Belvedere

[Peter Pratt]

Nice piece on Hepner's work at Belvedere.


http://digitalmag.globalgolfpost.com/20170710/GAM#&pageSet=13&page=0&contentItem=0

[Peter Pratt]

Has anyone played the course since it reopened a few weeks ago?

[BCowan]

Has anyone played the course since it reopened a few weeks ago?

Thanks for posting.  I plan to play it next week. 

[Daryl David]

Has anyone played the course since it reopened a few weeks ago?

Played Belevere in early June.  Since it was my first trip around, I could not compare the restoration work to the prior state, but had most of the changes pointed out to me. There was one bunker left to finish on the back side and one new teeing area being built, but other than that the work is completed.  The course was in excellent shape for early season.  It was mentioned to me that Bruce was able to use the original William Watson plans that had been found accidentally in a building being demolished in town.  Luckily someone thought the club might be interested in them and handed them over before they went in the dumpster.

[Stewart Abramson]

I played Belvedere the last week of June. Highly recommend it. It was my first visit so can't provide a before and after comparison. It's a nice property as you can see from the following photos. It's a fun opening shot from an elevated tee down to the flat where you stay until the approach to the sixth hole where you start to work your way back uphill toward the clubhouse. It's a relatively easy walk, but you do have to cross a road and there's one hole with a steep drop and windy path on the back 9. It's been dry in MI and the course was firm. I really liked holes 6-9. The back 9, located across the road also has some cool holes. I've only uploaded photos of the front nine and will try to add the back 9 in a few days. Here's a link to more photos of Belevedere.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/albums/72157686019227626 


I was on an 8 day trip, playing 13 rounds. Here's a link to pix I've uploaded to date of the other Mich courses we played: [size=78%]https://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/collections/72157683530589050/[/size][/size]


One of the guys in the group caddied for Chuck Kocis at the end of his career in the late 60's and early 70's. It was cool to see his name on the wall in the Belvedere pro shop as Mich Am Champ


 
Belvedere #1 from elevated tee 668



Belvedere #3 left greenside bunker 678



Belvedere #5 par 5  hazard crosses fairway 683



Belvedere #6 short of green 688



Belvedere #7 from tee 689



Belvedere #9 s par 5 approach 698

[JC Jones]

I've been fortunate to play Belvedere for a couple of decades now and the green expansion and new strategies are a much welcomed addition.  The club, of course, has a long way to go to achieve the masterpiece depicted in the 1938 aerial (starting with removing about 5k trees  [size=0pt])[/size] but any progress is good progress.

It is a tremendous golf course and Marty, the pro, is the perfect shepherd for what has long been one of my favorite places (especially on a summer night  [size=0pt])[/size].

[Tom Hooker]

I played a couple times the 3rd week of June and posted about it in an old thread on here.


To reiterate, the green expansions are wonderful, and the green complexes are clearly some of the best in Michigan now, if they weren't already. I was told they still have another year until they settle in fully, and the dry conditions in Northern Michigan in June had clearly taken a bit of a toll on the course (and others in the area) when I saw it.


Also, #4 - the long par 3 - is now a significantly better hole with the old greenside bunker removed.

[BCowan]

  I agree with everyone about how much better the reclaiming has done with the course.  Especially the 13th, that green really shines now.


I would love to see 5,000 trees removed as well, I'd just worry that it would get so good, more folks would play it and i couldn't enjoy the 3hr round I had today.  It was so good, I'm heading back tomrw morning.