College Fields and Lansing, MI Golf

[Peter Pratt]

The Lansing area has another winner to go with CC of Lansing (Langford), Walnut Hills (DeVries reworked the bunkers a few years ago), Eagle Eye (a wild, fun ride, over the top at times, but with some great holes), Timber Ridge, and Hawk Hollow (two good Jerry Matthews designs).

College Fields had a difficult birth, and it's only 6300 yards (par 70) from the tips, but it's a very good layout with some terrific greensites. Designed by several folks, I understand, including David Savic (sp?) and Tom Mead. Includes a biarritz (#17). I walked it this weekend for $25. Just fun golf. Though there are some average holes on the front, the greensites repay additional plays. In time, I'm told, it'll be firm and fast.

[Brian Cenci]

I've had a lot of involvment with this course through my work....it has taken some time to get going.  I played it twice last year....good track...not all the holes were open though, are all of them open now.

Also, Eagle Eye being over the top?  I've played all over the U.S. on some great tracks and Eagle Eye is a top 100 public play always, simply a great course.

[Brian Cenci]

Also, you forgot to mention the great lansing muni track known as the Red Cedar golf course.  Simply a stunning course layed out over 50 acres of non-rolling floodplain

But seriously, where is Akers - West in your Lansing golf course list?  Should deserve some mention.

[David Neveux]

IMHO after nearly 15 rounds I never really find Eagle Eye to be over the top (unless one plays the tips @ 7300) extremely challenging (especially when the wind is blowing) absolutely!!  I find it to be one of the courses that I actually get really excited to play over and over.  I promise to post some pictures soon.  Timber Ridge is another great track, and I must ECHO Cenci's sentiments on West, which I find to be a good golf course at a great value.  

Peter - Does College Fields play that short?  Also is it easily walkable like a Timber Ridge or Akers West?

[Peter Pratt]

Brian,

I'm not a big fan of Forest Akers (West). It's a big, tough golf course that always plays longer than the yardage, but I love only 3-4 holes on it, find many of the rest average, and am driven to distraction by a few with wasp-waisted fairways.

[Peter Pratt]

David,

CF is very easy to walk.

[Peter Pratt]

Brian,

It plays a little longer, though that may change by midsummer. As with many par 70 courses, it has a great variety of par 4s: three very long, three under 360. The greensite for the short par-5 18th is tremendous, with an elevated ridge cutting diagonally across the right side to the front of the green. Miss it right and you have a very difficult, blind pitch.

[Glenn Spencer]

I have not played there since the re-desing and the lengthening of the MSU course, but I really, really liked it for  a college golf course when I first played it. I thought it was on par with the OSU Scarlet at the time, it may have been even better.

[Jim Nugent]

I played the old Akers course in the 1970's, before renovation.  Real interested to hear how the course has changed.  

Looks like the new course keeps the routing for at least some of the old holes.  Did they move the start of the course, around to where 14 used to be?  Is the course pretty unrecognizable from what used to be there?

BTW, the renovation was done by Arthur Hills.  He apparently is an MSU alumnus.  So I wonder if maybe he DID do this one for free?  

[Jfaspen]

Is college fields the course that's been under development on hagadorn?

Also, I enjoy West for the test.. The $30 w/cart deal they have on weekends after 4pm during the summer is tough to beat.  I'd love to see an MSU outing or something this summer  Even though I never shoot well on West.

Also looking forward to hitting eagle eye for the first time one of these days.

jf

[Peter Pratt]

Yes, Jeff, it's the course on Hagadorn between Bennett and Jolly. CF's rates are even better than Forest Akers'.

[Jim Nugent]

This may be of interest to a very limited number of people here, but I think I have figured out how the old Akers course was re-routed to make the current course.  

Hole by hole:

1.  The old number 15 (if so, a pretty tough starting hole)
2.  Number 16
3.  Number 17
4.  Number 18, but converted from longish par 3 to short par 4.  
5.  Number 10
6.  Number 11
7.  Number 12
8.  Number 13
9.  New

10.  New
11.  Old number 7
12.  Number 8
13.  Number 9
14.  Number 1
15.  Number 2
16.  Number 3
17.  Number 4
18.  New

I felt the old course was pretty good, but not close to great.  Maybe a Doak 4.  Clubhouse used to be across the street from the east course starter, near the tees of what are now numbers 5 and 14.    

[Peter Pratt]

Jim,

You're very close. The current #18 is the old #5, a tough dogleg left uphill over a pond. #9 and #10 are new par 3s. The new ordering of the holes means that you play all 4 par 3s in the space of 6 holes (7, 9, 10, 12). Very odd. The new #1 (the old #15) requires a healthy hook off the tee to reach the blind fairway. It's one of 3-4 holes I find wacky in the new design.

[Jim Nugent]

Peter, I remember that blind tee shot on number 1 (old number 15).  Did there used to be a bell there, to alert groups on the tee it was safe to hit?  I also thought you could hit over the trees and shorten the hole a lot without hooking.  

How does the course overall compare today with the old course?  I take it Hills changed more than just the routing.    

[Peter Pratt]

Jim,

I like parts more and other parts less. The two new par 3s are pretty good. The new #8--the old #13, along US 127--is, to my mind, one of the best par 5s in the state now, with a challenging third shot to a green set at a diagonal to the fairway. On the other hand, he has hideously pinched the fairways of the old #2 and #9 with fairway bunkers that only big hitters can carry. They just look and feel funky. The old #8 is just as long a par 3, but the remolding has made it essentially all carry.

In the end, it just has too many average holes for my taste. I'll play College Fields, Eagle Eye, Timber Ridge, and Hawk Hollow before Forest Akers--no question.

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

I was told when I was going to MSU that Forest Acres was the only Big-10 course which Jack Nicklaus didn't par while playing for OSU.  Can't vouch for the story, though, as I crammed a 4-year degree into 6 years there and a lot of things were a little fuzzy...  

[Peter Pratt]

Mike,

It always seems to play wet and slow, which adds to its difficulty for me. (Odd, too, that MSU, deservedly well known for its agronomy program, has courses that are not in terrific shape). It's not as tough as the Ocean Course, even on a calm day!!!

[Jim Nugent]

I was told when I was going to MSU that Forest Acres was the only Big-10 course which Jack Nicklaus didn't par while playing for OSU.  Can't vouch for the story, though, as I crammed a 4-year degree into 6 years there and a lot of things were a little fuzzy...  

While I don't know, that would amaze me.  Plenty of MSU golfers in the early 1970's shot par or better there.  I shot 74 last time I played, around 1974, and that was in work boots. The course just wasn't so hard that it would give Jack trouble -- unless perhaps he played it in hurricane-like winds.