Arcadia Bluffs - Pictures

[George Freeman]

I've played Arcadia Bluffs 4-5 times in the past few years and always seem to enjoy myself.  When I first played the course I had yet to be consumed by this site and golf course architecture "as a student" in general, but I always marveled at the actual courses more so than players and play as far back as I can remember.  Back then I thought Arcadia was the Crème de la Crème, mostly for the amazing views and the huge scope of the course and holes.  It was/is an experience that isn't easily copied, at least not in my experiences up to that point.  

Although my journey into learning about GCA has somewhat lessened my enthusiasm for Arcadia as being the one of the best courses I have played, I still think it is a solid course and more often than not will lead to an enjoyable day (excluding the greens fee), which is the whole point of this game as I understand.  There are some good holes to found on the course, but also a couple head scratchers.  I've read different things about what exactly was there, as far as the land goes, prior to the course being built and even though it is pretty obvious a lot of dirt was moved during construction, I feel the look of the course to be pretty neat, especially with the sun setting over Lake Michigan.  And from a completely non-GCA standpoint, being on the back porch of that clubhouse on a late summer evening with the sun setting and the shadows draped over the course is one of the best spots I can think of.

Some pictures:

4th hole - can't see the green from the tee, as it is behind the bunkers on the right.  Green has punchbowl characteristics.  I really like this hole.


A deep bunker guards the front right of the 4th green (pic taken from right of line of play)


View from the approach to the par 5 5th.  Balls must clear a waste area to reach this massive and wildly contoured green.


Par 3 6th, from behind


Medium length par 4 8th


Tough par 4 10th


Pic from left of the line of play


View from 18th tee


Roller coaster par 5 11th - tee shot (green is on the far left of the picture, down by the bluff edge).


11th green - pic taken from 18th tee (right of line of play)


Par 4 12th hugs the bluff.  Plenty of fairway to the right, behind the bunker.


Not a bad view


You are WAY up off the water, much higher than it looks in these pics.  The Bluff is 300 ft high I want to say (don't quote me).


Par 3 13th, over a chasm that cuts into the bluff


Par 4 14th



Uphill Par 5 15th


Par 4 16th - neat hole (not so neat of a pic)


Par 3 17th green


Par 4 18th with the spectacular clubhouse in the background



Randoms

[Ronald Montesano]

Arcadia is unique in that it comps no one...if you play at 2 or later, you pay $100, well worth the $$$.

[George Freeman]

I believe after 5-6 pm you can play as many as possible for around $50.  Also not a bad deal.

[Mac Plumart]

"Although my journey into learning about GCA has somewhat lessened my enthusiasm for Arcadia as being the one of the best courses I have played"

George...why?  It looks frickin' amazing to me.  Why isn't it as good as it looks?

[George Freeman]

"Although my journey into learning about GCA has somewhat lessened my enthusiasm for Arcadia as being the one of the best courses I have played"

George...why?  It looks frickin' amazing to me.  Why isn't it as good as it looks?

Mac,

I think there is a little of the "dumb blone w/ big t$ts" thing going on at Arcadia.  A lot of eye candy, but you're just not sure there is a whole lot going on behind the scenes (or as much as you would like).  Don't get me wrong, I didn't say it was a bad course, b/c it is far from that; it's just not "one of the best courses I have played" anymore.  The strategy, ambiguity, and attention to detail that you find in courses like Crystal Downs, Kingsley Club, Pac Dunes, Bandon Trails, etc just doesn't seem to be present with Arcadia.  I think the course shows you almost all of itself the first time or two you play, vs the courses previously mentioned whose intricacies take many loops to understand, notice, and appreciate.

On a different note, when are you coming to Chicago?  I owe you a round of golf! 

[Link Walsh]

I played it once years ago, and had a good time.  I thought the third hole (not pictured) was one of its better holes as well.  It's a par 5 with a nice skyline green.  The 5th hole to me looks like they got down towards the lake, decided they wanted to put a par 5 there and said, "Where can we go from here?  I know- 90 degrees directly to the left."

Whle some might not like the overly manufactured look of the "dunes", the course itself was solid.  I'd give it another shot if I was in the area (defintely at the twilight rate).

[Mac Plumart]

George...

That is right!  Downers Grove is on my must play list...I am hoping to get there next spring/summer.  Let's link up then.  Hell, maybe in Michigan...the whole state looks like an amazing place to play golf.

[Matt Dupre]

Arcadia Bluffs is beautiful - the panorama of the golf course (contrasts of greens and browns) and the lake is spectacular.  And tee to green I believe it's a great test - but as far as I'm concerned the greens are completely over the top - especially when you factor in the wind.

Last Saturday my son and I played Kingsley in the morning, had lunch on the porch, and then drove to Arcadia (the after 4:00 rate made it more palatable).  The differences in the green complexes were striking.  Each green at Kingsley seemed to fit it's hole, while I imagined that there was a contest between the shapers at Arcadia to see who could put more levels, front-to-back slope, and plateaus in their greens.  The uphill holes especially bugged me, because you really can't see where you have to hit it and more often than not you'd just be scratching your head when you got to the green.

