Having been to Sand Valley twice in the last year, all I'd offer is that the "scraggly" trees may be "ugly" (though I find it hard to dismiss any living thing out of hand on aesthetics...call me a hippie) in photos, but they are a part of the unique landscape that the course and resort occupy. I think if the look of some of the trees keeps someone from visiting, I'd suggest that person may be assigning too much significance to those trees re: the total experience.