Belvedere Golf Club (Charlevoix, MI)

                  #10 Top Value USA Golf.com

                  #89 Top 100 Public USA Golf Digest

           

Stepping into the antiquated pro shop, I felt like I was walking into my grandmother’s house. It was cramped inside with old photographs on the walls. I doubt it can hold more than handful of golfers without feeling congested. The pictures however had familiar faces. They were past champions who had won a major. Each of them have played here. 42 to be exact. The best of the best. Jones, Snead, Hagen, Watson to name a few. For nearly 100 years, the game’s greatest golfers have all made the trip to Belvedere. 

(Looking back towards the tee on number one, note the huge hillside which the player can use to his advantage. It’s a fantastic driving hole to open your shoulders and give a mighty rip. Only a short iron approach, it’s a good way to start the round. 370/362)

Belvedere is not a fancy course with a bunch of “wow” moments. It’s actually the exact opposite. It’s simple with wide fairways and expansive greens. It promotes walking, brisk pace, and playability. It’s difficult to lose a ball here since there’s little in the way of water or high rough. Everything revolves around the greens, and they are, in one word, awesome. In fact, Tom Doak stated after playing there that the green complexes are so good, that maybe modern architects are trying too hard. 

(The simplicity of Belvedere is seen in the clean driving lines on the second hole. Look at the width of the fairways compared to the carts in the distance. 447/385)

William Watson designed Belvedere in 1925. His courses are highly regarded, and his work spanned  from the early 1900s through the 1920s. He was a master of routing courses and he often used the sloping terrain to move the ball into poor positions. The golfer who understands angles and bounces can use these same slopes to his advantage. Engaging the golfer to think entices him take on shots he otherwise would avoid. It’s a pure version of the game, and one that many folks would like to see become more prevalent in America. 

(The monster par three fourth plays to the base of the hill where the first tee is located. A false front makes the hole play longer than it’s listed yardage. A good short game is the best chance to save par since most will find themselves chipping from this position in the picture. 230/200 yards)

(The short par four sixth demands precision off the tee as it is a must to be in the fairway. The green hangs on the hillside with a pronounced tilt to the front right. Note how it’s nearly bi-level with a roll in the middle. The golfer must be able to control the spin of his ball to position it for a manageable two putt. The snakes (3 putts) and gators (4 putts) game will definitely be paying off on this green. 383/354)

(The par four seventh climbs out of the valley and plays up the hill. OB lines the left side of the fairway, influencing most to favor the right…
…the two bunkers that guard the right are above the fairway, thus blocking the view into the green. The left side offers a perfect lane and sight into the green…
…several humps and ridges make anything not within ten feet a difficult task. Note how not one single bunker protects the green.)

The course just recently underwent a renovation that expanded the greens to their original dimensions. William Watson’s drawings were discovered in Charlevoix during a demolition. Seeing how much the putting surfaces had shrunk over the years, the club hired Bruce Hepner to assist in widening them back out. Most of it was simply reclaiming the area where the grass had been left to grow. It took three years to gradually cut it down to green length. Now the size and scale of the greens and chipping areas are very impressive. 

(Look at the wonderful eleventh green! Hillocks and false fronts make this an incredible target to hit from the fairway. The bathtub feature is hidden by the shadow of the tree…

…this view looking back shows how the hole plays through a slight valley where a draw can be slung across the slope and gain yards as it finds its way to flattish lie on the left. Note how I can’t even get the entire green in the photo. My playing partner was in the bathtub and putted from it where it picked up speed and continued until it was thirty yards off the front. 394/366)

(The fairway on twelve is semi blind as it falls to the right on a diagonal axis. The player has the option of keeping it on top or trying to find the flat on the bottom…
…this view from thirteen tee shows just how easy it is for a ball to find the a slope that will pull it off the green. 424/387)

Michigan is studded with fantastic public golf courses, and in nearly every publication Belvedere is rated as one of top 10. It’s been on my bucket list for years and it was great to finally play it. The Michigan Amateur has been played here 40 times. It was also the summer course of Tom Watson when he was a kid. He still lists Belvedere as one of his top three favorite courses. 

(This is a great view of the ripples and false fronts that makes Belvedere’s greens so formidable. The player must really take care to avoid placing himself in this position.) 

(The short par four sixteenth looks simple but is a sinister thing that Tom Watson argues is one of the best in golf. The drive is overloaded with plenty of short grass, but the player must decide what yardage and angle he wants to play from…

…the green sits diagonally with a false front guarding the entire right side. I choose to play long and was rewarded with a chip that failed to stop, and gathered thirty yards down the fairway. Instant double bogey! 346/315) 

In my mind, Belvedere is the type of place one should play well on. There’s very little stopping the player from accomplishing his goal. A little thing called pressure however starts a sequence that sees the ball go further and further away from its target. That’s when all the little nuances and short shots start coming to life, and the player who can handle his emotions will be the one who escapes with par. It’s beautiful thing. And the best part is, you won’t even lose a ball. If one can find his way up north, then Belvedere is easily one of the very best to play. I give it a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play). 

(The eighteenth doglegs right and plays to a large green with multiple ripples. It’s not uncommon to have 3-4 breaks in a 30 foot putt. It’s also one of the longest par fours and usually plays into the prevailing summer wind. A four is a solid score. 456/404)

(This picture of the ninth green shows the punchbowl on the right side. Today’s pin sits just to the side of it, and a couple traps squeeze the opening. It’s a birdie hole, and for the tiger golfer, it’s a legitimate eagle opportunity. The fairway does dogleg around the drop off above the first hole, thus making it a true gambling par five. 478/457)