The R and S Sharf is a Royal Experience

At Oakland University, Katke Cousins is a known commodity but the truth in my book is there are two outstanding golf courses and The R & S Sharf is every bit the outstanding challenge its better known

Counterpart is known for. The R & S Sharf was designed by famed golf course designer Rick Smith who gained notoriety in the 1990’s for his work with PGA Touring pros. The R & S Sharf is a must play for anyone that wants to play golf on a premiere design with the satisfaction of knowing that achieving par or birdie is a job well done. The course plays from just under 7200 yards (7178) from the tournament tees to 5227 yards for the forward or competition tees. I have played the course twice this year and after taking two weeks off to fulfill a summer teaching commitment, the Grizzly tees staked at 6,554 yards was enough for me on a beautiful July day.

The second hole is a 383 yard par four and plays over a valley and any tee shot hit under around 180 yards is playable but not advisable as the fescues are not fun and will lead you to a blind shot to the slight dog leg hole. Trees will greet you to the right and a well placed tee shot is much more important than bombing the ball and taking the chance of a shot off the fairway or the first cut. The greens play very fast on most of the holes on the Sharf and my advice is to use the practice facilities that are top notch and this is particularly true of the short game green where chipping and putting is the best I have seen in metro Detroit. This green played true and while I missed a bunch of putts today, I hit my five footer here and parred this hole.

The third hole from the tee box

The third hole is a par three that ranges from 202 to 110 yards and I played it from 194 yards of this well marked course. I played a 3 hybrid and hit it slightly fat and ended up in the bunker to the left of the pin and my tee shot would have been safely on if I had hit it just a few feet further. Like everything else at this track, the sand is fair to hit out of and I blasted short of the pin and let it trickle to the pin but the ball just kept rolling and ended up on the dog hair about 8 feet past the pin. My par putt just slid by and I achieved a bogey on this very challenging hole with undulated greens and one solid golf shot will eliminate the wild times that wait those who go short or right.

The deer are everywhere and are pretty tame

The fifth hole is truly a fun hole to play. A par four that slopes downward to a blind landing area and has a huge bunker guarding the green that is severely undulated are the highlights to this hole. Woods await anyone that shanks one to the right but the hole slopes to a short 140 or less area where you can pitch over the very large sand bunker to a green that could fit a small battleship including the second cut of green.

My drive was a dandy but my second shot was a little fat and went over the bunker but about 90 feet short of the pin. My shot was blind here and I had to guess at how far I was to the flag and I misjudges but you have know way of knowing unless you make the long walk over and around the tall bunker. My third shot was a putt that was amazing as I putted through a couple of breaks and up a slope to the back of the green. The ball looked to settle after all that just a few feet from paradise but settled about six feet past the hole with a slight down hill effort for par. I struck it well but just slide it by and I had to settle for a bogey when I had two well struck putts. If you want to play a better class of a golf course, you have to pay the price and mine was bogey here.

View of the 5th green from the tee box (above) and view of the 5th green (below).

The sixth hole is a very scenic par five where the elevated tee makes you feel that you can just bomb the ball and worry about the consequences later. I teed off from 540 yards on this par five and hit a solid tee shot that kicked up its heels and rolled just over 300 yards down this down sloping hole right down the middle where the fairway ends for about 30 yards before picking up again. There is trouble on the right side if you shank it here but my advice is to ’bust a move here’. A sidebar is that you can aim for the bunker 300+ yards in front of the tee box to the right center of the fairway. Missing it left is fine as the slight dog leg left really opens up there. A series of bunkers guards the green left front. Two smoked shots could reach the green in two but the green is undulated and putting it in the wrong place will do you no favors. Most of us mortals will have a short iron into the green or we can pitch and run it. Today the pin was tucked in the front of the green and once again I just slid it by the hole and how my putt stayed out is an unsolved mystery.

The very next hole is the reprieve golfers can take refuge with. The 150 yard par three is only 154 yards from the tips and 93 yards for the beginning golfer and is truly a pretty hole. The tee box has been finished in brick and a plaque is at the base of the tee box immortalizing those that have aced this baby. From the tee box you can see the south end of the Oakland University campus and the sight is worth looking at and I started to think of the memories of me attending grizzly country back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. My tee shot of 150 yards was shot with an eight iron and I hit a draw that missed the trees right side and came back several yards passed the pin on the first cut. My putt was lagged about a foot by the pin and went off line only as it lost speed and left me with a two -footer that I rammed in for a one putt par. Looking back at the tee box was just as impressive as looking at the green from the tee box.

The R & S Sharf is not a course that you want to walk and besides, you can only play using a cart. The course has plenty of hills and the distances wind around the woods and many holes are spread out with distances of ¼ mile or perhaps more. Add it up and you get the picture.

The back nine is laid out links style and in my mind is a little easier than the front nine due to a couple of short par fours that are sprinkled in with a couple of tests of golf distance wise. The tenth holes is a short 475 yard par four and after a difficult front nine with multiple holes playing above average in length with plenty of long iron shots. This hole has fescues in front of the tee box and shouldn’t bother you unless you walk up there weak kneed. The large bunker guarding the green is a natural target and even though you think you can hit it from the tee box due to the course layout, the truth is you will have a medium iron into the green for the long hitters and is reachable in three for the shorter ones with a short pitch to set up your birdie try. Truthfully, beyond the bunker is a large landing area and unless you are experienced at playing the Sharf, your shot you meant for the green will land well short of it.



