College Fields in Lansing, MI

[Peter Pratt]

This new course--designed by David Savic with help from others (including Doak's assocaite Tom Mead, I believe)--is a gem. 6500 yards with a huge range of green sites and hole lengths. The front nine is open and the back more wooded--like High Pointe, Crystal Downs, and Kingsley. The bunkering is varied as well, with nasty fescued tops akin to RCD. A Biarritz at 234 right after a 120-yarder and a 265-yd par 4 teaser with water right and sand left. 18 has an all-world natural green site (short par 5) reminiscent of #3 (I think) at Royal Adelaide.

Anyone else played it?

Along with Eagle Eye, quite a one-two punch here in mid-Michigan!

[RSLivingston_III]

Did it just open this year?
Might need to make a little road trip.

[PThomas]

another new one, I think:  Meadows at GSU in Grand Rapids

[Peter Pratt]

Ralph,

It opened officially--all 18--last year. You'll like it, I think. I saw the greens complex on the 8th holes as it was being built and I knew it'd be a winner.

P,

The Meadows is a Hurdzan-Fry course full of wetlands that has been open since the mid-90s. I played it once quite awhile ago and it's OK.

[Tom_Doak]

Peter:

If that turned out to be a great course, then David Savic and Tom Mead did a terrific job, because it wasn't a great site -- I turned the job down because I thought the potential was limited by the development.

They also had some financial issues during development and prior to opening, so I'm not sorry I turned it down, but I'm glad to hear the course turned out well.

[Brian Cenci]

Peter:
     I've played the course 5/6 times.  The back nine is a lot better than the front nine.  As it has some cool holes thru the woods and the bunkering has a Prairie Dunes feel to it.  It's an ok course but certainly not worth a drive further than 20 minutes to play.  
     They have had very very big financial issues with the whole course/development.  It originally started and DL III was supposed to design it, he turned it down (among others) and the whole property has switched hands from developer to developer over and over.  It's been kind of an example in the Lansing area of how NOT to develop a property.
     You mentioned Eagle Eye, that IS worth a drive to come play.  Very very underated IMO.

-Brian

[Mike Boehm]

I echo Brian's sentiments.  It is a solid course, and certainly is priced right, but not worth a special trip and not in the same class as Eagle Eye.  

The 4th hole is a bit odd as you are faced with OB right, thick woods & underbrush left and in the middle of the fairway, maybe 100 yards out there is a utility pole.  I had a very claustrophobic feeling standing on that tee.

Holes 15-17, as Peter alluded to, are the strongest ustained stretch of the course.  The 18th is not in the same class, but is a fun, potentially reachable par-5.  This closing stretch makes for an exciting end to a match - birdies and doubles can realistically be made on each of the holes (though a bird on 17 might be somewhat rare).