In Praise of Calderone Farms GC--Jackson, MI

[Peter Pratt]

This thoroughly delightful Bill Newcomb course about 10 miles east of Jackson, MI, got me to thinking...If someone had told me that this course was rated among the top 100 public courses in the US, and didn't tell me where it was and how much the greens fee was ($25), how would I rate it? Don't setting (right off the highway, without Oakmont's camouflage) and provenance (a hog farm near a depressed town) taint us from the start? I know we all hope that we can be objectively subjective in our assessments of golf courses, but I bet I wouldn't have passed the test I just laid out. I can't decide if this course is just a nifty, affordable, fun track or a really superb one. Or maybe the two just need to be the same in my internal assessment of golf courses. I know that I enjoyed it much more than Hazeltine, Congressional, and Firestone--and not just because it's easier. It had more design variety by a long shot. Dare I say its shot values were better, too.

I don't know what to make of this. I know that there are many emperor-has-no-shot values posts about storied golf courses, but I may just be crazy to like Calderone as much as I did. And I confess that I've only played it once, so it may not repay replays.

[George Freeman]

I've driven past this course 50 times and always thought it looked pretty good by the 2 or 3 holes visible from 94.  I'd love to hear more opinions about the course from those who have played and pictures would be great!

Thanks for the post Peter!

[Andy Ryall]

I thought that the course was on the verge of insolvency a couple of years after opening - I was living in the Detroit area at the time of its construction.   Glad to hear it has survived and that it is as interesting as the roadside holes indicate, albeit at 80+ MPH.

Its a tough location to draw people to - their website indicates a 4-for-3 special if you drive 60 miles or more to play.

[Jason McNamara]

So, instead of The Grande, or in addition to?

[Deucie Bies]

I played it once a couple of years ago and had a great time, but I think it was because I shot my best score ever there.  I don't remember much about the course, but there was more elevation change than I thought there would be.  I have always preferred Cascades in the Jackson area in terms of a fun layout.