I was able to get in a round in the last few days at Arcadia Bluffs and having played the course about 10 times its truly something special. The greens today were lighting fast and I was amazed how fast and pure the ball rolled in the middle of April.....Amazing Condition right now! I know this course has taken a beating on this forum but I still find it to be a riot every time I play it.
For those that know the course well its probably fair to say that 3 of the more notable holes (probably the 3 best) are holes 11, 12, and 13. which all play right along Lake Michigan. When we arrived at hole 12 today (par 4 that runs horizontal to the lake) there was a crew of about 8 maintenance guys working on it in various areas. We stopped and chatted with them because we had the course to ourselves and they explained that the severe erosion that the Great Lakes experienced last year had taken its toll on Arcadia's coastline. Hole 12 was really the big worry at the resort that they may lose the green due to erosion. They have made a second green about 250 yards towards the clubhouse which would totally change the hole and make it far less appealing that how it currently sits. There was no plan to shut down hole 12 but its fair to say that the course is very close to having major issues if the big lake continues to increase at the record levels of last year.
Have other courses had major erosion issues that are on the coast? If so what ones and can anything really be done to stop mother nature. I know there were quite a few houses on Lake Michigan that were swallowed up and I am guessing that things like this really cannot be prevented if water levels stay high.
The good news is that Lake Michigan is down so far this year but as I looked down the coast I was amazed at how high the water still was. I can only imagine the impact it could have on Arcadia with high water levels.
I also noticed that on hole 11 there was not a massive mesh orange fence on the edge of the green as you can see that erosion has def come close to having issues on this hole as well. A lot of trees below were now laying all over the place and it was very different than what it looked like 2 years ago. There has always been a fence there but this one is different. Does anyone have any info on this?
Hole 13 would have to be a concern as well if water levels continued to rise. Luckily they are going down so I am happy for Arcadia as both the Bluffs and South course are must plays and two of the best courses in the midwest.
So I think things will be ok assuming the lake levels continue to go down but if we had a few summers like the one we had last year Arcadia may be in jeopardy of losing some of its best holes. I thought it was worth a share