As I mentioned in Brad's Kingsley Club thread, I just finished a 7 day drive around Lake Michigan with stops along the way to play golf. I'm going to list my itinerary below and would appreciate any feedback on additional stops along the way. I apologize for the lack of photos, I've tried taking photos before but end up either leaving my camera on a tee box or am so awed by a course I plain forget to snap away.
Day 1 - Before getting on the road I played the Warren Course as a warmup round. Not much to add to previous discussions, other than the course gets more fun every time I play it.
Day 2 - Drive from South Bend to north of Grand Rapids to play Tullymore. Considered a round at Pilgrims Run, but wanted to compare the Engh course to the two others I've played, Lakota Canyon and Blackstone. The course was in immaculate shape (although a little lush for my tastes), and once you've reached the 8th hole the options off the tee start to open up and strategy becomes more important. I enjoyed the par 5's the most, especially 8, 16 and 18.
Days 3 and 4 - Arrive at Kingsley for two days of 36 with the GCA crew. See Brad's thread for full commentary.
Day 5 - Drove to Charlevoix the night before and secured an early tee time at Belvedere. The staff at Belvedere was great, setting me up with a back nine start to avoid the early morning rush. Played in less than 2 and 1/2 by myself and had enough time to drive up to Marquette for a 3:30 tee off. The drive to and on the UP is breathtaking, with views of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior along the way (its a quick drive on those roads when you're averaging 90). While I was crossing the Mac Bridge, the Chicago to Mac sailing fleet was passing through the strait. Quite a sight to see the boats making their way along the last leg of the race. Greywalls is the type of place that pictures will never do justice. The elevation changes are immense. The course played the fastest of any on the trip and watching a golf ball follow the twists and turns of the fairways was exhilarating.
Day 6 - After a night in Marquette, the folks at Greywalls let me sneak out before the first tee time for a morning round. With the sun rising over Lake Superior I teed it up on No. 1 and didn't see a soul (excluding a few of the grounds crew) until finishing my round. The course was more fun the second time around, and I tried some shots I wouldn't have thought about without having seen the course the previous day. Favorite holes - 1 (tough green to hold), 2 (great contours and love the kick plate left of the green), 4 (options off the tee), 5 and 6 (unbelievable vision to carve those holes out), 7 (one of my favorite par 4's anywhere), 11 (tough as new rope), 14 (a ground game hole) and 18 (bombs away and judge your second shot distance correctly gives you a easy birdie chance after a very tough round). Had to tear myself away from the course to start the drive to Green Lake and a late afternoon round at Lawsonia. Would probably have enjoyed the course more if it wasn't playing so soft. The contouring, bunkering and layout are great, but it was hard to take full advantage of the design when drives would check up on kickplates and approach shots wouldn't release onto the greens. I'll save my full judgment of the course until after another play, but for now it was near the bottom of the group of courses I played.
Day 7 - Opted to drive to Milwaukee the night before instead of staying for a second round at Lawsonia. Played Shepherd's Crook as a swan song mid morning (probably my 30th round there this year). After 4 straight days of 36 and numerous hours behind the wheel, the back was happy to see a relaxing round on an empty track. The Crook also gets the award for cheapest pro shop when you're in need of a clean golf shirt and cutest cart girl.
Ranking/No. of Holes Played/Beer Ordered Post Round:
1(tie). Greywalls/36/Labatts Blue - Kingsley/72/Bells Oberon
3. Tullymore/18/Coors Light
4. Belvedere/18/Molson Canadian
5. Warren Course/18/Guinness
6. Lawsonia/18/Clubhouse Bar Closed (in retrospect, this may have seriously affected the ranking, was looking forward to a Spotted Cow)
7. Shepherd's Crook (but no. 1 in my heart)/18/Bud Light
Please add any additions or subtractions you'd make to this list. Looking forward to hear some thoughts from others who have done the same tour.