University of Michigan Golf Course (Ann Arbor, MI)

There are very few Alister Mackenzie courses open to the public but thankfully for Midwest golfers one of them is owned by the University of Michigan. It used to be available only to faculty, students, and alumni, but now a special package can be bought that allows outside play. For true golf architecture aficionados, this is a unique experience and great opportunity. 

University of Michigan has a large hill in the middle of the property. Unlike most courses of this time period where the clubhouse would be at the highest point with commanding views, it sits at the bottom so nine and eighteen play downhill.  Thus 2, 4, 10 climb it while 3,6,7,8 work their way on and off. They require strong golf acumen as a variety of lies and stances are encountered. Golfers must be able to read the shots and execute them. It sounds rather simple but it really is next level stuff that mentally engages the good golfer who is trying to get his ball onto the green and close to the hole. 

(The 537/523 yard par five third is all world. It starts with this drive up n over a ridge with a nasty bunker guarding the right…
…the hole than goes downhill and curves to the left. A good drive makes this an easy shot. Otherwise it’s tough to gauge the exact line to gain an easy approach…

…the view from the valley is nondescript. Note how being short spins the ball down the hill. Also it’s hard to judge the line and distance of the third shot…

…the green is vicious. Besides sloping hard to the front and left, the angled green is hard to hit in regulation. My ball literally broke over twenty feet putting from the front to the rear left portion.) 

The real treasure at UMGC are the greens. They are excellent with rolls and bumps establishing pin placements. They are severely pitched too. I played it when the speed was manageable so I was able to make putts and two putt from long range. When the speed increases, the course takes on a completely different personality. One can find themselves in impossible situations, and double bogey can happen real quick. 

(The 308/295 yard par four sixth features the famed boomerang green. There is a solid 10-15 feet between the lower and upper portions. There is no bank in the middle to help putt from one section to the other so being stymied is a distinct possibility…
…this view taken from seven tee shows just how narrow the middle is. When approaching this hole, it’s best to think of it as two greens. The upper one is smaller and requires an excellent shot for a birdie putt.) 

While the third and sixth are recognized as all world, I was enamored with several others. The par four second was a classic up and over hole. It’s a blind tee shot to a fairway that plunges downhill. The long hitter who can get to the bottom will be rewarded with an easy second but for those like myself who find themselves on the downslope, it might be prudent to lay back and take the longer shot from a flat lie. The fourth was similar but landing zone didn’t have a significant valley. The green however was beautiful with plateaus and internal rolls making for some interesting pin placements. The seventh was a driveable par four for the big hitters but everyone else has to worry about running out of fairway down the right. As the hole descends, it turns slightly left and the right side crests over the brow of the hill. The uphill par three eighth has a severe back left to lower front right slope. Being above the hole is a three putt waiting to happen. 

(This view of the 159/149 yard par three eighth is flattened by the camera, but it’s 25-30 feet above the tee box. The large tree you see on the left is in play and forces a fade off the bunker in the picture.) 

(The uphill 417/372 yard tenth has a massive green divided by a roll in the center. A few high points in the rear create some funnel type pin locations. A large bunker stretches across the front left making those cups harder to attack.) 

On the back, the tenth began the inward nine with strong uphill ascent. Plenty of width off the tee and a large green makes this a captivating hole. A good short game will be needed to walk away with four. The twelth is a par four disguised as a par three. It’s length is on the cusp for most golfers and it sports one of the most difficult greens on the course. Fourteen is called the mini boomerang green. (It’s the opening pic) Front pins are relatively easy but getting the correct club for back pins is decidedly harder. It’s a four club green too. I loved the drive on fifteen. It’s a downhill reverse camber tee shot. The green is open from the inside position while those who played to outside will need to carry part of the front right bunker. 

(The 247/238 yard par three twelth is slightly downhill but note the roll in the middle, a bowl type feature in the front right, and a shelf along the left and rear sections. An absolute monster, a three is like a birdie in my book!) 

(The 389/379 yard par four fifteenth has this view from the inside position. If one bails to the open right side, then front right bunker needs to be carried on the approach.) 

(Look at the false front and how far it extends into the seventeenth green. Balls that catch this slope will roll off and into the bunker. I was quite surprised to find my ball in it. It’s a 399/368 yard par four.) 

If there’s one thing holding the course back, it would be its overall length. The course is landlocked and cannot be extended further. That said, Mackenzie’s Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz is even shorter and holds the prestigious Western Intercollegiate every year. UMGC possesses the same kind of greens and can hold its own when it’s fast and firm. Also, the last three holes are often cited as mundane and don’t have the flamboyancy that is affiliated with Mackenzie. The pond fronting eighteen green used to be a creek. (Purists hate it) The new clubhouse is very modern and looks out of place. All this nitpicking may have validity to it, but it isn’t enough to dismiss the the quality of the course. The Mackenzie/Maxwell greens are worth every effort to see. I don’t want to oversell the course but if you’ve never seen a Mackenzie design then make the trip. I give UMGC a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play). For historical and architectural buffs, I’d make it an 8.

(The 455/436 yard eighteenth plays downhill to a well guarded fairway. From the bunker, it’s a 200 yard ish shot to the green. The green is pushed away from the water so there’s more room than one might realize. Note the 21st century clubhouse to the right.) 

[I’d be remiss if I didn’t compare UMGC to the Ohio State’s Scarlet course, another Mackenzie/Maxwell design. Having played both, I would place UM heads and shoulders above because a lot of Mackenzie and Maxwell are still there to be studied. Nicklaus altered the Scarlet quite a bit. I feel the terrain is better at UM too. Oddly enough, many professionals like the Scarlet better because at 7400 yards it’s able to challenge the best players. Unfortunately this translates into 6600 yards from the members tee. UM has better terrain, more shots, and is more fun.]