Travel Michigan Golf

Arcadia Bluffs - by Lynn Janson

What makes a golf course great?

I have been asked countless times during the last ten or so years my opinion as to the quality of many different courses, new and classic alike. While it's flattering to think someone might actually care what I think it can also be awkward, because when it comes to golf courses I've earned a reputation for saying exactly what I think instead of the polite or politically correct response.

I had heard the rumors and talk of a super course being built on the Lake Michigan shoreline just south of Arcadia on M-22 but I was a bit skeptical, (as always) to say the least. I was interested enough, however, to stop by and check out the project on several occasions during its construction. But it wasn't until my first round there in early September that I completely understood the magnitude and special nature of Arcadia Bluffs. I was on the eleventh hole that day when Bill Shriver, the general manager and director of golf came out onto the course to ask me what I thought. My response was, "It's everything I've heard and more."

So, what makes a course great?

It has been my hobby and passion (as well as an important part of my vocation) to play great golf courses. This endeavor has taken me to the British Isles five times and across America. I have played what many people and myself consider to be among the finest layouts in the world: courses like Muirfield, Royal Portrush, Royal County Down, Royal Troon, Turnberry, Royal Dornoch, Ballybunion, Cypress Point, Pebble Beach, Crystal Downs, Pine Valley and many more. All of these courses have several things in common that make them truly great. They all (except for Pine Valley) have magnificent site locations on a large body of water with breathtaking views (all eighteen holes of Arcadia Bluffs overlook Lake Michigan and one wrong step on some of them will land you in it.) They are all built on sandy soil.

(Arcadia Bluffs is all sandy soil allowing for proper drainage and for fast and firm course conditions and perfect turf, thanks to golf course superintendent Paul Emling.) And each one seems to belong or fit naturally into its own environment. All of these great courses have their own special character that makes a round of golf fun, one in which the player is always looking forward to the next hole and next shot regardless of what happened previously.

Arcadia Bluffs has its own special and unique character. If "minimalist " (the latest buzzword in golf course design) means a course with minimal earth-moving and uncomplicated construction then one would be hard-pressed to call Arcadia Bluffs a "minimalist" design, as every hole is so dramatic it will blow your headcovers off. However, what course designers Warren Henderson and Rick Smith have achieved is a project that not only fits the environment, it enhances it to the point it appears they were helped with some divine intervention. Even the cottage style clubhouse belongs exactly where it sits, making the dining experience almost as special as the round.

The course allows the player to make a decision on almost every shot as to whether to bounce the ball onto the green and play the contours, or carry one of the dramatic sod-revetted (sod-wall) bunkers and buffet a shot against the wind (which you can count on plenty of) and have it land softly on the putting surface. It is as dramatic as it is fun. The course is enjoyable for both "the long and short handicap player alike," to borrow from Alister Mackenzie on what defines a great course. At full length (7,240) it requires a healthy self-image, especially because it's almost always windy. From the middle (6,531) or forward tees (5,139) it is very manageable because the greens are huge and chip and run shots are encouraged. I've heard complaints about the unmaintained rough, the long fescues and dune grasses (even from my own mouth at times) but the fairways are extremely wide and the firm turf allows for plenty of run, appropriately so to accommodate the windy conditions. The greens are huge; their ocean-like swells and undulations would be too much if their surfaces were smaller but they're just right on this course. The green complexes look genuinely Scottish and coordinate with the fairways and surrounding contours in natural settings. You won't see bunkering like you'll see here unless it's at Carnoustie or the Old Course at St. Andrews. Most of the bunkers that come into play are intimidating stacked-sod that provide a player with a satisfying sense of accomplishment when successfully avoided; when bunkered, a sideways or backward line may be required. Warren Henderson combined the sod-walls with a style often referred to as sand-faced or sand-flashed, with natural dune-like grass capes and tongues cresting and crashing like waves on the sea over the sand below. In my opinion, you can travel the world and not experience finer bunkering.

Arcadia Bluffs has eighteen great holes, not a weak one among them and all most enjoyable, which makes it difficult to choose a favorite. If I had to choose, however, I'd pick the third: an unbelievably unique par-five with a dramatic carry over rugged bunkering off the tee to a mammoth fairway. You then face a choice of routes either left or right of deep fairway sod-wall bunkers followed by a short-iron or pitch (on days when it's not reachable in two) to a green that slopes away from certain approach angles. You play these shots while feeling like you're on top of the world looking down on Lake Michigan. It's not close to being the toughest hole at Arcadia Bluffs but it is indicative of the fun of the entire course.

As to how Arcadia Bluffs ranks among the great courses of the world, who's to say if one of something is better than another? Maybe you're like me and can't tell a fine wine by taste from any other wine--that doesn't mean you can't have an opinion on what you enjoy. But as someone who's played a wide array of golf courses I definitely have an opinion as to what is common, what is fine and even what is extraordinary. And I think Arcadia Bluffs will prove to be worthy of world-class stature, a must-play course for every serious player and an equally delightful experience for those less intense about their game. After playing it, I'm sure you'll come away with the same exhilarating and privileged feeling that has captured me.

Call 1-800-494-8666.

A member of the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame, Lynn Janson is the Head Golf Professional at Egypt Valley CC in Ada, Mich.

Editors' note: In the past year, Arcadia Bluffs has been involved in litigation with the state over soil run-off problems during its construction phrase. Corrective measures were undertaken by the course. At press time, an independent engineering firm's report on the matter had not been released.