Wawashkamo Golf Club (Mackinac Island, MI)

I love a good adventure and the butterflies were building up as I paid my $31 for the round trip ticket to board the ferry over to Mackinac Island. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. There’s no vehicles over there and I was undecided whether to rent a bike, pay for a horse taxi, or walk to the golf course. It was just me standing in line, my golf clubs in my van, embarking on what I was hoping to be a really cool experience.

Wawashkamo is a nine hole course with alternate tees for those looking to play eighteen that was designed in 1898 by US Open champion Alex Smith, a Scotsman from Carnoustie. On its own, an interesting test of old world architecture, but playing with hickories from the early 1900s, a chance to test your skills with an imperfect set of equipment. I learned the first rule of hickory golf was you can’t swing hard. A smooth swing with a good tempo was a must to find the center of the club face. The second rule was no divots. The swing needed to be a sweeping action. That’s a combination of wooden shafts and a leading edge that instantly dug into the ground. 

(My weapons for todays round include a driver with a metal plate screwed onto the face, a three wood with a sweet spot the size of a dime, irons with no bounce on them, and wooden shafts on every club.) 

(The view from the back tee on the first/tenth hole. Everything is in play! Yes including the long grass. I was praying my very first swing would carry it…

…the course is in excellent shape! They do not water here. Conditions are whatever Mother Nature decides to make them. A lot of rain has made it a lush beautiful playing surface for my visit.) 

Wawashkamo is the real deal! There’s no irrigation. The only thing they water are the greens and tees. The rest of the course is allowed to brown up and play as firm n fast as possible. Most of the time, the skill comes from judging the bounce and run out of the shot. The greens are open in front with most of the hazards to the sides. Little humps and bumps that you’d never pay attention to are the difference between good and bad shots, par or bogeys. 

(The par four third/twelth has two bunkers in the middle of the fairway…

…you do not want to be in these things. Look how steep the lip is! It’s not very big either so there’s an assortment of stances and lies, none of them good, that can be found…
…this particular hole has an unusual hazard called the circus ring. It’s a ring of rough about a foot wide and 6-18” tall that forces players to get the ball airborne. Of course if you hit it to where I’m at in the picture, then you can putt it through the little opening…
…this is a panoramic view. Look how thick it is on the right!) 

The par three fourth/thirteenth has a big mound in front of the green…
…I carried it and it went long. Obviously everything slopes away so I’m wondering if a lower shot would climb the mound and roll on the green.) 

I shot a 45 for nine holes which included four pars. To me, a par felt like a birdie. Distance was a huge issue, and I found 175 yards was the max I was getting off the tee. Getting the ball airborne was another issue. It took me several holes to figure out how to do this. Basically, I would open my stance and open the club face. This put more loft on the club and the ball would have a higher flight. All my pars were from making a sizable putt, or from advancing the ball close to the fringe so a putt could be attempted. With all these challenges, every hazard, regardless of the distance, was in play. This condensed the course and made the micro details more impactful. 

(The par five fifth/fourteenth plays between stands of heather to an elevated green with a false front. Getting the ball to climb up the slope was the key shot.) 

(The final hole is a par five/four depending on what tee box is used. A shallow valley with a pot bunker guards the slope short of the green. I love the quaint which had a porch in the back to watch the action.) 

For those who haven’t tried hickory golf, I strongly recommend it. It will give one a great appreciation for those who played in the early 1900s. The course itself occupies a battlefield fought in 1914. It has a soul and the air is heavy. If you’re one who believes in spirits, then the course may touch you in a whole different way. It’s a special place and one that any golf aficionado should experience. I give it a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play). 

(The chocolate drops are unique hazards where rocks were piled up and then left to collect soil and seeds for for dense growth.)

[Wawashkamo is a National Historic Landmark. Frank Dufina was the head pro from 1898 - 1968 and holds the record for longest tenure at one club.]