I recently had the opportunity to play a round of golf at Dunmaglas in Charlevoix, Michigan. Dunmaglas is approximately 50 miles north of Traverse City. I was within 100 miles, so that made it fair game for a round. I was not disappointed, except for the very lackluster 18th hole there. One design element that was really nice was that many holes were devoid of long, paved cart paths. The majority of the paths were only in between greens and the next tee box. In my opinion, this really improves aesthetics.
Dunmaglas Golf Course was designed by Larry Mancour and Dean Refram. Additional input from the original owner was also included. (Refram also designed Bearslide in Indiana) I was pleasantly surprised from the moment I teed off on hole #1, an elevated tee box that asked for a good drive for a short iron into the first green. The hole gently leans left with a fairly small meandering stream running alongside the left side of the rough/fairway. The clubhouse was unpretentious as well.
Hole #2 was your classic and straight-forward dog leg left; play a fairway wood to the corner (I didn't and paid dearly), or even a long iron/hybrid will serve you very well on this hole.
Hole #3 is a long cart ride thru the woods and across a road. #3 is an excellent, not very lengthy par 5 to a somewhat elevated green set nicely into the hillside. Your second shot will be the key to scoring well on this hole. Long hitters can make it close or on the green in two.
Hole #4 is a classic short par 4 that offers up heaps of risk/reward. Interestingly enough, there is a large tree almost in the middle of the fairway, about right where the landing area is. Your second shot, assuming you did not have an errant drive will be a short iron, uphill to a narrow elevated green, with a hillside behind it.
Hole #5 can be tricky to find the first time playing here. In fact, I teed off on #15 thinking it was #5. Once I found the next tee, I was faced with a second, risk reward hole. Somewhat narrow, downhill par 4 where lost balls a re surely commonplace in the trees bordering each side of the fairway. There are a few large boulders placed at the beginning of the fairway. They have cleaned out a majority of the underbrush approximately 15 feet into the woods to assist with finding your ball and giving you a second chance for taking your medicine or punching out to the fairway.
Hole #6 is a tough driving hole. It has a narrow, tree lined chute that you must hit a straight tee shot with good length. Your second shot will end up in a much larger opening that offers a variety of third shots into a sculpted and mound guarded smallish sized green. Lake Charlevoix is easily seen in the distance from this green. The views on a clear day are nothing short of spectacular.
Hole # 7 offers a blind tee shot that gives the appearance of this par 4 going uphill. It does not. A well-struck drive will allow you to clear the trap and the crest of the fairway hill and offering you plenty of roll down a well-contoured fairway that can leave you with any type of lie. The long hitters can have a field day here off the tee, but those same long drives can be negated with a nice downhill lie for the second shot. This hole was very well designed. It was one of my favorite holes at Dunmaglas.
Hole #8 is a long par 3 from the back tees (+200 and the longest apr 3 on the course) and the tee box is constructed up into the hillside of a meadow with long grasses and wildflowers in abundance. The green is well protected by sand traps and mounding. You’ll need to hit the green to score well on this hole.
Hole #9 offered a fairly blind tee shot that catered to the golfer who hits a big draw. Anyone going right off the tee will almost surely ruin their chances at par. Anything going hard left may find a series of deep grass bunkers down the left hand side. Don’t go looking for a snack or drink at the turn. The course was not routed back to the clubhouse, obviously the original owner was not thinking of increased food and beverage revenue.
Hole #10 is fairly wide open and a good drive will give you shot into a well-tucked green. A high cut will work well here. Any fade off the tee will really lengthen your second shot. Most of the sand traps are in play as well. I actually had to wait for a large family of wild turkeys to cross the fairway before playing this hole.
Although tough, #11 is a well thought out and challenging golf hole. The tee box is somewhat enclosed by trees. A long draw can negate this hole’s layout. A straight shot is fine but if you do not clear the fairway traps, you’ll be adding a stroke here. Too far straight and the trees farther down on the right prevent a long shot straight towards the green. You will not reach the green from these and you may even have a buried lie. The green is tucked and guarded by a large grass /sand bunker as well.
Hole #12 is a downhill par three hole. 177 yards from the back tees. They piled up fieldstone into a large pyramid off to the left of the green. I also saw this type of stone pile at Sleeping Bear GC near Glen Arbor, Michigan.
IMO hole #13 is another one of the better holes at Dunmaglas. A short, uphill par four; from the back tees just about 350 yards. There are some very large boulders placed just left of the fairway. Any tee shot left of these rocks will be lost in the woods. It looks like they cleared out a section of trees/woods to the left, but the deep and tall grasses provide no relief either. Safe shot is right here. Green is well tucked into the hillside. The last picture is a view looking back to the tee.
Hole #14 although much harder than it looks and is another excellent hole. I think any hole with a tee box this high gives you a good feeling. Lake Charlevoix is visible on the horizon and on a clear day the view is magnificent. They have re-routed the cart path as the old cart path is visible in the woods to the right. The approach shot to this green is tough.
Hole #15 requires a straight or slight draw off the tee. The hole is bordered on the left side by a pond. The green has a pond fronting it as well. I cannot remember if these ponds were one and the same.
Hole #16 is a short, non-descript and downhill par three and that requires an accurate shot.
Hole #17 is another great hole. Accuracy is demanded off the tee in order to set you up for a long carry to the green. Quite possibly the most difficult second shot on the course.
Hole #18 is quite an enigma compared to the other 17 holes. The hole appears poorly designed, and rather bland for lack of a better descriptor. Worse yet, they have constructed two condo buildings immediately behind the 18th green to be used for stay and play offerings. I am not sure what they were trying to accomplish here, by adding the condos so close to the 18th green they made a poorly designed hole even poorer. In fact, I was so taken aback by the 18th I didn’t take any pictures of the hole. It is a straight-away par4 with a marshy wetlands area guarding the front of the green. Egads! 900 acres and the placed the condos here? They must have been trying for a “MidPines” look (I have played there), which IMO, cannot be duplicated! Here is a picture of the 18th green from their website. (BTW all condo units are empty and unfinished). Still visually stimulating, at least for the first 17 holes.
Rich
Cincinnati, Ohio