|
Mines Golf Course
The Mines Golf Club is an 18-hole public golf course with a full practice facility, including driving range, short game area, and future 9-hole par three course. It is located above a portion of Grand Rapids, Michigan’s old gypsum mines, 5 minutes from the heart of downtown. The site features mature hardwoods, rolling terrain, and sandy soils. The scenic nature of the course belies its urban location and golfers will relish seeing nature up close throughout their round; it truly gives one an “Up North” feeling.
The course can play difficult from the back tees, with 5 stout par fours that require power and finesse to make birdies and pars, but the great flexibility of the course set-up gives average players and beginners lots of room to get around. There are also three short par fours that will challenge the big hitter to “go for the green” but demand accurate play, while giving a short and consistent player a better chance of making a birdie. Fairway widths are generous and will allow for errant shots to easily be found and played, yet demand more skilled players to place their drives and approaches in more select locations in order to attack a flagstick. This is a basic premise for strategic golf and makes the game more enjoyable for a wider range of players.
The naturally rolling site is sand-based, well-draining, and full of character. It is expected that the turf will be kept dry and firm to bring the ground features into play and provide an option to the golfer to use the firm turf to move the ball along the ground instead of just aerially. The skill to do so will be a great advantage in windy conditions, when high shots will be blown into trouble, and for creative players who see opportunities in such shots when hitting longer clubs into greens. The side slopes and natural terrain at the Mines offer a great number of options for these types of shots.
The greens should be firm and roll true. Speed, alone, is not as important and has become a poor substitute for healthy, responsive greens that reward well-struck shots yet diminish poorly played ones. The greens at the Mines have slope to them in some places and they can be made relatively fast (on a pure speed test) but not lightening fast. The angle and pitch of the putting surfaces require the right type of approach shot from the right location to get close to the flag, more than just the height of the shot and a soft green. This is what golf is about: adjusting your shot selection to accommodate any former mistake in order that you will better your chances on the next stroke. The greens at the Mines provide that, giving an endless variety of shot options to the golfer.
The fairways and roughs are newer bluegrass varieties that permit a shorter height of cut and will set the ball up on the grass, giving the average player a good lie and allowing the better golfer to still hit down on the ball and attack the course. The maintained rough will not be excessively long and thick, instead it will be cut relatively short (for rough), making it easy to find your ball and giving you an opportunity to effectively advance the ball, although maybe not directly at the target or with as much confidence as a well-placed lie in the fairway. This playability will lead to more satisfaction for more golfers while still challenging them in numerous ways.
The views at the Mines are important to the golf course’s internal and external relationships. Vistas between holes and during cross-overs where players see other golfers earlier or later in the round help to integrate the round and reinforce the completeness of the routing. Each hole is not to be a separate entity but instead directly related to the holes before and after it, to the holes of a similar length and par, and also as a reflection or culmination of its golf and visual qualities. Long distance views of the surrounding community help to cement the golf course to its urban setting while the wilder parts inside the golf course feel like the countryside.
There are 31 strategically placed bunkers (plus two dunes on the fifth and ninth holes) at the Mines. The bunkers have heavy, rolled over lips with irregular edging that responds to the particular nuances of the landscape formation at each bunker. The lips do not have to be tightly groomed on the outside edge but should be mowed tight on the playing side – this will allow for a running ball to enter the hazard. The sand should be maintained regularly but not too intensely or perfectly; it is a hazard and it is the golfer’s responsibility to avoid it.
The Mines has some quirkiness to it but presents golfers with wonderful options to try a different variety of strokes with every playing. Shot values are high and excellence is rewarded while indifferent play will enjoy the scenery and get around in a reasonable number of strokes without losing a lot of balls. Players will be asked to play a number of shots from uneven lies, as presented by the diverse terrain of the site. As such, they will be required to assess their ability to work the ball in different directions to make the stroke that will get the ball close to the hole or play a more conservative shot that will not present too much danger for the next play.
