Hunter's Ridge is Truly a Livinston County Hidden Gem

      What started as a golf course by a local farmer more than a decade ago and was literally started by hand drew the attention of the famed designer Jerry Matthews and he created a back 40 masterpiece. Hunter’s Ridge is a golf course that has a variety of golf holes from long carries, fescues, wide fairways and greens that are fair for golfers that navigate its largely wide fairways. This 6552 yard layout has four tee boxes starting at 4,624 yards and golfers are encourage to find the set of tees that give them a sense of a challenge without overdoing it.

     Often you hear the term hidden gem about a golf course and the inspiration for the phrase could pertain to Hunter’s Ridge. Located eight miles north of M-59 (Highland Road) in Howell this course, the staff from management to the greens keeper and the rest of the staff are very friendly and do everything possible to make sure you have a good time. The log cabin is a super twist for those visiting the clubhouse and it has a unique look.

The first hole is a Real Eye Opener

   While the course has a variety of strategies used to defend itself against players, ultimately golfers just need to make good shots in order to earn pars and birdies.  The Hunter’s Ridge layout does demand that you play the right set of tees and at a difference of 600 yards from the gold to the blues and you will be reminded quickly if you are on the road to perdition. The first hole is not really that way. The coffee is good at the pro shop but your real eye opener on the hole is the bright sun that stares at you right from your opening shot. Playing from the gold tees is only measured at 386 yards and the blues are at the 347 yard mark. With the wide fairway and slight downhill look, you can whale away on your opening tee shot but the grass moguls to the right will collect your ball. Golfers that go this way will have a second shot but the fescues are immediately thick and razor sharp. You can fade the ball here off the tee but a snap hook will make you three off the tee.  I played from the blues (6,049 yards)on this day and usually play the longer gold’s but teed off at 6:20am and had no warm-up. With a drive of just over 250 yards, the red 100 yard marker was just even with my ball. Two bunkers surround the front side of the green on either side and the green has some undulation but what I really like about the greens is they really roll true. Birdies are very possible here and pars should be the norm and bogeys are not a bad score here.

The Fourth Tee Box is Frought with Trouble Ahead

The Dew is Beautiful on the 4th

   Skipping to the fourth hole, you get the number one handicap hole on the course. The tee box alone will tell you what you are in for. It plays thirty-five yards (384 to 349 yards) and the view of the hole is much between the two boxes. From the back, you literally see only hazards including the woods to the left, a sand trap left center and a wall of evil to the right side. The blue tee box shows the open hole much more and the fairway slopes from the left to the right. There is a lot of room to work your tee shot and a fade is fine. Hit a snap hook and your ball will become chum for the picker bushes and wall of weeds. The slightly elevated green has sand bunkers in the front left of the green but your putts will be hit on a large green and don’t be surprised if a two-putt is in your future.

The fourth green looking back
toward the Fairway

    

It's Hit the Green or Bust on the 5th

The Sun Through the Trees is Breathtaking

The very next hole is a knee knocker if you let it. Playing 50 feet downhill on a series of tee boxes carved out of the hill it plays between (199-176 yards) and there is not a lot of wiggle room for errant shots. There is about 20’ feet in front of the green and the combination of swamp and foliage that will collect anything short must be avoided. The green look like a decent target from the tee box but upon examination from the tee box it is two-tiered and your medium iron shot has only about 25 feet by my estimation to stay on the green from front to back but it was most likely a little further. The sand moguls around the back of the green acts like a buffer for balls that run through the green and there is some room behind if you overshoot it. A birdie here is quite an accomplishment and both times I played I felt very fortunate to be putting for a birdie. Both days I earned a par and hit the green.  The green  is long from left to right but is not deep.

