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Richard Hetzel

  • Karma: +0/-0
Back in early July I was on vacation near Traverse City, Michigan and I hooked up with JCJones (AKA "double barky sparky") for an early morning walking round at Belvedere GC. What a great golf course, very low key, very original and very fun. Here are some pics (as I promised Jason) from our round. Belvedere is definitely a golf course one could play over and over and be satisfied. I will post these pics over the next few days.....

I almost went home prior to the start of the round, I was sad (well, maybe jealous) upon seeing the Seminole Bag tag on Jason's bag! Ahhhh...maybe someday! But I digress here.....I thought #1 was one of the best opening holes I have ever played...if you are in the area, give it a go! Front 9 pics first....

PS:  Sorry about the picture quality, I had my smaller camera that I use when walking, it's not the best.















































« Last Edit: August 05, 2010, 11:32:45 PM by Richard Hetzel »
Best Played So Far This Season:
Crystal Downs CC (MI), The Bridge (NY), Canterbury GC (OH), Lakota Links (CO), Montauk Downs (NY), Sedge Valley (WI)

Chuck Brown

  • Karma: +0/-0
I've played it many times; the funny thing is that thanks to Tom Doak's associates at Renaissance, Belvedere is actually in better shape now, than when it was the traditional host site for the match play portion of the Michigan Amateur.  It is a tremendous little match-play course.  And I've never seen it looking better.
Nice pictures; I think you captured it nicely on what looks to have been a typicall beautiful Norhtern Michigan summer day.
Just don't try that in April, or November.

JC Jones

  • Karma: +0/-0
Chuck,

Actually, it looks great but it played more slow and soft this summer than I've ever seen it.  The weird thing was that we didn't get an ounce of rain in July so they are pumping that bad boy with water, to make sure it stays "green."  When that course is brown and firm it is a blast to play.
I get it, you are mad at the world because you are an adult caddie and few people take you seriously.

Excellent spellers usually lack any vision or common sense.

I know plenty of courses that are in the red, and they are killing it.

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
Chuck:

Bruce Hepner is the one who's done all the work at Belvedere.  They drop my name sometimes, but I've never even been to a green committee meeting there; I just go play it every summer or two and let Bruce know what I thought.

Chuck Brown

  • Karma: +0/-0
Chuck:

Bruce Hepner is the one who's done all the work at Belvedere.  They drop my name sometimes, but I've never even been to a green committee meeting there; I just go play it every summer or two and let Bruce know what I thought.
I wasn't sure if it was just Bruce (you've mentioned Bruce's involvement with Belvedere before on these web pages) or if there were other of your associates there, so I just wrote the generic "associates of Renaissance" without mentioning Bruce by name.  I'm glad that you did.

JC - RIGHT!  These pictures are "greener" than any other depictions of Belvedere that I have seen.  But I honestly wasn't aware of any drought in Charlevoix County; I thought that it had been an unusually humid summer, with as much or more rain than normal.  Being a basically good golf course, Belvedere is best when it is eight shades of green, brown, tan, purple, etc.  I haven't been there at all this year; my last look at it was last September.

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
My front yard is bright green right now even though it's fescue, and I have turned on the sprinklers exactly once this summer.

jonathan_becker

  • Karma: +0/-0
Thanks for the photos, Rich

I thoroughly enjoyed my recent 36 holes there.  JC is right in that it's currently fairly soft out there, but it didn't detract from my experience.

Belevedere is one of the few places I've been where some of the bunkers don't necessarily have a pronounced lip and sometimes it looks as if they're suspended just off the ground.  I though it was cool.

I love Rich's photo of #8 with the lone tree as a backdrop.  It's such a great aiming point.


Chuck Brown

  • Karma: +0/-0
My front yard is bright green right now even though it's fescue, and I have turned on the sprinklers exactly once this summer.

Yeah, exactly.  That is what I thought.  It's sort of hard to find any dried-out golf courses in Michigan this summer.

Jud_T

  • Karma: +0/-0
How long is the drive from Kingsley to Belvedere?
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

Richard Hetzel

  • Karma: +0/-0
I would guess 90 minutes tops.
Best Played So Far This Season:
Crystal Downs CC (MI), The Bridge (NY), Canterbury GC (OH), Lakota Links (CO), Montauk Downs (NY), Sedge Valley (WI)

Chuck Brown

  • Karma: +0/-0
I would guess 90 minutes tops.
Yes; that is correct.  90 minutes is about right.  It is, or can be, a very pretty drive, too, depending on how you go.

JC Jones

  • Karma: +0/-0
My front yard is bright green right now even though it's fescue, and I have turned on the sprinklers exactly once this summer.

Yeah, exactly.  That is what I thought.  It's sort of hard to find any dried-out golf courses in Michigan this summer.

I don't want to be accused of shouting anyone down so I'll just post this data and let it speak for itself:

Charlevoix received about 1.7" of rain in July.  That is 3 fewer inches than Traverse City and 2 fewer inches than normal. 

Chuck,

In the month I was in Charlevoix this summer, Belvedere was as soft and as green as I've ever seen it AND (the hyperbolic statement based on the amount of flower watering I had to do) we didn't get "an ounce" of rain.  Probably a poor choice of words but I was not expecting the phrase to be read as me insinuating a drought.

Interestingly, the greens at the Dunes Club were also dried out and the member was complaining about the complete lack of rain at the course.  It was his observation that although the area had received a ton of rain, it had all gone north of New Buffalo.  My observation was that most of the rain had stayed between Holland and Gaylord but the folks at Kingsley Club said they had thought the month was very dry until the 2" of rain they got on the 22nd and 23rd of July.  If their readings were right, it would appear the TC area was below average most of the month until the torrent hit those two days.

In any event, my yard in Charlevoix was not "green" during the month of July.  For what it is worth.....
I get it, you are mad at the world because you are an adult caddie and few people take you seriously.

Excellent spellers usually lack any vision or common sense.

I know plenty of courses that are in the red, and they are killing it.

Richard Hetzel

  • Karma: +0/-0
The back nine...



























Best Played So Far This Season:
Crystal Downs CC (MI), The Bridge (NY), Canterbury GC (OH), Lakota Links (CO), Montauk Downs (NY), Sedge Valley (WI)

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