Following is the card of the course and brief hole descriptions of the course.
| Hole |
Back |
Regular |
Middle |
Forward |
Par |
| 1 |
408 |
371 |
313 |
272 |
4 |
| 2 |
453 |
410 |
383 |
338 |
4 |
| 3 |
439 |
398 |
350 |
330 |
4 |
| 4 |
304 |
275 |
227 |
198 |
4 |
| 5 |
607 |
556 |
516 |
477 |
5 |
| 6 |
356 |
298 |
272 |
209 |
4 |
| 7 |
155 |
131 |
105 |
91 |
3 |
| 8 |
156 |
140 |
117 |
110 |
3 |
| 9 |
404 |
364 |
304 |
299 |
4 |
|
| Out |
3282 |
2943 |
2587 |
2324 |
35 |
|
| 10 |
367 |
333 |
309 |
286 |
4 |
| W#11 |
228 |
204 |
172 |
97 |
3 |
| S#11 |
181 |
136 |
97 |
82 |
3 |
| 12 |
341 |
321 |
289 |
261 |
4 |
| 13 |
468 |
434 |
394 |
315 |
4 |
| 14 |
398 |
385 |
362 |
324 |
4 |
| 15 |
141 |
122 |
100 |
88 |
3 |
| 16 |
475 |
456 |
388 |
370 |
4 |
| 17 |
533 |
506 |
457 |
417 |
5 |
| 18 |
468 |
431 |
380 |
335 |
4 |
|
| In |
3419 |
3192 |
2851 |
2493 |
35 |
| In |
3372 |
3124 |
2776 |
2487 |
|
| Out |
3282 |
2943 |
2587 |
2324 |
35 |
|
| Total |
6701 |
6135 |
5438 |
4817 |
70 |
|
6654 |
6067 |
5363 |
4802 |
|
Hole #1
The first hole is a very nice opener with a crested landing area defined by trees on both sides. The approach is downhill to a green fronted by a deep swale and perched out from the hillside on the left. Pin locations on the right side are difficult and there is a small back left plateau that bleeds out from the terrain on the left.
Hole #2
 The second is a long par four of 453 yards from the back tee. The drive is uphill to a crested valley, with a bunker on the left side. With a good strike or the wind behind, drives will carry the hill and leave a mid-to-long iron in. Golfers who challenge the bunker will have a better angle into the green, which is fronted by 2 bunkers at the right approach. The cascading green has three levels and drops off the left side to short grass. Fade shots which play into the right-to-left nature of the greensite will land softly and leave a good chance for a birdie.
Hole #3
Facing west and atop a ridge, the view from the third tee at sunset is spectacular. The hole follows the undulating high ground and culminates in a large, bunkerless green perched at the end of the ridge. This long four will demand a well-struck approach to stay on the green, where the subtle contours will reward a good putt.
Hole #4
 This short par four has no bunkers, but the tees and green are at opposite ends of a deep bowl, so a big hitter will have to carry all the way to the green if they wish to drive the green. The large green is undulating and falls off the front, back, and right sides, while the back left is dwarfed by a huge oak tree. This hole will surely frustrate better players who think it looks simple and should be an easy birdie.
Hole #5
A big par five over 600 yards from the back, the fifth has a commanding view from its high tees that look down upon a huge shared fairway with the ninth hole. This fairway is abruptly interrupted by two huge dunes that project from the ninth tees, narrowing the fifth fairway between the first and second landing areas, but still giving plenty of room for play. The approach is at grade to a relatively flat green, but out of bounds on the right (O’Brien St. runs all along the hole) looms for a misplayed shot.
Hole #6
The sixth is a short par four through a narrow valley to a perched green. The hill on the left side of the landing area has three bunkers – better to play short of them and leave a long wedge into the tiered and shallow green. Short grass abounds around the green and there is a deep bunker at the right front.
Hole #7
 The first three par is a picturesque drop-shot to a small green backed by a sandy dune. Club selection is critical, as the wind will change as the ball travels above and below the trees and landforms. The green is one of the smallest on the course and any tee shot that finds the putting surface has a good chance at birdie.
Hole #8
 Another par three of similar length but entirely different playing characteristics from #7, the eighth features a dramatic tee shot across a sandy wasteland to a rolling green. The large putting surface (biggest on the course) is bisected by a prominent ridge in the middle and bunkered on the left and back, as well as a steep bank on the right and in the approach. This hole will be a highlight for many golfers due to its rugged beauty.