I walked off 18 muttering that every green should be blown up, and that I had no desire to spend my money to play there any more.

I would, however, spend my money on dinner and cocktails on the deck around sunset - simply wonderful.

[John Moore II]

I believe after 5-6 pm you can play as many as possible for around $50.  Also not a bad deal.

And given how far north you are, it would be easy to complete 18 holes before dark if the course was somewhat open. Though from what I can see on the website, that $50 rate is listed for 9 holes only.


Ahhh...and all this moaning about the greens being crazy makes me want to play here even more. I like it when the greens get crazy.

[Matt Dupre]

John - there's a difference between crazy greens (I love Kingsley's and my course's are some of Flynn's best) and E-ticket rides at Disney World.  In my opinion, there's not much rhyme nor reason behind Arcadia's crazy.

[Ronald Montesano]

I've never understood the Arcadia bashing.  I will say that there are a few carries (specifically on one par five on the front) that a higher handicapper probably can't make...nothing that can't be cured with a drop zone on the other side of the hazard.

Wild greens?  Isn't that what Alwoodley, Ballyneal, Old Mac and The Old Course (among many) receive praise for on this site?  PLEASE, let's be consistent here.

Wind?  If there's no wind, there's no golf.  You handle wind like you handle sun, like you handle dry, like you handle cold, like you handle wet...YOU HANDLE IT.  If you don't know the shots, learn them.  As Grant Rogers of Bandon Dunes Resort likes to proclaim, "I practice until the wind comes up, then I go out and plan."

My sense is that certain denizens of this site have a terminal case of the Lake Michigan Blues, with Straits on one side and Bluffs on the other.  Gosh, I'm sorry that the soil isn't naturally sandy and that a faux links had to be created.

I also really take offense to the comment on blondes and breasts...it takes a small mind to make an insulting remark like that.  George, I'm calling you out.  I think that you are limited in what you see/saw at Arcadia; I don't believe that it reveals everything at first blush.  I don't think that you can defend your aberrant calumny.  Arcadia Bluffs is worth the drive, worth the play, worth the photos and worth a return.

[Ronald Montesano]

Now that I've re-read George's original post on the course, I'm baffled as to how the second commentary can follow the first.  When I played Arcadia, I went round hitting the ball in the air.  There are two forced carries that I recall, the aforementioned par five third shot and the back nine, par three at water's edge.  I wasn't enamored of the latter hole, but I was fine with the former.

If I were to return one day to Arcadia, I would most definitely maneuver the ball much more along the ground.  I would hit more runners, more bunt drivers, more wind cheaters, whether the wind was up or not.  Arcadia plays firm and fast, as I like it, allowing for the play and release to the front of the green.  It is absolutely a worthwhile course and, at $100 at 2 pm, you'll have plenty of time to finish and still enjoy the sumptuous meals described herein.

[Brent Carlson]

Arcadia Bluffs is a joy to play.  There are not many courses with that great of a view.  Sure it would have been great to see one of our esteemed minimalist architects get a crack at that property, but the archy did a nice job.  The course is very very enjoyable.  It makes my top 15.

[Joel_Stewart]

What ever happened to Warren Henderson, the architect.  I believe he moved to Florida and never really did anything after Arcadia Bluffs.   

[George Freeman]

I also really take offense to the comment on blondes and breasts...it takes a small mind to make an insulting remark like that.  George, I'm calling you out.  I think that you are limited in what you see/saw at Arcadia; I don't believe that it reveals everything at first blush.  I don't think that you can defend your aberrant calumny.  Arcadia Bluffs is worth the drive, worth the play, worth the photos and worth a return.

Ronald, easy killer.  Let's take a step back before we start using big fancy words (small mind, not I!) and throwing out insults capriciously (needed the dictionary for that one)...

A) In no way did I once say Arcadia Bluffs was a bad golf course.  Quite the contrary, actually.  My statement was that I no longer believe it is "one of the best courses I have played," which I did at one point. 

B) The blonde comment was supposed to serve as analogy, my apologies if you thought it out of taste (I even made it PG rated w/ the "$").  My point was that Arcadia, IMO (all important), is the type of course with a lot of eye candy and big, in your face features in the form of huge man-made hills/dunes, large man-made waste areas, big greens with lots of (man-made) tier-ing, etc.  Of course you'll learn more about the course during your second and third round.  That is the case with 100% of the courses on this planet.  But, IMO, the possibilities, knowledge, intrigue, and ambiguity at Arcadia plateau relatively quickly.  Compare that to a course like the Kingsley Club, which due to a majority of the features having been created by glaciers and wind and racoons and God knows what else, the possibilities, intrigue, options and knowledge appear to be limitless.

[JC Jones]

Ron M,

I find George's analogy to be spot on.  At first glance the place is beautiful but, upon further analysis, it is lacking in substance.  Take a look at the fairways and how they completely differentiate themselves from the surrounding (manufactured) dunes.  You have all of these fake choppy dunes and then smooth, subtle, rolling fairways.  It is like the golf holes were shaped completely independent of the surrounds. 

