Travel Michigan Golf

Black Lake Golf Club - by Greg Johnson

The par-3 14th hole at Black Lake Golf Club, in Onaway, started life as a sand pit, which architect Rees Jones used to develop what he describes as a Sahara-type bunker that measures 180 yards in length along the right side of the hole.

While a shot of 235 yards from the championship tee to the green requires great skill, it was intended that way.

The hole, however can be set up several other ways with nine tee positions and a wide, roomy green. There is even a ramp of sorts on the left side for those who go the safe route and roll the ball on the green.

"I'm very proud of that hole," Jones said.

The rest of the layout is something to take pride in, too. The18-hole championship course sweeps through the dramatic wooded land adjacent to the heart of the UAW retreat known as the Walter and May Reuther Family Education Center, some four hours of drive time from Detroit and 22 miles from the Indian River exit off I-75.

Jones isn't just talking the architect's party line when he says a good course should be a test of championship golf while at the same time afford an average golfer playing from the forward tees an enjoyable round.

Black Lake seems a perfect example of such a philosophy.

Fake humps and bumps are not found in the design. It flows through thick forest areas, and the bunkering is generous, and classic in style, typical of the work the internationally-famous Jones has done in restoration/remodeling projects at U.S. Open venues like Congressional Country Club and Pinehurst No. 2.

"We strive for holes blending with the natural terrain," he said.

"We just had to go find the holes. And we found some great ones on a big piece of land. It allowed us to really find the best fit."

Late UAW President Walter Reuther saw the Northern Michigan property as a retreat where members and their families might gain a deeper understanding of the union movement away from the routine of their daily lives. Jones was called on to design a golf facility for the retreat, and came up with a classic-style course and also a pitch-and-putt course that are anything but routine.

"There is nothing artificial or contrived at Black Lake," said Jones, who when he first eyed the land was reminded of New England and Connecticut sites where he first designed in partnership with his father, Robert Trent Jones Sr.

"What is so wonderful about this land, unlike rocky new England terrain, is that it's all sand so you had multiple design opportunities."

Multiple design elements are included in the course, which measures 7,030 yards from the back tee positions and 5,058 from the front. Five tee positions are the minimum on each hole.

The course is intended for retreat guests and UAW members, but public play will be allowed on a space-available basis (summer rates include $95 in prime time for a guest, $55 for a UAW member, $45 for a UAW retiree; twilight and off-season rates are reduced so it's advised to call ahead for tee-times.)

The practice area (350-yard double-ended range, practice bunkers and chipping and putting greens) and a unique nine-hole pitch-and-putt course round out the project. Jones is especially fond of the

"The Little Course," a design that includes holes as small as 54 yards, and as big as 117 yards.

"When my daughters were young we used to play a little pitch-and-putt facility in Florida where the girls could make pars and birdies," he said. "Likewise, this little course is going to encourage a lot of young people to play."

UAW President Stephen P. Yokich, who is serving his second term as president of 780,000 active and 500,000 retired members, picked up golf as a caddie at prestigious Detroit Golf Club. He feels the course fits in perfectly with the retreat that features a gymnasium, swimming pool, campground, beaches, boat ramp and various types of housing for members.

The clubhouse offers guests breakfast, lunch and dinner in a spectacular Northern Michigan setting, and retreat lodging is available to UAW members and UAW guests. And stay-and-play golf packages are available through the Mackinaw Area Tourist Bureau (800-666-0160).

Pam Phipps, a leading national golf instructor and the first woman to earn Master Professional status with the PGA of America, is Black Lake's Director of Golf. She said Jones' reputation as an architect is part of the reason she was attracted to the position. "Rees Jones is one of my favorite architects, so I knew Black Lake would be a great course," said Phipps, a native of Oxford, who returned to Michigan from the LPGA International GC in Daytona Beach.

Doug Kendziorski, a hands-on golf course superintendent, delivers country club conditions on the 300 acres that include 110 acres of maintained turf, nine varieties of native trees and wild life like beaver, coyote, duck, fox, osprey, owl, stork, white-tail deer and bald eagle.

For more information, call 1-517-733-4653.

Greg Johnson is the golf writer for the Grand Rapids Press.