Hole #9
 From its dunetop tees, the ninth plays down to the shared fairway with hole five and then back up to a green perched in the hillside below the clubhouse. On the right of the ninth is a huge hill that comes down from #10 and will repel balls back down into play. The approach rises sharply up to the green and has deep bunkers at the left and right, plus bunkers at the back right and on the left. The green size is generous and will offer a great variety of flagstick locations.
Hole #10
The drive on the tenth is across a big dip in the land to a relatively flat plateau. There are a few tree clumps on the right to define where the hill down to #9 starts and trees on the left also. The green is at grade, protected only by its undulations, most notably the bump in the center which will retard ineffective approaches and putts away from their intended target.
Hole #11
The eleventh offers two angles of approach, a west orientation up to 228 yards and a south one to 181 yards. The south play shares the tee complex with hole nine and has a nice intimate feel with the 7th hole, but the west direction gives greater diversity to the par threes in length and difficulty. The green is oblong, tiered, and backed by a steep hill on one side while dropping sharply off on the other to fairway and a single bunker.
Hole #12
After a short passage underneath the power lines, the golfer is rewarded with a beautiful hilltop tee for a short par four of 341 yards. The drive will typically find a broad valley, leaving one with a view of the flagstick but obscuring the green surface by a gentle ridge in front. Two deep bunkers in the ridge will make the big hitters think about the consequences of trying to go for the green. The green itself is a beautiful rolling “at-grade potato chip” that offers a chance to use the ground to bring the ball into the green or on recovery shots.
Hole #13
The beginning of a difficult finish, the thirteenth demands a long drive threaded between trees on the left and two bunkers pinching in from the right hillside of the landing area. The golfer’s second will be long and uphill to a perched green, and typically into the wind. Most will take three to get to the bunkerless putting surface and the few pars on the hole will feel more like birdies.
Hole #14
The fourteenth plays over wildly undulating land and will leave a blind approach unless the drive finds a narrow ridge. Big hitters will be thwarted by a huge bunker 100 yards out from the green, in a direct line to the flag. The green is again bunkerless, but this “at-grade potato chip” will foil many golfers’ attempts to get it close on the approach. A beautiful natural hole and green in a wonderful setting.
Hole #15
The shortest hole on the course is protected by a center bunker, bunkers on the left and right sides, and drops off the back. The small green is heavily contoured and will demand a precise short iron and delicate putting to score well.
Hole #16
Another long par four into the wind. The right side is protected by deep bunkers and a valley between the 14th and 16th holes while the longer left side presents an open, broad ridge. The closer one challenges the bunkers on the tee shot, the better angle and shorter the approach will be. The green sits in the open and is without bunkers, although the relatively flat terrain will move the ball more than one would expect. A four is a great score here.
Hole #17
The final par five plays along wonderful rolling terrain and finishes with a green perched on the distant hillside. A big drive can get some roll to a nice landing area and a go at the green in two, while a misplayed drive will leave a difficult second that must try to find a level spot to play an uphill approach from. The green surface is subtly contoured and will reward a good putt.
Hole #18
The finishing hole demands a long carry on the drive to avoid a blind second shot. The approach is across a deep valley to a small green that drops off severely to the left and right. A prudent play here is to place your second shot for an easier third to the flat green, giving yourself an opportunity to make par or bogie and avoid a big number by getting in trouble.
Practice Areas
The Learning Center is accessed via golf cart from the pro shop on Covell Ave. or via automobile on O’Brien St. This area includes a full driving range with natural grass teeing areas, bunkers for long iron practice, and a short game area with contoured turf for chips, pitches, and putting.
The putting green is located on the west side of Covell Ave. between the first tees and second green. It is a large green with multiple levels and the area can accommodate many groups practicing or warming up before the start of the round.
The Minor Course: Nine Hole, Par 3 Course
Located at the end of the driving range and across the power lines from there, the Minor Course will provide a great range of shots, be affordable, timely, and a great course on which to learn, or improve. Construction of this course, along with an expansion of the range (to accommodate a tee at the far end of the range) will proceed in the fall of 2009.
NEXT
|