A real treat awaits golfers who want a refreshment at the cabana located in the cluster of holes 10-13. You can purchase a snack or beverage and can get out of the hot sun if the course is backed up. From the ceiling fans to the shade, I would really like to play here when everything is open.

A hole with real character is the short and very golfer friendly par four 12^th. It plays only 308 from the tournament tees and I played it at 280 yards. Everything about this hole tells you to bomb away and after hitting my tee shot I think it is a good play if you are confident of going over the nasty stuff that awaits those who hit it there. A huge bunker guards the green in the front and if the pin is tucked in behind it you really have to go left side. The pin was left side so I went for it. A few notes about going for it from 280 to 308 yards and it is that the fairway slopes toward the hole. If that is not enough for you to wail away, There is a good size bailout area behind the green. The green does slope from left to right and from the right side from front to back giving you the rare opportunity to chip back to the green if you had your spinach. You really need to par this hole at worst to keep with tournament or better players but hitting it in the sand on your drive will leave you with a almost certain two putt as the green will play tricks with any birdie attempt. I drive it a few yards short of the bunker in front of the green and chipped about 15 feet past the hole and two-putt from there and had a par.

The second of what I would call three birdie opportunities on this side has to reside with the par three 14^th. It is well guarded and the trouble is not really noticeable until you get to the green. It is true that the natural grass is very noticeable from the tee box and the trees can clip you right but the green is not very deep and club selection is very important. Sand will catch short shots and what makes this hole tough is the very undulated green. You could put your shot 15 from the pin and still three- putt if you are not careful. Those putting in the wrong spot of the green better say their prayers. I hit my drive to a safe part of the green and while I putted downhill, this part of the green rolled very slow. My ball stopped six feet short of the green even though I was sure I struck it with the same tempo as I had all round. I then putted a second ball and it did roughly the same thing so I tried to save my par but three putted for the third time this round which I rarely do. So maybe that birdie opportunity I spoke of was really an mirage stuck in my imagination.

While that hole might have been, that is not true of the 15^th hole which plays downhill, has a wide fairway and plays only 370 yards and a well struck tee shot should run for awhile so tee it up a little lower here. The fairway slopes severely to the right but those reaching it will still have a pitch shot or short iron to the green. Bunkers guard it both sides and while the green is undulated, a well placed shot should give you a chance to mark a three down for a job well done.

The first time I played hole 16 was very exciting for me. I nearly aced this baby which plays from 142 to 201 yards and like many of the others, you have plenty of natural and swampy areas to shoot over. I did it the first time I played but played it much different this time. The collection area in front of the green gives you plenty of room for error and while the green is undulated, with the right speed, you can get your putts close. I did birdie it the first time but messed it up and put it short of the bunker you see to the left side of the picture. I did chip it up to about 25 feet as obviously accuracy was a problem but the distance was right on. A two-putt from there left me with a bogey and a far cry from the birdie I had my inaugural trip to this outstanding course.

16 from the tee box to the right and from just below the green where I hit my shot short and to the left.

You just know that an outstanding golf course will have a strong finishing hole and this course has a grand finally waiting. The hole plays on a series of stacked tee boxes and plays from 384 to 572 yards and I got my feet wet from 550. Short tee shots will turn you into Jean Van de Velde as you will be in the valley of shame. The landing area is very wide and you can take a big bite out of it. Drive it too far left and you will drive through the fairway into some grass moguls. I did drive it fairly long and though the fairway but short of the moguls. The rough is well… rough there and my second shot was hit with my three wood only about 180 yards as it settled into the grass pretty deep. If I had hit the fairway instead, I could have had a mid-iron or less instead of a 200 yard third shot. Casual fairway bunkers adorn this hole and my third shot was also somewhat buried and I put it to the right of the green. I landed on top of some stones and hit my fourth shot from them and it was a disaster. My club did not advance the ball forward but to the other side of me where it rolled down hill. I pitched to the green and two-putt from there for a seven to a hole that had plenty of promise after a good drive that was not well placed.

Here's the Skinny...

Customer Service- 10.0. This course models how to take care of customers. Perry, Jeremy, and the rest do a great job to let you know that they appreciate your business. It is a nice touch to have a 1/2 liter of water placed in your cart and that small gesture is big for golfers who need to wet their whistle on a hot day.

Course Markings- 9.5 - Excellent. Some suggestions on playing the course. Plenty of places from stakes, to cement markers to sprinkler head all help you to pull out the right club.

Conditions -10 - Course in outstanding shape and the greenskeeper should be commended.

Playability 9.5- This is a very tough scoring track particularly on the front nine. Local knowledge helps you to play the course as you become familiar with the layout. Greens are tough and very undulated in several places. The practice green will help you and check it out as it is outstanding to improve your game.

Course Design- 10- Rick Smith designed this outstanding course and he delivered with a course not too tricked out just to trick golfers. The nature in the woods from the deer that were all over to wild turkeys were a sight that anyone can love.

The bottom line. I give it a 10.0/10.0 This is really quite a track to play and you really should give them a call to book a tee time. It is upscale, a super golf course for serious golfers and a memorable time.

Phone Number

Oakland University Golf & Learning Center
Phone number: 248-364-6300