The 6th Green Gives Up Birdies but the
Depression in the Background is
Formidable

View from the 6th Tee Box

     The very next hole is one where you will validate why your choice to play the gold or blue tees. The gold tee box (543 yards) makes a golfer shoot between trees and anything more than slightly offline will give you three off the tee. From the blue tee box (495 yards), the fairway is wide and you can clearly see the wall of roughage that divides this hole into two from the tee box. Yes, a long bomber can hit the wall but the play percentage is so low that a fine shot will be wasted and layup short of the hazard. I think that it is about 280-300 yards from the blue tee box and most golfers will not hit it so whale away. I also believe both days I played the blue box that the tee was closer to 530 so the advantage was very slight except for the angle. Your second shot will most likely be a metal fairway wood and you will have a wide fairway to hit. You can still go in the weed cabbage on either side with a misplayed shot and most likely you will never see your ball again. If you need the third shot a wedge or high iron will be hit into a uniquely cut green and depending on the pin placement you will either have a straight putt or you will be putting into or out of a depression located in the front left of the green. I have never seen the pin placed there or to the left of the green. It has always been located to the right. A birdie is very possible here and an eagle is not out of the question. I think most golfers will consider par a good score.

The Bunkers in the Rough Bleeding into the Fairway
Will Come into Play. Plenty of Fairway to the Right

   The finishing hole on the front nine is a short but very fun par four. It plays from 342 to 333 yards. There are a series of grass moguls to the right side but the fairway is wide and if you have not hit a fairway yet, this is one where you could record one on your scorecard. The trouble is minimal except to the left. There are sand bunkers clustered around the left side moguls and there are two more on either side of the green. A high iron or wedge should get you to the green and you will get a good look at the Hunter’s Ridge cabin and flag if you hit it there.

The Chute Runs Downhill Toward the Green for Long Bombers

     Hopefully you have rewarded yourself with a beer in the clubhouse because the tenth hole loves to reward good drives. Those playing the gold tees (421 yards) will be jealous of those playing blue (374 yards) and if you are a good driver you may earn a reward. You will notice the fescues that run along both sides of the fairway and a fairway bunker that you can hit from either box. Believe it or not, hitting the sand trap to the left is not a bad thing as you will be ob just beyond it. The best thing is the run way where this slightly dog leg right hole plays just enough downhill that if your crushed drive hits it, you may leave yourself under 100 yards to the hole. This shot could make your day. If you do hit it shorter and leave yourself 100-150 yards in, the green is surrounded by sand, a unique green depression to maneuver around and a challenging putt overall. Make your putt here. It does give up birdies and pars and if you make one here, you very well collect some skins.

     Thus far, water has been largely absent from this course but with all of the other trouble on the course it is hardly noticeable. The 12^th hole has the usual woods and weed to the left and a pond that runs for around 200 of the holes (530-490 yards)has a genteel feel. Between the geese, water and waterfall, it is pretty but not fun if you hit your ball there. You do not have to go in the H20 on the fly to earn a penalty stroke. The fairway slopes from left to right on the right side of the fairway and you may think you are safe but I have news for you. Most golfers will drive over the sand from the left side but it is there. Your second shot will most likely be a fairway wood and two super shots could find the green. If not, you will have a mid to high iron shot and that is not a bad play. Five sand bunkers and grass moguls surround the green. I hit a wedge into the green and hit the grass mogul and it kicked my ball into the trap. That happened four different times and is a defense of the course against golfers who are errant with their approach shots. The green is not overly difficult. Once again, birdie to bogey will be carded by most golfers. Eagles are possible for those that get on in two.

The 17th Green. There is not as Much Room as You Think

     The final two holes let golfers know that you have work to do before going to the log cabin clubhouse. The 17^th hole is similar to the 5^th in that there are elevated tee boxes. The fescues and wetlands that guard the pond to the front are there and some trees also frame the opening both front and left side of the green. Unlike the 5^th, there is much more room to work your iron off the tee and it plays from 156 to 191 yards and a hybrid may give you that extra confidence to get on the green. I made it with my six-iron. Interestingly, I usually club down on downhill holes by one most of the time but not here. Like the middle school banner that says “failure is not an option,” rings true on this golf shot. There is some room in front of the green but not much. I hit my ball into the front ten feet of the green. It looked to be on by more than the 20-25’ it really had but you cannot see from the tee box how trouble is really by a small margin. The green also has a deep depression on it and the flag was placed on the right side. If it had been on the left side of the green, even more trouble including a cluster of trees could knock your ball down out of bounds.

