt to make a golf course. Blind tee shots, risk reward shots and undulated greens provided golfers with both enjoyable golf shots and shots that demand your best golf. Home of the UM Men’s and Women’s golf teams, this course is one of two McKenzie designs left in Michigan. A new grill named for the Petrovich family and clubhouse was completed several years ago.
What makes UM special.
The course is not overly long, but length is not the courses defense. Playing smart shots to landing areas that will leave you in position to make a score of par or better. Both the second and third holes are blind tee shots, where you will drive over the hill and won’t know entirely how you will play your tee shot. The third hole is incredible in my mind. Go to far right on the tee shot and are in big trouble playing the hill and if you are in the sand, you will have blast out. A nicely played tee ball will leave you options to a shot down the middle or a draw and about 100 yards to the green. The green is small for a par-five and a sand trap and hill will mess your score up if you go left.
The 18th hole is a bomber’s hole, and if you hit it straight, a 150-200 yard shot awaits your effort with a shot over a pond and well-guarded green. You can score here, but most likely a par at best awaits you. I am still waiting for a well-struck second shot.
Blythefield Country Club- Near Grand Rapids, Michigan
This is the home of the LPGA Tour stop Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. A regular stop on the LPGA Tour for ten years, Blythefield CC attracts many of the top players on the LPGA Tour. The course is simply fun to play and there are plenty of challenging and scoring holes.
The golf course routing plays different for the members/LPGA tournament players. Playing from the tips at just over 6600 yards, Blythefield has several slightly undulated holes. The long par five second hole demands three quality shots at over 500 yards and the uphill par three third is plenty of fun at 129 yards and bunkers guarding it everywhere. The eighth hole has an elevated green that is very tricky and you cannot see how diabolical it is from the fairway, so if you have time, drive up.
This traditional country club is a blast to play and as you play it, you will see why the pro’s play well on it and shooting anything in the 70’s is a great score. Bring your best to Blythefield Country Club.
Meijer Winners include big names and former No. 1’s.
Course Flyover
Seven through ten in no particular order
Chatham Hills Country Club- Near Indianapolis– <<< Podcast with PGA Pro
This 7,300 yard Pete Dye Layout is incredible, with plenty of optical illusions on where to place the ball in drives and even approach shots. The greens are very difficult, even for seasoned golfers. There are NOT a lot of fescues like some Dye designs, but this course will grind you for 18 holes.
The Club at Chatham Hills has been selected as a host for the LIV Golf Individual Championship in 2025 and 2026! Golf fans can look forward to walking the rolling hills of the Pete Dye Design in Westfield, IN alongside some of the biggest stars in golf; Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickleson, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, and many more.
Hosting the LIV Golf Individual Championship August 21 – 23, 2026.
The Sharf- Oakland University
One of my personal favorite golf courses, bar none, this Rick Smith design is the twin course at OU to Katke-Cousins. From the tips, it plays at 7,103 yards and has plenty of targets to avoid in the landing areas and demands your best golf to play well. There are plenty of fescues and blind shots on the course and Smith uses the natural terrain to give you a risk reward element to your game. The 18th hole is a long par four where golfers have to play their tee shots over a ravine. Anything less than a well played tee shot will make you shoot for a bogey. The second shot is one of the toughest you will play all year with bunkers lining the front of the green.
The fourth is spectacular. Another blind shot, there is another ravine with a makable iron shot. Hit the wrong quadrant and par will be a tremendous score. Both the R & S Sharf play host to PGA Tour qualifiers, OU’s Men’s and Women’s golf teams and to Michigan PGA and GAM events and numerous junior tournaments.
Detroit Golf Club – << Website
The home of the PGA Tour’s Rocket Classic, this Donald Ross design is a great test of golf. Every year, it is a media day staple and is a terrific place to play. The Rocket Classic is a summer Detroit area classic that plays like a traditional country club layout from a 100 years ago. The Rocket Classic played their 3-1-3 celebrity challenge for several years and raised plenty of money for charity. Besides the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the course also is the home to The John Shippen.
A couple of my favorite holes are on the back nine including the 565-yard par five 14th and the 456-yard 18th holes. You have to rip it twice on the 14th and on the 18th holes, you need a superb drive with the chance to get on the 18th. Pro’s and single handicappers can pick what part of the green to hit. The wrong green quadrant will leave you a three-putt.
Hunter’s Ridge in Howell
Another personal favorite. This course will never host a PGA/LPGA Tour event due to being 6,544 from the tips, but this Jerry Matthews design makes up for a lack of ‘big hitter’ length with a very playable golf course. With fescues, some water, and undulated greens, the course is a must course to drive to. Just call me, so I will pick another day or join my group. A rustic log cabin is outstanding and gives you a view of several holes, and is worth the drive.
Some of the course features.
- 160 acres with 30 acres of natural wetlands
- 68 bunkers
- 6 ponds
- Practice range
- Practice green
Courses 4-6 are next.
Roy J. Akers covers golf for www.skyviewsports.net
We drone golf courses and can do professional-level work for a VERY affordable price and even have trade. Call 248-238-4449.