Take a look at the pictures of the 10th green and the 14th fairway as examples 1 and 1a.  The picture of the 10th shows the choppy dunes in the foreground, then the smooth and subtle roll of the fairway and green, set against the backdrop of completely choppy dunes.  There is nothing wrong with manufactured so long as it looks natural.  Nothing about Arcadia looks natural.

The lake sure is beautiful though but for my money, I'll go play Kingsley and then sit on my deck to watch the sunset over Lake Michigan.

[Doug Ralston]

No clue what Matt is referring to. Those greens where a blast. Hard? Yes! The course has that very high slope for reasons, and the greens are certainly one of them. The whole course was great. I am a poor man and rarely would pay this much for my golf. But I sure would again at Arcadia. Of those courses in Michigan I have played, I only MIGHT rate Greywalls higher. Play it and judge for yourself.

[Anthony_Nysse]

What ever happened to Warren Henderson, the architect.  I believe he moved to Florida and never really did anything after Arcadia Bluffs.   

Joel,
  I had Warren as my guest at Long Cove about 2 years ago. At that time, he was living in Jupiter, working for Nick Price Designs overseas on several different projects. He recently did the bunker work at Cary's course, Admirals Cove (Village Course) where poster, Shannon Wheeler is the Superintendent.

[Scott Warren]

Wild greens?  Isn't that what Alwoodley, Ballyneal, Old Mac and The Old Course (among many) receive praise for on this site?  PLEASE, let's be consistent here.

You seem to have been led astray re: Alwoodley (I seem to recall it was you who made a similar comment last week about the greens there). It has pretty sedate greens typical of heathland golf from the sample I have played.

Or have you played Alwoodley and you found the greens to be severe?

[Jerry Kluger]

Ron: What is so unusual about not comping anyone - is that a required feature of the course in order for it to be considered well done architecturally? 

[Tony Weiler]

"Although my journey into learning about GCA has somewhat lessened my enthusiasm for Arcadia as being the one of the best courses I have played"

George...why?  It looks frickin' amazing to me.  Why isn't it as good as it looks?

I'm with you, Mac, the pictures make it look amazing.  I'd love to play it.

[George Freeman]

"Although my journey into learning about GCA has somewhat lessened my enthusiasm for Arcadia as being the one of the best courses I have played"

George...why?  It looks frickin' amazing to me.  Why isn't it as good as it looks?

I'm with you, Mac, the pictures make it look amazing.  I'd love to play it.

Tony,

Arcadia Bluffs is well worth a visit.  Make sure you're there at sunset.

[Bill Seitz]

I was either fortunate or unfortunate to catch AB on a perfect day with absolutely no wind.  Fortunate in that it really made it easier to score, but unfortunate in that I'm not sure it was how it was meant to be played.  The wind, I'd imagine, is a primary defense mechanism, and without it, I think the course was fairly easy.  That said, I was hitting it pretty well that day, and those greens probably contribute their fair share of defense if you're putting from the wrong side most of the day. 

To this day, it's probably the most scenic course I've every played.  There's really not a spot on the course without great views, except maybe the 8th green/9th tee.  I got a kick out of the small flags, too, which really could mess with one's sense of perspective if not for caddies or yardage markers.  I seem to remember the flagsticks being about four feet, presumably to keep them from being beat up by the wind.  I'd love to get back up there to play sometime. 

[Jeff Tang]

I was either fortunate or unfortunate to catch AB on a perfect day with absolutely no wind.  Fortunate in that it really made it easier to score, but unfortunate in that I'm not sure it was how it was meant to be played.  The wind, I'd imagine, is a primary defense mechanism, and without it, I think the course was fairly easy.  That said, I was hitting it pretty well that day, and those greens probably contribute their fair share of defense if you're putting from the wrong side most of the day. 

To this day, it's probably the most scenic course I've every played.  There's really not a spot on the course without great views, except maybe the 8th green/9th tee.  I got a kick out of the small flags, too, which really could mess with one's sense of perspective if not for caddies or yardage markers.  I seem to remember the flagsticks being about four feet, presumably to keep them from being beat up by the wind.  I'd love to get back up there to play sometime. 

Count me as one who has had a great time each time at AB.  I've been there three times I believe, and played the course probably 4-5 times.  Each time there has never been more than a breath of wind, which I thought was strange.  Does it ever really get windy at this course?  It's kind of comical to see these short, stout wooden flagsticks on the greens presumably designed to withstand 40+ mile an hour howling winds and then see the flag just completely limp.

As for the course itself I think it's a blast to play, a lot of fun holes.  I think it would be better if they kept it a little firmer.  The greens are designed so that you can use the slopes, but I found that run up shots don't really work so much except on a couple of holes.  Slow play seems to be a problem there, and the greens fees are up there, but aside from that I don't really have anything to complain about the course.  I'd love to get back, but the distance from Chicago and the price makes it tough to do.

[Dean Stokes]

Great looking course but why leave 3 feet of rough around the bunkers?

Apart from anything else it looks awful but the area around the pot bunker in several of the photos should be mowed at fairway height so the ball can run in the hazard....I see this on so many photographs on this site and it winds me up everytime.