I am impressed with Devries' efforts for historical accuracy. It would have been tempting to restore a protoypical MacKenzie bunkering, with the flashy capes and bays, but it wouldn't have been accurate.

For whatever reason (prehaps the nature of the soil) MacKenzie utilized these broken edge bunkers at Meadow Club...completely unique--as far as I'm aware--to the MacKenzie portfolio.

I'm fortunate to have worked with Mike in his office on some stuff relative to his work at Meadow C., and I can attest his work there is 100% faithful to historic photos of the course.

The accurate replication of those bunkers at Meadow C. is remarkable. Amazing in some cases, really. It's some of the best restoration work done in recent years, by far.

If only the club would let Mike cut trees, the "meadow" could truly be restored.

George:

Mike's new course at Marquette G&CC in the upper peninsula, Michigan will opened late summer 2005. It's called Greywalls.

He's also building a new public-access course near Grand Rapids right now, called The Mines. It probably won't open until 2006, I guess.

Brian,
   Since I didn't see a smiley after your question, I'll assume you were being serious.

   I would guess that the playing season there is easily 5 months for an average year (maybe more).  My wife and I went up to backpack in the Porcupine Mountains in the UP in the fall in early October, and the weather was a little damp, but easily playable.  Its a beautiful part of the country that most folks simply don't know exists.

Cheers,
Brad Swanson

Jim,

The Meadow Club is in Fairfax (Marin County), CA. It is about 7 miles west of San Rafael.

DT

The bunkers may be atypical, but the look of the holes and how they fit on the landscape is pure and beauteous MacKenzie!  I caddied there as a kid not knowing a damned thing about MacKenzie, just that the course was a whole lot more interesting than my home course.  I got a real flashback seeing that 17th hole and the hillside to the right.  You walk back to the tee from the 16th green, so the caddies give the players their drivers and then walk down by that tree and stand on the hillside to follow the tee shots.  They really should have issued hard hats to the caddies, because that spot was right in the LZ for the club's slicers!  

The bunkers may be atypical, but the look of the holes and how they fit on the landscape is pure and beauteous MacKenzie!  I caddied there as a kid not knowing a damned thing about MacKenzie, just that the course was a whole lot more interesting than my home course.  I got a real flashback seeing that 17th hole and the hillside to the right.  You walk back to the tee from the 16th green, so the caddies give the players their drivers and then walk down by that tree and stand on the hillside to follow the tee shots.  They really should have issued hard hats to the caddies, because that spot was right in the LZ for the club's slicers!  

An aside, the trees on the 17th aren't as in play as much as the picture above might lead you to believe.  Sure, it would be better if they trimmed them back a bit, but it isn't too bad.

That green is something else!  A swale not as great as 16 at Pasa, but getting from the front to the back is quite a challenge!

IMO, the only "negative" at all about Meadow Club is the wall to wall cart paths.

Why on earth would you use old pictures to restore the bunkers?
Sincerely,
The University of Michigan restoration crew

Are those rock out-croppings to the right of 18?

If so, Da mayor may need to take notice.

Michael et al,

Thanks for the interest.  I just got back from Meadow last night, where we finished up the work for this year.  Next year, we have holes 7, 13, and 15 to complete the course.  After that, I hope to look more closely at adding some additional tee options that have been postponed these past few years and work on the trees (not an easy subject at any club!).

As noted above, the bunker aesthetic is quite different from other MacKenzie work -- I don't know why it is, but we are very accurate in our renditions from the photos we have.  The green contours are as they were in 1927, all we have done is re-establish them to their original margins -- they are very fun to play.  The 3rd green, which we did earlier this year, is the only surface that had been altered over the years and we had to rebuild the entire putting surface due to agronomic reasons.

Greywalls in Marquette, MI, will be opening to limited play in October this fall and full opening in the spring of 2005.  Mines GC in Grand Rapids, MI, will open in summer of 2005, as Joe said.

Good golfing!

Mike

PS  Yes, there are rock outcroppings from small to large around the golf course.  The most prominent is the "Rock" at the beverage station in the center of the property, near the 6th and 12th greens; 7th, 13th, and 16th tees.