Sanctuary Lake Golf Course is located in Troy, Michigan and is a beautiful layout that is carved out from a piece of property where no piece of land is wasted in this 2004 design. Here is the skinny on the course.
Par 71 6554 yards from the black- 6123 yards from the blue - 4746 yards from the white
Sanctuary Lake is carved out from marshlands and swamps and this nearly 6,600 (6554) yard layout.
The first and tenth holes are atop a huge hill overlooking the entire course. The pictures above give you an idea but do not give the view justice as they are refreshing to see the layout and what awaits you during the round.
The landing area of your tee shot on the first hole (I played from the blues) is wide. The entire course plays at 6123 yards. You have four tee choices to play your round. While there is serious trouble on most holes, not land your tee shot on the fairway means you have brought the trouble on yourself. The fairways are wide and better players can steer their driver out of trouble. Today though, the wind was over 20 miles per hour so anything less than a solid shot will bring in the heather or marsh. This 402 yard par four is a good test of golf. Your second shot should be a mid iron and I recommend you aim for the fat part of the green. The greens rolled pretty true but are sloped so think your putts through or you will be saving two putts all day.
Now for the adventure. Most of the time scorecards are used for…. keeping score. At Sanctuary Lake, you must refer to it constantly as the signs are confusing marking the course if you have not played it before. I felt more than once that Shemp or Larry were directing me around the course and I overshot the holes with my cart and without anyone in front of me to see where I had to tee off. I was guessing at times. You would drive to a hole and the sign was facing the tee and not the cart path so you had to get out of your cart to figure it out.
The par five third hole is a 477 yard par five and is a dog leg to the left. You will shoot over a marsh and it is not in play for even decent hitters. Sky one though and you will revisit your golf bag. The landing area is wide and you can hit the green in two with two solid shots. There are multiple bunkers guarding the green so ye’ be warned.
The fifth hole is the first par three of the day and plays 190 from the blacks, 170 from the blues and forward tees start at 138 yards. There is a marsh guarding this hole to the right and there is a slope that will affect your putts pretty much wherever you hit it. Because Sanctuary Lake features six par four holes that are 400+ yards, you really need to take advantage of this hole. A par is very fair and perhaps a bogey for the golf duffer many of us are, but after that you will certainly lose a shot or two to the field.
The seventh hole is also a short hole (only 133 yards from the blacks and 96 yards for the ladies) and slopes downhill. Bunkers guard the hole on both sides and a half a club too much will leave you looking for your golf ball in the heather which slopes away from this hole. The green is big so you can easily hit it but hit it in the wrong place and your poorly placed tee shot (on the green) will leave you with a four instead of a birdie or par attempt. I got a par here putting a sidewinder. My putt did not break the way I thought it would and I had a testy four footer from the left side. No, I did not leave it short. J
The eighth hole is a treasure of beauty. You will drive the cart up a hill and from the black (415 yards) and the blue (365) yards, a downwind drive and a down slopped green awaits you. A nice tee shot will set you up with a low to mid range iron shot. A well placed iron shot will put you up close. Depending on the pin placement, your putt will slide so you may have to lag it here but you can definitely attack a birdie putt. My daughter is learning how to play golf and she is here on the eighth.
My daughter. Look at the tier of the green behind her.
The 10th fairway is much like the first. You tee off on the other side of the starters tent. It is a severe down slopped 436 yard par four. The picture below and to the right gives you an idea of what awaits you. The fairways are wide and the rough is very fair to play out of. Still, stay in the fairway if you can as the grass can give you a tough lie with an errant shot. Trouble will await you on the left side as there are bunkers along the way. Take your time with your putt as you can score on this hole and a solid effort will give you a birdie/bogey depending on how you played up to the green.
The 11th hole is a 513 yard par five and it played at over 600 yards with the wind directly in my face. I dubbed a few shots here including my drive but I recovered with a 3 wood and put it on the green. A two putt left me with par and I was satisfied that I recovered with a good drive that did not carry due to the wind, wetness and of course… my own ability. L
The 11th hole is a 513 yard par five and it played at over 600 yards with the wind directly in my face. I dubbed a few shots here including my drive but I recovered with a 3 wood and put it on the green. A two putt left me with par and I was satisfied that I recovered with a good drive that did not carry due to the wind, wetness and of course… my own ability. L
The 12th is a par three that is the twin hole to the par three 7th as they run along each other and this one is certainly more difficult as it is 215 yards from the blacks and 188 from the blues. I played it from the blues and used my four iron hybrid. I hit a solid tee shot but the wind held it up about 15 yards short of the green when usually that shot would leave me with a birdie attempt of some kind.
I was told by the starter that the par four 14th is the signature hole on the course. It is a 380 yard layout with a pond along the left side with a small island where birds nest. The right side is a woods/marsh setup where this tight hole will collect your tee shot down the right side. A well-placed iron could be recommended or your safest metal wood. You can drive the left side to get in close by cutting the hole but it is not a smart play. The course was so wet that there was standing water on the right side. I did not play it well and had a seven as I lost a ball in the woods and hit a second. I missed a putt and you get the idea.
14th Tee box
A small bird island with egg laying ducks
A small bird island with egg laying ducks
Well I hate to say this but the cart featured below was out of power by the 14th. Actually it had intermittent power as it could roll well going downhill but could not negotiate the rolling hills that make this a nice track to play. I called the club house a couple of times and got voice mail. For the rest of the round I would get out of the cart and push while my daughter drove. This happened quite a bit and got to be so bad that I was not able to play the 18th hole.
The 17th hole is an interesting twist for the course. It is a 290 yard par four from the blacks and only from 260 where I played. There is plenty of trouble to the left of the green as the heather awaits you and of course missing your drive will give you an attempt or two out of the sand. The green is huge and the architect was smart to give to do this as the long hitters can drive hole but there is a greater chance that you will hit trouble in the heather or sand and a long putt will most likely await you. Still, you should plan on a three or four here or you will lose a shot to the field. I do wonder how many eagles achieved in a serious tournament at this hole. I am sure somebody does it during the course of a day.
So what is the bottom line? This Billy Casper managed layout is a super play for most golfers. It plays radically different on several holes where the tee boxes will give you a different way to play the holes based on your ability and desire for a challenge. This course has five par-threes and of the courses reviewed so far, I like these as a group the best. Number nine is a tee shot over a pond, and two more are down severe slopes where you must think about which club to play and have large greens to shoot for birdies.
The rolling fairways are a nice touch. My daughter thought she was at Cedar Point and they really only come into play if you hit a poor shot. Do not mess with them as the lies are wicked.
Sanctuary Lake is located on 1450 East South Blvd. in Troy, Michigan. Call 248-619-7600
http://www.golftroy.com/Troy-Michigan-Play-Golf.html
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