Strange things happen on a golf course

The Mysteries of Putting

Soft Spikes: Should we or shouldn't we?

Thunder Bay - Hillman

The Legend at Shanty Creek

Emerald Vale - Manton

Threetops at Treetops

Treetops, Fazio Premier

Fox Run

The Rock at Woodmoor Resort

Black Forest - Wilderness Valley

The Lake - Hidden Valley

The Natural at Beaver Creek

The Loon, Hidden Valley

Marsh Ridge

Treetops, Smith Signature

Treetops, Jones Masterpiece

Michaywe, The Pines

The Gaylord Country Club

Emerald Vale can be found 11 miles north of Cadillac, near the small town of Manton. From Cadillac you've got about a 15 minute drive, from Traverse City about 45 minutes. From either direction, it's worth the drive to play it.

The back nine opened in the spring of 1998, a couple of years after they opened the front nine. This gave the back time to grow before we golfers started beating on it with sticks. A wise choice, because I played it in June, and if they hadn't told me I would not have known it was a new course.

I really have to tell you about this course in two stages, front and back, because of the unique design of this course. The front is in what you could call the "meadows". The back nine starts at the clubhouse and goes all the way around the front nine in what we who live in the north call the "trees".

As you stand in the clubhouse and look out over the front nine you think, "I can hit it straight right and still have a shot." After you played a few holes you think, "where in heck did those open holes go?"

They did a masterful job of using small stand of trees, potholes, ponds, heather and bunkers to make you very glad you kept it in the fairway. You may tee off with a small stand of trees to your left and the fairway gently turning to the left also. Every foot you play to avoid the trees puts you yards further away from the hole. A good number of holes are like this.

If the tee is in the open, a pond or pothole is out where it has a good chance of collecting a new golf ball. Trying to avoid the trouble too much puts you in the heather. Heather, by the way, is a fancy word that means "deep grass in which you will find other peoples balls but seldom your own."

The back nine is more of the traditional Northern Michigan tree lined fairways that beg you to hit close to the trees so you can save a few yards. Of course, the trees like to hit your ball right back at you.

Good shots off the tees are rewarded with nice landing areas and a mid-iron shot to the well-bunkered green. So don't forget the sand wedge. You'll most likely find a bunker before your round is over.

The greens are large. This allows us to puff out our chests when we hit more greens in regulation than we usually do. The down side is we end up with longer putts then we usually do also. There goes the puff.

Emerald Vale gives you four sets of tees to chose from but the manly ego won't let men play from the red tees so the men really have only three. Although there are days!

The score card has a place on it that you can look at your handicap and it tells you what tees you should play. A nice touch and pretty accurate.

Emerald Vale was designed to be an enjoyable course to play. It is, and you will.

Ken

Emerald Vale Website

Comments? Click here to send a message to the Ducker Golf Report.