     The final hole is the money shot.

A View of the 18th Green from Above



I Bombed My Tee Shot and Still Have Plenty to Go.

The Chute Comes into Play on the 18th

Your Second Shot Needs to Go Left. The Fescues are Difficult
to the Right

This hole is one of my favorite closing holes in golf. Playing as the 2^nd handicap hole on the course, this par five (556-547 yards) demands golfers hit it through a tight chute of trees out of the tee box and has a wide fairway to drive it. There is trouble with the carnage on both sides of the fairway but the trees nearly 450 yards from the tee box frame this hole and golfers that hit it through the chute know they are in the game to hit it close for the second shot which is a douzy. Unless you have played this hole a few times, there is no way to know about the downhill slope about 125 yards in front of the green that funnel everything into the wetland fescues, the narrow left side fairway and the bunker that guards the green. The view is pretty and the third shot could be penal. If you go into the wetlands, it is good night. The sand bunkers are clustered on the left side below the hole and will catch errant second or third shots and a well placed bunker in front of the green will turn your smile upside down if you do not watch it.  After hitting the ball into a valley that funnels balls to the wetlands, the green then goes slightly uphill and acts to repel shots trying to find a home close to the flag. The green is two-tiered from back to front and the log cabin clubhouse has a patio and those who have had a few pops can cheer or jeer you. I nearly birdied this hole when my third shot from about 100 yards landed on the dog hair and was ten feet from the pin. My putt was wells struck and sat on the lip but did not go in. RRRrrr!

     The variety of holes at Hunter’s Ridge serves to give you a challenge as do the tee boxes. Some courses stack their tee boxes parallel one right behind the other and this course does it on some holes but on others you are really given that challenge to try your skills. The water is light but the slightly elevated greens and repel bunkers will kick your ball into the sand or give you a wedge shot. I would not let that bother me as you usually have a good shot to get it close and earn your par. Hunter’s Ridge is a golf course. They have a liquor license like everyone else but they do not have a full restaurant or pro shop. They simply provide you with a great golf course and a memorable experience as a golfer. The only downside to the course is finding it. Definitely take your map or use your GPS. If you do that, the extra drive will not be stressful.

The course is priced as a great bang for the buck. At $20-30 per round, you are receiving a golf course that is well maintained and is a load of fun.

Here is the Skinny...

Course Markings- 7- Very Good. No GPS but the holes are staked at 100,150 and at 200 yards. Sprinklers are marked as well 

Conditions -10.0 - The greens are fair and immaculate. The fairways are watered and you have very few if any bad lies. The greens are very fair and you can read them.  

Playability 10- The key is playing the correct tees. You will find out by the fourth hole if you are on the right track. If not, lay your ego aside. The fairways are wide and the green moguls are a nice touch but did get me a few times the last time I played. This course is difficult.  The first cut of rough is not much worse than the fairway and I like that. Right now, all courses are hurting from a lack of rain and most supers are letting the rough go a bit to keep the fairways and greens playable. There are obvious areas to drive the ball and the greens show obvious depressions.

Course Design-10.0 I like how you can use every club in your bag. You will play most of your clubs. The gold tees are very difficult for players and give them a much different look on many holes than players playing the blues.

Pace of Play- 10- There is an advantage to a course being located off the back 40. I enjoy this course and the only drawback is the course being so far out of the way. That creates fewer golfers and quicker rounds.

Junior/Adult Programs and Tournaments- NA - There are some tournaments including the Livingston Junior Tour tht visit.

Amenities-  There is no restaurant or place for weddings. An outdoor grilling area and gazebo is a nice touch. There is a driving range and putting green.

Bang for the Buck 9. Most rounds are under $30 with a cart.
The bottom line- This course is  9.5 out of 10. It is a very enjoyable round of golf and play it this season.

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