I would like to thank Don Tillar and his excellent staff for my experience at Sylvan Glen and they helped make my visit an enjoyable one. Their staff is excellent and I must note that my original tee time was cancelled by rain and a person at the course called me and told me to reschedule my visit as standing water was on the course and they were booked me for the following weekend. I could have driven out there for nothing and I thank them for the courtesy.
I have always been curious to play this course and have driven past it on my way to Kensington Community Church many times over the years. There is a par three (No. 7) that goes over a bridge and a marsh and it looks fun to play. It is but more on that later. Camp Ticonderoga is a restaurant that has been there for many years and for those of you that like venison, this place is a must visit. But I was there to play golf and this (6686) yard layout is lined with a creek and trees that keep golfers honest. I had played The Orchards the preceeding day and had an awesome par on number 18 and keep the fun going on number one.
This 409 yard par four goes over a creek just in front of the tee box and other than some trees that will make you pitch out from the right side, the trouble is minimal unless you go over the green and its goodnight! I advise golfers to play from the blue tees unless you are a beginning player or one that plays slowly. My drive ended up in the rough but I had a seven iron to the green. My iron shot ended up on the first cut just a foot off of the green and I used a putter to tap-in range and had a par. The greens on this course roll true and have some subtle to extreme undulation like any course.
The third hole is a 434 yard par four that is tree lined down the left side and they did not come into play for me as I hit a solid but unspectacular drive down the middle. My second shot came up short. I chipped on and had a eight footer for par and ended up with a bogey. A large trap is on the left side on the front of the green. I think many golfers can par this hole or end up with bogey. If you are a worm burner golfer, well you can kill a lot of them but this hole is a good hole to air out your driver.
The sixth hole is a 391 yard par four that runs along the fence guarding the left side with a cluster of trees to the right. The trees at Sylvan Glen are mature so hitting behind most of them will have a smart golfer pitching out into the fairway most of the time. I went right side behind one of them and I was tree bound. Pitching it out is the smart play and I did just that. Unfortunately I went short and right of the green with my third and was in front of a bunker guarding the green. I then pitched about 20 feet past the hole and then two putt for a six. This green is guarded by bunkers on both sides and they are fair to chip out of.
Number 7 is the par three that I spoke of that runs along Rochester Road just north of the club house. It plays from 134 yards from the forward tees to 209 from the tips. I played it at 181 yards with a four iron hybrid and put it on the dog hair about 25 feet from the pin. There is plenty of trouble on this hole as the fence runs to the left and water runs in front of the hole. I ordinarily would have clubbed down one but the wind was tricky at times this day and I wanted to take the wetlands out of play. The green is tricky and you will need to survey your putt before striking your birdie or par effort. An errant tee shot will send you looking for a bogey or worse.
The number one handicapped hole on the course is a 445 par four hole with plenty of kick and it will take your best golfing skills to par. Your drive can catch trees on both sides with your drive and hitting one will almost certainly make you play for bogey or worse. I do not suggest hitting three-wood here with your second shot unless you are wobbly with the driver. Unless you bomb your driver 280 or better from the blues (which I played,) you will hit a metal wood or that three wood again without a tee. White tees do you no better as you only move up about 20 yards. This hole really gets brutal on your second shot. There are trees and a creek that will most likely make you think about whether a solid start to this hole will end up in the creek. I dubbed my second shot and hit my third to the back of the green and required a short chip. This green is a tough one to negotiate. I hit a good chip to ten feet and hit my putt. My playing partners for this hole did not do so well and blew their putts by. Take your time putting here as this hole is an honor to par. You birdie this hole and you wore your 'big boy pants' to the course today.
The back nine starts out with an extremely fun par three. The tenth hole is 179 from the blues and I played the white's at 158 yards and hit a six iron. A creek guards the hole short and a dead tree snags any balls that go right. It almost reminds me of Pontiac Country Club's number 17 which has a huge dead tree that guards the hole to the left. Anyways, the green is small with a bunker to the back right. The grass at this course is thick and luscious and I was just off the green with me tee shot. Getting it close with sand wedge is tricky as you have little room to run a shot and the pin is to my side of the chip. I two-putted this green.
The 12th hole is the first par five on the back. There are plenty of trees to send you in a tizzy on both sides of the hole. There is no sand or impediments to collect errant tee shots so you can bomb away within reason. It measures 530 from the blues and the longest hitters can hit the green in two but the pin is elevated and the green is meant for you to think about your putt as you can three putt easy here. I got on in three but my sweeping putt was solid and I made my putt for a well-done five.
Two straight par threes await you on number 15 and 16. On sixteen, I hit my best tee shot of the day and hit a five iron into the wind on line with the pin and it trickled a few feet wide of the pin and 10 feet past. I was proud to mark my ball here and stared down my birdie putt. I rimmed it but hit my comebacker which was about six inches past the hole for a well-earned three.
The 18th hole is a supurb finishing hole. It measures just under 500 yards (494) Many of the other holes have the Donald Ross type of small greens, on this hole the green is larger to collect long wood shots. It is a blind second shot or most likely a third shot for golfers. It is about 20 feet below the fairway that has a creek down a severe slope and any balls hit into the embankment are not marked out of bounds but are unplayable about 50 yards in front of the green. I hit my second shot which was a dandy into this revine. I then hit a chip short of the green and chipped my par onto the green and two-putt from there for a six.
Here is the skinny!
Customer Service- 9 - Super people work here. This is the only time I have ever had a course call me to tell me it was unplayable and reset a tee time. I thank the staff for saving me the trip.
Course Markings- 6- Standard. Markings at 150
Conditions -9 - Course well taken care of and you can find your ball easily in the rough.
Playability 9- Anyone can play when you hit them long and straight. If you go right or left into the trees, chip out and keep playing. The greens will give you some tough putts but don't rush them and you will be all right.
Course Design-7- Many of the holes are straight and have a similar look and the tee boxes will give you pretty much the same view where ever you play from. There are some shots where the creek that runs from over the course and must be negotiated. The greens are small overall and many have subtleties that must be negotiated. When you miss them, good chipping is required as the grass is consistent and thick and you need deft touch to get it close for a one putt.
Pace of Play 10- I did play around a few people but played my round in 3 hours and five minutes. The customers waived me by on multiple occasions as they saw I played with one other person except on nine where I finished a hole with two golfers that waived us up.
The City of Troy has jumped into the
This course is a great course to walk and beginning golfers will find it a tough challenge and is a good challenge for players with several holes that will take your best golf to score well.
| Sylvan Glen Golf Course 5725 Rochester Road South | Troy, MI 48085 (248) 619-7600 |
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http://www.golftroy.com/Contact-Us_c54d794c4.htmlFrequent Golf Card program and is the only one that I am aware of that gives discounts to golfers that come out regularly.
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