The centerpiece is the large hill that once was the top of the landfill. Both one and ten tee off from it while six and eleven bring the player back up. Holes seven, eight, and twelve play off the backside. With seven holes consuming this mountain, there’s a definite sense of community as you’re able to watch play at multiple viewpoints. In the summer, the ball fields are teaming with kids playing baseball below, another reminder of the connection between the golf course and the city.
(The 417/402 yard first hole plunges downhill to a wide fairway. The green is offset towards the left and favors a shot coming in short of the fairway bunker. The putting surface is wickedly sloped so make sure five is the worst you’re going to score.)
(The 186/165 yard ninth is a beautiful par three across the water. Anything short will kick back into the hazard. The putting surface is full of bold slopes so don’t play too conservatively.)
Courses built on landfills have a specific look and style to them, and Sanctuary Lake fits that genre. It’s heavy handed with a lot of mounds and earth moving. If you look at the green complexes, you’ll notice abrupt fall offs, moguls that present terrible lies, and recovery shots that are very difficult to get close. These short shots are where you’ll lose most of your strokes. It also has some very sloped greens that are borderline. (My playing partner said the pin positions are never in the spots we were playing in the summer) I’m skeptical that a mid or high handicap can match their index. It’s a tough course. Thankfully the par fives offer a little relief. All four are good birdie opportunities. I do like the variety in the par threes, especially seven (133) and twelve (215) which look similar but have an eighty yards difference. I can’t forget the driveable seventeenth. It’s at a length that even I would give it a go. It’s only 260 yards from the men’s tee, a yardage that is truly reachable for the majority of players. I give a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-40 minutes to play).
(The 522/477 yard par five eighteenth doglegs right while playing slightly uphill. There’s a lot of room to maneuver your ball into position to make a birdie.)
[Sanctuary Lakes has the most elevation change among the metro Detroit courses, a characteristic that makes this a popular choice. It’s also in very good shape. It’s on the higher end of the price scale which is surprising since it’s a muni.]
(The 290/260 yard uphill par four seventeenth has an interesting looking fairway. The tall grass on the right is complete death so it’s risky trying to bomb a driver…
…there’s not a lot of room to run the ball on so laying up is probably the best choice. Regardless, I think it’s cool that you can go for broke so late in the round.)
