Sugar Loaf Old Course (Cedar, MI)

I found myself on the Leelanau Peninsula with extra time on my hands, and chance to play nine holes. Sugar Loaf caught my attention because it was designed by C.D. Wagstaff, a relatively unknown Chicago architect whose work is mostly confined to Illinois. 

(The 429/405 yard par four opening hole looks longer than what it actually is. Look at the movement of the land and how the fairway curves before climbing up the hill. I didn’t get to play this nine but seeing this view made me feel good about my decision to visit.) 

Wagstaff is an interesting character who was a prominent landscape architect. He was involved in both the Chicago World Fair in 1933, and the 1936 Great Lakes Expo in Cleveland. However, his interest in golf led him to design several fine courses. I’ve never heard of him before I played Sugar Loaf. I played the back nine, and judging by what I saw, he had a good eye in using the landforms presented to him. The tenth and seventeenth are absolutely wonderful! 

(The 410/382 yard par four tenth falls dramatically a few hundred yards off the tee. Once the ball goes over, the golfer has no control where it’ll end up…
…the green is spread across a hill with a bunker cut into the slope fronting it. Depending on the lie, carrying the ball to the green can be a challenge…
…this view from eleven fairway shows the tenth green’s staunch position.) 

(The 618/540 yard par five seventeenth possesses a fortress green high up on the hill. It’s 20-30 feet above the fairway…
…the two tiered green can play up to three clubs longer. Looking back, note the large mound of rock resting in the middle of the fairway. The golfer must play over it to obtain the best position for his third shot.)

Wagstaff put together a solid routing for the back nine. I found his holes to be compelling with some intriguing shots. The short par four thirteenth for instance had a ravine cutting across it, and the men’s and lady’s tees both had to drive over it. On the eleventh, the hole played parallel to the tenth, and the tee shot had to carry the hill to reach the fairway. It was solid architecture, and at the price we were paying, was well done. 

(Women rarely hit over imposing obstacles so what a thrill it was to see this short par four at thirteen force such a shot.) 

The greens had nice slopes in them with the apex at the shoulder of a bunker or a mound. Pins could be tucked behind or in between them. One had to pay attention to how deep the green was in order to be pin high otherwise you’d have to putt up n over. It was better than what most regional architects typically do. 

(The 414/355 yard par four eleventh plays from the valley up the hill to the fairway. The green is guarded by water right and behind. A par is a good score.) 


(This is the fourth new course I played this year that ended with a par three. This one is 183/173 yards. The green is long with a steep slope leading to the rear. It’s not very wide, placing more pressure on a straight shot. I love the silo in the background.)

I enjoy finding courses designed by obscured architects. Wagstaff understood design principles and  wasn’t afraid to take on cool features. I liked Sugar Loaf. If his other courses look like this then it’d be fun finding them. I give it a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play).