We arrived at Treetops Resort on a Saturday morning, with a noon tee time on the Fazio Premier course. We were playing all five of the Treetops golf courses, but the Fazio-designed Premier (only Fazio course in Michigan) fit into our schedule the best, so it was first on the list, setting the standard for what we sere to expect from the other courses.
It opens with a dramatic, downhill par 4. In fact, now that I think about it, so do all 4 of the 18-hole layouts at Treetops; interesting. I decided to play the Blacks, which were a little longer than I was accustomed to (6,832 yards), but the blues were only 6,302, so what the heck, right?
Anyway, this first hole was stellar. It played to 431 yards, and all downhill, to a reasonably-sized green (which were in great shape all around).
Oddly, my tee shot landed in what I think may have been the only ground-under-repair on the whole course. No bother, although my second shot, with the downhill lie, was more of a push than a shot giving me a 5 on the opener. Not great, but I was satisfied.
The fourth is another downhill shot, but this one is a par 3. On this tee there was a woman collecting money for Junior Golf. If you hit a hole-in-one you got $2,000, or something like that. We liked her, so we donated (I think it was $20 for both of us), and no, we didn’t get a hole-in-one, but that’s OK too.
Also, she was the first person we’d seen on the course, and we were on the fourth hole. That’s another great thing about Michigan golf, and specifically Treetops in August. It seems most will either come early summer, or fall (for the color change of the trees), leaving August wide open. We had a noon tee time on Saturday on the only Tom Fazio course in the state, and didn’t see another person after the starter until the 4th hole. I love Michigan golf!
Between the fourth and fifth green were the on-course restrooms. Throughout Treetops, there were ample, nice, reasonably clean restrooms on every course. Although this is expected for resort courses, it’s still nice to see, and they were much appreciated. Here are a couple of shots.
Number seven is an easy favorite for this Fazio layout. If you’re playing from the Blacks, you’re in for a hike. Believe it or not, I got to the top, and realized I didn’t have a tee! Got my exercise on this one for sure.
Once you’re on the tee box, you’re really in for a dramatic view, and a dramatic tee shot. If you fade, there’s tons of room for trouble. If you draw, it isn’t too bad, but the slope can really play tricks on you. Check out the view and imagine your ball flight.
If you land in the fairway (big if), your approach is severely uphill. What a great hole! Here’s a shot looking back from the green. Really impressive.
The eighth is another downhill par 3, but it’s even more of a drop than the fourth hole. In addition, the wind is really in play here. My only suggestion is to play as safe as you can, and just try to hit the green. No room for being a hero here.
The ninth is probably one of the most difficult holes (at least for me) at the entire resort. The tee shot plays to a relatively thin fairway, where as the approach is uphill and almost blind. My tee shot was a pop-up, causing it to plug in the fairway (hey, at least I hit the fairway). Here’s a photo of the tee shot:
And the approach is even tougher. If you look at the next image in full view, you just might be able to see the flag. It’s left of the bunkers on the right. This is a doozie; hope for par but be happy with bogey.
The tenth tee has a phone for ordering ahead for a burger or brat. We ordered one of each, and although they could have been good, they were both undercooked (we didn’t run into this at the other courses, so it may have been the person working there.) Again, the restrooms were very clean.
Playing from the Blacks, the 11th tee is right in front of the halfway house (although it’s called the 11/18 House; get it?) It’s a 195 yard par three, with water to the right. Again, my suggestion is to play these par three’s as safely as you can. A par or bogey is a good score, but it is very easy (especially here, with the water) to make a much bigger number.
The thirteenth is a par 4 with a wonderful approach. The hole turns slightly to the left, so I decided to try to cut a little off the corner, and landed in the fairway, although on the left edge of it. My approach was nice and tight, over some interesting bunkers. I think even if I were right off the tee, these bunkers could’ve still come into play. Really interesting bunker design here.
The fourteenth is a meaty par 4, measuring 451 from the tips. The tee shot is over a hill, so there are signs to wait for the “ringing of the bellâ€.
Oddly, the group in front of us didn’t ring it, for whatever reason. Luckily, we didn’t hit them but honestly, a great tee shot left me about 190 in, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.
It’s kind of funny, this golf thing. This hole is rated as the #1 handicap hole, and I parred it. I’ll play the #17 or #18 handicap holes and double them, but for some reason I play the really hard holes well. What’s up with that? Leave your arm-chair psychology in the comments.
The fifteenth is a short, dogleg right, but the characteristic I want to point out is the size of the green. It is a monster! Pay attention to where the pin is here, because it could be 20-30 yards difference, easily. Here is a picture of just the green. The pin is in the front, but note how the green gets a little thin as it goes downhill, then gets fat again. This is a huge difference, so be prepared.
The tee shot on 16 is another one of those downhill, “I can hit the ball a mile†shots, so go for it! It’s a par 5, and there’s a ton of room on this one.
The finishing hole was probably the toughest finishing hole at the resort. It plays 471 yards from the tips, which is a U.S. Open length par 4. This is what my tee shot looked like.
There is a ton of trouble up the entire left side of this hole, so the safe play is to hit it out to the right. I knew, even with a perfect tee shot, that I’d probably be left with > 200 yards for a second (into a double-tiered and well-guarded green), so I decided to play it like a par 5. The tee shot was good, leaving me about 220-230 to the green.
I then hit wedge, wedge and finished with a bogey (and a respectable-for-me 92), but I had to get a picture of the bunkering on the left side of the green. If you look at this picture in a larger size, you can see the flag on the right side, where there is a large gap between the trees.
After playing all five of the courses at Treetops, the Fazio Premier is either #1 or #2 for me (it may be a tie, but we’ll save that for another blog post). I enjoyed the dramatic elevation changes, the flow of the design, and the solitude we experienced through most of the front 9. The weather was perfect, and I couldn’t have asked for a better beginning to our vacation at Treetops.
Visit my Flickr page for more Fazio Premier Golf at Treetops pictures and photos.
Other Michigan Golf Course Reviews:
Threetops Par 3, Treetops Resort, Gaylord, Michigan
Jones Masterpiece, Treetops Resort, Gaylord, Michigan
Rick Smith Signature, Treetops Resort, Gaylord, Michigan
Heather Golf Course, Boyne Highlands, Harbor Springs, Michigan
Bay Harbor Golf Club, Bay Harbor, Michigan
The Heathlands, Onekama, Michigan
Canthooke Valley, Manistee National Golf & Resort, Manistee, Michigan
Hemlock Golf Club, Ludington, Michigan
Arcadia Bluffs Golf Course, Arcadia, Michigan
Arthur Hills Golf Course, Boyne Highlands, Harbor Springs, Michigan
The Bear Golf Course, Grand Traverse Resort, Acme, Michigan
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