On the clearest of days, golfers standing on the first tee of The Orchards
Golf Club can see Detroit's skyline. This 7036-yard course is less than an
hour from the Motor City. Regarded since its opening in 1993 as among the
best public golf courses in the Midwest, The Orchards was chosen by the USGA
to host the 2002 Amateur Public Links Championship, public golf's premier
event.
The Orchards meanders through 525 rolling acres dotted with lakes, wetlands
and the mature apple orchards which gave the club its name. Reminiscent of
Detroit's top private clubs, The Orchards is an organic routing on an ideal
piece of land.
With a 74.5 rating from the back tees, the course should prove to be a
strong test for the nation's top amateurs. The Orchards' emphasis on
strategic design allows golfers to play each hole in a number of ways.
Canted greens require that players discern the best angle from which to play
their approach shot. Some pins will best be found with a bump-and-run shot.
The course is conditioned to play firm and fast to support this
architectural goal.
Number 3, a par 5 of 577 yards, is peppered with 13 bunkers. Golfers who
seek to reach the green in two will have to flirt with a large carry over
wetlands. A constellation of five bunkers guards the right.front of the
green. Number 8 is a fine example of the course's strategic merits. One
lone bunker sits 230 yards off the tee, asking golfers if they want to
lay-up on this par 4 of only 365 yards. Players who chose an iron will be
left with a longer approach to a green wedged between three bunkers.
Meanwhile, the daring golfer can try and feather a drive between the fairway
bunker and the ever-present wetlands. The reward for a perfect drive is a
flip-wedge to the green.
The back nine starts out in the meadowlands, and then turns toward the
park-like ambience of a series of forest holes. Number 13 is the only
bunkerless hole on the course, a 382-yard dogleg through the trees that
requires a carry over wetlands off the tee and an approach between two trees
fronting the narrow putting surface. After a gorgeous par 3 that favors a
running approach from right to left, the course finishes where it started,
back in the meadows. With a green fronted by a gaping lake, 18 offers a
heroic finish, perfect for match play and a wonderful test for a USGA
champion.
- Top 100 Modern Golf Courses: GolfWeek, March, 1997
- State's Best Public Course: Detroit News, August, 1997
- 16th best course in the state: Golf Digest, May 1997
- 7th Best New Upscale Course: Golf Digest, January, 1995
- Top Ten Courses You Can Play: Golf Magazine, February, 1994
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