Course Review: The Donald Ross Memorial Review at Boyne is a walk in golf history

A view of the 18th green from Oakland Hills 16th Replica Hole 

For the interview with Mike Chumbler, Director of Golf at Boyne go to -http://www.michigangolfscene.co/resort-golf-reviews.html

Teeing off

The Donald Ross Memorial Course is one of my all-time favorite courses. This all-star course was the brainchild of Boyne founder Everett Kircher and came to the fruition with a team of people including Jim Flick. As a person who loves history and enjoys golf history, playing replicated holes from Royal Dornach, Oakland Hills, Pinehurst and others is something that I will never forget and can hardly wait to play again. Ross is known for many things from small greens, strategic risk and reward holes and deceptive hole designs that are designed for both the daily fee and the expert golfer. 

The second hole is classic Donald ross with narrow approaches
and a small green

     His very first hole is a replica of the 6th hole at North Palm Beach in Florida. The layout of this 383 yard hole is excellent. It is fairly wide open and having played plenty of golf in Florida, I could picture this hole as fitting in (without the palm trees) Florida and playing it all winter long. Of course the green was small, undulated with bunkers to catch errant shots. 

The third hole is the one I wanted to play probably more than any other at this design. this 196 yard par three is taken from number 17 at Oakland Hills with big, deep and tall bunkers. Missing this green in one of the bunkers is most likely going to give you a 5 with a bogey feeling like par.

This picture does not do justice to high the bunkers are 

Just one of many deep and awkward
 sand traps await you on the 3rd. 

    








 The green is 30' above the tee with heavy bunkers everywhere. I swear you could see the bunkers from a space satellite. My biggest regret is that I did not take enough club. Great iron players can reach it but I think many players need a fairway five wood which means that well struck shots will run through the green. Par is a great score and birdies should be framed here. 

The 4th tee box-This hole runs
downhill and is very tight

Hole four is a replica of the 14th at Pinehurst number two. Playing downhill, it has plenty of roll for players who nail a drive down the middle.

The Pinehurst green view
from the fairway

A bunker sits in front of the green making you think about where to hit the ball. The hole is almost deceptive in that it looks so easy to earn par. At 434 yards and with a green that is ticklish, par is once again a desired score. 

Moving onto the 7th, the replica of the 18th hole at Inverness is one that many golf fans will recognize. It is not a long layout at 336 yards, but with the valley and clusters of bunkers located around the front of the green and beyond, you want your approach shot to have the best chance to have a birdie.

Number 8 is a testament to Inverness

Driving the snot out of the ball will leave you with a tricky lie. Hit a 3 -wood and take your chances with your approach shot. Birdie is easier as you can see how to maneuver shot number two. 

The back nine for me became spectacular again on the 12th which is a replica of the third hole at Detroit Golf Club's North Course. As the easiest of the par three holes and playing from 159 yards, the swath between tee and green sits in a slight valley but with just a

splash of trouble and a decent size green, most golfers will either be on the green or have a short pitch or sand shot. The green is tough. Putts will drift so really study the putt. I just missed my birdie but a firm stroke would have given me a birdie. 

The eighth is a rare Ross Hole with water trouble

Replica of the par 3 at the Detroit Golf Club

This course is like going to a rock concert where you know all of the artists songs and sing out loud to all of them. It just gets better and better and demands an encore. For me, the 13th hole was my favorite hole on the entire layout. I knew nothing coming in to the round about the Seminole Golf Clubs par five 14th but with the exception of the palm trees, it epitomizes everything about risk reward golf . The fairway is split into two distinct areas separated by sand bunkers and trees down the middle. Playing at 510 yards, long hitters will want to cut the corner to the right and go over water not once but twice and make the hole play closer to 460-480 yards. Most golfers will not go into the water for well executed shots but trees can come into play if you hook your drive to the right side of the right fairway. For those of you going Ronald Reagan right and want to get on safely in three (you could do it in two) you will drive to the left, split the fairway and drive the ball to the green which can be easily seen The green is well protected by bunkers and putts must be well struck and this has been said on every hole in this review. God forbid golfers riding in a cart and one of you goes left and the other right. 

The Spectacular 14th- Check out the risk reward option
To the right is the short cut

Another hole which provide me a spectacular surprise is the 15th hole. Built as a replica to the 11th hole 377 yard effort at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, it is yet another place where golf history was made as Gary Player might remember after winning the 1962 PGA. A wide fairway with marginal rough will give players a short to mid-iron to the flag. It is a beautiful hole with a valley below the green with bunkers surrounding the green and the front of the green will repel any short shots but than slopes front to center. You have a better chance to see the flag from the tee box than when you are in the fairway. This was a superbly designed hole. 

The 16th from about 180 yards out

The short walk to the 16th tee box gives this course its third replicated hole from Donald Ross' Pinehurst Number 2. Surrounded by a wall of trees both sides, this 568 dog leg left has a wide  landing area.

The 16th from the tee box- It is much
further to drive it out there than you think

Ross could be very tricky but he also believed that the longer the golf hole, the more room for error you should give golfers. Saying that, Driving it down right center off the tee is the best play. It will give you an angle to shape your second shot to an approach most likely 100-150 yards from the green. Over hitting your second against the trees right side will put you in competition with trees that have overhanging branches and a ball that could kick anywhere from out of bounds to the sand trap.  Par is a super score but birdies could be had but you have no room for error on your third shot. 

Of course an Oakland Hills hole will be used for the finishing hole. Which one? Well number 16 will do just fine. With plenty of history made at Oakland Hills from Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer, the hole represents what Oakland Hills looked like before the wall of weeping willows was torn down roughly a decade ago.  Playing as a dog leg right where golfers can dare to cut the 438 yards to 370-380 will bring in a tremendous amount of trouble. Hitting it through a weeping willow is futile and a large pond in front of the green to surrounding it right side is just one of the hazards. The bunkering, green and pressure will get to the PGA golfer although Player's iron over the willows to 4' is one of the great clutch shots in major golf history. 

Getting caught under one of these trees and you are in deep trouble

Going down the middle to the left of the furthest tree is your best option

The Skinny-

The course- Spectacular

The conditions- Ditto

The service- Truly Boyne!

The experience- Reliving golf history and playing some very tough holes Ross style one after another is something that is a highlight this golf season. 

Check out the video of Mike Chumbler talking about this Donald Ross Memorial design. 

Isabella gives this course a thumbs up